15+ Best City Building Games in 2024: Experience the Greats

If you’re looking for a more relaxed gaming experience, there’s nothing better than jumping into one of the best city building games. You’ll find picks by platform, with many titles available on PC as well as PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and mobile below.

With tons of city building games being released each year, plenty of options exist. From the chilled-out Townscaper, where players don’t have to worry about anything other than building, to the complex resource and people management of Manor Lords.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Best City Building Games to Play in 2024
3. 15. Townscaper
4. 14. Settlement Survival
5. 13. Kingdoms Reborn
6. 12. The Universim
7. 11. Timberborn
8. 10. Tropico 6
9. 9. Pioneers of Pagonia
10. 8. Anno 1800
11. 7. Patron
12. 6. Farthest Frontier
13. 5. Banished
14. 4. Foundation
15. 3. Frostpunk
16. 2. Manor Lords
17. 1. Cities: Skylines
18. More of the Best City Building Games to Play in 2024
19. The Best Upcoming City Building Games
20. Frostpunk 2
21. Kaiserpunk
22. The Bottom Line
23. FAQs
24. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Best City Building Games to Play in 2024
3. 15. Townscaper
Show Full Guide
4. 14. Settlement Survival
5. 13. Kingdoms Reborn
6. 12. The Universim
7. 11. Timberborn
8. 10. Tropico 6
9. 9. Pioneers of Pagonia
10. 8. Anno 1800
11. 7. Patron
12. 6. Farthest Frontier
13. 5. Banished
14. 4. Foundation
15. 3. Frostpunk
16. 2. Manor Lords
17. 1. Cities: Skylines
18. More of the Best City Building Games to Play in 2024
19. The Best Upcoming City Building Games
20. Frostpunk 2
21. Kaiserpunk
22. The Bottom Line
23. FAQs
24. References

Best City Building Games to Play in 2024

15. Townscaper

Unlike most city building games on Steam, Townscaper has no resources to worry about and no people to manage; instead, players can simply focus on building a picturesque town without the need to worry about mind-numbing resource gathering.

Townscaper is a unique city builder in the fact that the game offers no objectives or goals, instead, players simply shape their perfect town, making it one of the most relaxed city building games ever made.

If you’re looking for one of the best city building games on Android, Townscaper’s mobile version of the game is ideal for those lazy days when you just need a chilled-out game to enjoy.

14. Settlement Survival

Settlement Survival is perfect if you’re looking for a more challenging city building experience. As you would expect from any good city builder, players must manage limited supplies, search for and gather resources, and develop trade routes with other settlements.

As your city grows in Settlement Survival, players can access the technology tree, which gives them access to new buildings, resources, and even building upgrades. This is a fun and addictive way for players to keep progressing and improving their settlement. It’s one of the best city building games on PC, and is fairly affordable, considering the value on offer.

13. Kingdoms Reborn

Kingdoms Reborn is somewhat of a spiritual successor to one of the most popular city building games ever created, Banished. The game started out with a solo developer and quickly grew into one of the most popular indie city builders on Steam today.

While Kingdoms Reborn is currently still in Early Access, don’t let that put you off; with constant updates and improvements being released, alongside new factions and content, every time you return to Kingdoms Reborn, you’re bound to find something new to enjoy.

Unlike most city building games, Kingdoms Reborn gives players cards instead of letting them choose their buildings freely. Not only does this make Kingdoms Reborn one of the most unique city building games out there today, but it also adds a unique spin on a frankly tired formula.

12. The Universim

Why stop at city building when you can build on entire planets? The Universim is a quirky and unique city builder that focuses on the environmental impact of building large cities across entire planets. The game had its full Version 1.0 gold release earlier this year and confidently stands as one of the best city building games on PC.

As players progress through the ages, they must battle the balance between advancing technologies and maintaining eco-stability, which becomes increasingly difficult as the game goes on. But thanks to a range of god powers, players are able to intervene and help restore balance.

11. Timberborn

With Timberborn, we’ve quickly moved on from quirky, to outright weird, with players managing one of two beaver factions, the traditional Folktails who like to build with wood, and the Iron Teeth, who take a more industrial approach to city building. Despite its early access status, Timberborn impresses as one of the best city building games on Steam.

Once again, the environment takes center stage in Timberborn, with droughts being one of the biggest challenges to overcome. As you build your city, players need to keep an eye on water levels, build dams, and do whatever they can to prepare the settlement for the dry season.

10. Tropico 6

Tropico 6 is the ideal city building game for those who don’t take their games too seriously. The game itself has difficult challenges, resources, and wealth to amass, as well as multiple trade routes to manage, but it manages to do so in a way that keeps things fun and, at times, humorous.

Thanks to Tropico 6’s move to Unreal Engine 5, the game looks stunning compared to previous games from the series, making it even more satisfying when you build your paradise island. It’s also widely available on many different platforms but stands particularly tall as one of the best city builders on PS5, thanks to its visual fidelity.

9. Pioneers of Pagonia

Another early access title for PC, Pioneers of Pagonia, is a chilled city-building game in which you start a settlement on a stunning, hand-drawn island filled with hidden spots, abandoned buildings, and enemies that will try to push back your borders.

