On this page, we have compiled the top city planning simulators for PC and other platforms that allow players to show off their skills as an architect and logistics specialist.

The history of the genre goes back to 1968, when one of the first computer games in history - Hamurabi. In it, the player had to solve various problems in managing an ancient eastern city, including dealing with land and economic issues. At the same time decisions made influenced the degree of development of the managed settlement.

The next significant event was the release in 1981 of the game Utopia, which was much closer to the modern understanding of a city planning simulator, as it allowed not only to manage financial flows, but also to construct individual buildings.

Finally, the modern concept of the genre was formed with the release in 1989 of the first part of the famous game, without whose representatives no list of the best city-planning simulators on PC is unthinkable. It was here that many of the features that most modern city simulators cannot do without first appeared, namely the creation of an extensive network of urban communications and transport infrastructure, the level of happiness of city residents, zoning, positive and negative random events varying degrees globality (from the insomnia epidemic to the nuclear apocalypse), the mutual influence of buildings on each other.

City Sims received further development mainly due to mixing with other game genres. The addition of the ability to train troops and participate in battles brought the genre closer to classic strategies. The fashion for role-playing elements has led to the fact that in some games not only the city, but also its inhabitants develop. The emphasis on infrastructure development led to the emergence of the genre of transport simulators a la Railroad Tycoon. Well, the reduction in scale and emphasis on crafting and the personalities of the players gave us a new genre of survival sandboxes like Dwarf Fortress.

1. Frostpunk

This game, in terms of its setting, is one of the most dramatic in our top. In the story, at the end of the 19th century, a deadly cold spell breaks out in Great Britain, and huge steam generators have to be built to save the survivors. At the same time, building both the generator and the accompanying infrastructure will have to be done in conditions of increasingly severe cold weather and a constant lack of food, resources and labor. Steam automata will help keep people from wearing out, but even they won't cope with complex moral dilemmas.

2. Anno series

3. SimCity 4

Despite the fact that, as of 2018, more than 15 years have passed since the release of this game, it still remains one of the best city sims in the history of this genre. While the game's graphics may be inferior to even modern casual games on smartphones, the depth of its recreation of many aspects of city life still remains unattainable by most of its more visually-oriented competitors. For example, this is one of the few games in the genre in which the built structures gradually deteriorate depending on the intensity of their use.

4. Cities: Skylines

This city-building simulator on PC from the Swedish studio combines the classic features of games of this genre with several proprietary innovations. City traffic is simulated here with great authenticity. This forces players to think through sophisticated transport interchanges in advance. In addition to micromanagement and zoning, the player can also issue decrees regulating this or that area of ​​city life. The game is also good for the presence of many mods, which can be downloaded, for example, on the ParadoxPlaza forum.

5. They Are Billions

The name of this game refers us not to its main characters, whose number is noticeably smaller, but to the main threat from which we will have to fight back, shoot back, dig in and defend ourselves throughout the entire gaming session.

The world in this relatively new hybrid of city sim with survival and RTS has experienced terrible disaster, as a result of which the majority of the population fell victims to a terrible infection, which, as expected in such cases, turned people into bloodthirsty people. We have to manage a small group of survivors, get resources and food, and build a fortified city that can hold back the onslaught of brain eaters. And this is not so simple, because there really are billions of them here.

6. Caesar 3

This game is a classic city sim with RTS elements in an ancient Roman setting, released back in 2003. But even in our times, this game is good not only for weak PCs, but also for a general acquaintance with the history of city planning simulators. Despite the graphics being primitive by modern standards, the game combines the classic features of the genre (the level of happiness of residents, the need to create infrastructure and combat disasters) with an interesting story campaign that allows you to climb the ladder of ranks of an ancient Roman official and rise to the rank of Caesar.

7. Northgard

This hybrid of a city sim with a strategy deserved a place in our top for its unusual setting - after all, here we have to develop not just a European town, but a real village. And to make the game even more fun, in addition to the typical disasters, constant cold, hunger and invasions of hostile tribes, there are various evil spirits from Scandinavian legends - from various walking dead to giant jotuns. And when you master all the nuances of managing a colony of angry, hungry and frozen bearded warriors, you can test your leader skills in online battles.

8. Imagine Earth

This game combines the familiar mechanics of city sims with a futuristic setting. Here you will have to manage not just small towns, but real colonies on exoplanets. And the purpose of their creation is not some kind of salvation of humanity or the study of alien life, but the extraction of valuable resources for the sake of profit.

