This is a comprehensive index of city-building games, sorted chronologically. Information regarding date of release, developer, platform, setting and notability is provided when available. The table can be sorted by clicking on the small boxes next to the column headings.
| Year | Game | Developer | Setting | Platform | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Sumerian Game | Historical | MAIN | Text-based game based on the ancient Sumerian city of Lagash.[1] | ||
| 1969 | The Sumer Game | Historical | MAIN | Adaptation of The Sumerian Game. | ||
| 1975 | Hamurabi | Historical | MAIN | Expanded version of The Sumer Game. Published later as part of BASIC Computer Games. | ||
| 1978 | Santa Paravia en Fiumaccio | Historical | MAIN | |||
| 1981 | Kingdom[2] | David Allen[3] | Historical | BBC | A conversion of the game "Hamurabi", it was included as part of welcome package to BBC Microcomputers. | |
| 1982 | Utopia | Contemporary | AQUA, INT | |||
| 1989 | SimCity | Contemporary | AMI, MAC, 27+ other platforms | First title in the SimCity series. | ||
| 1990 | ActRaiser | Fantasy | MOBI, SNES, VC | Hybrid with side-scrolling platform game. | ||
| 1990 | Moonbase | Sci-fi | AMI, DOS | |||
| 1991 | Sci-fi | AMI, DOS, SNES, ST | ||||
| 1992 | Caesar | Historical | AMI, DOS, ST | First title in the City Building series. | ||
| 1993 | Lunar Command | Sci-fi | DOS | Updated version of Moonbase. | ||
| 1993 | SimCity 2000 | Contemporary | AMI, DOS, GBA, MAC, N64, PS1, PSP, SAT, SNES | Sequel to SimCity. | ||
| 1993 | The Settlers (a.k.a. Serf City: Life is Feudal) | Fantasy | AMI, DOS | First title in the series. | ||
| 1993 | Stronghold | Fantasy | DOS | Hybrid with RTS elements. | ||
| 1994 | Outpost | Sci-fi | MAC, WIN3X | Sci-fi version of SimCity. | ||
| 1995 | Caesar II | Historical | MAC, WIN | Sequel to Caesar. | ||
| 1995 | Lincity | Various | Contemporary | CROSS | Open source clone of Sim City. | |
| 1995 | Contemporary | DOS, MAC, WIN3X | ||||
| 1995 | SimTown | Contemporary | MAC, WIN, WIN3X | |||
| 1996 | Afterlife | Fantasy | DOS, MAC, WIN9X | |||
| 1996 | Holiday Island | Contemporary | WIN9X | |||
| 1996 | Fantasy | DOS, DS, MAC | Sequel to The Settlers. Nintendo DS port was released in 2007. | |||
| 1996 | The Settlers II Mission CD | Fantasy | DOS | Expansion to . | ||
| 1997 | Constructor | Contemporary | PS1, WIN | |||
| 1998 | Historical | WIN9X | First title in the series. Hybrid with RTS elements. | |||
| 1998 | Caesar III | Historical | MAC, WIN9X, Not | Sequel to Caesar II. | ||
| 1998 | Settlers III, The | Fantasy | WIN9X | Sequel to . | ||
| 1999 | Pharaoh | Historical | WIN9X | |||
| 1999 | SimCity 3000 | Contemporary | DS, iPhone, LIN, MAC, WIN | Sequel to SimCity 2000. | ||
| 2000 | Historical | WIN9X | Expansion to Pharaoh. | |||
| 2000 | Fantasy | WIN | ||||
| 2000 | SimCity 64 | Contemporary | N64 | Spin-off of the SimCity series. | ||
| 2000 | SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Contemporary | LIN, WIN | Re-release of SimCity 3000. | ||
| 2000 | StarPeace | Sci-fi | WIN | MMOG. | ||
| 2001 | Fantasy | WIN | Expansion to . | |||
| 2001 | Mobility | Contemporary | WIN, LIN | |||
| 2001 | StarTopia | Sci-fi | WIN | |||
| 2001 | Stronghold | Fantasy | WIN | Hybrid with RTS elements. | ||
| 2001 | The Settlers IV | Fantasy | WIN | Sequel to The Settlers III. | ||
| 2001 | Tropico | Contemporary | MAC, OSX, WIN, WIN9X | |||
| 2002 | Historical | WIN | ||||
| 2002 | Metropolismania | Contemporary | PS2 | First title in the series. | ||
| 2002 | Moonbase Commander | Sci-fi | WIN | |||
| 2002 | Tropico: Paradise Island | Contemporary | WIN, WIN9X | Expansion to Tropico. | ||
| 2003 | Historical | WIN9X, WIN | Sequel to . Hybrid with RTS elements. | |||
| 2003 | Historical | WIN | Expansion to . | |||
| 2003 | SimCity 4 | Contemporary | OSX, WIN | Sequel to SimCity 3000. | ||