Explore the land, gather resources, and build up your town, all while trying to balance scarce resources and expand your settlement’s territory. Pioneers of Pagonia was developed by the original creator of The Settlers, which is why the game quickly became so popular, as it mimics many of the features gamers loved about the first Settlers game. For fans of that series, this one can be considered one of the best city building games on Steam.

8. Anno 1800

Anno 1800 is a city-building and strategy game that takes you back to the Industrial Revolution. Manage your own cities, starting from small towns and turning them into bustling industrial hubs.

As is always the case with the Anno series, players start the game with a choice of islands to settle on, each with their own unique resources. But as the game progresses, players must either make new trade partners or consider managing multiple islands and moving resources between them in order to continue progression.

The game blends historical vibes with complex strategy, making it perfect for anyone who enjoys creating and managing their own industrial-era world. While it’s great on PC, this title’s multiplatform availability means it also ranks among the best city building games on PS5, too.

7. Patron

In Patron, you start with a small village and work to turn it into a thriving town. It’s all about managing resources, building up your settlement, and keeping your people happy. But there’s a twist—along with the usual farming and trading, you also have to navigate social issues.

The game throws a spanner in the works with class tensions, religion, and immigration, mixing classic city-building with a bit of social strategy. So, if you’re into managing both a town’s growth and its people’s needs, Patron offers a fresh and challenging experience. It’s one of the best city building games on PC and offers an old-school look that feels friendly yet familiar.

6. Farthest Frontier

If you’re looking for a more challenging city building game on PC, Farthest Frontier is one of the most brutal strategic city builders out today.

In Farthest Frontier, players have to worry not only about gathering resources and making sure the food supply is in stock and fresh but they also have to worry about rotating crops, keeping soil fertile, making their citizens happy, and defending them from attackers. All of this is often hampered by cold seasons, which make productivity more challenging.

5. Banished

Released in 2014, Banished is one of the most popular city building games ever created. Even a decade after its release, Banished holds a steady player base and has even spawned multiple spiritual successors, with many developers trying to recapture its success.

Starting out with limited resources in medieval times, players must build their city from the ground up, transforming it into a bustling city, all while managing to maintain a steady flow of resources.

While expansion is one of the game’s primary focuses, Banished’s difficulty comes into play when players expand too quickly, as managing your resources and people can quickly become one of the game’s biggest challenges.

4. Foundation

Foundation is a laid-back medieval city building game with no main objective or focus other than building an incredible medieval-era settlement.

Unlike many other city building games, Foundation doesn’t use a grid system; instead, players can shape the land and build feely, wherever and however they want. And with no enemies to worry about and no real threats, it’s one of the most straightforward and relaxed city building games you can enjoy today.

3. Frostpunk

Frostpunk is one of the best city building games on Xbox for those who like a brutal challenge. Set in a frozen post-apocalyptic world, players must battle the elements to build a thriving city while making sure their population stays warm and healthy.

In Frostpunk, it’s not just resources and the weather that can lead to defeat. Players must fight to keep their spot running the city, while enacting new policies, which aren’t always going to please everyone, as well as even dealing with uprisings. If that wasn’t enough to make things challenging, Frostpunk also throws the occasional whiteout at you, dropping temperatures to an unlivable low and forcing you to make preparations for the impending freeze.

2. Manor Lords

Manor Lords is one of the newest city building games. With brutally challenging gameplay, and stunning visuals, it quickly became one of the most popular games released this year.

Not only must players battle the elements and fight to keep fresh resources in Mannor Lords, they also have to defend themselves against bandits and other factions, adding a new layer of danger that elevates Manor Lords above a simple city builder.

One of the best features in Manor Lords is the ability to roam your city in third-person view. While there’s not much you can do in third person other than roaming the streets, it’s an awesome feature that lets you get up close and personal with the citizens of your city.

1. Cities: Skylines

If you’ve heard of Cities: Skylines, you might be wondering why Cities: Skylines 2 hasn’t made it to the top of this list. When it was released in 2015, Cities Skylines was considered a great but flawed game.

Over the years, partly due to mod support and patches, it has quickly become one of the greatest city builders ever made, whereas Cities: Skylines 2 still needs more support to overtake the first game in the series.

With a huge library of mods, tons of DLCs to choose from, and a wide range of maps, Cities Skylines offers the best city building experience to date. Starting out from a small village and growing outwards and upwards into a huge metropolis is one of the most rewarding gaming experiences I’ve ever had the privilege of enjoying.

More of the Best City Building Games to Play in 2024

The Best Upcoming City Building Games

There’s been no shortage of city building games over the past few years, and it would seem that trend is set to continue into 2025. Here are some of the best city building games releasing soon.

The Bottom Line

The city building genre is bigger now than it has ever been. Thanks to advancements in technology, and the adoption of consoles, we are seeing more exciting titles from indie developers to AAA publishers tackling the genre to great success. Whether you’re after something laid back, or looking for a more punishing experience, our definitive list of the top 15 city building games has you covered.

FAQs