The icy emptiness of space is not so empty here, and on each planet both local residents of varying degrees of hostility and colonies of competing organizations will be waiting for us. The goal of each mission is to monopolize the planet, and this can be achieved by economic, diplomatic and, of course, military means.

9. Kingdoms and Castles

10. Tropico 5

This relatively new part of the famous series has significantly expanded the time frame of the events taking place. If most of the previous games in the franchise (with the exception of) were dedicated to the times Cold War, then now you can start developing your island, starting from colonial times and right up to the present. All eras are characterized by the need to balance between the world's leading superpowers in attempts to maintain their independence, achieve prosperity for their country and, of course, save a nest egg for old age.

11. Banished

It was this game that finally erased the boundary between city sims and sandbox survival games. After all, in addition to collecting resources and taking care of each settler, you need to plan the development of your colony as carefully as possible so that all residents can survive the cold, and fires can be localized as quickly as possible.

An interesting difference in the game - complete absence technology tree. This means that you can build any building, as long as there are enough resources and labor for it.

12. Surviving Mars

Another game from Paradox Interactive that deserves a place on our list. Here we have to deal with the arrangement of human settlement on the Red Planet. As in other games from the Swedish studio, you will find the most detailed detailing of all areas of the lives of your players - even the game locations are created based on real landscapes.

The game took a lot from not only city sims, but also from survival sandboxes. So, each of the colonists has his own unique character and its own set of bonuses and disadvantages.

13. The Universim

If most of the games from the top limit the scope of your activities within the boundaries of one settlement or colony, then the creators of The Universim have set themselves the ambitious task of simulating the life of an entire planet, and within a wide time frame. In fact, the game is a simulator of God with an emphasis on urban planning.

At the same time, the detail of the simulation of the planet’s ecosystem is amazing - ill-considered use of resources will quickly lead your charges to the brink of disaster.

14. City Life 2008

15. The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom

The last part of The Settlers series as of 2018 invites us to start as the headman of a medieval village and gradually expand it to the scale of a real kingdom. This goal can be achieved either by force or through trade or technology development. Production chain logistics traditionally plays an important role in achieving success.

16. Life is Feudal: Forest Village

This game is a hybrid of a city sim and a survival game in a medieval setting, which differs from many similar projects in the highest level of detail in most aspects of medieval life. Everything related to food is especially well thought out here - growing different plants needed in different conditions, and a small variety of diet will lead your charges to vitamin deficiency and other dangerous diseases.

Construction games are great choice for those who want to try themselves as an architect and surprise their friends with their masterpieces. But how can you choose the right one among the huge number of similar games? Luckily for you, we've taken a hammer and nails to build some of the genre's best on PC with the strongest foundations.

Important: The selection is mainly devoted to games in which you can control a character to build shelters, houses and other objects. If you want to build and develop entire cities, then we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a selection of city planning simulators.

Both in banal shareware games and in more serious AAA projects, such simulators allow you to change the world around us of your own free will. It doesn't matter if you want to create your own base to defend against enemies in Ark: Survival Evolved or a shack in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout 4. There are many other reasons to play games in this genre.

On PC, construction games come in all shapes and forms. On the one hand, we have Fortnite Battle Royale, in which you must be able to build new structures to win. On the other hand, Minecraft, in which construction is necessary not only for protection, but also for the creation of architectural masterpieces. Therefore, no matter what exactly you want to do, there will definitely be a suitable game for you.

Minecraft

Ark: Survival Evolved

While in other games construction is more of an additional opportunity to have fun and have fun, in Ark: Survival Evolved your life in this harsh world completely depends on it. If at the very beginning you successfully dealt with a couple of dangers and did not catch the eye of the dinosaurs, then in order not to die further, you will have to build some kind of shelter. Unless, of course, you want to find your corpse torn to pieces when you log back into the game.

That's right, when you exit the game, your character remains exactly where you left it. If you don't take enough time to build yourself a base that can protect you from your enemies, then be prepared to lose everything. And this is not only food, but also other supplies and even crafting equipment.

And although the creation of any base is based on the same elements, this does not in the least prevent one from being creative in their arrangement, turning the shelter into a bizarre architectural masterpiece. And if what the game itself offers is not enough for you, then the situation can be easily corrected with the help of a huge number of mods. This is convenient if your base is located near the necessary materials. Straw, wood, stone and metal can be used for construction. The latter, as you understand, will best protect you from all types of dangers.

