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Experts Tell Us the Best City Building Games

This article showcases our top picks for the Best City Building Games. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below). We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.

Anno 1800 Gold Edition

This product was recommended by Dominic Harper from Debt Bombshell

This game starts with a small plot of land and a trade port which then will lead you to attract farmers and workers to help rebuild the city and turn it from a farming village into a manufacturing powerhouse. This then is where you ink your mark and make certain agreements and tour the world for one-of-a-kind adventures and expeditions.Focused on production and industry, Anno 1800 is mainly about the maintenance of supply chains and how to generate revenue from such. You can defend your industry by constant fighting. This game is fun and best for critical thinkers as well.

Frostpunk: Console Edition

This product was recommended by Eden Cheng from PeopleFinderFree

In Frostpunk, players take on the role of the leader of the last survivable city in a post-apocalyptic Earth that also happens to be stuck in a never-ending winter. And because of that, the game brings with it a survival element that will undoubtedly push any player’s management skills to the absolute limit. Naturally, every decision you make can possibly mean life or death, with heating being your number one priority. However, that is just one of the many things you need to do to keep everyone alive, as players will need to effectively develop their city, decide how to govern the city by choosing different paths, set the right laws, and manage people’s daily routines.

Aven Colony

This product was recommended by Geninna Ariton from Trendhim

Building on a different planet comes with it’s challenges, especially when your main goal is building humanity from the ground up. Building should also consider the different biomes, adjusting the atmosphere, battling against different natural disasters and the lack of oxygen. If you want a challenging game, this one’s for you.

Caesar 3

This product was recommended by Johnathan Smith from CamperGuide

What attracted me the most about this building game is its location, Rome. Rome is one of my favorite travel spot, and if you love this place as much as I do, this game is perfect for you. Just like any other building games, the main goal of playing Caesar 3 is to improve the whole city of Rome as its progress will affect the entire gameplay. However, this isn’t just about the design, you’ll have to apply critical thinking as you’ll need to design the town appropriately or else it will be attacked by intruders.

Cities XL Platinum

This product was recommended by Steven Walker from Spylix

Cities XL appeared to be a conventional city-building game, but it included an exciting online multiplayer component. Players could also engage in a persistent world in Cities XL. Each player owns a city, and each person can trade with other players, thereby creating a virtual world.

SimCity

This product was recommended by Steven Walker from Spylix

SimCity is a franchise that has been around for quite some time. The first edition of the series was published about 30 years ago. It is the forefather of all city-building games, and it paved the way (pun intended) for many others to follow. These games are still relevant in the gaming world, having found a new home on mobile devices after moving away from PC and consoles.

Surviving Mars

This product was recommended by Steven Walker from Spylix

Surviving Mars is an excellent alternative for satisfying the explorer in you if space colonies are more your thing. Your quest will begin on Mars, which is currently a desolate wasteland. Fortunately, the game provides all of the necessary tools to make it habitable. This title, however, is not for the faint of heart.

Tropico 6

This product was recommended by Olivia Tan from CocoFax

This city-building game charges you with building a city from the ground up, all while dealing with the economic demands of the island, the happiness of your citizens, and keeping paradise afloat on corrupt bargains with overseas allies. Tropico 6 is all about finding balance in a city that can’t satisfy all factions and residents, as challenges arise from crooked government officials that you’ll need to complete in order to work towards your overall goal, which changes with each scenario. As you’d expect from a dictatorial city builder, Tropico 6 gives you plenty of choice, but you can expect some brutal consequences if you make the wrong call. If a general election looms, you’ll have the choice to bend the figures or remain squeaky clean, but there’s a trade off between losing the election and having to restart the level or angering internal factions.

Minecraft Starter Collection

This product was recommended by Joe Flanagan from 90s Fashion World

I don’t get tired of recommending Minecraft to anyone who wants to build and express their creativity with building blocks. Be it a small house or a sprawling city, this is the game for you! I have done Japanese temples over snowy mountain tops, jungle tree houses connected by hanging bridges, Medieval fortresses and so much more! It is also ideal as a kids game and to share as a family since you can play all together and collaboration on a building project!

Cities Skylines

This product was recommended by Amit Raj from The Links Guy

Cities: Skylines is a game where you build your city from scratch. You can choose to be an elected official, mayor, or even live in one of the many multiplayer modes! There are no limits on what size building, etc. It’s all up for grabs – so get planning today!!

Megapolis

This product was recommended by Stewart McGrenary from Freedom Mobiles

Help a village in need by turning an old, abandoned metropolis into your own modern underwater city. Build up all aspects of their infrastructure and educate them about everything that you have learned from above water life!

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Written by Zak Parker

Journalist, writer, musician, professional procrastinator. I'll add more here later.

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