Last Update on December 26, 2025
Welcome to the ultimate guide to the best city builders of 2025. Whether you are an aspiring urban architect or a seasoned manager, this year marks a turning point for the genre with innovative titles, revolutionary gameplay mechanics, and unprecedented graphical immersion.
In 2025, urban construction and management games are evolving: advanced artificial intelligence for reactive citizens, ultra-realistic climate simulations, VR support for total immersion, and an explosion of community content thanks to modding. From futuristic metropolises to space colonies, medieval villages, and post-apocalyptic cities, the selection has never been richer.
This exhaustive ranking analyzes 15 must-play titles based on several criteria: depth of management mechanics, replayability, accessibility for beginners, richness of content, technical performance on 2025 configurations (RTX 50 series, AMD Ryzen 9000), and community dynamism. Ready to build your empire? Here is our definitive selection.
The Must-Plays of City Building in 2025: The Podium
1. Cities: Skylines II – The Reference Finally Optimized
After a difficult launch in 2023, Cities: Skylines II establishes itself in 2025 as the absolute reference for modern city building. Major updates in January and May 2025 transformed the game: spectacular GPU optimization (+60% performance on RTX 5070), a complete overhaul of citizen AI, and the addition of a dynamic economic system that finally honors the legacy of the first installment.
The game offers urban simulation of unparalleled depth: every citizen has their own life, daily commutes, housing preferences, and jobs. You manage not only infrastructure (roads, water, electricity, public transport) but also the local economy, air and noise pollution, education, health, and even municipal politics with the new lobbying system introduced in the ‘Urban Politics’ DLC in March 2025.
Highlights in 2025:
- Gigantic maps: Up to 441 km² playable (compared to 36 km² in the first episode)
- Mature modding: Over 12,000 mods available on Paradox Mods, from extreme realism to whimsical buildings
- Realistic dynamic weather: Storms, floods, and heatwaves that truly impact your city
- Total customization: Revised asset editor, allowing you to create your own buildings and vehicles
- Asymmetrical multiplayer support (beta): Manage a region with multiple players
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5070 / RX 8800 XT, Ryzen 9 9900X / Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32 GB DDR5 RAM
Verdict: The best city builder for demanding players who want a realistic and complete simulation. Essential.
2. Manor Lords – The 2025 Medieval Revelation
Released in version 1.0 in April 2025 after a notable early access period, Manor Lords disrupts city builder conventions by integrating real-time tactical strategy mechanics worthy of Total War. Developed by a single person (Slavic Magic) with support from Hooded Horse, this title offers a historically authentic approach to medieval feudal management.
You play as a lord who must build his village from scratch: laying out plots according to topography, organizing agricultural fields with realistic seasonal rotation, developing local crafts (blacksmiths, tanners, brewers), and trading with neighboring regions. Each family has its own home, resources, and contributes to the collective economy.
The big innovation? The perfect integration between management and combat. When a rival lord challenges you, you take direct control of your militias in ultra-realistic medieval tactical battles. Spear formations, cavalry charges, castle sieges: every clash is a mini-Total War.
Why Manor Lords dominates in 2025:
- Historical authenticity: Architecture based on real 14th-century constructions
- Organic systems: No grid; buildings adapt to the terrain naturally
- Infinite replayability: Procedural maps, random events, 3 scripted campaigns
- Seasonal management: Each season imposes its constraints (harvests, winter stocks, frozen rivers)
- Complex diplomacy: Marriages, alliances, and betrayals shape your rise
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5060 / RX 8700 XT, Ryzen 7 9700X, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The best choice for those who want to mix city building, economic management, and military strategy in a sublime medieval setting.
3. Frostpunk 2 – The Sequel Redefining Urban Survival
Announced as one of the most anticipated games of 2024, Frostpunk 2 confirmed its status as a narrative and mechanical masterpiece in 2025. 11 bit studios pushes the survival city builder concept to its peak with a sequel set 30 years after the events of the first game.
The world is still frozen, but your colony has survived and must now expand to find new resources. The central generator remains your beating heart, but the scale changes radically: you now manage entire districts rather than individual buildings, with a population counted in thousands rather than hundreds.
The major new feature? The factional political system. Your city is now home to different factions (traditionalists, progressives, technocrats) with incompatible ideologies. Every law you pass satisfies some groups and displeases others. Managing these tensions becomes as crucial as managing coal and heat.
