Top 10 Best City Building Games on Mobile

City building games have been a popular genre in the gaming world for decades. The history of this popular simulation game can be traced back when the first SimCity game was launched in 1989. It drastically changed the landscape of simulation games, from a level-by-level achievement system, Sim City introduced a continuous city building progression where players can do anything according to their preferences.

After the popularity of the SimCity, many games seemed to follow the same formula. Today, many city building games are wonderfully optimized for mobile devices. While these mobile app games will take you to an entirely different atmosphere or period, they still adapt the same classic format. Despite being repetitive in nature, these city building games are surprisingly addictive and fun. Listed below are 10 of the best City Building Games for mobile!

Townsmen

Developed by Handy Games, Townsmen will take you to an epic medieval adventure. It follows a classic city-building mechanics in which your core objective is to build your tiny village and turn it into a powerful medieval empire. To do so, you have to start from scratch by collecting enough resources and gather enough Prestige (the premium currency of the game) and update your Castle. While the game is in Sandbox mode, it still follows a quest system to help you progress.

You can also assign Townies for each warehouse or building to function. One of your main goals is to make your townsmen happy by fulfilling their needs or granting their requests. You must also constantly keep an eye to your resources and make sure that you have abundant materials all the time. The quest might also ask you to wander outside your village to trade, fight, and conquer other villagers. Another great thing about Townsmen is the weather system. You might encounter some devastating disasters along the way and you must protect the village at all costs. Appearance-wise, Townsmen will take you to a nostalgic atmosphere, complimented by cute animations and design. It is also accompanied by a soothing medieval-inspired music.

Download Townsmen: Android / iOS

Clash of Clans

Launched in 2012, Clash of Clans has become a massive hit among gamers. It has become a flagship game for SuperCell and has become one of the top-grossing mobile games of all time. The game is notably successful both commercially and critically. Generally, the game offers an engaging blend of base-building, resource management, and tactical combat. Here, the players construct and upgrade their villages, gathering resources like gold and elixir. The game also allows players to create and customize their armies, with a variety of troops, spells, and heroes.

The game’s Clan system is the core feature that encourages players to join or create Clans to collaborate on battles, share resources, and support one another. The clans may engage themselves in the so-called Clan Wars, where players can team up to compete against rival Clans. Another thing that makes Clash of Clans a stand out is the unique, charming and colorful graphics, that makes it appealing to a wide range of gamers. Not to mention its regularly updated and limited-timed events that keeps gamers engaged!

Download Clash of Clans: Android / iOS

Rise of Kingdom: Lost Crusade

From the same team behind games like Dislyte and AFK Arena, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade is one of Lilith Games’ top selling titles. The game wonderfully combines real-time strategy with city-building, exploration, and multiplayer combat. Like any City-Building game’s classic formula, players must build and develop their cities, manage resources, train armies, and conquer enemies.

What sets “Rise of Kingdoms” apart from many other city-building strategy games is the level of control and decision-making that players have over their armies and civilizations. Here, players can choose from a wide range of civilizations, where each comes with unique units, bonuses, and commanders, allowing you to establish your own battle strategy or approach. Currently, the game has 14 unique civilizations to choose from, including Rome, China, Egypt, and France to name a few.

Download Rise of Kingdom: Lost Crusade – Android / iOS

Terra Nil

Developed by Free Lives, the same team behind Gorn, Terra Nil is yet another unique city-building game. It is a refreshing addition to the city-building and strategy genre that stands out for its innovative approach to environmentalism and game design. The game was published and launched by Developer Digital for both PC and mobile platforms. It is also part of Netflix Game’s roster. The developer described the game as a reverse city builder where the objective is not to build a sprawling metropolis, but rather to restore nature to a barren landscape.

Unlike traditional city-building games where the goal is to develop and expand a city, “Terra Nil” flips the concept on its head by focusing on environmental restoration. In this game, your goal is to reclaim desolate, lifeless landscapes and transform them into thriving ecosystems. This involves purifying soil, reintroducing plants and wildlife, and restoring natural biomes like forests, wetlands, and rivers. Generally, the game provides a new challenge that focuses on sustainability and environmentalism rather than growth and industrialization. The game carries a strong environmental message, highlighting the importance of conservation and sustainability, making it absolutely worth playing.

Download Terra Nil: Android / iOS

DomiNations

Launched in 2015 by Big Huge Games, DomiNations is another popular City-building game for mobile. Interestingly, Big Huge Games is also the same developer behind another city-builder video game – The Rise of Nations which is a massive hit for Windows and MacOs platforms. It is safe to say that DomiNations is Big Huge Games’ entry for mobile devices. The game managed to combine elements of city-building, resource management, and real-time combat. But, one of the standout features of this game is its historical focus.

