The 19 Best City Building Games

City building games are enjoyable and addictive games that allow gamers to create and manage their own cities using their imaginations. In these types of games we usually try to build the best cities by blending things like strategic planning, resource management, infrastructure building and population management. 

In this list, we have brought together the best city building games where you can build your dream utopia and show your strategy skills.

The Best City Building Games

1. Banished
2. SimCity 4
3. Age of Empires IV
4. Cities: Skylines
5. Rise of Nations
6. Anno 1800
7. Civilization VI
8. Frostpunk
9. RimWorld
10. Tropica 6
11. Aven Colony
12. Surviving Mars
13. Townscaper
14. Valhalla Hills
15. Urban Empire
16. The Settlers
17. Planetbase
18. Pharaoh
19. Pocket City

Banished

Platform: PC

In Banished, developed by Shining Rock Software, we struggle to build and rule our own cities as the leader of a group of exiles. Banished, which historically takes an earlier time than the other games on the list, has been played lovingly since its debut in 2014.

SimCity 4

Platform: PC

A classic in the SimCity series, SimCity 4 is one of the best city building games you can play. In the game, you encounter tasks such as building your own city, managing the economy, keeping the population happy, and managing crises. SimCity 4 is famous for its detailed graphics, complex game mechanics, and extensive modding options.

Also Read: The Best Life Simulation Games

Age of Empires IV

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

Of course, it would not be possible if we did not put Age of Empires, one of the legendary names of the game world, on this list. Age of Empires IV, the newest and most up-to-date title of the series that swept the game world with its release, is one of the most powerful names among city building and management games. Age of Empires IV, which you can play for hundreds of hours without getting bored, is a name you should experience whether you like the genre or not.

Also Read: The Best Strategy Games

Cities: Skylines

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, Xbox Cloud Gaming

Developed by Paradox Interactive, Cities: Skylines is one of the best city building games of recent years. In the game, you can use your ability to build and manage your own city, construct roads, construct buildings and infrastructures, manage resources, and grow your city. The game also offers players the opportunity to use their creativity with its extensive modding support.

Rise of Nations

Platform: PC

Drawing attention with its similarity to Age of Empires, Rise of Nations is one of the most solid and well-established names in the city-building genre. Rise of Nations, which is about a very wide historical period, is a wonderful production that does justice to the hours you spend at the beginning and binds you tightly.

Also Read: The Best Games Like Clash of Clans

Anno 1800

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Anno 1800, the last game in the Anno series, is a city building game based on the industrial revolution period of the 19th century. In the game, you can build colonies, carry out industrial production, trade and manage diplomatic relations. Anno 1800 draws attention with its beautiful graphics, complex production chains and deep game mechanics.

Civilization VI

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, iOS, Android, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox One

Developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games, Civilization VI is one of the most successful and detailed names in the city building and building genre. Civilization VI has rich graphics, complex game mechanics and deep strategic options. It offers enriched gameplay with different leaders, civilizations and also game modes.

Also Read: The Best Roman Empire Games

Frostpunk

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox One

Developed by 11 bit studios, Frostpunk is a city building game for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Frostpunk, where we manage a community struggling to survive in a freezing cold climate, is one of the best city building games with its real atmosphere, dystopian world and difficulty.

RimWorld

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

RimWorld is a survival and strategy themed base building and city building game developed by Ludeon Studios. You’ll have to deal with a variety of challenges, including harsh weather conditions, diseases, creatures, and social dynamics in RimWorld, filled with randomly generated worlds, each with their own story and challenges.

Also Read: The 21 Best Survival Games for PC

Tropica 6

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, SteamOS

The Tropico series is a fun city building game based on the concept of managing a tropical island as a charismatic leader. While managing your island in Tropica 6, you will try to balance the economy, shape the policy and try to keep the population under control. Tropico 6 is one of the favorite names of the city building genre with its unique sense of humor, colorful graphics and characteristic game mechanics.

Aven Colony

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Aven Colony takes the city-building genre to a different planet where you’ll encounter more challenging obstacles than deciding where best to build your roads. For starters, you have to take into account the challenges posed by all the terrifying new space biomes and hostile atmosphere.

Instead of building a new world to lure city dwellers, here you are trying to rebuild humanity. It really does look like a high target when we look at it. While doing this, you have to try to adapt to the atmosphere, constantly fighting against natural disasters, lack of oxygen and even alien life forms such as giant sandworms.

Also Read: The Best Medieval Games

Surviving Mars

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4

Surviving Mars is very similar to Frostpunk. The production blends survival and city building, albeit set on a barren red planet rather than a frozen hell. As you explore the dusty surface of Mars, search for fertile land to continue expanding across the planet, you’re equipped with all the equipment you need to create a functional, happy city for the colonists.

There is no scientist to help you through the whole process. In this process, you become your own guide in many categories. This is the least of your problems. Coping with surviving on Mars is a little more difficult.

Townscaper

Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Townscaper is not a traditional style city building game. However, the sole purpose of the production is to build a residential area. You have many choices for colors and styles. This creates an overall calming experience.

Townscaper has become a tool for those who want to use the towns it produces as set pieces in tabletop games. The game allows you to build the city you want with exactly the configurations you need.

Also Read: The Best City Building Games for iOS

Valhalla Hills

Platforms: PC, PS4

Developed by Funatics Software GmbH and Funatics Software on December 2, 2015, Valhala Hills was developed for PlayStation 4 and PC platforms and published by Daedalic Entertainment. The colorful, cartoonish art style is appealing and has less focus on war than some of our other games. You will have to fight for resources with the local Dwarf population, and there are some monsters to fight, but mostly you can focus on expanding your Scandinavian empire.

Urban Empire

Platform: PC

Urban Empire is a city building simulation that takes a slightly different approach. Urban Empire is tasked with advancing your civilization through diplomacy rather than focusing on building direction. You spend most of your time competing for votes and favors among your citizens. You will need to maintain a sincere relationship with your people as you explore ways to improve life in your empire.

Also Read: The Best City Building Games for Android

The Settlers

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

It is a real-time strategy game first released on the Amiga in 1993 by BlueByte. The system called “Microeconomics” makes the game even more realistic. The Settlers, which is a real-time city building game, has a large developer team such as Ubisoft, Ubisoft Blue Byte, Gameloft, Funatics Software GmbH, EA Phenomic and Funatics Development. The figurine building video game set in a medieval world took its place on our list.

Planetbase

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

It is a space simulation and strategy video game developed by Madruga Works and released on October 16, 2015 for the PC platform and January 8, 2016 for OS X. The game appears as a game that aims to establish and survive a human colony on a distant planet.

Also Read: The Best Space Games for PC

Pharaoh

Platform: PC

Pharaoh is an old-school city-building video game developed by Impressions Games. The game, which takes place in the Egyptian period, is the most popular game among the games of the ancient period. That sounds like a derivatively bad thing, but Pharaoh is often regarded as one of the best city-building games of its time.

Pocket City

Platforms: PC, iOS, Android

Pocket City, which is a very sweet game where you can feel that you are playing a city building game with your fingers, does not push you to make any purchases in the game. In this city building game with 2 game modes, you can either develop and buy new buildings and build a big city by following the missions, or you can build your dream city and watch it develop in the sandbox mode where all the buildings are open. It’s entirely up to you.