Innovations in Frostpunk 2:
- Multiplied scale: Maps 10 times larger, thousands of citizens
- Enriched law system: 150+ laws with long-term consequences
- Hostile exploration: Send expeditions into the blizzard to find oil and relics
- End of moral certainties: No more ‘good’ or ‘bad’ choices, only painful compromises
- Utopia Builder Mode: Alternative campaign where you attempt to build an ideal society (2025 DLC)
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5070 / RX 8800 XT, Ryzen 7 9700X, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The best narrative city builder of 2025. An intense emotional experience that will haunt you long after the final game.
The Best Survival and Crisis Management City Builders
4. Against the Storm – The Roguelike Revolutionizing the Genre
Emerging from early access in late 2023, Against the Storm continues to dominate in 2025 thanks to its unique concept: a roguelike city builder where each game is a race against time in a hostile fantasy world.
You play as the Viceroy of the Scorched Queen, tasked with rebuilding civilization between two apocalyptic Storms. Each run lasts 1 to 3 hours: you establish a colony, exploit resources, satisfy the needs of three different races (humans, beavers, lizards), and must reach your goals before the Queen’s Impatience rises too high.
The game’s strength lies in its infinite replayability. Procedural maps, random resources, unpredictable events, and a meta-progression system where each run unlocks new buildings and permanent bonuses. In 2025, the game features 8 different biomes, 24 types of production buildings, and over 200 difficulty modifiers.
What makes Against the Storm unique:
- Fast and intense games: Perfect for short sessions (unlike marathon city builders)
- Multi-race management: Each species has specific needs, bonuses, and penalties
- Reputation system: Your moral choices impact future runs
- Mastered complexity: Accessible to beginners, deep for experts
- Monthly updates: Eremite Games adds content regularly (last update: February 2025)
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5060 / RX 8600 XT, Ryzen 5 9600X, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The best city builder for those who want variety and challenge. Incredibly addictive.
5. Frostpunk (Original) – The Timeless Classic
Even though Frostpunk 2 shines in 2025, the 2018 original remains essential for its intensity and more intimate narration. With all its DLCs (‘The Last Autumn’, ‘On The Edge’, ‘The Rifts’), it offers 40+ hours of scripted campaigns where every decision carries weight.
The experience remains more concentrated than the sequel: a single city, a few hundred inhabitants, a permanent struggle against the cold. But it is this reduced scale that makes every human loss heartbreaking and every controversial law more impactful. The original ‘Book of Laws’ remains one of the best moral management systems in gaming.
Why play Frostpunk in 2025:
- Unbeatable price: Often at -75% in sales (less than $10 with all DLC)
- Light configuration: Runs on GTX 1060 / RX 580 without issues
- Community mods: Hundreds of custom scenarios created by fans
- Perfect for discovering the ‘survival city builder’ genre
- Endless Mode: Infinite challenge with global leaderboards
Minimum 2025 Configuration: GTX 1660 / RX 5600 XT, Ryzen 5 5600, 8 GB RAM
Verdict: The perfect introduction to survival city building. Intense, memorable, accessible.
6. Surviving Mars – Realistic Space Colonization
Developed by Haemimont Games and published by Paradox, Surviving Mars remains in 2025 the best Martian colonization simulation. You lead a space agency (NASA, ESA, SpaceX, CNSA…) tasked with making Mars habitable.
The first phase is robotic: you send drones to build basic infrastructure (metal extractors, solar panels, oxygen storage). Then, you bring the first colonists into pressurized domes. Each colonist has their own skills (scientist, engineer, botanist) and personality traits that influence the colony.
The game shines through its scientific realism (consulted by NASA) and constant technical challenges: dust storms that clog solar panels, meteorites that damage infrastructure, water shortages, and equipment maintenance in a hostile environment.
Assets of Surviving Mars in 2025:
- 12 enriching DLCs: ‘Green Planet’ (terraforming), ‘Below and Beyond’ (underground and space exploration)
- Replayable mysteries: Each game can include a mystery scenario (rebel AI, aliens, dimensional portal)
- Extended mod support: 5000+ mods on Steam Workshop
- Adjustable difficulty: From ‘Tourist’ mode to ‘Ultimate Challenge’ mode
- Visually splendid: Photorealistic Martian landscapes with the 2024 graphics patch
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5060 / RX 8600 XT, Ryzen 5 9600X, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The best space city builder of 2025. Perfect for fans of realistic science fiction and technical challenges.
