city builder Archives

AppWizard

April 17, 2026

I know all you pirates are busy with Windrose, but you should drop anchor and check out this new pirate-themed city builder

Corsair Cove is a pirate-themed city builder developed by Limbic Entertainment and published by Hooded Horse. Players manage production chains and a crew, building upwards on rugged cliffs to create factories for various goods. The game features over 50 types of goods, the ability to attract new pirate residents, and the transformation of shipwreck remains into a community. Players can equip warships to confront enemies and explore uncharted waters. Pigs play a significant role in the game, with whimsical scenes involving them. Corsair Cove is set to launch on Steam, Epic, the Microsoft Store, and PC Game Pass in 2026.

AppWizard

April 14, 2026

After his city builder flopped in early access, Firewatch’s Nels Anderson didn’t give up: ‘Smarter people than me … probably would’ve pulled the plug’

Nels Anderson, the game designer behind Generation Exile, faced a challenging situation after its early access launch on Steam, where despite having over 35,000 wishlists and being one of the top 70 most played demos during Next Fest, the game sold only a few hundred copies. In response to disappointing early access feedback, Anderson and his team at Sonderlust Studios spent six months refining the game, completing its final two story chapters, introducing a new biome, fixing bugs, and overhauling the user interface. Currently, Generation Exile has 31 user reviews on Steam with an overall positive average. Anderson critiques the gaming industry's focus on immediate results, expressing concern over the implications of prioritizing retention over genuine player satisfaction. Generation Exile is set for full release on April 17.

AppWizard

March 6, 2026

Minecraft Meets Stardew Valley Indie Hit Unveils Gorgeous New Update, Free to Try

Town to City is a city-building game developed by Galaxy Grove and published by Kwalee, set in a 19th-century Mediterranean town. It has received an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating on Steam with 97% positive reviews. The game is currently in early access and available exclusively on Steam. A Terraforming Update is set to enhance gameplay with new tools and props, although the release date is not yet announced. The game is currently priced at £18.69 until March 16, down from £21.99, and a free demo is available. Future updates include a spring micro-update, a 1.0 launch, and a significant update planned for late 2026.

AppWizard

February 22, 2026

7 Free PC Game Offerings To Keep You Busy This Weekend

Steam Next Fest is approaching, and several developers have released demos ahead of schedule. - Fate Trigger by Saroasis Studios features hero-based tactical shooting with three maps, ten heroes, and four game modes. - Romestead by Three Friends allows players to rebuild a post-apocalyptic Rome overrun by zombies, including two biomes, 15 dungeons, three bosses, and an eight-player co-op mode. - The Witch’s Bakery by Silver Lining Interactive is an adventure and puzzle game where players run a bakery in Paris, offering one to two hours of gameplay in the first chapter. - 1348 Ex Voto by Dear Villagers is set in Medieval Italy, following a knight's quest to rescue a loved one, with a demo showcasing the game's opening chapters and combat mechanics. - Denshattack by Fireshine Games is a fast-paced arcade game featuring a gravity-defying train, with the demo including the first three levels. - Witchspire by Envar Games is a survival-crafting adventure allowing players to reach level 7 and choose from two familiars and coven options, playable solo or in co-op mode. - John Carpenter's Toxic Commando by Focus Entertainment is a cooperative shooter with two demo levels, featuring character selection and combat mechanics.

AppWizard

January 28, 2026

Trains are taking over the survival genre: there are a half-dozen survival base-builders on rails coming in 2026

A shift in survival gaming is occurring with the introduction of mobile bases on trains, with at least six or seven games set for release in 2026. Frostrail, developed by FakeFish, is a solo or co-op first-person shooter where players navigate a frozen world aboard a train, scavenging for resources and upgrading their engine for survival. EverRail allows up to four players to use drones for reconnaissance and engage in combat, featuring a respawn mechanic where players take on new characters after death. Enginefall is inspired by Snowpiercer, featuring a megatrain where players loot and battle through various train cars, transforming them into strategic bases. Frostliner combines city-building with survival as players manage a train filled with citizens, upgrading it and ensuring their safety while exploring with additional vehicles. Steel Artery: Train City Builder focuses on constructing a steampunk city on rails, requiring resource management and strategic planning for economic success. Railborn features a customizable train system for traversing different biomes, allowing players to scavenge and rebuild ecosystems while creating unique train cars.

AppWizard

January 3, 2026

The city builders of 2026 will let us build in some wild places, including a Pokémon-style world filled with collectible creatures

Nova Roma is set to release in January 2026, allowing players to reconstruct a fallen Rome while facing challenges from vengeful gods. DarkSwitch will arrive in March 2026, where players create an elvish metropolis around a sacred tree in a dark fantasy realm. Steel Artery will take players on a moving train in a steampunk universe, managing a diverse population of orcs and elves. Beyond These Stars invites players to build cities on the back of a cosmic whale. Tamer Town features a vibrant economy of collectible creatures called Mokiton, with over 130 creatures to gather. Metropolis 1998 combines retro aesthetics with modern simulation mechanics, enabling players to personalize every building in their city.

AppWizard

December 7, 2025

I’m bothering the gods in Roman Empire city builder Nova Roma’s new demo, and it might not be the best idea

In the video game Nova Roma, players engage with the Roman Pantheon while managing city-building elements like production chains and supply lines. The demo is available on Steam, with the full game set to launch on January 22 across Steam, GOG, and the Microsoft Store, and will be accessible to PC Game Pass subscribers from day one. Players must balance the demands of the gods with the needs of their settlement, as neglecting divine requests could result in negative consequences.

AppWizard

December 1, 2025

New Manor Lords update leaves players “seriously impressed” as beloved city builder drops to lowest-ever price on Steam

Manor Lords, developed by Grzegorz Styczeń under the name Slavic Magic, has released a major update, version 0.8.046, which includes over 350 fixes and numerous quality-of-life enhancements. Key changes involve resource management, with players able to protect specific resource areas and a new maintenance system based on a durability counter. Additionally, worker behavior has been refined, and the update includes balance changes, AI improvements, and nearly 150 bug fixes. The game is currently priced at .99 / £22.74, its lowest price to date.

AppWizard

November 16, 2025

Move fast if you want to snag this excellent Cities Skylines rival with a Minecraft twist for less than $4

Urbek: City Builder is a city-building game that emphasizes tangible resource management instead of traditional monetary systems. Players manage finite materials like wood, coal, and iron, making strategic choices that affect their city's dynamics. The game features no straightforward upgrade path for buildings, requiring players to balance living standards with resource demand. It allows for industrial growth at the expense of environmental quality and encourages strategic placement of buildings to optimize resource flow. Currently, Urbek is available for under during a limited-time Steam sale, with an 80% discount until November 17, priced at .79 / £3.25, and has a 90% approval rating on Steam.

AppWizard

November 4, 2025

Cities Skylines’ traffic headaches are nothing compared to this brutal new city builder, where your population’s lives are literally on the line

Microlandia is a city-building simulation game developed by Information Superhighway Games that emphasizes the challenging aspects of urban life. The game introduces realism by incorporating consequences for inadequate funding in hospitals, leading to mass death as a gameplay element. Players' decisions impact citizens' lives, with issues like bad traffic potentially resulting in job loss. The housing market reflects greed and desperation, driving some citizens to crime. The game is based on data from reputable sources, ensuring authenticity in its portrayal of urban management. Microlandia will launch on November 21, priced at .99 / ~£5.32, and is available for wishlisting on Steam. The developer plans to expand the simulation post-launch with additional policy tools.