| 2003 | Contemporary | OSX, WIN | Expansion to SimCity 4. | |||
| 2003 | Historical | OSX, WIN | ||||
| 2004 | Historical | WIN | ||||
| 2004 | Outpost Kaloki X | Sci-fi | WIN, X360 | |||
| 2005 | Historical | WIN | ||||
| 2005 | Stronghold 2 | Fantasy | WIN | Hybrid with RTS elements. | ||
| 2005 | Settlers: Heritage of Kings, The | Fantasy | WIN | Sequel to The Settlers IV. | ||
| 2005 | Fantasy | WIN | Expansion to . | |||
| 2005 | Fantasy | WIN | Expansion to . | |||
| 2006 | Anno 1701 | Historical | DS, WIN | Sequel to . Hybrid with RTS elements. | ||
| 2006 | Caesar IV | Historical | WIN | Sequel to Caesar III. | ||
| 2006 | City Life | Contemporary | WIN | |||
| 2006 | Historical | WIN | ||||
| 2006 | Dwarf Fortress | Fantasy | WIN, LIN, MAC | |||
| 2006 | Glory of the Roman Empire | Historical | WIN | |||
| 2006 | The Settlers II 10th Anniversary | Fantasy | WIN | Remake of . | ||
| 2006 | Contemporary | WIN | ||||
| 2007 | Historical | DS | Hybrid with RTS elements. | |||
| 2007 | Historical | DS | Expansion to . Hybrid with RTS elements. | |||
| 2007 | SimCity Societies | Contemporary | MOBI, WIN | Spin-off of the SimCity series. | ||
| 2007 | Fantasy | WIN | Expansion to The Settlers II (10th Anniversary). | |||
| 2007 | Fantasy | WIN | Sequel to . | |||
| 2008 | A Kingdom for Keflings | Fantasy | X360 | |||
| 2008 | Fantasy | Wii | Hybrid with RPG elements. | |||
| 2008 | Hinterland | Fantasy | WIN | Hybrid with RPG elements. | ||
| 2008 | Imperium Romanum | Historical | WIN | Sequel to Glory of the Roman Empire. | ||
| 2008 | Micropolis | Contemporary | CROSS | Open source version of SimCity. | ||
| 2008 | SimCity DS 2 | Contemporary | DS | . | ||
| 2008 | Contemporary | WIN | Expansion to SimCity Societies. | |||
| 2008 | Settlers: Rise of an Empire - The Eastern Realm, The | Fantasy | WIN | Expansion to . | ||
| 2009 | Anno 1404 | Historical | WIN, OSX, DS, Wii | Sequel to . Hybrid with RTS elements. | ||
| 2009 | Cities XL | Contemporary | WIN | |||
| 2009 | Historical | WIN | Sequel to Imperium Romanum. | |||
| 2009 | OpenCity | Duong-Khang Nguyen | Contemporary | CROSS | Open source. A development version is available. | |
| 2009 | Tropico 3 | Contemporary | OSX, WIN, X360 | Successor to Tropico. | ||
| 2010 | A World of Keflings | Fantasy | X360 | |||
| 2010 | Cities XL 2011 | Contemporary | WIN | |||
| 2010 | Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom, The | Fantasy | OSX, WIN | Sequel to . | ||
| 2011 | Anno 2070 | Sci-fi | WIN | |||
| 2011 | Cities XL 2012 | Contemporary | WIN | |||
| 2011 | Stronghold 3 | Fantasy | WIN, OSX, LIN | Hybrid with RTS elements. | ||
| 2011 | Tropico 4 | Contemporary | WIN, X360, OSX | |||
| 2012 | SimCity Social | Modern | BROW | Defunct online, social SimCity spin-off. | ||
| 2012 | Stronghold: HD | Historical | WIN | Modest enhancement of Stronghold (2001). RTS hybrid. | ||
| 2012 | Towns | Xavi Canal, Ben Palgi | Fantasy | WIN, LIN, OSX | RPG hybrid with few influences. Abandoned in 2014. | |
| 2013 | SimCity | Contemporary | WIN, OSX | Relaunch of Simcity Series. | ||
| 2014 | Banished | Shining Rock Software | Historical | WIN | ||
| 2014 | Stronghold Crusader 2 | Fantasy | WIN | Hybrid with RTS elements. | ||
| 2014 | Tropico 5 | Contemporary | WIN, OSX, LIN, X360, PS4[4] | |||
| 2015 | Anno 2205 | Sci-Fi | WIN | Sequel to Anno 2070. | ||
| 2015 | Contemporary | WIN, OSX, LIN, PS4, XOne, NX | Based on the engine used for Cities in Motion 2. | |||
| 2015 | Cities XXL | Contemporary | WIN | |||
| 2015 | Concrete Jungle | ColePowered Games | Contemporary | WIN, OSX, IOS, DROI | Hybrid with deck-building elements. | |
| 2015 | Planetbase | Madruga Works | Sci-fi | WIN, OSX, XOne, PS4 | Survival city-builder. | |
| 2015 | Valhalla Hills | Funatics Software | Mythology | WIN, LIN, OSX, Cloud, XOne, PS4 | City builder, RTS. | |
| 2016 | Clockwork Empires | Alternate History, Lovecraftian | WIN, OSX | Lovecraftian colony sim. Delisted 2019. | ||
