Best Historical City Builders

Rome wasn't built in a day; for gamers, it was built in a 25-hour city-builder binge, and it wouldn't have been possible without copious amounts of caffeine and overworked eyes. It sounds like an extreme sport, but not many games can hold the attention and effort of so many players like that while also frustrating them occasionally, unlike city builders.

Historical city builders, for that matter, have an even more notorious reputation since a lot of their mechanics and gameplay cues are inspired by real-life socio-economic structures. Still, anyone who's a fan of history simulation, strategy, management, and some oddly pleasant headaches will surely appreciate the following historical city builders.

Updated November 3, 2024, by Joe Grantham: When it comes to video games, historical settings seem to be among the most popular, and this is no different for the city-building genre. No matter the era, players love immersing themselves in history and culture, taking a fresh patch of untouched land and turning it into the village, town, or city of their dreams. New historical city builders are being released all the time, and at the same time, classics are a constant place of return for lifelong fans. Some of these games even find themselves remade for the latest software. The best historical city builders are full of rich details and allow players to exercise plenty of freedom when it comes to their designs. With the highly anticipated release of Manor Lords, this list has been updated once again to usher in the reign of the new king of historical city builders.

15 Memoriapolis

Build One City To Last Centuries Of Change

• Time Period: Antiquity & the Middle Ages (Eventually the Renaissance & the Age of Enlightenment too)
• Location: Europe

Memoriapolis is a game that does not restrict itself to just one historical era, and during Early Access, players are able to start out in Anquity and progress to the Middle Ages. When the game is further along in development, players should be able to progress even further to the Renaissance and eventually the Age of Enlightenment.

The premise is four ages, but just one city, and players will be able to watch their city organically grow over the centuries, facing all sorts of trials and tribulations. In terms of building, the game is less hands-on, as roads and houses, for example, are filled in naturally around the more important structures players choose to place. This feels great and is even fairly realistic. Another positive for the game is how great it looks, with only Manor Lords beating it in terms of visuals with the city builder genre. Given time, this game could become great.

14 Diplomacy Is Not An Option

Build Up Your Medieval Defenses & Try To Survive The Oncoming Hordes

• Time Period: The Middle Ages
• Location: Loosely based on Europe with some fantasy.

If players are looking for a medieval city builder-esque game that is full of action and slightly whimsical, then look no further than Diplomacy is Not an Option. With hordes of up to 25 thousand on the way, players will want to build up their defenses, and pioneer new technology to help them survive.

The RTS and tower defense elements of the game are where things truly shine, especially with the physics of launching projectiles into the ranks of oncoming foes. If players build their walls too high in front of their own trebuchet, things are not going to go well.

13 Norland

Watch A Medieval Civilization Burn From Within Via Murder, Heresy, & War

• Time Period: The Middle Ages
• Location: Based on Europe

At heart, Norland is more of a colony sim than a city builder, but it still checks many of the boxes, and players will want to make sure they develop their village in an efficient way. For example, work won't get done unless lords give orders, so it's a good idea to build a lord's house near to the work they oversee. It's also best when players have enough money to place roads, to help lords and workers travel faster.

It is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and players needn't worry about finding success as watching everything crumble is part of the fun. This is because, beyond resources, economy, and trade, each citizen has their own personality and desires. Some may be swayed into rebellion by the church, while others will murder a cheating spouse. There is also war to worry about or look forward to, with raids and battles both part of the game.

12 Sengoku Dynasty

A Japanese Version Of Medieval Dynasty That Is Less Polished

• Time Period: The Middle Ages.
• Location: Japan.

While there are plenty of great video games set in Japan, there aren't many Japanese city-building games. However, from the creators of Medieval Dynasty is a new and similar open-world RPG that functions as both a city builder and survival game: Sengoku Dynasty. The game is set during the turbulent times of feudal Japan, and over the years, players can rise up from newcomers to the head of their own dynasty and village.

The game is absolutely stunning and players can take their time carefully planning out their settlements, taking just as much care of their fields as their buildings. Interestingly, this is also one of the few city-building games that can be enjoyed with friends in co-op mode, although of course, single-player is always an option.