Rust

Just like in Ark: Survival Evolved, in Rust your chances of survival depend entirely on your ability to build. And, again, in Studio Wildcard style, you start your adventure with nothing, while hiding from potential hazards world and hostile players. Therefore, your first priority is to collect at least some sticks and twigs from which you can make something for your protection.

But once you learn how to extract resources, you have to learn how to protect them. First you need to find a drawing that will help you make the foundation of your future hut. There are several levels of strength in the game: wood, stone, metal and armored, which further increases protection from raiders.

At the same time, you can strengthen the building in other ways. For example, use special blocking or strategic wall placement. But be careful, such structures are not stable. Like everything else in games of this genre.

Fortnite

If you like Minecraft, then Fortnite is another awesome building game. In fact, Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney described it as "a mix between Minecraft and Left 4 Dead." The game itself is as attractive as its description. And we think it wouldn’t hurt to mention that Fortnite is coming out in an additional Battle Royale format, combining building elements and a battle royale mode. That is why it is considered one of the best on PC.

In vanilla Fortnite, you and three other fearless heroes fight to reclaim your homeland, destroyed by the dark force "Storm". This is where the building blocks come into play. You will have to create forts and traps that will help deal with the remaining monsters.

In Fortnite Battle Royale, you have to build too. But this time in order to survive while fighting against 99 other players. Once you've got your gear and try to hole up in a safe location known as the "Eye of the Storm", whether you survive or not will depend entirely on your building skills. If we talk about the best battle royale, then both PUBG and Fortnite have their fans, so choosing it is a matter of taste. But if you're looking for a building game, look no further than Fortnite.

Trove

Trove is a free-to-play construction sandbox with MMORPG elements and a huge number of kingdoms and biomes. This is an endless adventure from Trion Worlds, where you can create all the necessary content yourself.

Those for whom building elements are important will have to acquire their own Cornerstone (Cornerstone or cornerstone). It serves as a personal shelter that can be moved between worlds. In it you can create weapons, buildings, elements environment. But only if you don't try to cheat the game with console commands or special mods.

To create a dream Cornerstone that other players will only envy, looking at it, you will need a lot of resources and loot. Fortunately, you can farm everything you need in procedurally generated dungeons, each run of which is not boring and remains just as fun as the first time. In addition, you can explore worlds and complete various tasks together with other players. Trove is one of the best construction games on PC that you can play with your friends.

Fallout 4

The Sims 4

The Sims 4 is an excellent life simulator where you can build your own house, gather a bunch of people in it and conduct all kinds of experiments on them, including using third-party modifications. But once you've had enough of locking Sims in rooms with no doors and starving them, you'll understand why The Sims 4 is considered the best representative of the genre among all similar simulators on PC.

If you take better care of your pets than you do people, you might want to install the Cats and Dogs extension, which adds cats and dogs to the game. In addition, it includes additional tools and kits for home improvement. So immediately switch to builder mode to create your next city square or magnificent mansion.

It takes a while to get used to the construction set from The Sims 4, so at first a pen and a blank piece of paper will definitely not be superfluous. Especially if you want to implement a rather complex project. Try to start with something simpler before moving on to complex exteriors. Once you choose your roof, you can experiment with room decor, furniture and other decorations. Or maybe it would be better to build your own pool, install a powerful stereo system and throw a party?

No Man's Sky

Since its release and several global updates, No Man's Sky has turned into an excellent construction simulator. Thanks to a huge number of built-in tools and full support for custom mods, the game allows you to let your inner architect out.

The base can now be used in all game modes. It is available at any time and can be used as a farm, warehouse or first aid station (to restore health and recharge the shield). If you want, you can build special houses on it for NPCs, whom you will recruit into your team while traveling around the galaxy.

Space - dangerous place. Therefore, you will have to ensure that the house is livable. To do this, you will have to travel from one planet to another, scanning their surfaces with special instruments and placing signal amplifiers on them. Once you find a galaxy suitable for life, you can use it as a home. To do this, select a planet, and using the resources collected along the way, create your own shelter on it.

You probably don't want to travel alone all the time. Therefore, be sure to update your database so that it becomes available to other players. But don't forget to tidy up a little before your guests arrive!

Planet Coaster

There's no doubt that amusement parks are cool. To feel all the adrenaline, just imagine for a second the famous Nemesis Inferno coaster from London's Thorpe Park. But Planet Coaster is a strategy game built with the belief that we, the virtual architects, can do even better.

Looking at the exquisite and intricate parks created in Planet Coaster, it begins to seem that the developers were right about us. Using all the tools available in the game, as well as their own skills, we saw how players created such masterpieces as the Millennium Falcon and the Enterprise, surrounded by ponderous coasters and all kinds of vortexes.