The ‘Cozy’ Trend: Building Without Stress
7. Timberborn – The Post-Human Beaver Utopia
In a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has disappeared, Timberborn puts you in command of a society of engineer beavers. This Polish city builder (Mechanistry) stands out for its light tone, charming design, and particularly satisfying water management mechanics.
You build in three dimensions: dams to create reservoirs, irrigation systems to farm during droughts, water wheels for energy, and wooden structures that stack vertically. Two playable factions offer different styles: the Folktails (environmentalists, simple life) and the Iron Teeth (industrialists, maximum efficiency).
In 2025, the game reached its 1.0 version (February 2025) with the addition of the migration system (population exchanges between colonies), campaign mode (10 progressive scenarios), and badlands (a new ultra-arid desert biome).
Why Timberborn is perfect for relaxing:
- No combat: Only environmental challenges (cyclic droughts)
- Quiet pace: Active pause, adjustable speed
- Architectural creativity: Build spectacular wooden structures
- Soothing soundtrack: Relaxing folk music
- Visual satisfaction: Watching water flow through your canals is hypnotic
Recommended 2025 Configuration: GTX 1660 / RX 5600 XT, Ryzen 5 5600, 8 GB RAM
Verdict: The best ‘cozy’ city builder of 2025. Relaxing, creative, and addictive without being stressful.
8. Dinkum – Animal Crossing Australia Meets Stardew Valley
While not a pure city builder, Dinkum deserves its place for its unique approach to community building. You arrive on a deserted Australian island and must develop it into a prosperous village while hunting, fishing, farming, and exploring.
The game blends farming sim, light city building, and adventure. You attract new residents by completing quests, build infrastructure (roads, bridges, street lighting), and customize every aspect of your town. The laid-back atmosphere and Australian humor make it a perfect title for players seeking a wholesome experience.
What makes Dinkum special in 2025:
- Cooperative multiplayer: Up to 4 players can build together
- Australian wildlife: Kangaroos, wombats, crocodiles… and real dangers (spiders, snakes)
- Total freedom: No time pressure, play at your own pace
- Seasonal content: Developer James Bendon adds content for free
- Sweet price: Around $20 for hundreds of hours of gameplay
Minimum 2025 Configuration: GTX 1050 / RX 560, Intel i5-8400, 8 GB RAM
Verdict: The best choice for players who want to build a community without stress, with a touch of adventure.
9. Townscaper – The Absolute Zen of Architecture
Townscaper isn’t really a management game: it’s a Mediterranean architectural creation tool. You place colored cubes at the water’s edge, and the algorithm automatically generates harmonious buildings with doors, windows, stairs, arches, and steeples.
No goals, no scores, no constraints. Just the pure pleasure of creating beautiful coastal towns inspired by Italy and Greece. In 2025, the game received a major update adding vegetation elements, decorative boats, and a spectacular night lighting system.
Why Townscaper appeals:
- Ultra-relaxing: Impossible to fail, zero stress
- Instant results: Even without architectural skills, you create beautiful things
- Perfect for podcasts: Ideal for keeping your hands busy while listening
- High-resolution export: Create wallpapers or assets for other projects
- Mini price: Around $6, works even on laptops
Minimum 2025 Configuration: Any PC from the last 10 years
Verdict: The best ‘non-game’ city builder for pure creative relaxation. Therapeutic.
Indie Gems and Promising Early Access
10. Anno 1800 – The Classic Aging Like Fine Wine
Although released in 2019, Anno 1800 remains in 2025 one of the most complete and satisfying city builders on the market. Ubisoft Mainz continues to support the game with Season Passes (the 5th released in 2025), regularly adding new regions, mechanics, and campaigns.
The game transports you to the 19th-century Industrial Revolution. You build cities across multiple islands, establish transatlantic trade routes, manage complex production chains (from wheat to bread, cotton to textiles), and expand your empire through diplomacy or military force.
What makes Anno 1800 strong is its perfect balance between all its systems. Aesthetic construction (your cities are beautiful), deep economic management (100+ production chains), tactical naval combat, immersive narrative campaign, and competitive or cooperative multiplayer mode.
