1
Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
City BuilderBase-BuildingColony Sim
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$8.99 ~65.9 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 94.6% of 37k
The Squirrel's verdictBoth put you managing resource chains and orders to keep a settlement fed and functioning. Against the Storm restructures that as a roguelike: each settlement is a timed run with randomized biomes, seeds, and reset progress, rather than one persistent cliff city built continuously toward a single ongoing goal.
Not for you if you want a continuous persistent city rather than repeated runs that reset with each new settlement.
2
City BuilderSurvivalPost-apocalyptic
$24.99 ~21.8 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 76.8% of 10k
The Squirrel's verdictGround-level colony building with radiation and contamination layered on top is Endzone's core departure from Cliff Empire's vertical cliff setup. The resource-management loop is similar — extract, process, distribute — but played out on flat terrain with environmental hazards replacing geographic constraint. Reviewers note the experience can feel shallow once the initial systems are understood.
Not for you if you want mechanics that continue deepening past the early learning curve rather than repeating familiar loops.
3
Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
City BuilderBase-BuildingExploration
$24.99 ~10.9 hr median no co-op complexity: light 86.7% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictAirborne Kingdom strips away threats, failure states, and complex resource economies: no food logistics, no combat, no way to lose. The single mobile city floats across a map while you balance lift and resource gathering. Median playtime runs under 11 hours. Players who want the visual satisfaction of a growing settlement without management pressure are the target audience.
Not for you if you want long-term resource economies, meaningful failure risk, or endgame complexity.
4
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
City Tales - Medieval Era
PC
City BuilderEconomyResource Management
$13.79 ~15.9 hr median no co-op complexity: light 89.5% of 590
The Squirrel's verdictCity Tales removes the survival pressure entirely: no food consumption, no continuous population needs, no way to lose. What remains is a district-drawing and upgrade-chain builder where housing areas are sketched onto the map and production buildings fill slots within them. Reviewers describe it as relaxed and accessible, with median playtime around 16 hours.
Not for you if you want food logistics, population strain, or the risk of failure that gives city-building decisions real stakes.
5
City BuilderResource ManagementColony Sim
Jank Tolerant Jank TolerantRough edges and bugs — rewarding if you don't mind them.
$24.99 ~15.6 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 81.9% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictLike Cliff Empire, Laysara has you running a consumption-based economy on cramped, tiered terrain, hauling resources up and down fixed layouts instead of managing free-form sprawl. The difference: each mountain map has a knowable optimal configuration, so progress means solving that layout and clearing advisor task lists rather than expanding organically. Median playtime runs about 15-16 hours.
Not for you if you want open-ended city expansion rather than optimizing one fixed layout per map, or need co-op play.
6
City BuilderColony Sim
$15.99 ~19.2 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 82.6% of 413
The Squirrel's verdictNeighboring factions invade and compete for land in Hearthlands — combat and territorial pressure are built into the design from the start. Underneath that, you get the same supply-chain city building found in Anno and Settlers, with four distinct cultures and a campaign that introduces mechanics gradually. Reviewers flag supply-chain debugging as the main friction point.
Not for you if you want conflict-free economy management without factions threatening your settlement.
7
City BuilderExplorationColony Sim
$25.6 ~11 hr median no co-op complexity: light 76.4% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictMemoriapolis suits players who want to watch a city and its production chains grow across a fixed map without the pressure of meaningful failure. Reviewers note that only two in-game metrics carry real weight, market trading can substitute for self-sufficiency, and faction choices produce no measurable gameplay difference. Released in 2025, it carries a Mostly Positive rating at roughly 11 hours median playtime.
Not for you if you want decisions that carry strategic weight or systems where self-sufficiency and city layout genuinely matter.