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Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
City BuilderEconomyResource Management
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$29.99 ~69.3 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 92.9% of 290k
The Squirrel's verdictTransit simulation, disaster tools, and a sprawling mod workshop are Cities: Skylines' main strengths over TheoTown. The base game covers a solid city-building loop — zone, lay roads, balance demand — and the 2015 foundation holds up well at 69.3 median hours. The DLC catalogue exceeds $120, reviewers flag that mods frequently break after updates, and new players report weak onboarding.
Not for you if a steep DLC list, update-driven mod breakage, or TheoTown's beginner-friendly pacing would be frustrating.
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Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
City BuilderImmersive SimBase-Building
$19.99 ~33.7 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 82.2% of 10k
The Squirrel's verdictRegional simulation, terrain sculpting, and a deep mod library at Simtropolis are SimCity 4's defining strengths. Median playtime runs around 34 hours against TheoTown's lighter sessions, reflecting genuine simulation complexity. One flat $19.99 price covers the full game with no currency gates or account prompts, but getting it running stably on modern hardware requires community-sourced patches and manual setup.
Not for you if you want a game that installs and runs without third-party patches, or prefer TheoTown's beginner-friendly pacing.
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Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
City Builder2.5DCartoon
$2.99 ~7.9 hr median no co-op complexity: light 92.4% of 275
The Squirrel's verdictPocket City runs as a fully self-contained single-player experience: no account required, no currency gates, no region-hosting fees. The building loop — zone, place roads, hit milestones, unlock buildings — stays deliberately light, with an optional Expert mode adding modest complexity. At $2.99 and a median playtime around 8 hours, it fits players who want a quick, low-pressure city-builder. Developer support for this version has been suspended in favour of Pocket City 2.
Not for you if you relied on TheoTown's community plugins for variety, since Pocket City has no mod ecosystem and reviews note limited building selection.
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City Builder
$0.99 ~5.2 hr median no co-op 80.5% of 251
The Squirrel's verdictRival subcultures mapped onto a hexagon grid form the core mechanic: subcultures on opposite sides of the hex are enemies, triggering crime, fires, and economic collapse when they share territory. City Life 2008 pairs this with a street-level walk mode absent from TheoTown, and a single $0.99 purchase with no region-slot currency or online account prompts. Reviews note the faction system can lock cities into irreversible decline.
Not for you if you want a stable plugin community or a city-builder where decline can be reversed through planning adjustments.
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City BuilderColony SimImmersive Sim
$29.99 ~22.1 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 77.5% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictProduction chains define Highrise City's loop: mining, manufacturing, and citizen supply-demand must stay balanced before residential zones can expand — closer to Anno than to straightforward zoning. Players logging around 22 hours on average find the supply-chain puzzle the main draw. No plugin ecosystem exists, and reviewers on the current early-access build flag frequent crashes as the sharpest pain point.
Not for you if you want TheoTown's accessible pick-up-and-play structure rather than tracking resource and production chains, or crashes are a dealbreaker.
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City BuilderEconomyPolitical Sim
$24.99 ~18.2 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 73.6% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictMacroeconomic policy sits at Citystate II's centre: immigration rates, inflation, public debt, and political sliders drive growth rather than zoning density alone. Players who want the governance logic behind a city rather than its physical layout will find the most here. Reviewers note crashes occur without autosave, and the political framing reflects a narrow ideological perspective that some find limiting.
Not for you if you want TheoTown's plugin-driven building variety or a city-builder that saves progress automatically and crashes infrequently.
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City BuilderTime ManagementFuturistic
$4.99 ~6.5 hr median no co-op complexity: light 74.2% of 163
The Squirrel's verdictBoth share a mobile-derived city-building base with touchscreen-first UI, but Megapolis trades TheoTown's open-ended sandbox and plugin community for fixed timed scenarios on small, capped grids with no free-building sandbox. It suits players who want short, structured city-planning puzzles rather than a persistent, moddable city to grow indefinitely.
Not for you if you want an open sandbox to build and expand freely rather than replaying small, timed scenario grids.