Planet Coaster, like the original Rollercoaster Tycoon series, was created by true game development stoics, Frontier Developments. Thanks to the countless tools available in the game, you can bring your dream park to life. And, of course, provide it with a variety of slides, for which residents of the virtual town will be ready to stand in even the longest line.

Cities: Skylines

Cities: Skylines is one of the best city building simulators that will completely capture the attention of any aspiring mayor. In the basic version, you can completely manage the city, developing its infrastructure and taking care of the well-being of residents. The Natural Disasters add-on adds disasters, and with the help of the Green Cities expansion, you can throw a real holiday and green up all areas.

Cities: Skylines has everything you need to create your dream city with quaint parks and transport links. But if the number of tools in the basic version seems insufficient, then custom modifications will definitely not disappoint you. In addition, in new version There are no problems that are familiar to us from SimCity 2013.

It’s interesting that City: Skylines can be called not only a city planning game, but also a political simulator. You heard right. Thanks to new gameplay features, political intrigue awaits you in the game. Maybe one day we can see Paradox implement this idea into another game, but with similar mechanics

Poly Bridge

Bridge construction can be surprisingly varied. Although, metaphorically, we are used to doing this solely to build relationships. Now, thanks to this stable expression, we have great game Poly Bridges. This is a physics puzzle with building bridges. So don't be surprised if you end up impaling a couple of people on the rebar in the process, just trying to get them from one bank to the other without them falling into the water.

Even if you don’t succeed the first time, the relaxing soundtrack and visually pleasing visuals will help you forget about that disaster with a hundred drowned people that you just witnessed. The base version of the game has 24 levels of varying difficulty, and the Steam Workshop has more than 100 user challenges. Therefore, Poly Bridge will definitely be able to keep you busy for the next couple of dozen hours.

Car Mechanic Simulator 2018

All auto mechanics lie to us: in fact, cars drive by magic, and we don’t want to hear anything different. Don’t you dare say that this incredible tangle of pipes, pistons and cogs is something other than pure magic!

However, Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 is a car mechanic simulator that makes the internal construction of cars understandable to all Muggles and other non-wizards. That is, ordinary people. Once you gain experience and understand exactly how an engine works, you can expand your repair empire. It is possible that your qualifications are even enough to repair the best racing cars.

Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 is on the list of the best construction games for a reason. It has a huge selection of available paints, sprays, spare parts and everything else, thanks to which you can turn your “rusty trough” into a real dream of any racer. So what's the first thing you do once you get into a fully stocked garage with great cars? Right! Turn on photo mode and enjoy their beauty.

Now the glorious hour has come to voice the coolest urban planning strategies that will make you feel like a great ruler, architect and, in general, a significant man in every way. Or a girl, depending on who you want.

We will not include representatives of the same series of games several times in the rating - instead, each series will be represented by the most striking and popular of its parts. Since one way or another there will be someone who will start whining: “Oooh, what about Settlers, I love him so much, he’s so good that I decided to name my son after him...”, then let’s clarify the situation right away - he was interesting only the very first Settlers. All the rest are bullshit. Therefore, anyone who wants to name their son after this game can at the same time name their daughter after it: Tufta. Sorry for being rude, but this is the truth.

10 best city building simulators

"Pharaoh" became an alternative branch of development of the popular series of urban planning simulators "Caesar", which also belongs to "Impression Games". The essence of the game follows logically from the name: starting from a tiny settlement on the banks of the Nile, the player will have to gradually move from everyday problems of watering/feeding peasants to creating a capital ancient empire. The game also does not shy away from the issue of building defensive structures, which will come up in one of the 38 missions. Later, the Cleopatra expansion was released, containing additional stages of the game.

A pleasant point: the Egyptian design theme can be seen in the menu and various game tools, so fans of old strategies and authenticity will be pleased. Although the game started in English back in 1999, the Russian version was presented only in 2004.

P.S. Over time, we had to give in to the set of surrounding reality and add the very successful Cities: Skylines, which was released in early 2015. Accordingly, “Pharaoh”, which was in the tail according to the results of our survey, fell out of the TOP 10. But we won’t delete it: maybe after a couple of months, Egypt’s loyal fans will be able to raise its rating in the poll? Everything is in your hands.

