City-Building (also known as Town Building) is a genre of Simulation video games where you assume the role of the leader and overall planner of a town or city and are responsible for its management strategy and growth. In these games, you can select city management and building placement features such as work priorities and salaries, and the development of the city. The genre of City-Building was established in 1989 with the popular game named SimCity, which emphasized continuous building elements rather than a variety of victory conditions. In these games, you have to start the game from an empty land, effort to establish your own city, village, town, and kingdom using different structures, building, and materials. You are responsible for its growth and have to build roads, airports, harbors to maintain the transport system. Most of the City-Building games are played from top-down or isometric perspective. Cities XXL, Cities: Skylines and SimCity are popular games and considered a type of construction and management simulations.
#1 Astroneer
Astroneer is an Action-Adventure, Sandbox, Single-player and Multiplayer Simulation created and published by System Era Softworks. It takes place in the stimulating environment, and the player is tasked with building the different structure, mining resources and colonizing planets. The game has no specific goals and storyline. You as the playable character are able to create your own storyline and build the world that you imagine. It offers open world environment played from a third-person perspective. You must manipulate procedurally generated environment either on foot or by spacecraft and lunar rover. Using crafting features, you can create multiple vehicles, spacecraft modules, and oxygen reserve tanks. You can convert ice into the fuel for spacecraft of the astronaut. During the exploration, the player can explore the vast environment, drive vehicles and build colonies to survive as long as possible while scoring the highest points. The game becomes desperate to play, as you advanced. Gather resources and use them to build different structures. Astroneer includes prominent features such as Detailed Environment, Four-player Online Mode, custom Vehicle, unique Multiplayer Experience, and more. With addictive gameplay, superb mechanics, and smooth controls, Astroneer is the best game to play.
#2 ScreamRide
ScreamRide is a Puzzle and Single-player Building Simulation developed by Frontier Developments and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox platform. The game features more than fifty levels and up to three modes such as ScreamRider, Engineer, and Demolition Expert. It takes place in the futuristic year 2400, where the thrill seekers are hired by a corporation known as Scream works to experience a set of roller coasters and rides for the future of the sciences and humanities. In Engineer mode, the player must solve development puzzle for roller coaster using limited resources while scoring the points. He can ride and handle the coasters, with a task of keeping the riders secure from falling the coaster in Screamrider mode. The player must unleash his creativity, and build an amazing roller coaster park using the various material, resources and items while earning enough points to become the master in Expert Mode. The player must collect enough money, and use to unlock additional content in the game. With addictive gameplay, superb mechanics, and incredible graphics, ScreamRide is the best game to play.
#3 Portal Knights
Portal Knights is an Action Role-playing and Survive video game with Building elements like Terraria and Minecraft developed by Keen Games and published by 505 Games. The game supports both Single-player and Multiplayer modes and mixes the elements of exploration and building with the role-playing aspects. It takes place in the sandbox environment and offers the freedom to the player to manipulate the world and gather resources to build different structures while fighting enemies to earn points for each kill. Like Minecraft video game, the player can craft multiple items such as swords, pickaxes, and tools to smash objects, battle monsters and build elaborate construction, weapons, and armors. In Single-player mode, the player explores the world alone while in Multiplayer mode, the player can explore and battle with up to four friends simultaneously. The player participates in tactical combat, dodge their attacks in fast-paced action and third-person perspective battles. There are different character classes available, including Mage, Warrior, and Ranger, etc. It has several landscapes available, and each offers new quests and exclusive items in multiple events. Try it out, and you’ll like it.
