Thankfully, there are quite a lot of builders like Cities: Skylines that try to add some spice to the typical city management formula. In these games, players may sometimes have to deal with nasty elements of the criminal underworld, return to the past to see how ancient folks managed their own kingdoms, or even blast off-planet to establish colonies in other worlds.
Updated May 23, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: With the “Airports” DLC finally letting players take full control of the skies in Cities: Skylines, fans of the city simulator might be looking for other city-building games to suit their fancy. While among the best games like Skylines include a particular predecessor, other fun games in the mix include city management sims during a post-apocalypse, a randomized city builder, and even a medieval settlement manager where players can both build their settlements and explore them at the same time. Just what kind of games would Skylines players appreciate?
15 Frostpunk (2018)
Available on: PC, Android, iOS, PS4, Xbox One
Unlike other city simulations, Frostpunk promotes itself as the first “society survival game.” Players don’t just decide how to construct their city but rather decide on what exactly happens to the citizens that reside there. Set on a frozen Earth, people begin reusing steam-powered technology, with the player in charge of rebuilding the planet’s last city and securing its survival. Sadly, desperation in these times would have empathy clash with logical decision-making, with the outside world constantly tempting exploration and threatening citizens through the unknown.
Combining city-building elements with civilization management, Frostpunkallows players to enact unique laws that affect almost every aspect of everyday life, such as labor, food provision, and even healthcare. There are trying moments where choices matter.
14 Surviving The Aftermath
Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
When a world-ending event transforms life on Earth as people know it, Surviving The Aftermath deals with consequences of life after, well, life. Players need to create a brand-new colony from the ashes of a destroyed civilization, transforming it into a bastion of hope where people can resettle.
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In addition to the game’s city-building elements, players need to adjust their expectations with scarce resources and even make ways to protect their colonists, be it through gated walls, weaponry, and even fighting rival factions eyeing for control.
13 Cities XL (2009)
Available on: PC
Perhaps the closest analog to Cities: Skylines in terms of overall gameplay, Cities XL allows players to not just create a city of their dreams, but also create multiple cities that they can link up all around the planet. While it doesn’t offer the same sophistication as Cities: Skylines,Cities XL offers more than 1,000 constructions and buildings to choose from on more than 60 maps, offering room for vast cities to rival those in the real world.
Not only that, but this early title is a great way for players to manage large-scale city economies that handle complicated matters such as housing, employment, recreation, and even taxes. Fans looking for a neat Cities: Skylines alternative may get a decent experience with Cities XL that is close to the real thing.
12 Townscaper
Available on: PC, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and S
Perhaps one of the more interesting city builders out there, Townscaper isn’t one that focuses on city management, but rather, just the sheer thrill of building a city and seeing it grow. This makes Townscaper more of a relaxing casual title than a brimming complex one.
Townscaper is more of an experimental game. Players are given an irregular grid to populate with various colored blocks from a palette. After setting them down, just sit back and let the game’s algorithm “grow” these blocks into various parts of a city, including bridges, stairways, arches, and houses, all based on how they appeared in the grid.
11 Medieval Dynasty (2020)
Available on: PC
Although not entirely a city-building game, Medieval Dynasty takes both city-building aspects and RPG elements and combines them into a “best of both worlds” game. Set in Europe in the Middle Ages, players take on the role of a young man who fled a war and set out to make his own fate. Thing is, not only would this allow him to master various skills, but even let him become the head of a community and usher in a dynasty that would last generations.
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However, given the freeform nature of the game, it’s up to players how exactly they want to approach these matters. Progressing through the main chapters unfolds a rather rich story, while roaming around can help players to not just make a family of their own but dictate the fate of their community - create buildings to transform a small settlement into a large village, and perhaps even cities that players can both manage and explore.
10 Islanders (2019)
Available on: Steam, PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Players who want a unique take on the city-building genre might want to give Islanders a shot, particularly for its minimalist aesthetic, relaxing sound design, and equally engaging gameplay. At the core of Islanders is procedural generation, where players are tasked to create a city from scratch inside the procedurally-generated island the game gives them.
To progress through Islanders, players need to “unload” buildings from their inventory and onto the island, earning points along the way. The more buildings they get to place and the more points they earn, the more new buildings they get to unlock. At some point, they can move to a newer island to continue the session. Their session ends once they run out of points or space to put new buildings. This unique take on city construction instead of management offers a lot of replay value for players and avoids the usual straining hours-long sessions in typical games.
9 Banished (2014)
Available on: Steam
What defines a city — its location or its people? In Banished, people represent the city players are building, especially since they’re the primary resources in the game. In this simulation of a command economy, Banished puts the lives of a group of nomads in the hands of the players. As regular citizens, these nomads work, age, have children, and die – and it’s up to players to ensure their cities grow and thrive under these circumstances.
Unlike other games, Banished doesn’t have a tech tree, and all buildings are available for construction provided players have the resources to do so. This is where the challenge begins, as players need to balance getting resources they need to expand from farming, mining, and trading, while ensuring they have enough stock of food and resources to last a long time. With people having an integral role in city management, Banished certainly adds a unique element that makes it all the more worthwhile to play.