11 Emperor: Rise Of The Middle Kingdom

An Old-School City Builder Set In China

Check it out on GOG!

• Released: September 9, 2002
• Developer: Impressions Games
• Platforms: PC
• Time Period: The Ancient Era to the Middle Ages.
• Location: China.

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom was the last in a series of city-builder games from developer Impressions Games and Publisher Sierra studios. Among their strongest entries was Caesar and Pharaoh which has a remake, Pharaoh: A New Era. In any case, Emperor remains the most refined game in the series.

Players are tasked with overseeing the development of the most prominent cities throughout the history of Chinese dynasties spanning nearly four thousand years. And back then, people had to be told where not to go and how to live due to a lack of proper pathfinding A.I., how the times have changed.

10 Pharaoh: A New Era

A Remake Of A Classic City Builder

• Released: February 15, 2023
• Developer: Triskell Interactive
• Platforms: PC
• Time Period: The Ancient Era
• Location: Egypt

Pharaoh: A New Era is a modern remake of the 1999 classic Pharaoh, both of which are among the best games set in Egypt. With new and improved graphics, players can make even more beautiful civilizations, building from the ground up over the course of 4000 years of history.

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While players must manage every aspect of city life, managing resources and helping the economy to thrive, the culture and religion of Ancient Egypt are just as important. With this in mind, players can build, temples, monuments, and of course their very own pyramids.

9 Anno 1800

Great For Those Who Love Strategy & Efficiency In City Builders

• Time Period: The 19th Century.
• Location: Global.

Anno 1800 had a big legacy to fix and a franchise name to beautify after a couple of tepid sci-fi attempts. And for the most part, it succeeded. This return to form is now, by far, not just the best Anno game to date, but among the best city builders in the industry.

The funny thing is, it wasn't even meant to be a city builder. It's first and foremost an RTS with some wayward hybridization, making it a genre of its own. Players will do the same thing they've been doing in other Anno games; to build their cities by streamlining production to its most efficient chain and network. The difference is that Anno 1800 is at its prettiest peak with a mountain of interesting content to boot.

8 Farthest Frontier

Great For Those Who Enjoy A Little Bit Of Fantasy Embelishment

• Released: August 9, 2022
• Developer: Crate Entertainment
• Platforms: PC
• Time Period: Fantasy medieval times.
• Location: The untamed wilderness on the edge of the known world.

While in some ways Farthest Frontier isn't technically a historical city builder due to its ambiguous setting, it nevertheless captures the essence of the Middle Ages, with small fantasy embellishments sprinkled in. The game features some of the best management and simulation features, many of which will surprise players. For example, if the town's citizens don't have the correct clothing, they will be more susceptible to certain diseases.

The farming in Farthest Frontier is another of its greatest achievements, with players having to rotate crops to maintain soil fertility, while also keeping on top of incursions from weeds or bad weather. As the map is randomly generated, players will be faced with vastly different challenges each time they begin a new game, depending on the resources available to them locally.

7 Dawn Of Man

A True Start From Scratch In The Stone Age

• Time Period: The Stone Age to the Iron Age.
• Location: Europe

As far as ambitious city builders go, Dawn of Man is up there since it spans multiple eras and millennia of human existence. It starts in the Stone Age and ends in the Iron Age, once humans have started shifting to feudalism as their form of society.

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To that end, players must guide their tribe from literal sticks and stones, into becoming the earliest form of world power who can harness the rewards of the Earth to produce weapons of mass destruction. Well, it was mass destruction back then, simpler times. But this kind of scope in a city builder makes it a cut above the rest.

6 Going Medieval

Rebuild Medieval Society After A Deadly Plague

• Time Period: The Middle Ages.
• Location: Europe.

Set in an alternative medieval period where most of humanity has been wiped out by a plague even deadlier than the Black Death, Going Medieval sets players the task of rebuilding society in a world overtaken by nature and lawlessness.

Unlike some city builders, where players simply place preset buildings, players can design their own settlements and castles in Going Medieval and the terrain itself can be reshaped to create the perfect strongholds. This is just one of many great medieval games on the market.