Top 8 City-Building Games to Play in 2026: From Rome to Modern Metropolises
A new guide from Chinese gaming outlet Ali213 has compiled a list of eight must-play city-building games for 2026, spanning genres from ancient Roman empire management to modern urban planning and survival island construction. The roundup highlights titles that cater to different playstyles, including historical immersion, hardcore production chains, and casual sandbox experiences. With new releases and established favorites alike, the list aims to help construction and management enthusiasts find their next project. The featured games cover diverse settings including the Roman Empire, medieval Europe, contemporary cities, post-apocalyptic towers, and tropical islands.
Topping the recommendations is Anno 117: Pax Romana, released in 2025 by the same team behind Anno 1800. Set in 117 AD during the peak of the Roman Empire, players serve as a governor managing the provinces of Latium and Britannia. The game breaks traditional grid-based building by introducing diagonal construction, curved roads, and circular building influence zones. Anno 117 scored a 9/10 from IGN and won Best PC Game at Gamescom. According to Ubisoft’s official website, the first DLC, Prophecy of Ashes, launched on April 23, 2026, adding a massive new island with an active volcano that threatens player-built empires.
The list also includes Manor Lords, which removes grid restrictions entirely, allowing players to freely drag roads along terrain for authentic medieval village layouts. Cities: Skylines 2 offers a 159-square-kilometer map for building million-person metropolises with realistic citizen simulation and traffic systems. Stronghold: Definitive Edition brings back classic castle building with high-definition graphics, while Rise of Industry lets players manage over 100 product types in a hardcore 20th-century industrial empire simulator. Each title emphasizes different aspects of the genre, from castle defense to supply chain logistics.
Babel: Vertical Country offers a unique post-apocalyptic experience where players construct a massive tower through six atmospheric layers, managing vertical logistics with conveyor tunnels, fluid pipes, and hot air balloons. Islanders provides a more relaxed survival-building experience, tasking players with gathering coconuts and wood while taming monkeys for assistance. The classic Caesar rounds out the list as a nostalgic Roman city-building title from the 1990s. With eight games spanning ancient to futuristic settings, 2026 offers a wealth of city-building experiences for both veteran players and newcomers to the genre.