8 Industries Of Titan (2021)
Available on: Steam
At first glance, Industries of Titan seems like an ordinary grid-based city builder set in outer space, but there’s more than meets the eye in this city sim. Industries of Titan places players in charge of starting a settlement in Titan, on the behest of the mysterious Council. However, players now need to balance a city-corporation while keeping it safe against rebels, as well as discovering the ruins of an ancient civilization that may help their city thrive.
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Just like in any city sim, Industries of Titan expects players to keep track of resources through factories and other structures. However, what makes Industries of Titan more compelling is its internal minigame feature, where structures have internal grids that players can customize and expand to find new ways of optimizing their production process.
7 Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic (2019)
Available on: Steam
Players who want a realistic city sim with historical roots will appreciate Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic. The game asks players to manage a city from the perspectives of industrial and urban planning setups, dabbling on otherwise economic concepts that not a lot of games tend to explore. For instance, players have control over extremely specific circumstances such as enabling or disabling electricity and heating requirements for buildings or setting fuel requirements for vehicles.
Players also control the educational system, and how this can impact the way parents function in the workplace. In terms of construction, players can utilize money in the game or be more realistic via the use of construction offices, while production may have players send produce to the Warsaw Pact or make use of it in their city.
6 Aven Colony (2017)
Available on: Steam
In Aven Colony, players lead the expedition to humanity’s first settlement outside the Solar System: Aven Prime. This alien planet has various ecosystems and terrains, ranging from jungles, tundras, and even deserts. As with other sci-fi colonization games, Aven Colony will have players begin with a small settlement until they expand into large cities.
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Players need to ensure that their colonies have the right kind of structures to survive in an alien world. Moreover, players need to micromanage various elements such as citizens and their happiness or employment, crime and the commute, structures, and utilities, as well as how drones work to help supervise the colony. Perhaps more interesting is the game’s expedition system, where players can plan expeditions with explorers to visit Aven Prime’s more exotic and unknown locations.
5 Surviving Mars (2018)
Available on: Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
As with what scientists are doing in the real world, Surviving Mars will task players in finding a way to create a sustainable settlement on Mars. After choosing a space agency to finance the Mars mission, players head to the Red Planet to establish their first colony and survive at all costs. Unlike other sci-fi settlement games, Surviving Mars has quite the realistic approach regarding city management. Infrastructure becomes intermixed with citizen domes, as well as ensuring there are just enough resources to go around.
More importantly, the game does feature unique elements such as mysterious black boxes open for exploration, and even a randomized tech tree to spice up gameplay. Not to mention, the game has colonists with individually-simulated needs and strengths, giving players another layer of excitement during their management.
4 Anno 1800 (2019)
Available: Ubisoft
The hit Anno series brings their iconic city-building game to the 19th Century, with Anno 1800 taking place just at the crux of the Industrial Revolution. At its core, Anno 1800 tasks players in creating a city that would outlast the Industrial Age, which now highlights factory labor with a backdrop of Victorian Era architecture. Citizens can become workers and artisans, and their participation becomes a key component in the stability of supply chains.
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Players also need to balance their existence in the Old World and the wonders of the New World, which brings a lot of wonders to cities. The game now features new mechanics as well, such as blueprinting, tourism, and even showing the impact of industrialization on island inhabitants. Players with a keen eye on graphics would love Anno 1800 and its stellar approach to visuals, especially as players see the evolution of their city from even the smallest of houses.
3 Anno 2205 (2015)
Available on: Steam
Players who want the Anno series formula to have a sci-fi twist would appreciate Anno 2205, which takes place in the far future in the year of the same name. Now, players take on the role of a corporation exec and must compete with other corporations when it comes to developing future technologies. They do this by managing various metropolises on Earth, all featuring buildings that players can freely move around and restructure as they see fit.
What’s unique about Anno 2205is its evolving geography, as players later down the line may be able to conduct research and build settlements in the arctic regions. Its endgame takes players to the Moon, where they still have to race against other corporations when it comes to building a stable Lunar settlement.
2 SimCity 4 (2003)
Available on: Steam
Despite the age of the SimCity franchise, it’s perhaps SimCity 4 that really set the mark of what city simulators should become in subsequent years. As such, it makes sense for such a classic to remain a fan-favorite game. At its core, players can enjoy terraforming as early as 2003 and then create their ideal city from there.
It’s SimCity 4 that also pioneered establishing various zones instead of creating buildings manually, allowing players to have separate residential, industrial, and commercial zones they have to manage. As a mayor, players need to be consistent in regard to providing public services, as well as the management of quality of life, finances, and utilities for their citizens. Despite its age, SimCity 4 remains a fresh city sim that fans would definitely appreciate.
1 Tropico 6 (2019)
Available on: Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
In reality, city management isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. As with other Tropico games, Tropico 6 would have players take the role of El Presidente, and they need to help the nation of Tropico rise to the top, beginning from the colonial era and advancing to the modern era. As with other games, Tropico 6 would have players focus on technological advancement, trading, renovation, research, and exploration - but this time around, players also have a dynasty to manage that affects the way they would lead the islands in the long run.
What’s amazing about Tropico 6is the inclusion of unique strategic elements that would help players make the mark as a leader in their playthroughs. Players can manage multiple islands, and even manage their secret agents to send to other nations to steal their secrets. Being a satirical game, Tropico 6 also forces players into humorous yet uncomfortable situations regarding their leadership, such as missions involving housing abolishment, or even dealing with enemies in politics.
Cities: Skylines is currently available for the PC, Linux, Mac OS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
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