The game allows players to develop and guide a nation through different ages, from the Stone Age to the Space Age. You can also choose from several civilizations, including Romans, Greeks, Japanese, British, to name a few. Each Civilization comes with unique advantages, special units, and bonuses to take advantage of. The ability to progress through the ages and unlock new technologies, buildings, and troops is a compelling aspect of the game where players can witness their civilization evolve over time, from primitive huts and native weapons to advanced architecture and modern warfare. To top it all, DomiNations features visually appealing graphics and a user-friendly interface that makes the game accessible to players of all experience levels.

Download DomiNations: Android / iOS

City Island 5

After Sparkling Society’s first City Island game became a huge hit, it soon expanded into a series. City Island 5 is one of the recent additions to their growing roster. Unlike other city builders, City Island 5 offers a relaxing and creative game experience where players can design and expand their cities across multiple islands. Interestingly, the game focuses on creativity and design rather than time-sensitive challenges or combat. This means, the players have the freedom to design and customize their cities at their own pace, making it an enjoyable game for those looking to unwind while creating beautiful urban landscapes.

One of its core features is the ability to expand your city-building efforts across multiple islands where you can transform a simple village to a metropolis. It is also interesting to note that each island is unique in its own way. You might encounter a tropical one, snowy landscape, and more. Above all, this game can be played even without an Internet connection, allowing you to play City Island 5 anytime and anywhere you like. It is indeed a relaxing game and an excellent time killer.

Download City Island 5: Android / iOS

Pocket City

Another fun yet nostalgic city-building game is the Pocket City by CodeBrew Games. The game offers a pure, classic city-building experience which can quickly remind you of the SimCity. Here, you take on the role of the mayor in which your goal is to build and manage a thriving city from scratch. This involves zoning areas for residential, commercial, and industrial use, managing resources, balancing the budget, and ensuring that your citizens are happy. The game will gradually introduce new buildings, upgrades, and features as your city grows, ensuring that you’re always working towards new goals.

Another interesting highlight of Pocket City is the disaster management. The players must be prepared to deal with natural disasters such as tornadoes, fires, and earthquakes that can strike their cities. In addition to these challenges, Pocket City also features special events like parades, festivals, and other activities that can boost your city’s happiness and reward players with bonuses. The game can also be played in Sandbox mode where players have unlimited resources and can build their dream city without worrying about budgets, disasters, or restrictions.

Download Pocket City: Android / iOS

Forge of Empires

Forge Of Empires is another commercially successful city-building mobile game. It was developed and published by InnoGames (the same company behind Tribal Wars) in 2012. Similar to Clash of Clans, the game blends city-building, resource management, and turn-based combat. One of the game’s notable features is the historical progression system. The player’s journey will begin in the Stone Age and will gradually advance through different historical eras, including the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Middle Ages, and more. Interestingly this progression will eventually reach futuristic eras like the Oceanic Future and Space Age.

While the game comes with a PvP combat system, the city building element remains its core. Here, you follow formulaic activities where you manage resources, construct buildings, and ensure your citizens’ needs are met. Like any other city building games, resource management is crucial in Forge of Empires to make your kingdom grow powerful and stable. It will also introduce a guild system where you can either collaborate with other guilds or engage in an epic guild war.

Download Forge of Empires: Android / iOS

SimCity BuildIt

Of course, this list will not be completed without including the title that popularizes the genre! SimCity BuildIt is developed by Electronic Arts and is the official mobile version of the SimCity franchise. It wonderfully captures the iconic city-building elements of its predecessor while incorporating some mobile-friendly features. Just like the games from the franchise, SimCity BuildIt allows players to create and manage their own cities from scratch. Players are tasked with building residential zones, commercial areas, and industrial sectors while balancing the needs of their citizens.

The players must carefully manage resources such as power, water, sewage, and waste management to ensure that the city is in good shape and runs smoothly. It also highlights a disaster management system where the city can face natural calamities like earthquakes, fire, and even meteor strikes and monster attacks. Interestingly, the game also managed to capture the multiplayer element of its predecessor, allowing you to join clubs and be engaged in epic club wars. On top of everything, what makes this game even more engaging is that it provides you with console-grade graphics despite being optimized for mobile.

Download SimCity BuildiT: Android / iOS

Designer City

If you are tired of the formulaic city-building mechanics, you might consider exploring Designer City. As the title suggests, Designer City is the type of City builder that will emphasize more on creativity and customization rather than resource management and combat system. Generally, the game will give you the freedom to design, giving you the ability to unleash the best of your creativity. Designer City gives you complete control over how your city grows and develops, enabling you to design everything from residential areas to commercial districts, and natural landscapes. Your imagination is the limit.

Instead of gathering resources or waiting for them to accumulate just to construct or upgrade a building, this game will make all the buildings available to be built. While the game gives you freedom to design, you are still required to satisfy your citizen to help the city prosper. To do so, you must establish adequate housing, employment opportunities, and services such as healthcare, education, and entertainment. You must also keep an eye to the pollution level, traffic, and the overall quality of life to make sure that the city thrives well. Appearance-wise, Designer City is also an absolute visual delight that treats you with neat and visually appealing graphics and animation.