| 2017 | Aven Colony | Mothership Entertainment | Sci-Fi | WIN, PS4, XOne | ||
| 2017 | Block'hood | Plethora Project | Modern | WIN, LIN, OSX | Neighbourhood builder. | |
| 2017 | Life is Feudal: Forest Village | Bitbox | Historical | WIN | Survival town builder. | |
| 2017 | Kingdoms and Castles | Lion Shield | Fantasy | WIN, OSX, LIN, XOne, PS4, XSX/S, PS5 | ||
| 2018 | Frostpunk | Sci-Fi | WIN, OSX, PS4, XOne | |||
| 2018 | Suncrash | Post-apocalypse, Demons | WIN | Colony sim & real-time tactics. | ||
| 2018 | Maia | Machine Studios | WIN, LIN, OSX | Survival colony sim with a first person mode. | ||
| 2018 | Surviving Mars | Sci-Fi | WIN, OSX, LIN, PS4, XOne | |||
| 2019 | Anno 1800 | Historical | WIN | Industrialization-age exploration building sim. | ||
| 2019 | Dawn of Man | Madruga Works | Historical | WIN, OSX | Prehistoric city builder. Eras: Paleolithic to the Iron Age. | |
| 2019 | Grizzly Games | Fantasy | WIN, OSX, LIN | Casual city builder with low-poly aesthetic. | ||
| 2019 | Outlanders | Pomelo Games | Contemporary | iOS, WIN | ||
| 2019 | Rise of Industry | Dapper Penguin Studios | Historical | WIN, LIN, OSX | Tycoon sim with minimalist 3D graphics. Former name: Project Automata. | |
| 2019 | Rise to Ruins | Raymond Doerr | Fantasy | WIN, OSX, LIN | Indie city-builder with survival and god game elements. | |
| 2019 | Tropico 6 | Contemporary | WIN, OSX, LIN, PS4, XOne | |||
| 2020 | Before We Leave | Balancing Monkey Games | Sci-fi | WIN, OSX, NX, XOne, PS4, XSX/S, PS5 | ||
| 2020 | Per Aspera | Tlön Industries | Sci-fi | WIN | City-builder about terraforming Mars. | |
| 2020 | Airborne Kingdom | The Wandering Band | Sci-fi | WIN, OSX, PS4, PS5, XOne, XSX/S, NX | Steampunk flying city. | |
| 2021 | Actraiser Renaissance | Fantasy | iOS, DROI, NX, WIN, PS4 | Big remaster of ActRaiser. | ||
| 2021 | Gentlymad Studios | Post-apocalypse | WIN, XOne, XSX/S, PS5 | Post-apocalyptic survival city-builder. | ||
| 2021 | Nebuchadnezzar | Nepos Games | Historical | WIN, LIN | Set in Ancient Mesopotamia. | |
| 2021 | Patron | Overseer Games | Historical | WIN | Survival city-builder. | |
| 2021 | Surviving the Aftermath | Post-apocalypse | WIN, NX, PS4, XOne, XSX/S | Post-apocalyptic survival city-builder. Sequel to Surviving Mars. | ||
| 2021 | Townscaper | Oskar Stålberg | Fantasy | WIN, OSX, MOBI | Indie city-builder with a specially intuitive gameplay and interface. | |
| 2022 | Floodland | Vile Monarch | Post-apocalypse | WIN | Survival city-builder. | |
| 2022 | Urbek City Builder | Estudios Kremlinois | Contemporary | WIN, PS4, PS5, XSX/S, NX | Puzzle aspects. | |
| 2023 | Against the Storm | Eremite Games | Dark fantasy | WIN | Roguelike. | |
| 2023 | Aquatico | Digital Reef Games | Historical | WIN | ||
| 2023 | Contemporary | WIN, XSX/S, PS5 | Sequel to . | |||
| 2023 | Sci-fi | WIN, XOne, PS4, XSX/S, PS5 | Survival sim. | |||
| 2024 | Frostpunk 2 | Alternate history | WIN, PS5, XSX/S | Sequel to Frostpunk. | ||
| 2024 | Summerhouse | Friedemann Allmenröder | Contemporary | WIN, OSX | Open-ended sandbox game. | |
| 2024 | 3Division | Historical | WIN | City builder with a focus on a communist economic system. | ||
| TBA | Builders of Egypt | Strategy Labs | Historical | WIN | Ancient Egypt city builder. Eras: From Egyptian Civilization to the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Cleopatra's death. | |
| TBA | Foundation | Polymorph Games | Historical | WIN | Medieval indie city-builder. | |
| TBA | Infection Free Zone | Jutsu Games | Post-apocalypse | WIN | Survival city-builder. | |
| TBA | Manor Lords | Slavic Magic | Historical | WIN, XOne, XSX/S | City-building & real-time tactics. | |
| TBA | Timberborn | Mechanistry | Fantasy, Futuristic | WIN, macOS | Beaver colony. | |
| TBA | Stray Fawn | Sci-fi | WIN, LIN, OSX, XOne, XSX/S | Mobile city-builder. |