City-building games are one of the fan-favorite genres out there in the world. And if you have an Xbox One, you have options on which ones you can partake in.
#11 Tropico 5
The Tropico line of games is in some ways a “tongue in cheek” riff on the city building genre. Because in the titles, you’re not playing as the scrupulous leader of a free nation or up and coming civilization that is just trying to make your way in the world. No, you play as El Presidente, a dictator who is up for using all sorts of methods in order to get what he wants. And what he wants is the “best place on Earth”…that he can control.
So, you’ll get to work to fulfill the dream, and you’ll even be able to steal and do other acts to get what you need to get it done.
#10 Aven Colony
There are many games out there that ask you to watch over Earth as it makes a colony on places like Mars. But in Aven Colony, they go a bit bigger in scope. Because here, you’ll get to make a colony on the planet known as Aven Prime. A place which is the first colony outside of our solar system.
You’ll be in charge of making sure that humans can even survive there, because there are things on this planet that aren’t even close to what we have on Earth.
There are also mysteries on this planet that will need to be dealt with as you grow and expand. Will you make it so humanity can survive no matter the planet?
#9 Tropico 6
Yep, El Presidente is back! The Tropico line is actually a bit more expansive than you probably thought, but fear not, we’ll tell you the difference between these two titles.
The biggest one is that in Tropico 6, you’ll be able to try and make your “new world’ on an archipelago of islands. Why does this matter? Simple put, you can build things on multiple islands at the same time, a first for the series. And that means you can build up your “dream paradise” at a much faster pace.
Oh, and if you find out about a landmark or item that another nation has…? You can steal it and bring it to your islands. It’s only stealing if you get caught!
#8 Prison Architect
Prison Architect is not a game where you build a city, but rather, a game where you build a place where certain people are meant to never escape from. Doesn’t that sound fun!?
In the game, you’ll indeed become the warden for a prison, and are tasked with designing the structure to be both functional and yet keep the inmates in line. You might think this an easy thing to do, but you need to have balance in order to have things go smoothly. Make things too loose and prisoners can escape easily. Keep things too tight and they’ll riot and cause problems.
You can also challenge other players by seeing if their prison constructions are up to snuff!
#7 Two Point Campus
The Two-Point franchise has had a lot of fun letting people build unique twists on standard things. And Two Point Campus is going to be a game that does that once more when it comes out. In the game, you’ll be in charge of leading construction on a new university. True to the previous games, you’ll need to do it in a way that is good, efficient, and isn’t over budget…while also having fun with it, of course.
But the twist in the game is that while the building will be very standard, the courses at this university are anything but. You’ll be able to have your students “learn” all sorts of skills that aren’t exactly relevant in today’s world…yet.
So yeah, go nuts and make the university that you always wished you could go to.
#6 Airborne Kingdom
Look to the skies, boys, look to the skies…
Because if you do, you might just get a glimpse of what’s to come via Airborne Kingdom. In this unique game, you’ll be building a kingdom not on the ground, but in the sky. You’ll start off small until you can make some truly grand aerial constructs that your people will live upon.
But that’s not the end of your journey, just the start. Because eventually, you’ll want to expand, and then, you’ll get to meet some of the people living below you via the terrestrial kingdoms.
Each playthrough in Airborne Kingdom will be different due to the procedurally generated maps you’ll be on. So see how different you can make each run.
#5 Islanders
Islanders is arguably a more simplistic and minimalistic take on the city-building genre, but that’s not exactly a bad thing to be clear. In the title, you’ll be set on one of an infinite amount of procedurally generated islands. Your job is simple, build upon it and see how grand you can make things.
Then, when you want a new challenge…just go to a different island. Each one is different in terms of form and terrain, and as a result of that, you’ll need to adapt every single time to see how creative you can get with your building.
The team behind Islanders put a lot into this game, so give it a whirl and see where it takes you.
#4 Civilization VI
One could argue that on the “grand scale” Civilization VI is the best city-builder game ever made, mainly because you’re going to be building a LOT of cities over the course of your empire more times than not. What’s more, Civilization VI went and overhauled its city building and presentation of the districts within to allow you to make each city special and functional in all the ways that matter.
And of course, because you play as some of the greatest leaders of history, you’ll get to take things in various directions as you build toward your own personal quest for world domination…or world peace.
In short, you’ll definitely want to take Civilization VI for a spin.
#3 Frostpunk
We’re putting Frostpunk pretty high on this list because it is what you might call a “high-concept city builder” title in that it’s not just about the city, but it’s how you make the city work, survive, and please its people.
You see, in the post-apocalyptic world of Frostpunk, you find yourself in a land where heat is the most important resources. You are to build humanity’s last city on a hot spot, and need to build a city around its heat and power.
How you expand is where things get tricky though. Do you keep making grand expansions and wear your resources thin? Or, do you play things conservative in order to keep your people alive? Jump in and find out.
#2 Minecraft
While not technically a city-builder game, people have gone to extreme lengths in Minecraft to build…well…whatever the heck they wanted. And it shows…a lot.
Seriously, Minecraft is the game where you can do what they intended for you to do, or you can just start building crap and wonder how big and grand you can make it. Statues, replicas of starships, entire freaking castles from a Final Fantasy title, they’re all here, and yes, you can add to it.
While we’re not sure if an entire CITY has been built in Minecraft by players, we clearly wouldn’t put it past them. And if it hasn’t yet? Then you can be the first.
#1 Cities Skylines
Without a doubt, if you’re going to partake in doing some city-building games, you need to play Cities Skylines. Like, seriously, you must do this one, it’s the best around.
You’ll get to build your city in the most grand of ways, but also, the most realistic of ways, as you’ll need to make sure your city meets certain standards and codes to keep it functional and healthy.
Then, when you’re done with your “grand building”, you can partake in the various packs of DLC and see what kind of unique scenarios you can try to thrive in.
All in all, this game is one of the best to ever do it, so be sure to try it out.
