10 of the best City-Building Games of all time.
Are you an avid gamer? Are city-building games your thing? If yes, then this article is very special for you. It is one of the niche gaming segment which gained popularity since its inception. Check out our list of top ten city-sim games below.
1. Cities: Skylines
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
One of the best building games out there today, Cities: Skylines is a modern take on a classic concept. What really draws fans to the game is the magnitude of its scale and scope. It allows gamers to build a mega-city and give it a life of its own. The level of micromanagement – such as whether you want to roll out a collapsible canopy tent or not to managing city taxes -involved in this game truly makes it stand out among the rest.
2. Pharaoh
Rating: 4 out of 5
Considered as one of the finest city-building games of its time, Pharaoh still ranks high among fans not just because of the entertainment it provides but with the incorporation of accurate Egyptian culture into the game, it also somewhat serves as a history lesson. Whoever said that video games aren’t educational?
3. Caesar III
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Caesar is pretty much Pharaoh sans the Egyptian skin. The accurate portrayal of the Roman culture is quite impressive in this game and the entire Caesar series. This has put Impressions Games, makers of both Caesar and Pharaoh, in a class all their own.
4. Tropico 5
Rating: 4 out of 5
One of the things that make Tropico 5 stand out is its lighthearted take on a city-sim game. While it is slightly more comedic compared to the other games on this list, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t provide you with the same level of gaming complexity as the others.
5. Anno 2070
Rating: 4 out of 5
Set in the not-so-distant future, Anno 2070 is sure to provide you with hours of entertainment especially since it rewards you the more you play the game. You are given the chance to rebuild and reshape civilization after much of the planet has been decimated by disasters.
6. Frostpunk
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where mankind has been defeated by climate change, you are given the task to keep the dwindling population alive by using as little resources as possible. This game will challenge you not just technically but morally as well. You are, after all, humanity’s last hope.
7. SimCity
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The series that paved the way (pun not intended) for everything else, SimCity remains a fan favorite city-building game. While it may not be the most innovative game on this list, it deserves a spot here because of the foundation that it laid out (again, no pun intended) for all the city-building games that followed.
8. Banished
Rating: 4 out of 5
Delving into a territory that’s pretty much unexplored in its genre, the medieval era-themed game gives you a pretty fresh and unique take on city-sim. The game involves a group of exiled travelers forced to build a city after being banished. The premise makes it a survival game as well and this unique approach is enough reason for you to try it out.
9. Aven Colony
Rating: 4 out of 5
While most of the city-building games take place on planet Earth albeit, at different points in history (or alternate history), Aven Colony deals with extraterrestrial abnormalities as humans try to establish a colony on an alien planet for survival.
10. Surviving Mars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Another inter-planetary game about space colonies, Surviving Mars gives you a great option to satisfy your inner explorer and micromanager. Your goal: Make the planet inhabitable and safe for human survival. Not an easy feat.
Please mention in comment if you have any other city-building games that you believe should be on this list or add to it.