There used to be a time when building the virtual city of your dream required a gamer PC. But city builders have started conquering the realm of next-gen consoles. From sci-fi survival sims to imaginative fantasy titles, the PlayStation 5 boasts a wide catalogue of city-building games to suit every gamer’s urban-planning frenzy. So, we’ve laid out some of the best city builders to get creative on PS5.
Airborne Kingdom
While most city-building games stay grounded, Airborne Kingdom explores the heavens above. This sky city builder has you set up a flying kingdom. Taking to the skies, you aim to rekindle the glory of a fabled floating metropolis lost in time immemorial. From humble beginnings, create a soaring metropolis stretching out into the horizons by gathering resources, researching technologies, and completing quests.
Your population expects you to provide all the right infrastructure to meet their needs and sustain your blossoming community. Keeping your city functional also means balancing vital concerns, such as fuel supply and propulsion. Meanwhile, the secrets of the first Airborne Kingdom await to be discovered amid mysterious temples and half-forgotten ruins among the clouds. This inventive gem of a city builder is perfect to take a break – with an equally serene soundtrack to boot.
Credit: Yuniper – Flickr
Frostpunk
Frostpunk is an innovative take on the all-too-familiar genre of management games. Set in a steampunk ice age, this city builder introduces elements of survival games. Leading the last city on Earth, you help your people navigate the challenges of their unforgiving environment. This involves constructing steam engines to combat the cold and operating medical facilities.
The game also presents moral dilemmas as you strive to act for the great good. Will you permit child labour or resort to executing dissidents to prevent rebellion? The choice is yours in this harrowing hidden gem.
Surviving Mars
In Surviving Mars, your endgame is to build the first-ever functioning Martian colony. Putting together elaborate superstructures and factories, you shall lead your colonists to a prosperous future. Pick your location wisely before your settlers make their homes on this not-so-hospitable planet, as the Red Planet is not quite fit for human life as is.
Part management game, part survival sim, this sci-fi outer space adventure is full of challenges to overcome to ensure your population lives another day. From resources falling short to lead scientists developing a drinking problem, keeping up your colony is no walk in the park. Unearthing some of Mars’s secrets is a double-edged sword, too, bringing you either great fortune or doom.
Credit: Instacodez – Flickr
Anno 1800
Anno 1800 sets the stage at the onset of the industrial revolution. Kicking it off in a European-infused Old World, you establish your first settlements before growing your population. Each tier of citizens unlocks new requirements, leading to ever-so-complex production chains and supply routes, some of which require you to send ships out into the New World to expand your commercial empire.
The Deluxe Edition also includes cosmetic packs to beautify your cities with canals, rollercoasters, or gambling venues. Sticking to mere building skins, though, Anno 1800 doesn’t feature any actual casino minigame. Gamers itching for pokies and card games might turn off the console to switch to online casinos, thus. The best platforms even reward users with casino no deposit bonuses. Such offers allow players to win the prize without putting money on the line. These bonuses may range from free spins to mobile-specific promotions. Better yet, top casinos offer new no deposit bonuses on a regular basis. Claiming them is as easy as signing up for a brand-new account.
Credit: SteamXO – Flickr
Tropico 6: Next-Gen Edition
El Presidente has made his way into PS5 with a next-gen edition putting you in the shoes of a dictator ruling over the Caribbean nation of Tropico. Only this time, you might expand your legacy to large archipelagos and manage multiple islands to connect through bridges.
So, will you be a benevolent ruler or be remembered as a feared tyrant? Spanning four distinct eras, from colonial times to modern days, steer the fate of your country through political upheavals and social unrest. As addictive as visually stunning, Tropico 6 is perhaps the most cohesive entry in the franchise. And up to four wannabe autocrats can now call Tropico their own in multiplayer mode.
Many flagship city-building titles have released on PS5 in recent years. And the gift keeps on giving, as the much-anticipated Cities: Skyline 2 is slated on Sony’s next-gen console later this year.