Are you looking for the best city-building games for PCs? Then you have come to the right place. There is nothing more relaxing than watching a city get built before your eyes. Gamers like you have played city-building games and spent hours in them. And why wouldn’t you want to play them? City simulations are fun, creative, challenging, and relieve stress.
Our list is perfect for those who enjoy management games and hardcore town planners who are up for challenges and have a good time. We have presented a list where there is a difficulty, along with some realistic and sci-fi best city builder simulators—enough chit-chat. Let us start the list.
Best City Building Games in 2023
Here is the collection of the 15 best city-building games in 2023. Check them out and see if you find one that suits your taste.
1. AVEN COLONY
Aven Colony brings you more challenges than any other city-building simulator. You will have to build cities on different planets, and there you will face many obstacles that you have to overcome, from where to build roads to building sanitation pipelines, you have to plan it all. You also have to keep a constant watch for outer space attacks.
Aven Colony differs slightly from other city-builder games because you are not building a city from scratch. Instead, you are rebuilding it. This game means some buildings already made that need some work, and some need to be built. You are the savior of humankind and are tasked to rebuild humanity.
In Aven Colony, you will start as the governor and eventually rise to the rank of supreme leader. The game will start with small goals like building a water pump and slowly increasing the intensity level.
Aven Colony is not just a simple city-building game. It is much more than that. You can purchase the game from Steam for 29.99 US dollars.
2. FROSTPUNK
Frostpunk is one of the best city-builder survival games developed and published by 11-bit studios. The game will make you question your sanity and morals over and over. You have to survive the harsh environment of the ice age and ensure a livable society for your citizens.
The steampunk-powered city in Frostpunk froze before it could stand and prosper. As the leader of a small group of survivors, you are tasked to rebuild and make the lost city prosperous. It is a perfect combination of city-building and early survival games. It focuses on your management skills and how you plan for the community to grow.
Frostpunk is not about ruling like other games but surviving is the primary goal. You have to juggle between tasks and roles to keep your people happy and keep them productive. As a gamer, you must ensure enough food for everybody and wood for burning. You have to distribute tasks among the people and keep an eye on the reserve.
Frostpunk is genuinely a fantastic game that you should play. You can get the game from Frost Punk’s official website.
3. TROPICO 6
TROPICO 6 makes you the president of an archipelago where you must build, manage, and maintain the society. You have to build the city from scratch. It would be best to deal with the land’s economic demand and the people’s comfort. The happiness of your citizen is the top priority in the game, TROPICO 6.
The game is all about finding the perfect balance on the island to meet the needs of every citizen. It is also earning money from the business. There will be different challenges for you to take. It would be best if you tackled everything from shady business people aboard to corrupt government officers.
Your island will look more like a modern town as you complete different goals. TROPICO 6’s extraordinary presentation makes it one of the best city-building simulation games you can play on your pc. The game is available on Steam for $49.99.
4. SURVIVING MARS
Surviving Mar is similar to Frostpunk, but instead of frozen Earth, you have to survive on the hostile planet- Mars. It is a beautiful blend of Mars survival and building cities. On the barren red planet, you have to build the ultimate shelter of a city for people—this time, you have to build a city and protect it. You will receive an arsenal of weapons to defend your city from foreign invasion.
There is no help coming for you. You must be your botanist, doctor, scientist, sanitation worker, and city planner. You have to keep your citizens happy and their morale high. But that is not the only thing you have to worry about. Surviving the red planet is more complex than you think. So there will be a bunch of tasks to complete.
Surviving Mars is the best city-building game in 2022. This game will keep you busy for sure. Researching and exploring the planet will take much of your game time, and planning will require deep thought. Overall it is a great game. You can purchase the game from the official site for 29.99 USD.
5. Cities: Skylines
Cities: Skylines is an impressive game. Compared to similar other games, there are no threats to face or disasters to avoid. Instead, your entire focus is on building the sustainable city of your dream.
You will be tasked with a vast number of micromanaging. Sustaining a developed city means fixing taxes, laying roads, and building pipelines and electric grids. You will also have to plan where you will build the structures too. You will also need to establish police stations, fire departments, and hospitals for your citizens.
When you complete building the city, you will have a beautiful metropolis. The game is fantastic for beginners as it will guide you through the steps you must follow. And the city functions just like any other real town would do. You can purchase the game from the EA shop for 11.99 USD.
6. SIMCITY 4
I am pretty sure you have heard about EA’s SIMCITY 4. This game has been on the market for a while now. You can say most city-building simulation games have borrowed a lot of features from this game. The game was launched in 2003, and as it made it to our list in 2022, you can understand how good of a game it is. This game offers an innovative city-building experience.
In SIMCITY 4, you have only one goal: to build a prosperous and functioning city. You have to build your dream city from scratch. As a player, you must build buildings, workplaces, ports, airports, hospitals, law agencies, and all other things required to sustain a city. You will also need to lay down roads and power grids to supply electricity to the houses and infrastructures of your city.
As you progress through the game, you will be able to expand the boundaries of your city and unlock new buildings. SIMCITY 4 is an addictive game that is very exciting to play. You can get the game from the EA website. So, why wait? Build your dream city with SIMCITY 4.
7. Caesar III
Caesar III is a game that is set in medieval Rome. The game is brought to you by one of the powerhouses of city-building simulation, Impressions Games. In Caesar III, the players take on the task of governing the ancient Roman empire.
