Ever since the early ages of gaming, simulation games have been one of the industry’s leaders. With the Sims popularizing the genre, and making it mainstream, the series has had quite the massive legacy. The franchise would not exist were it not for the success of 1989’s Sim City.
Sim City not only lead to more than one successful spin-off series, it also inspired a whole new genre. Today city-building games come in all shapes and sizes. With so many unique sub-genres and flavors for gamers of every pallet, finding a suitable city-builder has never been easier. Here are 10 city-building games with unique themes/
10 Tropico Series
For players that have ever dreamed of being a dictator, Tropico is the series for them. Consisting of 6 main installments, each one allows fans to live out their most tyrannical fantasies. The mechanics are excellent and varied, with a multitude of factors needing to be considered to run a successful autocracy. Not only is this series immensely entertaining, it serves as a surprisingly deep political commentary.
9 Aven Colony
Aven Colony takes the concept of a city-builder and takes it to space. In this game players are faced with the much higher than usual stake of rebuilding humanity. Starting of as the governor of a small colony fans grow in authority as their colony rises into a full fledged city and massive space outpost.
8 Frostpunk
An absolute classic in it’s own right. Frostpunk is the most morally challenging game on this list. Presenting players with the obstacle of surviving an unexpected ice age and it’s associated hardships.
This is not a game for those that enjoy city builders that make players feel like all powerful demigods. This game is about simple and brutal survival, with death and failure always being around the corner.
7 Surviving Mars
If Frostpunk and Aven Colony were to have a lovechild, Surviving Mars would be their offspring. The game combines hardcore and difficult to master survival elements, while also providing players with the thrill and wow-factor of running a space colony on mars. There are countless decisions to make, and fans are forced to master varied sets of skills to constantly meet the demands, and ensure the safety, of their colonists.
6 Cities: Skylines
It should have been made more clear that the last two entries are not for the faint of heart, or for the genre-uninitiated. For gamers looking for a more easy to grasp experience, they need look no further than Cities: Skylines. A game that has built it’s success on simply being fun to play, and giving players a little bit more wiggle room.
5 Anno 1800
Not enough games take place during the Industrial Revolution. As a period of history that was dynamic, complex, and filled with rapid social, economic, and political change, the possibilities are quite endless. Anno 1800 is a game that somehow manages to encapsulate all the factors of this era as it places players in the shoes of an industrial colonies company leader and de facto governor. A unique and challenging setting indeed.
4 Age Of Empires Series
Delving more into the realm of Real Time Strategy, the Age of Empires series is nonetheless one that contains some of the best city building mechanics ever seen in gaming. Each entry takes place in a different era and geographic location, however all of them follow the same principal, survive, build, grow.
The gameplay is engaging, challenging, yet at the same time it is fair and rewarding. There is no better choice for history buffs craving to scratch their city building itch.
3 Banished
Banished may seem like the every day medieval era themed city-builder, however this game has a ton of unique mechanics and gameplay under the hood. What makes this entry so unique is it’s focus on economic theories and the sustainability of society, showing that dynamic and adaptive solutions are the best when it comes to prosperity.
2 Flotsam
Flotsam takes players away from a terrestrial setting and puts players in a flooded world. This extremely unique environment makes the game even more special when coupled with it’s special and one of a kind mechanics. What starts out as a survival game, turns into an aquatic city-builder, which finally turns into a game with a powerful, yet subtle, environmental lesson. Flotsam is one of those few rare games that can send a political message, that simultaneously does not get in the way of the fun.
1 Dawn Of Man
If players want to see a simulation of what building society and civilization was like in the very beginning, they need to look no further than Dawn of Man. This game will take players all the way back to the prehistoric era, and challenge players to survive into the Iron Age. What makes this game especially unique is the importance of what are usually trivial items in other city building games, like clothes, and sticks, which can either mean a players survival or demise.
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