Ever since The Settlers, Anno 1602 and Sim City, building games have become an integral part of German gaming libraries. There's just something magical about building your very own city, settlement or colony from scratch and watching the hustle and bustle of its pixel population. Be it simple City Buildercomplex colony simulations or tough survival building games – in this year's buying guide for the building genre we have ten recommendations for every taste.
When making the selection, we only set two restrictions: Firstly, we only chose games that weren't too old. And on the other hand, we don't play early access games, which is why hot candidates like Farthest FrontierFabledom, Manor Lords or Timberborn are excluded.
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Against the Storm
Developer: Hermit Games
Initial release: December 8, 2023
Platforms: PC
Our first entry in this buying guide is a good example of how to cleverly combine classic building games with other genre elements to create a great mix. Against the Storm takes the structure you know from The Settlers, garnishes it with a good portion of survival and rounds it off with a rogue-lite progression mechanic and random factors. The result is one of the best games in the genre in many years.
As Viceroy, it is up to you to promote the expansion of small settlements into the apocalyptic wilderness. With different peoples such as beavers, humans or harpies you defy the violent weather conditions and the dangerous plague blight. To make matters worse, you also have the Burnt Queen breathing down your neck, for whom you have to collect prestige by completing orders or sending valuable goods packages to the capital.
Against the Storm stands out from other genre representatives with an interesting system of risk and reward. The maps are divided into small clearings, all of which are initially hidden. Each of them coincidentally contains valuable raw materials and events, but often also dangers. But if you defy these dangers, valuable rewards await. So you always have to weigh up how aggressively you want to expand and when it is sometimes too risky.
The rogue-lite elements ensure long-term fun and variety. Which buildings you can build is different in each settlement because you always pick them from a random selection. This forces you to make the best of the situation instead of always pursuing the same strategy. You can also make life easier for yourself in future settlements with permanent improvements that you unlock along the way in the capital.
Anno 1800
Developer: Ubisoft Mainz
Initial release: April 16, 2019
Platforms: PC, PS5, XBX
The Anno series has been one of the cornerstones of the building strategy genre since the late 90s. With the latest part, the developers at Ubisoft Mainz achieved not only the biggest but also the most successful year ever. As in the numerous predecessors, in Anno 1800 you will once again settle islands with different raw material deposits and build residential areas and businesses. In order to satisfy the ever-growing needs of your citizens, you will grow into a large trading empire over the course of a game, even spanning different parts of the world.
Thanks to the numerous DLC expansions, Anno 1800 offers an incomparable depth of play and long-term motivation that has never been seen before in the series. From complex commodity chains to impressive monumental buildings to story quests, there are many exciting elements on offer. If you want, you can compete with AI players in the campaign and in the endless game as well as with friends in multiplayer. Or you can build the island kingdom together comfortably in a co-op. The scenarios also offer interesting challenges, some of which even come with clever game mechanics that do not exist in the endless game.
In addition, Anno 1800 is the first main part that made it onto consoles – and with a well thought-out interface. However, you have to do without the many, very good DLC expansions on PS5 and Xbox Series. For the best gaming experience, it's better to use a PC if possible.
Reading tips:
Anno 1800 in the test for PC
Anno 1800 in the test for consoles
Beginner tips for Anno 1800
Campaign guide for Anno 1800
Cities: Skylines
Developer: Colossal Order
Initial release: March 10, 2015
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux, OS X, PS4, PS5, XBO, XBX, NSW, Google Stadia
It's kind of ironic how the story surrounding Sim City and Cities: Skylines has played out. First, EA was so disappointing with the last Sim City in 2013 that the indie developers Colossal Order stepped into the breach two years later with Cities: Skylines. The Swedes were literally celebrated by the development players!
But then fast forward to the release of Cities: Skylines 2 in October 2023 and suddenly the game repeats itself – only this time construction fans were disappointed by the former heroes in Colossal Order. Cities: Skylines 2 was released unfinished with severe performance problems and content omissions.
Even now, over half a year later, Cities 2 is a construction site and is regularly criticized by users on Steam due to a cheeky DLC policy. It's no wonder that Cities 1 has significantly more active players on Steam than its successor. Despite being almost 10 years old, the first Cities: Skylines remains the best modern building game in the area of mayor simulations. And that's exactly why we continue to recommend it to you at this point.
But who knows: Maybe in a few years there will even be a new, successful Sim City on our list? This would at least finally close the circle again.
Reading tips:
Cities: Skylines in the test for PS4
Cities: Skylines 2 in the test
Frostpunk
Developer: 11bit Studios
Initial release: April 24, 2018
Platforms: PC, MacOS, PS4, XBO, iOS, Android
While most building games are very comfortable and relaxed, Frostpunk offers the opposite. Here you have to dress really warmly if you don't want to see the game over screen. In Frostpunk the world has fallen victim to an extreme ice age. The few survivors gather around a huge coal generator in a crater city and fight for their very survival. Raw materials are severely limited, nerves are on edge, disease and hunger are constant threats.
Under these adverse circumstances, you try to keep society on track and have to make tough decisions again and again. For example, should working hours be increased to produce essential goods? But the number of work accidents would also rise sharply. Or do you take in new refugees who can work in the factories but also need accommodation and food?
In Frostpunk you never really get to a point where everything runs smoothly. Rather, you navigate from one difficult phase to the next without causing society to fall apart. The developers achieve a very good balance of constant challenge without being unfair. You can put your leadership skills to the test in either an endless game or a series of scenarios.
Reading tips:
Frostpunk in the test
Frostpunk 2 Beta Preview
Tried Frostpunk board game
dotAGE
Developer: Michele Pirovano
Initial release: October 4, 2023
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux
While Anno 1800 or Cities: Skylines is certainly nothing new to most of you, many of you may have never heard of dotAGE. But you should! Because this indie development pearl with 95% positive reviews on Steam is really something. In this one-man project, you are a village elder who must navigate the residents of a village through apocalyptic events and ensure their survival. To do this, you expand the village with new buildings on a turn-based basis, assign tasks to the residents and research new buildings and activities.
A central aspect is managing the residents, as there is always a lot to do, but you almost never have enough people to do it. So you have to constantly think: Are you growing more food? Are you investing more residents in research? Or are you doing something about the effects of the disasters so that your residents don't get sick, panic or even die? The rogue-lite approach also provides variety. During the course of a game you will be confronted with different domains that represent different catastrophes. What you get and what events they trigger are a little different every time.
In addition, your village elder will gradually remember new game mechanics and buildings that will help you survive. So you move from game to game, getting better and better at dealing with the domains and eventually leading your village to victory. And even then, you can try again at higher levels or with other village elders who have different strengths and weaknesses.