Games like Cities XL Platinum

The Squirrel's verdictCities: Skylines covers zoning, traffic, utilities, and supply-and-demand economics at the same scale as Cities XL, with a 92.9% positive Steam rating and a 69.3-hour median playtime reflecting sustained engagement. The base game is $29.99, though reviewers note major content is gated behind an extensive DLC catalog. Suited to players who want simulation depth and a large modding community.

Not for you if you're unwilling to pay for DLC beyond the $29.99 base price to access the full feature set.

The Squirrel's verdictTheoTown covers zoning, supply-and-demand economics, and community-made plugins in place of DLC, but uses retro pixel graphics and a mobile-derived interface rather than 3D city building at scale. It carries a Very Positive rating at 94.5% positive with a 28.6-hour median playtime. Suited to players who want a lightweight, beginner-friendly city builder with an active plugin community.

Not for you if you want large 3D maps and deep simulation difficulty, or object to gold-coin currency gating for online region hosting.

The Squirrel's verdictSteeper difficulty and deeper simulation granularity separate SimCity 4 from Cities XL's more accessible take on zoning, utilities, and budget management. The Simtropolis mod community has extended and patched the 2003 base game substantially, and reviewers describe it as still the benchmark for the genre. Steam rating is Very Positive at 82.2% positive, with a 33.7-hour median playtime.

Not for you if you want a stable, out-of-the-box experience without installing third-party patches and community mods.

The Squirrel's verdictPocket City strips city building down to zoning, milestone-driven growth, and a mobile-derived interface without inter-city trade or deep economic simulation. At $2.99 with a 7.9-hour median playtime, it suits players wanting short, low-stakes building sessions. Reviews describe it as closer to classic SNES-era SimCity than to Cities XL's scale. An Expert mode adds some complexity but remains limited in scope.

Not for you if you want large maps, inter-city trading mechanics, or economic simulation depth comparable to Cities XL.

The Squirrel's verdictSubculture factions are City Life 2008's defining mechanic: six social groups arranged in a hierarchy, with opposing factions fighting, burning districts, and destabilizing the economy when their territories overlap. That social friction layer sits on top of trade-driven growth and large-scale city management familiar from Cities XL. Steam rating is Very Positive at 80.5% positive, with a 5.2-hour median playtime.

Not for you if faction conflict destroying city sections sounds frustrating rather than engaging, or late-game performance slowdowns are a dealbreaker.

The Squirrel's verdictProduction-chain management is the defining loop here: mining, manufacturing, and resource logistics drive city growth rather than pure zoning. Players who wanted Cities XL's supply-and-demand tension applied to a deeper economic layer will find that in Highrise City. Real-world locations are available as build sites. Steam rating is Mostly Positive (77.5% positive), with a 22.1-hour median playtime.

Not for you if frequent crashes during play sessions are a dealbreaker, as reviews consistently flag this as a significant issue.

The Squirrel's verdictCitystate II suits players who found Cities XL's economic balancing more engaging than its road layout and utility design. The focus shifts to macroeconomic management — immigration rates, inflation, public debt, and policy sliders — with zoning and utilities present but secondary. Steam rating is Mostly Positive (73.6% positive), with an 18.2-hour median playtime. Reviews cite frequent crashes and absent autosave as persistent rough edges.

Not for you if detailed traffic design and utility infrastructure are what you want, or you need reliable autosave and crash-free sessions.