#4 LEGO Worlds
LEGO Worlds is a Single-player and Multiplayer Sandbox Simulation with Building elements developed by Traveller’s Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game enables the players to construct their buildings in a 3D randomly generated the world. The player can build different construction using Lego bricks and can get rewards and points for their creation. In the beginning, the player needs to manipulate the world to collect several objects spread across the maps using studs, the game currency. In the world, the player can unleash his creativity and build anything the player imagines. There are lots of characters available, and the player can select one of them to get access to the world where he can customize it using multiple outfits. He can modify the terrain and environment using the landscaping tools and can craft different vehicles like cars, helicopters, and more. LEGO Worlds includes prominent features such as Open Ended World, lots of Crafting Tools, various Buildings, challenging Objectives, Exploration and more. With addictive gameplay, superb mechanics, and smooth controls, LEGO Worlds is the best game to play and enjoy.
#5 Planetbase
Planetbase is a Strategy and Space Simulation with Building elements created and published by Madruga Works. The game is about establishing a human colony on the distant planet and creating an outpost to survive on an alien planet. There is a group of settlers, and you must lead the team and struggle to build a colony on an isolated planet. You can assume the role of the protagonist, who is a base architect and a manager. Lead your group, and it is your responsibility to make sure that your team is working properly, building the base in the empty place where they can survive and have a supply of food, oxygen, and water. You are responsible for controlling your team to create a self-sufficient base where they can get water and grow food to survive. There are a variety of levels, and each level needs a completion of certain objectives to progress. It has different planets such as Gas Giant Planet, Frozen Planet, Desert Planet, and Storm Planet. As the manager, you must control the flow of the new people coming toward your colony and make sure that the people with unique skills will come to the planet. Try it out, and you’ll love it.
#6 Constructor
Constructor mixes the Real-time Strategy (RTS), Construction and Management Simulation developed by System 3 and published by Acclaim Entertainment. Both Single-player and Multiplayer modes are supported in the game, and it is available to play on multiple platforms. In the game, the player assumes the head of a construction company in a huge map divided into several states, and he must deal with other teams to win the competition or the game. The ultimate task of the player is to expand his company further and further to drive the players out of business. The player must hire a team of workers and foremen, and effort to build facilities to create materials like concrete, sawmill, etc. to construct houses, and more. The game is played from an isometric perspective, and the player can use different materials and show off his creation. He must fulfill the requirements of each project and earn enough money to unlock additional items in the game. Hire new workers, tenants, and other characters grow his production and turn an empty land into a luxury city comprises airports, amusement park, multiple routes for transport and more. With addictive gameplay, superb mechanics, and wonderfully detailed graphics, Constructor is the best game to play.
#7 Bridge Constructor Stunts
Bridge Constructor Stunts is a Construction and Single-player Simulation developed by ClockStore and published by Headup Games for cross platforms. It takes place in the three-dimensional environment and introduces a variety of stages. You must control a vehicle and struggle to reach the end of each stage while performing insane tricks in the air to score the points. In the game, you must build imposing loops and ramps to reach the endpoint in the diverse stage. Building structures aren’t enough to win the level, and you must drive the vehicle yourself and have to explore the environment to maneuver it skillfully to the end of the level. During exploration, you have to gather stars, accomplish daredevil jumps, do spectacular stunts and flips, and unlock further levels to become the master. In the game, you have the ability to reposition the structures by clicking and holding on the part of the construction you want to move. Bridge Constructor Stunts includes prominent features such as different Building Materials, Create Ramps, Construction Mode, Spectacular Stunts, Collect Stars and more. Try it out, and you’ll enjoy it.
#8 Valhalla Hills
Valhalla Hills is a Strategy, Mythology, City-building, Management and Single-player Fantasy-based Simulation created by Funatics Software and published by Daedalic Entertainment. The game offers a brilliant story, in which you spent your entire life in the service of the Asgard’s gods. When you die, you receive a place in the halls of Valhalla. When you reach there to receive your final rewards, no answered. Odin has shown his back to the people including you and underestimated the Viking Spirits. You as the protagonist must lead your people on Valhalla Hills and battle enemies to prove your strength, honor, and worthiness. Explore the environment, gather food, chopping wood, and build complex structures to survive. Dominate each battle and reach the portal at the top of the highest mountains, and cry loud enough for Odin to hear your voice. If they don’t agree to give you and your people the reward you deserve, then using your axe, you have to take it from them. The game features procedurally generated worlds comprise a variety of levels with different challenges. Earn your Place in Valhalla, complete Basic Needs, Fight enemies to eliminate, Upgrades, and Randomly Generated Levels, etc. are the prominent features to play and enjoy.
