city builder Archives

AppWizard

May 30, 2025

This underwater city builder had me more emotionally invested in my corals than SimCity does in my human citizens, and you can try it at the next Steam Next Fest

Life Below is a city-building game available on Steam that focuses on underwater ecosystems and highlights the fragility of marine life. Players manage resources such as fish, algae, anemones, and corals, while dealing with challenges like lionfish infestations that threaten local wildlife and coral structures. The game offers a narrative-driven experience and features a relaxed gameplay pace with a pause button for strategic planning. A demo of the game will be available during the Steam Next Fest from June 9 to 16.

AppWizard

May 27, 2025

This week in PC games: Elden Ring Nightreign and a giantess dating sim

The author woke up at 6 AM on a bank holiday and observed a squirrel in a treehouse. A wave of new PC games is set to launch this week, including: - May 27: - Sol Cesto: A caffeinated roguelike in Steam early access with a unique art style. - Small Spaces: An interior design toolkit for small apartments. - May 28: - To A T: An adventure game featuring a boy in a T-pose and a sandwich-making giraffe. - Kabuto Park: A creature collector inspired by beetle battles. - May 29: - Islands & Trains: A sandbox city builder. - May 30: - Debugging Hero: An ARPG with a magical sword that allows players to manipulate enemy stats. - Deadly Quiet: An immersive sim and 4-player co-op horror game. - Doodle Empires: A strategy game where players draw their own territories. The author also mentioned needing to attend to a squirrel funeral and clean up a mess caused by the Snickers bar.

AppWizard

May 11, 2025

Timberborn’s latest update adds ziplines and tubeways for rapid beaver deployment and stops your rodent residents from throwing down in sudden fits of breakdancing

Timberborn is a beaver-themed city-building game developed by Mechanistry, currently in early access. The latest update, Update 7, introduces ziplines and tubeways for improved transportation, with tubeways offering a speed advantage by transporting beavers at four times their normal pace. The update also overhauls terrain mechanics, allowing players to place terrain blocks on any solid surface and dig tunnels through the terrain. Additional features include adaptive power shafts for easier power grid reconfiguration, redesigned game maps, and various balance adjustments and bug fixes.

AppWizard

May 8, 2025

Synergy’s full release has more challenges like tricky soil, illness, and death, which will all slowly tear down your paradise

Synergy has transformed for its official launch, introducing new features that enhance gameplay, including new plants, seasons, and storylines. The game has evolved from a city builder with limited resources and storyline to a more complex experience influenced by solarpunk themes, where players care for refugees and establish sustainable settlements. The full release includes a dynamic temperature system that introduces challenges such as severe dry spells and the need for new tools. Players must also manage emerging threats like contagious diseases, necessitating the establishment of hospitals and scientific districts. Improvements in building systems include a unified water supply that simplifies resource management and enhanced monitoring tools for better strategic decision-making.

AppWizard

May 4, 2025

Xbox Game Pass Just Quietly Added The Most Chill Way To Play God In A Classic City Builder

Anno 1800 is a city-building game by Ubisoft set in a Victorian-inspired industrial era, recently launched on Xbox Game Pass. Players colonize resource-rich islands, managing production chains and trade networks while balancing the needs of a growing populace. The console version maintains the depth of the original PC experience with a redesigned user interface that features clean menus and a radial menu system for easier navigation. The game offers a rewarding loop of expansion, optimization, and strategic planning, encouraging immersive gameplay with vibrant visuals and smooth performance. It is designed for players willing to invest time in its complexities, with a campaign mode providing a structured introduction for newcomers.

AppWizard

April 29, 2025

Medieval strategy sim Manor Lords is getting proper AI village-building, an upkeep system and fancier castles

In Manor Lords, a medieval strategy city builder by Slavic Magic and Hooded Horse, developers have announced updates as the game nears its first anniversary. Key updates include: - New buildings such as a quarry for stone mining and a lime kiln for construction. - Visual enhancements to the user interface and map resource nodes, along with improved castle components. - AI improvements allowing it to construct and manage small villages with new features like burgage plots. - Introduction of a new upkeep system requiring consistent resource flow for buildings like smithies and mines. - Modifications to the Record View for regional production and consumption tracking. - A rewritten pathfinding system for multi-story castles to improve unit navigation. The team has expanded since the game's early access debut and is focused on enhancing gameplay and AI capabilities.