Why Anno 1800 still dominates in 2025:
- Colossal content: With all DLC, 150+ hours of unique content
- Graphic beauty: Sublime graphics engine, photogenic cities
- Graduated complexity: Accessible to beginners, deep for veterans
- 2025 New Feature: ‘Asian Dynasties’ DLC (trade with China and Japan)
- Replayability: Random maps, infinite sandbox
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5070 / RX 8800 XT, Ryzen 7 9700X, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The most balanced city builder of 2025. Beautiful, deep, satisfying. An absolute must-have.
11. Banished – The Timeless Hardcore Survival
Created by a single developer (Shining Rock Software) and released in 2014, Banished remains in 2025 the most ruthless and realistic survival city builder. You lead a group of exiles who must survive in a hostile medieval environment without money or an initial trade system.
Everything relies on fine resource management and long-term planning. Every decision counts: building houses too early exhausts your wood, failing to anticipate winter decimates your population, and overfishing empties the rivers. The learning curve is steep, but the satisfaction of seeing your village prosper after 10 hours of meticulous planning is incomparable.
In 2025, the game remains relevant thanks to an ultra-active modding community. The ‘Colonial Charter’ mod adds 300+ new buildings, the ‘MegaMod’ compiles the best community additions, and ‘North 7’ transforms the game into an epic Nordic survival experience.
Why Banished remains a cult favorite in 2025:
- Authentic challenge: No concessions, every mistake is punitive
- Economic realism: Stock management, natural demographic cycles
- Replayability through mods: Radically transform the experience
- Attractive price: Often at -75% (less than $5)
- Light configuration: Runs on any modern PC
Minimum 2025 Configuration: GTX 1050 / RX 560, Intel i3-10100, 4 GB RAM
Verdict: The best city builder for masochists who love true difficulty. Demanding but rewarding.
12. Cities: Skylines (Original) – The Light and Rich Alternative
If Cities: Skylines II is too demanding for your configuration or budget, the 2015 original remains an absolute safe bet in 2025. With 10 years of development, extensions, and mods, it is the most complete and customizable city builder ever created.
The game offers a realistic urban simulation with traffic management, public services, residential/commercial/industrial zones, public transport, and municipal policies. But its true strength is its insane mod ecosystem: 300,000+ assets on Steam Workshop, photorealistic graphic improvements, advanced terraforming tools, and even gameplay mods that transform the game (realistic traffic, simulated economy, dynamic natural disasters).
Advantages of Cities: Skylines in 2025:
- Unbeatable price: Base game + all DLC often at -80%
- Accessible configuration: Runs correctly on GTX 1660 / RX 5600 XT
- Mature and stable mods: 10 years of community development
- Abundant documentation: Tutorials, wikis, dedicated YouTube channels
- Complete experience: 16 major DLCs covering all aspects
Recommended 2025 Configuration: GTX 1660 Ti / RX 5600 XT, Ryzen 5 5600, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The best value for money in 2025. Perfect for starting serious city building without blowing your budget.
Unique and Specialized Experiences
13. Planet Coaster 2 – Limitless Creativity
Released in late 2024, Planet Coaster 2 transforms theme park management into the ultimate creative sandbox. Frontier Developments (creators of the series) improved all aspects of the first game: better construction tools, realistic water physics (major new feature: water parks), more credible visitor AI, and an enriched career mode.
You don’t just manage a park: you create interactive works of art. Construction tools allow you to customize every inch: complex architectural sculptures, custom rail systems for your roller coasters, triggered animations, and programmable lighting. The Steam Workshop community shares breathtaking creations daily: replicas of real parks, impossible roller coasters, and gigantic fantasy structures.
The management mode is also expanded: budget, research for new attractions, targeted marketing, visitor satisfaction based on their profile (families, teens, seniors), staff management, and even media scandals if an accident occurs.
What makes Planet Coaster 2 unique:
- Unrivaled creative tools: Construction freedom comparable to 3D software
- Realistic water physics: Slides, wave pools, artificial rivers
- First-person mode: Test your attractions in total immersion
- Native VR support (March 2025 update): Explore your creations in virtual reality
- Infinite replayability: Thousands of hours possible just in creation
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5070 / RX 8800 XT, Ryzen 7 9700X, 32 GB RAM (for complex parks)
Verdict: The best city builder for pure creatives. If you love building more than managing, this is your game.
