Most played competitive city builders
Settlements here double as bases you defend and expand against real opponents. Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI, Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition and Northgard: Definitive Edition are among the most played competitive city builder games right now, where you grow towns, handle supply and housing, then test that economy in ladder contests and team fights against other leaders.
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Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
Civilization VI turns city building into empire building. You found cities that sprawl across the map with districts, wonders and improvements on their own tiles, then guide them from ancient settlements to spaceports. Good for city builder fans who like planning placement for the long term.
86% of 277,631 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 27,331$59.99Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
A real-time strategy classic rebuilt in 4K with remastered music, where you raise a medieval town from a few villagers into a walled base, gather food, wood and stone, and lead one of dozens of civilizations through 229 campaign missions, co-op, or online play.
94% of 160,436 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 19,945Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition
You start with a few villagers and an open stretch of land, and a few ages later you have walls, castles, farms and markets.
85% of 73,121 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 14,798$39.99Sid Meier's Civilization VII
Lead empires that evolve or endure through the Ages. Build something you believe in with Sid Meier's Civilization® VII.
48% of 45,684 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 10,484$69.99Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is a historical real-time strategy game with base building inside fast, combat-driven matches. You place a town center, gather food, wood and gold, raise houses, farms and artillery, then age up through new eras. Worth a look for city builder fans who enjoy the building half of an RTS, with war attached.
85% of 37,337 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 4,713Age of Empires II (Retired)
This retired HD re-imagining of Age of Empires II gives city builder fans a medieval base to raise through the ages: gather resources, raise buildings, and grow one of 18 civilizations before sending it to war. It is old, sturdy, and still satisfying to build up from a few villagers to a walled power.
95% of 84,959 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 3,316$19.99Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition
Build a desert citadel from sand and sweat, then watch it hold. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition pairs a full castle economy with siege warfare, so city builder fans get streets, stockpiles and walls that all have to work together.
92% of 10,908 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 2,538$19.99Northgard: Definitive Edition
Northgard is a Viking survival settlement with an RTS edge: you claim land tile by tile, put villagers to work for food, wood and gold, and try to keep everyone fed through brutal winters. Different clans and conquest, fame, lore or trade victories keep each map a fresh balancing act.
85% of 54,613 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 875$34.99Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)
A castle sim where the town exists to feed the war. You raise walls in the desert, chain farms to bakeries to troops, then point catapults at someone else's walls. Four Crusades campaigns and over 100 skirmishes give city builder fans plenty of building with a sharp, combative edge.
97% of 17,648 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 833$9.99Northgard Battlegrounds
A city-building auto-battler in Viking Northgard where your village layout is your army. Place buildings, gather resources, court the gods, then watch your warband fight rival clans. Losing a round stings less when the town you built is this pleasant to tinker with.
64% of 334 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 300$14.99HUMANKIND™
Rewrite human history one city at a time. Pick a new culture each era, from Neolithic tribe to modern age, and build thriving cities, wonders, and districts that sprawl across the map as your civilization changes shape around them.
68% of 22,256 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 448$49.99Stronghold Kingdoms
Stronghold Kingdoms starts you as a feudal lord with one village and a keep to design, then lets you grow farms, trade, research and rank up beside thousands of real neighbours. Build patiently, join a faction, and watch your small holding turn into part of a living medieval map.
63% of 9,616 Steam reviews are positivePlayers online now: 337Free