10th place. Caesar III

Although Caesar IV is good, Caesar III is better: and the point is not that before, eternity was more solid, and the grass was greener. User surveys and ratings from gaming publications in most cases inexorably praise the third part over the fourth. Of course, you should listen to such recommendations only if gameplay is much more important to you. more important than graphics. Otherwise, it is better to pay attention to the fourth "Caesar 4".

The essence of the game is quite consistent with the name: the player will be able to see the glory of the great Roman Empire and contribute to its development. By building towns in different parts of the Empire and completing missions, you can get acquainted with the history of the Roman conquests and make a career from a simple clerk to Caesar.

Caesar III was released in 1998, and Caesar IV was released in 2006 - just 2 months after the release of CivCity: Rome, which was mentioned above. However, Caesar's to a greater extent appealed to gamers, having won the coveted positions from its competitor.

9th place. Stronghold

Stronghold was good. In 2001, it was not only good, but a masterpiece. The castle siege mode immersed you in the exciting battles of the Middle Ages, allowing you to feel, if not Robin Hood, then at least Ivanhoe or Sir Nigel. But besides the combat, the economic part of the game was adequately implemented. The next game in the series, Stronghold Crusader, featured more sophisticated multiplayer, new buildings and units, and slightly improved graphics. This helped her gain fame as a good woman.

However, our rating is dedicated to urban planning strategies - and there is no mistake here. Stronghold had a separate economic campaign in which there was no need to fight (except with wolves and bandits). The player had to fully concentrate on economic development settlements and solving various problems. There were no such campaigns in Stronghold Crusader, but the sandbox mode remained available, in which you could select one of the maps and try to build a city or castle among the sands of the desert.

The economic part of the game is quite thoughtful and unlike any other strategy of that time: your actions directly affect the mood of the residents. You can regulate the level of taxes and daily diet, try to make happy or intimidate your subjects. Moreover, if at some point they feel unhappy and have no reason to stay, the city will quickly empty out.

8th place. CivCity: Rome

The creators of CivCity were inspired by the grandeur and beauty of the Roman Empire. Missions traditionally present the player with both economic and military tasks. There is no need to relax - fires and riots can bring quite a lot of trouble, and in order to provide your settlement with everything necessary, you will have to seriously work on trade and communication routes.

The essence of this game is the development of one settlement from a miserable village to a majestic city. Housing for citizens is gradually improving, but for this you will have to fulfill various requirements. The military part is present in the game, but in a primitive and simplified form, which cannot be called interesting. But the urban planning and economic part is quite entertaining, although it does not reach the level of the grandees of this genre.

7th place. Banished

Year of manufacture: 2014

Initially, this game, like everything new, alarmed old clumsy conservatives with outdated hardware and views. Therefore, her rating was underestimated, and fans were offended. But over time, as Comrade Stalin bequeathed, life became better, life became more fun: Banished was recognized and exalted. Simply put, the update to this economic strategy ranking has brought this game up from 10th position to 7th.

In Banished you will have to get food, take care of clothes, firewood for the winter and wait in horror for frosts - if you survive the winter, consider half the victory in your pocket. The developers promise a lot of thoughtful little things: workers can become exhausted and tired, animals can be completely exterminated as a result of hunting, and travelers from distant countries will bring not only an increase in population, but also overseas diseases.

6th place. City Life

The game was released in 2006, eventually receiving large number variety of buildings thanks to several additions in 2008. It has great interaction social groups of different incomes: state employees, the poor, the intelligentsia, white and blue collar workers, as well as the elite. They are all engaged in different types of activities and have different income levels. Each group has its own likes and dislikes: for example, the elite will never get along with the poor. This will have to be taken into account when settling the city in order to avoid social unrest.

The graphics are inferior to the same SimCity 2007 (“City with character”), but strong point pictures in City Life - high level detailing. Many gaming publications rated City Life at about 7.5 out of 10.

5th place. Cities XL

Cities XL is the brainchild of the developers of the same game City Life. Although Cities XL is not its continuation, previous experience was undoubtedly taken into account. The game was released in 2009 and was recognized by the publication Igromaniya as the best representative of the urban planning genre of that year. All the main canons set by SimCity were observed: housing, industry and shops are built up in sectors, the interface is also familiar and understandable.

Excited by the "City with Character" that Electronic Arts published in 2007, those gamers who craved SimCity quickly switched to Cities XL - paradoxically, this game at the time was much more like SimCity than SimCity Societies. Therefore, for fans of Rush Hour, this game was the main consolation until 2013 (until SimCity 2013 was released).