14. Tropico 6 – The Hilarious Banana Dictatorship
In Tropico 6, you play as El Presidente, a dictator (or enlightened leader, depending on your style) of a Caribbean island nation. This unique city builder mixes economic management, political manipulation, and biting satirical humor.
You must develop your archipelago (new feature: multiple islands connected by bridges and tunnels) while navigating between superpowers (USA, USSR, then EU and China), internal factions (capitalists, communists, environmentalists, religious), and your own personal enrichment via corruption.
The game spans four eras: Colonial, World Wars, Cold War, and Modern, each with its own buildings, technologies, and diplomatic challenges. Do you want to be a tyrant who censors the press and rigs elections? Or a democratic leader who truly improves the lives of his citizens? Tropico 6 gives you that freedom while gently mocking real geopolitics.
What makes Tropico 6 charming:
- Omnipresent humor: Hilarious dialogue, satirical radio announcements
- El Presidente customization: Appearance, traits, history (ex-pirate? revolutionary?)
- Raid missions: Steal the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower… to boost your tourism
- Cooperative multiplayer: Up to 4 dictators manage the archipelago together
- Catchy Latin soundtrack: Salsa, merengue, bachata
Recommended 2025 Configuration: RTX 5060 / RX 8600 XT, Ryzen 5 9600X, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The best city builder for laughing while managing. Perfect in multiplayer with friends.
15. Oxygen Not Included – The Scientifically Rigorous Underground City Builder
Developed by Klei Entertainment (creators of Don’t Starve), Oxygen Not Included is a 2D space survival city builder of formidable technical complexity. You manage a colony of ‘Duplicants’ (adorable clones) trapped in a hollow asteroid.
The game realistically simulates: gas physics (oxygen, CO2, chlorine…), thermodynamics (heat, insulation, cooling), electrical circuits, diseases, and Duplicant psychology. Every system interacts: your generators heat the air, heat evaporates water, steam increases pressure, too much pressure breaks pipes. It is pure engineering.
In 2025, after 6 years of post-launch updates, the game is monumental. The ‘Spaced Out!’ DLC adds multiple asteroids to manage simultaneously with rockets to transport resources and colonists. Hundreds of hours are needed to master all systems.
Why Oxygen Not Included fascinates:
- Realistic scientific simulation: Approved by real engineers
- Complex problem solving: Each base is a giant puzzle
- Expert community: Detailed wikis, online calculators, shared optimized designs
- Technical replayability: Each run requires different solutions
- Charming art style: Fun contrast with mechanical complexity
Recommended 2025 Configuration: GTX 1660 / RX 5600 XT, Ryzen 5 5600, 16 GB RAM
Verdict: The best city builder for engineers at heart. Extremely rewarding if you love complex systems.
PC Requirements: Do You Need a Beast in 2025?
The answer depends heavily on the type of city builder you are targeting. Here is a detailed guide based on the titles in this ranking:
Entry-Level Configuration ($600-$800)
Recommended Components:
- GPU: GTX 1660 / RX 6600
- CPU: Ryzen 5 5600 / Intel i5-12400F
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD
Smooth Games at 1080p Medium/High: Banished, Timberborn, Cities: Skylines (original), Against the Storm, Oxygen Not Included, Townscaper, Dinkum
Mid-Range Configuration ($1000-$1400)
Recommended Components:
- GPU: RTX 5060 / RX 8600 XT
- CPU: Ryzen 5 9600X / Intel Core i5-14600K
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5
- Storage: 1 TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
Smooth Games at 1080p Ultra / 1440p High: Surviving Mars, Frostpunk 1 & 2, Manor Lords, Tropico 6, Planet Coaster 2 (medium parks)
High-End Configuration ($1800-$2500)
Recommended Components:
- GPU: RTX 5070 / RX 8800 XT
- CPU: Ryzen 7 9700X / Intel Core Ultra 7 265K
- RAM: 32 GB DDR5
- Storage: 2 TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
Smooth Games at 1440p Ultra / 4K High: Cities: Skylines II, Anno 1800 (with all DLC), Planet Coaster 2 (large parks), Manor Lords (ultra settings)
Enthusiast Configuration ($3000+)
Recommended Components:
- GPU: RTX 5090 / RX 9900 XTX
- CPU: Ryzen 9 9950X / Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
- RAM: 64 GB DDR5
- Storage: 4 TB Gen 5 NVMe SSD
For whom: Cities: Skylines II with 300+ mods, Planet Coaster 2 in 4K with ray-tracing, multitasking (streaming + gaming), high-resolution VR
Key 2025 Tip: City builders are generally CPU-bound (limited by the processor) because they simulate thousands of individual agents. Prioritize a powerful processor with high single-core frequency over an ultra-powerful GPU. A Ryzen 9 9900X will make more of a difference than an RTX 5090 in Cities: Skylines II with 100,000 inhabitants.
