City builders have long been a popular genre among players, particularly those developed by Maxis. Following the release of SimCity in 1989, the developer game dominated the genre with the continued release of Sim titles from niche titles like SimAnt, SimEarth, and SimIsle, to the long-running SimCity franchise and, of course, The Sims life simulation series.
However, Maxis wasn’t the only developer creating urban simulators. The nineties saw an influx of ancient city management in the wake of SimCity, set in older time periods like medieval in The Settlers, Ancient Egypt in Pharaoh, and Ancient Rome in the Caesar series. This provided a variety of games for players to experience, particularly in the skill of micromanaging a growing civilization. While each game differed in terms of theme, they all shared similar elements. But among those released in the ‘90s, a handful stood above the rest.
6 The Settlers
1993’s The Settlers took players back to medieval times, building a settlement from the ground up. But unlike other city builders, the primary goal wasn’t to build a prosperous town. Instead, the focus landed on micro-managing the economic situation of such a civilization, with the implementation of a complex financial system that hadn’t been seen before in city builders of the time.
Players were challenged to conquer the entire map by successfully managing a settlement’s economy on top of defeating other territories for control of their land, in addition to maintaining a steady stream of resources for a growing population.
5 SimCity 2000
Following the success of SimCity in 1989, SimCity 2000 was the base of what the franchise would become – culminating in Maxis’ magnum opus of city builders with SimCity 4. SimCity 2000 demonstrated just how interesting (and how disastrous) a city builder could be. New facilities like schools, libraries, hospitals, and prisons made for more collateral damage in disasters and economic failures, which was further exacerbated by the elaborate financial system that incorporated individual tax rates for particular zones.
And when it came to disasters, SimCity 2000 was unique in that it featured actual recreations of real-life scenarios, including the Oakland firestorm of 1991 and the 1970s economic recession in Flint, Michigan.
4 Pharaoh
Pharaoh was developed by Impression Games using the same engine as Caesar 3, and is part of the same City Building series published by Sierra Entertainment. Pharaoh sees players journey back to Ancient Egypt and manage a civilization from the ground up (literally). Pharaoh is played from a two-dimensional isometric perspective, and gamers are expected to find fertile land to build upon, which will eventually be populated by all sorts of Ancient Egyptians, including royalty.
While the gameplay was similar to that of a typical city builder, it had a unique design in that the menus incorporated hieroglyphics, limestone, and other matching aesthetics. And yes, players could build the pyramids.
3 Afterlife
Developed by LucasArts, Afterlife sees players take on the role of Demiurge, who runs Heaven and Hell. Similar to SimCity 2000 in design and implementation, players are responsible for providing the necessary structures and services for the angels and demons to do their work. However, while Demiurge isn’t responsible for dishing out the appropriate rewards and punishments for the souls residing in Heaven and Hell, players get to witness the results of their hard labor.
Like other city builders, advisors aid players in the form of the angel Aria Goodhalo and demon Jasper Wormsworth. Overall, Demiurge’s work is judged by The Powers That Be, who pay handsomely for the player's efforts.
2 Caesar 3
The Caesar series began in 1992, but its third iteration bundled everything players loved about the first two titles into one. While Caesar 3 follows a similar trajectory of caring for an increasingly populous in Ancient Rome, gamers had to deal with the added pressure of keeping them alive from vengeful Gods, including Mars, Mercury, Neptune, and Venus.
A city-builder at heart, Caesar 3 also introduced different terrains for the first time, adding more variation to what players can grow and mine in a given area. And like the later games of the SimCity franchise, Caesar 3 saw the implementation of managing supply lines from neighboring Roman settlements and cities to satisfy the needs of its citizens.
1 SimCity 3000
Six years after the release of SimCity 2000, Maxis improved upon their already successful formula with SimCity 3000. The core concept of city building and urban management remained, but new features like waste management and agricultural services were added, in addition to a new zoning density and deeper interaction with neighboring cities for shared amenities like water, electricity, and other vital services.
SimCity 3000 was also the first game in the SimCity franchise to receive a score by Jerry Martin, the brains behind The Sims soundtrack, in addition to SimCity 4 and The Sims 2. The jazz and new age music of SimCity 3000 added to the overall aesthetic of the game, which is of boundless creativity and the ability for players to marvel at the cities they make.