4th place. Tropico 5

Tropico - shining example a game that gets better every time. Although both the third and fourth parts were rated quite highly, Tropico 5 managed to surpass its predecessors. Finally, the gameplay has become more interesting: now you can forget about the banal construction of a dozen enterprises, a school and the gradual earning of untold wealth. Indeed, in the fifth part the player begins in times far from modern times - in front of him lies a colonial island, used exclusively as a springboard for countless plantations.

In principle, there is no social or educational sphere initially - all this still needs to live and grow. The governor of the island will have to earn the trust and favor of the inhabitants so that they believe in their leader and want to proclaim independence. Income from enterprises in the new part has been reduced by 3-4 times: this forces people to take trade with other countries seriously.

Each era has its own characteristics and novelties. Myself gameplay received many minor but useful improvements. Let's say, now rebellious residents can not only be bribed, intimidated or shot, but (who would have thought?), it turns out, you can ask what they want - and simply satisfy their demands. A technology tree a la “Civilization” has also appeared - now there is something to explore and improve. A constitution also appeared that allows regulating military duty, religious issues, suffrage and so on.

Ratings popular games new editions: 8 out of 10.

3rd place. Cities: Skylines

At the request of readers, as well as obeying an elementary sense of justice, we had to update our rating to make room for the new 2015 Cities: Skylines. Despite the relatively recent release, it is already obvious that this urban planning strategy is a definite win.

This obviousness is based on the delight of various gaming publications, which dote on the new toy: high-quality graphics, friendly gameplay, the pleasure of creating your own city - it seems that all the obvious goodies that you expect to see in such a game have finally come together. At the same time, there were no obvious problems. Some may blame the lack of a script, but this is far from an obligatory attribute of the genre.

The Colossal Order company, which was involved in the development, initially aimed to deftly kick such bison of this genre as SimCity and Cities XL from the top. It seems it's time to admit that they succeeded in many ways: Skylines captivates with its well-balanced gameplay. Instead of having a real brainstorming session to create a successful city, like in SimCity, in this game everything happens a little more simply, in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. Nevertheless, certain difficult challenges will still appear before the player, so the city-planning simulator will definitely not get boring after an hour.

I won’t be surprised if in a few months our vote will raise Cities: Skylines to the first place of this TOP: we’ll see soon.

2nd place. Anno 2070/Anno 1404

Of course, such a rating could not do without ANNO: the only question is, which version of the game was the most successful for the developers, Anno 1404 or Anno 2070? The names do not hide any special secrets and are quite consistent with the years of the era in which you will play: so everything is not for everybody.

Anno 1404 was recognized as "Gaming Addiction" best strategy 2009, and the subsequently released addition “Venice” added not only new missions, but also multiplayer. It was intuitive, after going through a non-burdensome training, you could calmly enjoy the gameplay, which was facilitated in every possible way by a convenient interface. Another important advantage inherent in both games: the ability to play through the game several times with equal pleasure.

Anno 2070 takes us to the future, where you have to play the role of a manager - all the main features of the game about colonial times have been transferred, and there are also some new things. True, in the future it is a little more difficult to understand than with the problems of the 15th century - if it was clear there what was necessary for the functioning of this or that building, or how to solve any problem, then in the future you will have to spend some time mastering and understanding the basic principles of the game.

“Gaming Mania” gave both parts of the game 8.5 out of 10. To say that one game is obviously superior to the other would be dishonest - it all depends solely on personal preferences and the era in which it is more interesting to develop cities and settlements.

1st place. SimCity 4: Rush Hour

It’s not for nothing that the name Sim City has become a household name, sometimes used as a synonym for the concept of “urban planning simulator”. It is this game, which both young and old know about, that is given the championship branch of our rating. Although the series is sometimes forced to bend under the pressure of competitors, it still has not ceased to attract fans around the world: old-school fans will, of course, never remove SimCity 4: Rush Hour (2003) from the screw, and those who don’t able to put up with simple graphics, they prefer either “City with Character” (2007), or, who has a more powerful PC, SimCity (2013).

It's worth noting that City of Character is nothing like the classic games in the series and is undoubtedly simpler - although the Tourist Paradise expansion does pose some challenges for the player. After experimenting with innovations in this part, SimCity lost its lead in the urban planning genre, losing to competitors.

What you can’t take away from “A City with Character” is its nice graphics

It is logical that in the next version of 2013, the developers decided to return to the roots, making a product for fans of the classic SimCity. However, at the moment, SimCity 4: Rush Hour is considered the pinnacle of the evolution of the series - subsequent parts were not so warmly received by critics and admirers, being content with ratings of 6-7 out of 10.