The Future of City Building: Trends 2025 and Beyond
The VR Revolution: Building in Total Immersion
2025 marks the arrival of truly ambitious VR city builders. Little Cities VR (released in 2024 on PSVR2 and Meta Quest) paved the way with an accessible approach: you build your city in virtual reality, directly manipulating buildings with your hands, walking through your streets at a 1:1 scale.
But it is Cities VR Enhanced (March 2025, PC VR) that pushes the limits: a full port of Cities: Skylines in VR with redesigned controls. You can literally walk through your metropolis, observe traffic from a highway bridge, or oversee your city from a ‘god-like’ aerial view.
The future? Games designed VR-first from the start, with intuitive gesture management and immersive scale. Imagine Frostpunk where you physically feel the cold, or Anno 1800 where you actually sail on your trade ships.
Generative AI: Truly Living Citizens
City builders in 2025 are beginning to integrate advanced behavioral AI based on LLMs (Large Language Models). Cities: Skylines II introduced the ‘Citizen Stories’ system in beta, where each inhabitant dynamically generates their own life story, social relationships, and political opinions.
You can literally ‘interview’ a dissatisfied citizen to understand why they want to move (too much noise? lack of schools? high taxes?). The AI generates unique contextual responses. This technology will transform the player-city relationship: instead of managing abstract statistics, you will manage real digital ‘people’.
Genre Hybridization: More Than Simple Management
The 2025 trend is hybridization: Manor Lords merges city building and RTS, Against the Storm adds roguelike elements, and Frostpunk 2 integrates narrative political management. The boundaries are becoming blurred.
To watch: Settlements Rising (planned for late 2025), which promises to blend city building, RPG, and life simulation. You no longer play ‘above’ your city: you are a citizen among others climbing the social ladder to become mayor, while actually building your city.
Eco-Responsibility: Building Sustainably
Several 2025 city builders place ecology at the heart of gameplay. Terra Nil (a reverse city builder where you restore nature) started the trend, followed by Cities: Skylines II with its climate system where pollution and urbanization truly trigger local warming.
The future: ‘solarpunk’ city builders where the goal is not infinite growth, but the creation of harmonious and sustainable cities. A playful response to real environmental issues.
Summary Table: Which Game to Choose Based on Your Profile?
| Player Profile | Recommended Game | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute Beginner | Timberborn | Clear interface, excellent tutorial, progressive difficulty |
| Demanding Veteran | Cities: Skylines II | Most complete simulation, maximum depth |
| History Fan | Manor Lords | Medieval authenticity, rich historical context |
| Challenge Seeker | Frostpunk 2 | Impossible moral dilemmas, extreme survival |
| Pure Creative | Planet Coaster 2 | Limitless creation tools |
| Small Budget | Banished | Less than $5 in sales, hundreds of hours |
| Sci-Fi Fan | Surviving Mars | Best space simulation |
| Seeking Relaxation | Dinkum | Zero stress, personal pace |
| Multiplayer | Anno 1800 | Excellent coop and competitive mode |
| Infinite Replayability | Against the Storm | Roguelike, every game is different |
| Engineer/Scientist | Oxygen Not Included | Ultra-realistic physics simulation |
| Humor and Lightness | Tropico 6 | Hilarious political satire |
Essential Mods for Major Titles (2025)
Cities: Skylines II – Top 5 Mods
- Traffic Manager: President Edition V2 – Total traffic control (lights, priorities, dedicated lanes)
- Realistic Population 2 – Realistic densities based on real cities
- Anarchy Mod – Removes placement restrictions for maximum creativity
- Extended Building Info – Detailed statistics on every building
- Cinematic Camera Extended – Professional photo/video tools
Cities: Skylines (Original) – Top 5 Mods
- Move It – Move/edit all elements with precision
- Network Extensions 2 – Hundreds of new realistic roads