#9 Tropico 5
Tropico 5 is a marvelous new MMO-RTS, City-Building, Management Simulation that offers gameplay a lot similar to its predecessors and Anno series games. With a unique Co-op Multiplayer (4-Player) feature, Tropico 5 lets you build whole cities on different islands and allows you to work with or against each other. The main task in the game is to manage your cities and take your settlement to the Colonial Era, witness World Wars, Cold War and finally reach to the modern era, embrace technological advancements and thrive in an advanced society. You can also be one of the super powers of the time by simply working hard, write the constitution and decide the independence of your cities or countries and by waging wars against your enemies and defeating them. With all the wonderful building and management options, great visuals, and an addictive game-play, Tropico 5 is a brilliant Simulation to spend your precious time on. Do try it out for a beautiful MMO, RTS, management and City-building experience.
#10 Industry Giant II
Industry Giant II created and published by JoWood Productions is a Single and Multiplayer Business Simulation for multiple platforms. The game serves as the sequel to Industry Giant and features improved gameplay, soundtracks, and modes. It takes the player in the year 1900 and allows him to start his business with limited money but huge ambitions. Through strong decision making, the player can build up a massive business empire. It features more than 150 products from the twentieth century and introduces more than fifty vehicles. There are up to twenty endless maps with detailed environment and graphics. In the game, the primary objective of the player is to start from a small village and turn it into a luxury city full of all facilities. It has two different modes such as Pro-Mode and Campaign Mode. Pro-Mode introduces all relevant statistics and dates while Campaign mode comprises twenty brilliant missions for beginners. Industry Giant II includes key features such as 20 Endless Maps, 50 Vehicles, Detailed Graphics, Two Modes, and more. Industry Giant II is the best game as compared to other Economics Simulations.
#11 Aven Colony
Aven Colony is a City-building, Strategy and Single-player video game created by Mothership Entertainment and published by Team17. The game takes place in the Science-fiction environment, and the primary storyline of the game centers on the human colonization of an alien planet. You must build a new colony to survive in the strange alien planet using different materials and buildings. It offers a human city named as Aven Prime, a planet light-years far away from the planet Earth. The primary objective is to explore the environment to gather resources, build shelters and invite people to live in the colony to survive. You must build the colony from scratch and a massive variety of buildings ranging from tent-like structures to skyscrapers. These buildings contain different categories such as living quarter, oxygen creation, food cultivation and resource mining. You can use drones to upgrade, manage and recycle everything available in the colony. The game features dynamic day/night cycle, and during the night time, everything freezes and the food will not grow, and the solar panels don’t produce electricity. Aven Colony includes core features such as Build the Future, Discover the Past, Survive your Colonists, meet the Locals, Expedition System, Prepare for winter, and more. Try it out.
#12 Cities: Skylines
Cities: Skylines is a wonderful City Building, Management and massively Multiplayer online Real-Time Strategy Simulation packed with new and improved gameplay mechanics and elements and it tends to entertain you with all the provided thrill and hardships of creating and managing a whole city. The game basically assesses your abilities of being a good Manager, Builder, Crafter, etc. all at once and throws various hardcore challenges at yourself to improve your abilities and ultimately be a great Building and Management Mogul, rule the businesses and, build and create new technologies and take it to a whole new level of entertainment. With awesome visual details, great game-play options, addictive nature, a lot to build and manage and Strategically grow your Economics, Relations and defenses, Cities: Skyline is a great City-building, Management, MMO, RTS simulation to enjoy. Try it out if you really want to enjoy an amazing experience of all the beautiful combination of various elements, you’ll love it for sure.