The very first SimCity came out into the world back in 1989, when, to be honest, not everyone knew about the existence of computers. Despite the fact that even that game is not recognized by everyone as the ancestor of the series - connoisseurs claim that the very first ancestor of Sim City was the game “Hamurapi”, which appeared on slot machines in 1968.

In any case, the first version of SimCity was accepted by the people with sincere love, for which it received adaptation for various consoles and OS, as well as a logical continuation, which evolved over time in SimCity 4: Rush Hour - perhaps the only urban planning strategy with elements of stithracing 😉

Games where you can build houses or entire cities are called city-building simulators. Today there are quite a lot of variations of such projects. The player is given a choice: build modern city, solving the problems of water shortage and crime, an archaic village in which residents will fight for an ear of cabbage or a high-tech station on Mars. However, it is not only the scale that determines the specifics of such a simulator. Games where you can build, on PC or Android, iOS, also vary depending on the era, type of buildings, strategy bias, the presence of additional obstacles and the level of branching of the technology tree.

Anno

When talking about games where you can build entire cities, you can’t help but mention Anno. This city planning simulator with an emphasis on management and economics has especially caught on with the Germans, who are even willing to put aside their work for the sake of a new project from Sunflowers Interactive. Distinctive feature games - the need to cooperate and trade. The more efficiently a player uses resources, the higher the dependence of opponents on transactions with him. Victory in the games in this series is achieved not with a sword, but with gold.

Anno is also beginner-friendly, which cannot be said about most other games in the segment. The training here reveals the technological tree as fully as possible, which is distinguished by the presence huge number connections, reference to geolocation and infrastructure. However, this does not make the gameplay boring and predictable. It is enough to make a mistake when planning the city's roads, and residents are already starting a hunger riot, since food does not reach remote areas on time.

Banished

Among city planning simulators, the brainchild of Shining Rock Software ranks special place due to the maximum elaboration of the management system. Each peasant, or, more traditionally, settler, performs certain duties and specializes in the extraction or processing of a particular resource. The villagers need to be monitored, even protected, remembering the threat of food shortages and the approaching cold.

Ultimately, among games where you can build houses or villages, Banished is the most thoughtful in terms of the relationship between the needs of the population and the methods of meeting them. This strategy allows you to reach your full potential as a manager. But, as is the case with other city building simulators, Banished does not have additional content for a long game. Sooner or later, the player begins to get tired of gradually overcoming the same difficulties, and the game goes to collect dust on the shelves of Steam.

Stronghold

This strategy is for those players whose sword is rusting in the family nest, and whose gallant war horse has eaten its belly at the grooms' full allowance. Stronghold at one time did not gain popularity among gamers, modestly occupying the niche of a city-planning simulator with an emphasis on castle management. Meanwhile, the game has quite significantly outgrown its time. An easy to understand but interesting economic model, the ability to fight and even capture castles, rather tricky AI and interesting company- Stronghold can boast of all this.

Unlike other projects in the segment, here the enemies are more than real, the armies are diverse and correspond to the historical weapon system in the Middle Ages. Strategy games where you can build often rely on a development model. The rival is an abstract influence such as hunger, lack of resources or cold. In Stronghold, the player needs not only to build his castle, but also to protect it: think through the defense, stock up on food and weapons, ensure the flow of resources and protect raw material bases. This makes this project one of the best city planning simulators.

Tropico

Dictatorship, cigars and rum - all this in one Tropico strategy. Games where you can build houses and run a business themselves provide for a deep study of the management system, but the project went even further. Tropico, in a slightly humorous manner, gives you the opportunity to play the role of a dictator, build the economy of an entire island, based on agriculture, timber, minerals or defense industries.

A rich selection of development opportunities allows the player to realize a truly functioning, autonomous economic system, and then erect another monument in honor of “El Presidente”. The strategy seems simple, but this is only at first glance. It will not be possible to build everything at once; you will have to decide whether the island needs teachers and when it is possible to purchase raw materials. The player will even have to line up strong relationships with the West or the USSR, as a result of which there is a risk of pressure from the offended partner. Tropico is interesting, multifaceted, colorful, and most importantly, it does not allow the ruler to be bored for a minute.

SimCity

Among modern city planning simulators, SimCity occupies one of the leading places due to the developed infrastructure of the metropolis. Resources in the game also play an important role, since the gamer has to adapt to the needs of the city, since the budget is not unlimited. In addition, this simulator showed that it is necessary to monitor not only the bare economy, but also the satisfaction of residents, social security, neighborhood and crime levels. If there is a more sophisticated simulator for building a modern metropolis, then SimCity is ready for any competition.