- RICO Revisited – Transforms unique buildings into zonable ones
- Theme Mixer 2 – Combine visual themes for variety
- Ultimate Eyecandy – Spectacular graphic improvement
Manor Lords – Top 3 Mods (2025)
- Extended Diplomacy – Enriched diplomatic system
- Medieval Megapack – 50+ new historical buildings
- Realism Overhaul – Slows progression, increases difficulty
Surviving Mars – Top 3 Mods
- Silva’s Project Morpheus – Total overhaul of interface and balancing
- Expanded Cheat Menu – For experimentation without constraints
- More Colonists Specializations – 20+ additional professions
Where to find mods: Steam Workshop (Cities: Skylines, Surviving Mars), Nexus Mods (Manor Lords), Paradox Mods (Cities: Skylines II, Hearts of Iron, Stellaris)
Recommended Accessories and Setup for Total Immersion
Screens: The Most Important for City Builders
An ultra-wide screen (21:9 or 32:9) transforms the city builder experience. Seeing your entire city at a glance without constant scrolling drastically improves management. 2025 Recommendations:
- Budget ($400-$600): LG 34WP65C-B (34′ WQHD 21:9, 160Hz)
- Mid-range ($700-$1000): Samsung Odyssey G7 (34′ WQHD 21:9, 165Hz, HDR400)
- Premium ($1500+): Dell U4025QW (40′ 5K2K 21:9, IPS Black, 120Hz, HDR600)
- Dual-screen: Two 27′ 1440p screens side-by-side (interface on one screen, city on the other)
Peripherals: Comfort and Efficiency
Programmable Ergonomic Mouse:
- Logitech MX Master 3S ($130) – Perfect ergonomics, infinite scroll, 8 programmable buttons
- Razer Naga Pro ($150) – 20 programmable buttons for macros
Programmable Mechanical Keyboard:
- Keychron Q1 Pro ($200) – QMK/VIA, total customization of shortcuts
- Corsair K100 RGB ($250) – 6 dedicated macro keys, control wheel
Tip: Program macros for repetitive actions (pause, 3x speed, frequent tools). Huge time saver on long sessions.
Audio: The Underestimated Immersion
A good headset with spatial sound drastically improves immersion. Hearing traffic noise on the left, fire sirens on the right, and industrial activity in the distance creates a true sense of a living city.
- SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro ($300) – Best gaming spatial sound, comfortable for 8h+
- Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X ($250) – Audiophile, exceptional for city builder ambient music
- HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless ($180) – Excellent value for money, 300h battery life
VR: The Final Frontier
If you want to test VR city builders:
- Meta Quest 3 ($550) – Standalone, rich VR library, perfect for Little Cities VR
- PlayStation VR2 ($600) – If you have a PS5, excellent for Cities VR
- Valve Index ($1080) – Premium PC VR for Cities: Skylines VR Enhanced in ultra quality
Seating: The Often Overlooked Essential
City builder sessions easily last 4-8 hours straight. An ergonomic chair is not a luxury; it’s a necessity:
- IKEA Markus ($150) – Best value for money, lumbar support
- Secretlab Titan Evo 2025 ($500-$600) – Exceptional comfort, perfectly adjustable
- Herman Miller Aeron ($1500+) – Long-term health investment for hardcore gamers/workers
FAQ: Your Questions, Our Expert Answers
What is the most realistic city builder in 2025?
Cities: Skylines II remains the reference for urban simulation realism. Its engine individually simulates every citizen with realistic daily commutes, housing preferences, and personal economic impact. Traffic physics, utility systems, and economic modeling are the most advanced in the genre.
For historical realism, Manor Lords dominates with its medieval authenticity: architecture based on real 14th-century constructions, realistic agricultural cycles, and faithful feudal economy.
For scientific realism, Surviving Mars remains unmatched with its NASA consultation and credible space survival systems.
Is Cities: Skylines II finally optimized in 2025?
Yes! Major updates in January and May 2025 resolved the majority of performance issues. The game now runs at 60+ FPS at 1440p Ultra on RTX 5070 / RX 8800 XT with a city of 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 30-40 FPS at launch in 2023).