Caesar III is one of the famous city-building games pc that brings you hours of fun and excitement. You must sustain and protect the city from barbarian threats and internal politics. You have to look over everything, from water supply to taxes. Though the game’s graphics are outdated compared to today’s standard, the game has all the elements to hook any city-building sim fan. You can get the game from Steam at a low price of $4.49. Give Caesar III a try, and you won’t regret it.
8. Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a game that will take you to ancient Egypt. By the title, you can guess that you will have to build a city just like the rulers of Egypt in ancient times. The game is brought to you by Impressions Games, and TBH is Caesar III but in the ancient period.
Pharaoh is considered one of the finest medieval city-building games ever. It makes some alterations as a city simulator compared to other similar games. For example, the players have much more control over citizens’ lives and livelihoods. It incorporates some ancient practices like God-worshipping too. You can say it combines good city-building and a history lesson. Immerse yourself in the age of incredible pyramids and establish a fine kingdom. The game is available for only $6.99 on Steam.
9. Tropico 5
We have talked about Tropico 6 previously, and Tropico 5 is the prequel to that game. All Tropico games are lightweight and can be played on a low-end pc. Tropico 5 is more comedic if I say so myself. It is a hilarious city simulator that will give you hours of joy.
Tropico 5 puts you on a deserted island where you must build a functioning city. The environment of Tropico 5 resembles the Victorian era, and you reign over your people as the “El Presidente.” You have to ensure a happy life for your citizens. With proper resource supply, medical health, and keeping the criminals in check, you have to look over everything in your tropical paradise. Tropico 5 is a cross-platform game that is available for only USD 7.99.
10. Anno 2070
Not many games will keep you captive, as Anno 2070. The futuristic city-building game is very addictive. The game follows a unique carrot-on-a-stick methodology that rewards the players more as they spend more time in the game.
In Anno 2070, you are tasked with reshaping the city after a massive disaster. So, you are not building everything from scratch. Some structures will need renovations, and some will need to be built. There are different roles to take as the leader of the Anno 2070 town. And you can build a city underwater. Now, isn’t that cool? You can purchase the game from Steam for USD 14.99. It would be best if you gave Anno 2070 a try.
11. AGE OF EMPIRES 2 DEFINITIVE EDITION
Instead of the usual city building where you start a city for your people, you must establish a base for your army in the Age of Empires 2 definitive edition. You have to build a sustainable base for your armed force so that they can fight and defend the empire for long.
In the Age of Empires 2 definitive edition, you are placed in some ancient and medieval historical places and have to build your base around them. The game initially rebooted in 1999, but the HD edition came out in 2013, and boy, it was great! You might already have played this game and now feel nostalgic after seeing it on the list. It brings the best world-building games to your fingertip.
If you are new to the Age of Empires 2 definitive edition, you don’t have to worry, as the game provides many tutorials to guide you through. In the game, you must construct shelters, hospitals, and other infrastructure to help your soldiers grow and prosper. You can get the Age of Empires 2 definitive edition from the official website for a reasonable price.
12. PLANET BASE
You might find this one similar to Surviving Mars. Planet Base is a sci-fi open-world city-building simulation game for you to enjoy. It is brought to us by Madruga Works, and you will be grateful to them for their handy work. Planet Base is filled with adventures and challenges for you to face. Compared to cheap or free city-building games, pc Planet Base is worth your money.
There are four different planets for you to choose as your base. You must start from scratch and build a sustainable city in a harsh environment. Different planets put up different challenges. For example, the frozen planet is an icy hell with sub-zero temp. You have to plan the city, keeping that in mind. It is up to you how you build your city.
13. Banished
Banished is one of the unique best city-building games you have ever tried. It brings a new city-building formula to you that requires a lot of dedication to the game. It places you in an undiscovered medieval era and expects that you will build a town in the middle of nowhere.
In Banished, you don’t have to build a city. Instead, you have to build a village. Well, in medieval times, there were not many modern commodities. So you have to establish a barren village and eventually turn it into a prosperous one. This game is a survival game also, as invaders and wild animals will attack your villagers and village. You have to protect everyone and plan according to it. It is a game that is worth your money. You can get this 2014 Game on Steam for USD 8.19.
14. The Settlers
The Settlers have always been my favorite. It is a long-running game that is still popular among city simulation fans. It brings a lot to the table. You have to settle your town people in a sustainable place. You cannot just leave them be.
In The Settlers, you have to plan for everything, from the drainage system to law enforcement. Your goal in this game is establishing a town that can hold a large population without breaking down the government system. It is a game that will make you addicted to it. It takes the medieval period and makes it as fun as possible. You can explore the maps if you want. New items and features will unlock as you progress through the game. The game also features an online multiplayer option. You can get the game from Ubisoft’s website.
15. Urban Empire
Urban Empire is the best city-building simulation game that you will ever play. It takes a different approach compared to what you are usually used to. Instead of focusing on building a city, the Urban Empire emphasizes more on diplomacy and sustainability.
In the Urban Empire, your time will be spent planning the city and arranging elections and parliament. You have to focus on building relationships with the society’s laypeople and aristocrats. As a gamer, you must strategize extensively in the Urban Empire. You can say it is kind of a historical drama and not just a game. The storyline of Urban Empire will amuse you. I, indeed, was amused! The game is not expensive either. You can purchase it for USD 10.49; I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.
Final Thoughts
We have lived in a village or city most of our lives. Do you enjoy how your city is planned? I wish there were a way to refurbish and re-settle everything. Wouldn’t that be awesome? But alas! We cannot do that. Instead, we can build our dream cities on our PCs. Luckily, there are many city-building games that you can try, and we have collected the best 15 of them for you.
Give the list a good look; you never know, you might find the game of your choice. Best of luck!