AppWizard

March 29, 2025

Weekend PC Download Deals for Mar. 28: Epic Games Store Spring Sale

The Epic Games Store Spring Sale features significant discounts on popular titles like the Deluxe Edition of Alan Wake 2, Until Dawn, and God of War Ragnarok. Other platforms, including GOG.com and Green Man Gaming, are also running Spring Sales. Steam's early access launch of Wreckfest 2 has a notable discount, and the Steam City Builder & Colony Sim Fest is ongoing. Call of Duty fans can find deals on Battle.net for Black Ops 6. Fanatical offers a Capcom Bundle where gamers can choose titles like The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and Resident Evil 2 at various pricing options. Green Man Gaming provides a 15% discount on any PC game with the coupon code MAR15. Humble Choice is available for .99 per month, featuring games like Pacific Drive and Homeworld 3, with various pricing tiers for more games that activate on Steam.

AppWizard

March 29, 2025

Weekend PC Game Deals: City builder fests, RPG bundles, cat freebies, and more

Humble has launched five new bundles, including the Dice and Destiny bundle featuring Disco Elysium, Pillars of Eternity - Definitive Edition, and Roadwarden at the starting tier price. For a higher tier price, players can access Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Obsidian Edition and Citizen Sleeper, while the final tier includes Broken Roads. The fourth edition of the Boomer Shooters bundle offers seven titles for a single tier price, including Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem and Turbo Overkill. The Epic Games Store is running a Spring Sale mystery giveaway with free games Cat Quest and Neko Ghost, Jump available until April 3. The Steam City Building and Colony Sim Festival features significant discounts, along with various deals from major publishers and indie developers. The GOG store is also holding a spring sale with various highlights. Availability and pricing may vary by region.

AppWizard

March 11, 2025

PCG’s best city builder of 2024 is adding a map with a gigantic hill in the middle: the perfect spot for your next castle

Manor Lords, a city builder game by Slavic Magic, has sold over three million copies since its early access launch. The next major update will introduce a new map called Devil's Hill, featuring a central hill that will serve as a strategic battleground and a site for castle construction. The update may include a game mode with valuable resources atop the hill to encourage competition among players. Additionally, there will be a reworked progression system and enhancements to the castle planner. The game initially garnered over 2 million wishlists, exceeding early expectations.

AppWizard

March 2, 2025

I wrote one-sentence reviews of over 70 Steam demos to help you decide which to try before Next Fest ends

During the recent Steam Next Fest, 83 game demos were explored, with impressions shared on 72 titles. Highlights include: - Monster Train 2: A more intricate version of the original. - Sandustry: A blend of Noita and Factorio with unique mechanics. - Nomad Idle: An action RPG mixed with idle game elements. - Deliver At All Costs: Early GTA-inspired package delivery game. - Machine Mind: Resource gathering and base defense in a Borderlands-inspired setting. - Mech Havoc: A top-down shooter combining Brigador and MechWarrior elements. - Solarpunk: A survival game lacking depth. - Tempest Rising: A revival of Command & Conquer. - Mecha Break: Overwhelmed by free-to-play design choices. - Void War: Combines FTL and Warhammer 40k. - Wizdom Academy: Falls short as a wizard school management sim. - Settler's Domain: A minimalist colony-builder that encourages rapid gameplay. - Behind the Sword: An indie grand strategy 4X game with a unique spherical grid. Additional notable titles include: - RoadCraft: Relaxed truck logistics game. - Grit and Valor - 1949: Dieselpunk mech micro-RTS. - Drop Duchy: City builder with randomization issues. - He is Coming: Lo-fi roguelike RPG. - Desperate Place: Sci-fi iteration of Thronefall. - Roman Triumph: Survival City Builder: Interesting city builder with subpar AI art. - Icaria: Worker-programming factory game. - Rise of Industry 2: Lacking gameplay mechanics despite appealing aesthetic. - Windward Horizon: Complicated crafting and RPG mechanics. - Guntouchables: Co-op action roguelike with potential. - Game of Thrones: Kingsroad: Brief and unengaging demo. - Darkwater: Potential premise hindered by discomforting field of view. - War Rats: The Rat em Up: Chaotic experience added to wishlist. Other games mentioned include Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids, Outworld Station, As We Descend, Railgods of Hysterra, City Tales: Medieval Era, Task Force Admiral, Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall, Dark Moon, Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone, The Horror at Highrook, Radiolight, Is This Seat Taken?, God Forsaken, Total Chaos, Nordhold, Missing Banban, Wheel World, I Am Legion: Stand Survivors, Labyrinth of the Demon King, Unyielder, Reignbreaker, Urban Jungle, Dagger Directive, Star Crafter, Blightstone, Redemption of Liuyin, Cybertaxi: Lunatic Nights, MechaKnights Legends, Jitter, Rock Crusher, Chaos Front, Savara, Pochemeow, Death Ring: Second Impact, Mystical Tactics, Uber Urban, Sweep, Anoxia Station, Starless Abyss, Scarecrow, Wanderstop, and Conquest Dark.