Key optimizations: better multi-thread CPU usage, reduced GPU load for simulations, and improved dynamic LODs. It is now a recommendable purchase without reservation for those with a 2024-2025 mid-range config.
On older configs (GTX 1660, RX 5700 XT), always prioritize the original Cities: Skylines, which remains excellent and less demanding.
Which construction game should a complete beginner choose?
Timberborn is the perfect choice. Intuitive interface, excellent progressive tutorial, mechanics that are simple to understand but deep to master, and no severe punishment for mistakes (you can always recover).
A very accessible alternative: Dinkum, which blends construction, farming, and adventure without stress or time pressure.
To avoid for beginners: Banished (too punitive), Oxygen Not Included (too complex), Frostpunk (too stressful).
Do city builders work well on Steam Deck?
Yes, but with nuances:
Excellent on Steam Deck: Timberborn, Against the Storm, Banished, Oxygen Not Included, Dinkum (adapted controls, not too demanding)
Playable but limited: Cities: Skylines (original), Tropico 6, Surviving Mars (30-40 FPS on Low, but interface sometimes small)
Not recommended: Cities: Skylines II (too demanding, 15-25 FPS), Manor Lords (RTS controls difficult on controller), Planet Coaster 2 (unsuitable interface)
Are there quality free city builders in 2025?
A few options:
- OpenTTD – Open-source remake of Transport Tycoon Deluxe, transport focus
- Simutrans – Community city builder/transport simulation since 1999
- TheoTown – Inspired by SimCity, free on mobile and PC
But honestly, for $5-$10 in Steam sales, you get Banished, the original Cities: Skylines, or Timberborn, which are well worth the investment.
Can you play city builders in multiplayer?
Yes, several titles offer multiplayer:
Mature Coop/Competitive: Anno 1800 (up to 4 players, coop campaign or economic competition), Tropico 6 (4 dictators manage the archipelago together)
Emerging Asymmetrical: Cities: Skylines II (multiplayer region mode in beta 2025, manage interconnected cities), Dinkum (4 players build together)
No multiplayer: Frostpunk 1/2, Manor Lords (planned on 2026 roadmap), Surviving Mars, Banished
What is the difference between a city builder and a management game?
A city builder specifically focuses on the spatial construction of a city (placement of buildings, roads, zoning) with a focus on physical urban planning.
A broader management game can include economy, trade, and diplomacy without necessarily building visually (e.g., Victoria 3, Europa Universalis).
Many modern city builders are hybrids: Cities: Skylines blends urban planning and economic management, Manor Lords adds military strategy, and Frostpunk integrates narrative dilemmas.
Are city builders good for learning real urban planning?
Yes and no. They teach fundamental concepts: the importance of public transport, mixed zoning vs. functional segregation, resource management, and the budget/service balance.
Cities: Skylines is used in some university urban planning courses as a pedagogical tool. Professional urban planners have created ‘realism’ mods based on real standards (e.g., realistic densities, real infrastructure costs).
But beware: games greatly simplify social, political, and economic factors. They remain interesting educational models, not professional simulators.
Source: Wikipedia – City-building game
Conclusion: Your Next Metropolis Awaits
2025 is an exceptional year for city builders. Whether you are drawn to the ultra-realistic urban simulation of Cities: Skylines II, the narrative survival of Frostpunk 2, the medieval authenticity of Manor Lords, or the creative relaxation of Timberborn, there is a perfect title for your style.
The 2025 trends (VR, behavioral AI, genre hybridization, eco-responsibility focus) show that the genre continues to evolve and innovate. City building has never been so diverse and technically impressive.
Our absolute top 3 if you had to choose only three:
- Cities: Skylines II – The definitive urban simulation
- Manor Lords – The innovation revolutionizing the genre
- Frostpunk 2 – The most memorable narrative experience
But sincerely? Every game in this ranking deserves your attention. Identify what attracts you (realism? creativity? challenge? relaxation?), consult our comparison table, and dive in. Your empire awaits.
Happy building, urban architects!
Sources and Additional Resources
- Réalité-Virtuelle – The best City Builder games
- Eneba – Best City Building Games
- Geekflare – Essential City Builder Games
- Wikipedia – Frostpunk
- Wikipedia – City-building game (history and evolution of the genre)
- Steam – Official Banished Page
Article updated: December 26, 2025
