The city-building genre is one of the most saturated genres on Steam. Games such asManor LordsandAgainst The Stormare just a couple of standout examples from recent years. Many of these games, such asCities: Skylines, have a massive scale, while others, likeMinami Lane, are incredibly small-scale.
Other games, likeTownscaper, don’t feature any management mechanics,focusing purely on creative building. These examples, however, focus on building smaller-scale towns and settlements, all of which feature management mechanics.
7MicroTown
A Minimalist Town-Builder With Supply Chains
Thisminimalist pixel-arttown-builder combines city-building mechanics with a focus on supply chains, as seen in games such asFactorio. Thankfully, these elements are well-crafted, resulting in a relaxing but consistently engaging game about building production chains.
MicroTown’sminimalist visuals, elevated by bright colors, complement the game’s relaxing atmosphere.MicroTownis more about the growing town than its denizens, putting a stronger focus on creating supply chains. Regardless,MicroTownmanages to be a frequently charming experience.
This rogue-lite city-builder gives players control of a bustling village/town attempting to survive a variety of catastrophic events.DotAGEisa turn-based game, taking a great deal of inspiration from the world of tabletop games. The most notable use of tabletop game mechanics inDotAGEis its elements of worker placement, tasking players with assigning their workers to tasks every day.
DotAGEalso features rogue-lite elements in the form of a run-based structure and meta-progression, which makes the game feel somewhat more bite-sized than larger city-builders. This breezy structure also complements the game’s small scale.
This dreary town-building strategy game focuses on keeping the townsfolk alive in a harsh and unforgiving environment. One unique element ofBanishedis its lack of research trees, with the only requirement for each building being the necessary resources to build it.
Efficiently trading with foreign merchants, farming crops, and carefully managing the surrounding environment are key factors to the town’s survival. InBanished,resources are frequently scarce, which results in a game that’s very much about resource management and risk assessment. While the game is often challenging, the difficulty settings help to make it more accessible.
4Cardboard Town
A Small-Scale City-Building Card Game
Cardboard Townis a distinctive, small-scale city-builder that tasks players with building townsby playing various cards. Players use these cards by spending money, which represents the player’s potential number of actions. Every day, players draw new cards, placing down new buildings to increase their population and prepare for incoming disasters.
Cardboard Townfeatures a doom timer that keeps players on their toes throughout, forcing them to make tough decisions at every turn. This, in combination with most buildings requiring an adjacent road, adds weight to each choice. Alongside its well-crafted gameplay loop,Cardboard Townalso features a pleasant, colorful paper-craft aesthetic.
3Outlanders
A Charming, Minimalist Indie Game About Building Towns
Outlandersis a charming,minimalist indie gameabout building towns, with a focus on strategy. The game features a wonderful flat-color art style and a distinct lack of conflict/combat, maintaining a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. This atmosphere is only improved by the game’s immersive soundscapes and charming music.
Despite its lack of battles,Outlanderschallenges players with its mission-based structure. However, for players that want complete freedom to build their town, the game thankfully offers a sandbox mode. This mode’s creative gameplay complements the game’s atmosphere, offering a laid-back experience for players that become frustrated with the game’s missions.
2Factory Town
A Combination Of Mechanical Automation & Town Management
Featuring campaign maps and the option to play on random maps, as well asa creative sandboxmode,Factory Townis an inherently replayable town-building game.Factory Town, as its name may suggest, focuses its gameplay on mechanical automation and supply chains.
Factory Townis bereft of stress-inducing mechanics such as starvation and hostile enemies, allowing players to focus purely on the happiness of their town and the efficiency of their production. For players who enjoy logistical challenges and laid-back city-builders,Factory Townis a small-scale game that’s worth a look.
1Go-Go Town
Building And Managing As The Town Mayor
Putting players in the shoes of the town mayor,Go-Go Townis a cute and colorful indie game about building and managing a charming town. Unlike most management games,Go-Go Towngives players control of their own character, allowing them to cycle and drive around the streets, caring for the townsfolk and the town itself. Though its cheerful art-style is the main initial draw, there’s plenty to do in this laid-back town management game.
Running around performing errands can be a time-consuming task inGo-Go Town, but thankfully, the game offers ways to automate certain tasks using the townsfolk themselves. Much ofGo-Go Town’sgameplay is focused on hiring and managing staff, building new locations for tourists, and converting tourists into townspeople. AlthoughGo-Go Townis currently in early access, its polished gameplay is a promising start.