Minecraft

The Minecraft games, where you can build houses, got their name from one specific project. Minecraft is the city-building simulator with the largest audience. The construction and technology tree make up for the unfriendly interface and weak appeal of the game for beginners. Several materials can be devoted to this game, the possibilities for gamers in it are so extensive. The variation of servers, the presence of competition and very real enemies, the inaccessibility of individual resources - all this makes Minecraft one of the most popular games in the segment.

"Sandbox" also provides extensive opportunities to create real architectural masterpieces, including many famous buildings from popular television series and book series. Such skill is not available to every player, but there is a possibility of its implementation.

You won’t see city planning simulators on the shelf of the most popular games, since they are not for everyone. A serious and thoughtful connoisseur of slow development. However, such projects have found their segment and are gradually developing, delighting their fans with ever new gameplay possibilities.

Do you love building cities and kingdoms? Then our TOP city planning simulators on PC are for you! 10 best city builder simulators with a variety of approaches. If you were looking for a game in which you could plunge into the construction of a city or a medieval castle, then you have come to the right place!

TOP 10 city planning simulators

10th place: City life

The game was released in 2006, but even now its 3D graphics are not bad. The game, like many other city planner simulators, is designed to create a financially successful city. A well-developed financial system, as well as several social groups, between which you will constantly have to make a choice. People have different incomes and different capabilities, and each has their own needs. That's what makes this game stand out. At some stage, it is not you who control the city, but it begins to control you, and not everyone can cope with it... And we move on to our other city-planning simulators.

9th place: Forge of Empires


The game is not particularly resource-rich and, unlike most games in our top, will work even on weak PCs, and if this is what you need, then I also recommend ours. In addition to the usual construction simulator, the game also goes through historical stages! In other words, you start with an ordinary settler camp and end with a whole futuristic city! And all this is absolutely free! In my opinion, this game should have been raised to the TOP 5, but alas, most people decided the fate of this game. These are the kind of city planning simulators we have on PC today. And I’ll even leave a link to this game below, because it’s free!

8th place: Civilization 5


The game is very similar to the game above. You also go through different stages of state development, but unlike her, you actually create a state! You are in contact with other countries and its scale as a whole is much larger! Unfortunately, the load is quite high, but an average computer will be enough to enjoy this construction simulator.

7th place: Banished


This game is a city planning simulator with strategy elements. By creating your own isolated city, you will have to not only manage the economy, but also protect its borders. The game also has a realistic survival system. In other words, if winter comes and you are not prepared, then most people may die. Remember: Winter is coming! A very interesting specimen.

5 best city building simulators

5th place: Tropica 5


And the top five is opened by the TOP urban planning simulators called TROPIC. The atmosphere here is reminiscent of Cuba. Frankly speaking, the game is quite difficult, because here you will have to achieve independence from the crown, and this is not very simple task. So in the meantime, I suggest you look at ours. In general, the game has its own charm, but at a certain point it just gets boring...
P.S. I would especially like to mention the funny houses made of cardboard in poor areas. Poor people constantly build houses for themselves and thereby spoil the view. It's like we're building in India. You have to constantly disperse them.

3rd place: Cities XL


3 The best city building simulators on PC start with multiplayer, which is very demanding. On my Nvidea 740M the game had low FPS even on the minimum configuration. But despite this, the game turned out to be very successful. Excellent graphics and a well-developed system for developing the city through districts and zones. The game is worthy to be included in ours, but unfortunately there are better options there. See for yourself)

2nd place: Cities: Skylines

The game is so detailed that you will have to control not only the economy, but also control traffic on the roads, exhaust fumes, pollution levels and population levels. However, the game as a whole has been made easier. Now it is enough to indicate the zone and it begins to develop on its own, in my opinion this is a minus, but people seem to like the simplified style. Such city-planning simulator games on PC are being created in our time and are heading towards simplification. Write your opinion on the new technology in the comments! (The game is also very demanding)

1st place: Stronghold Kingdoms


And finally the best city building simulator online! The game is not only extremely undemanding, but also has multiplayer. In other words, you create your own village from which you gradually grow into a castle, and then a full-fledged city! And even more! In addition to the game, you can contact other games and somehow influence the situation in their city. You can send spies or start a war with a real kingdom controlled by another player! The advantages of this masterpiece can be listed endlessly, but perhaps the most important thing is that this game is free! My world