Hello City Builders!

I’ve been working on Brews & Kings for 5 months, and I can finally show it to you. It’s a city builder about running a medieval brewing town, heavily inspired by Against the Storm and The Settlers 2.

I spent a lot of time making the game feel tangible, physical, and alive. I tried to avoid an overwhelming amount of numbers, charts, and those spreadsheet-like UIs.

I want it to look like a diorama, like a child building a scene from whatever toys they’ve collected in their toybox. That means:

• Resources stockpile at the front doors of buildings.
• Information (orders, building progress, exports, worker morale...) is shown through in-world elements: speech bubbles, order plates hanging above the tavern, ships sailing in and out, etc. I’m still figuring out how to handle things like the resource bar...
• Random events fill the world: traveling merchants, barbarian camps, mystical shrines in the forest, the impatient king’s demands, etc.

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AI Disclosure:

• AI is used for some coding and tooling. I’ve been programming for 30+ years, so I use it to speed up work I already know how to do.
• No AI-generated art. All art comes from asset packs (KayKit, finalbossblues, and many more) and freelancers.
  • I can’t do art, but I do have a budget to hire pros and buy their work :) If it’s ugly, it’s definitely my fault.

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A private playtest is coming really soon, and I would love to get your feedback. You can wishlist it on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4845040/Brews__Kings/

Thanks! This is my first game, so it might lack some polish. Any feedback will help me make it better!

Hi!

I've been working on a city builder in the style of classic games from Impression/Sierra (Caesar 3, Pharoah, etc.) and I'm excited to share it here.

A lot of the core mechanics are working (this is an in-game screenshot from the beginning of the first mission) and now I'm focused on a ~20 settlements long campaign, polish, and expanding some of the mechanics.

Unfortunately I'm still waiting on my Steam steamworks account to get approved (apparently Steam has been slow lately with the increase in ai generated games), so I've started a website at https://www.induscitybuilder.com to share more about the game and its development.

Thanks! I really hope you like how the game is looking (I obsessed on the art recently) and are up for another historic city builder with an updated take on the classics.

Hi!

I'm working on The Citadel Must Hold, a pausable fantasy base-building RTS where building a productive city is key to surviving waves of monsters.

You grow your settlement, secure resources, expand production, and turn that economy into an army and defenses. Strong walls help, but you also need the production to keep expanding, train reinforcements, and rebuild after an attack. Every expansion gives you room to grow, but also more ground to protect.

Think They Are Billions meets Warcraft, with hero-led exploration inspired by HoMM. Between the big attacks, you can venture out for rewards that help your city, army or hero.

I recently released the biggest pre-release update, "The World Fights Back"! It adds new regions, new threats, new units, a visual overhaul, lots of QoL improvements and the new trailer attached here.

The playtest is open, and I'd love to hear what city-builder players think, especially about the economy, city growth, and balance between expanding production and investing in defenses.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4891190/The_Citadel_Must_Hold/

Note: I posted this post originally about a week ago but the new rules about promotion were posted a few hours after I posted this so it was removed. Based on the new rules I got the Developer flair so now posting this again 😄 Will post about more updates moving forward

Is there a citybuilder with a swamp theme like how movies where about communities that are leaving in swamps, monster folklore and a lot of ideas here..

Is someone working on a citybuilder like this with a swamp theme?

Anyone else playing car park capital? Super fun game with retro style. It's been a blast so far and has that OG Roller Coaster Tycoon addictive feel.

The only bug I have run into for 7 hours is that I demolished a subway station and the previous riders are just still standing in line for the new drive thru.

I am thinking was ever made a game like this? Like no rts but building and managing a city with one of the factions or inspired by warhammer?

I would like to play something like this or similar..

So I wanna know what y'all think should be in Pocket City 3.

We are trying to get ideas of what the community prefers as we clean things up. If your post was removed please note this was during a widespread cleanup and not necessarily due to content quality.

r/CityBuilders — Updated Game Promotion, Developer Verification & AI Policy

We want r/CityBuilders to be a place where people can discuss city-building games, share thoughtful recommendations, discover new projects, and engage with developers who contribute to the genre.

Over the past year, promotional content has increased significantly, often crowding out ordinary discussions. At the same time, we recognize that independent developers invest considerable time and effort into creating city-building games, and we want to provide opportunities for them to share their work.

Based on community feedback, we are introducing a Verified Developer system. This allows legitimate developers to post updates, trailers, announcements, and development progress directly to the subreddit while maintaining reasonable standards against spam and low-effort promotion.

The following policies explain how promotion, developer verification, and AI-generated games will be handled.

1. Game Promotion and the Monthly Megathread

Developers who have not been verified by the moderation team must post promotional content in the current monthly Game Promotion Megathread.

This includes:

• Game announcements and promotional trailers.
• Steam, GOG, Epic Games, or other store links.
• Crowdfunding campaigns.
• Demo announcements and playtest invitations.
• Development updates intended primarily to promote a game.
• Requests for wishlists, purchases, or promotional feedback.

Unverified developers may make one promotional comment per month in the megathread.

Developers may edit their existing comment to add updates throughout the month. They may also participate in the following month's megathread.

Promotional submissions outside the megathread may be removed unless the developer has received approval from the moderation team.

Genuine discussions about games, gameplay mechanics, design decisions, and the city-building genre remain welcome outside the megathread, provided they are not disguised advertisements.

2. Verified Developer Program — NEW

We are introducing a Verified Developer flair for developers who would like to share their games and development progress directly with the r/CityBuilders community.

Verification is free and available to independent developers, small studios, and established development teams.

Benefits of becoming a Verified Developer

Verified developers may:

• Post game announcements directly to the subreddit.
• Share trailers, screenshots, and gameplay footage.
• Post development diaries and progress updates.
• Announce demos, playtests, major updates, and releases.
• Discuss new mechanics, features, and development milestones.
• Share relevant behind-the-scenes development content.
• Promote their own city-building games without being restricted to the monthly megathread.

There is no fixed monthly posting limit for Verified Developers.

However, verification does not provide unlimited advertising privileges. Developers are expected to exercise reasonable judgment regarding posting frequency, avoid repetitive content, and contribute meaningfully to the community.

Excessive posting, duplicate announcements, repeated low-effort promotion, or attempts to dominate the subreddit may result in content removal or the loss of Verified Developer status.

Verification does not exempt developers from any other subreddit rules.

How to become a Verified Developer

Developers interested in receiving the Developer flair should contact the moderation team through modmail.

Please include the following information:

Developer Reddit Name:
Your Reddit username or the account representing your development team.

Game Developed:
The name of the city-building game or games you are developing.

Store Page (if available):
A link to Steam, another storefront, an official website, or a publicly available project page.

What amount of AI is used and how:
Briefly explain whether AI tools are used in your development process and what role they play. This may include coding assistance, asset generation, brainstorming, testing, or other development tasks. If no AI is used, simply state that.

Any other relevant information:
Additional information about your game, development process, team, previous releases, or anything else that may help moderators review your application.

Submit Your Developer Verification Request Here

Moderators will review applications and may request additional information when necessary.

Verification is granted at moderator discretion and may be revoked if developers repeatedly violate community rules.

Reporting Verified Developer Content

Community members may continue to report posts from verified developers if they believe the content violates subreddit rules.

We encourage members to report specific content rather than making generalized accusations against developers.

Verification does not guarantee that every submission will remain approved. Moderators may remove individual posts that violate community standards without necessarily revoking a developer's verified status.

3. AI Use Alone Is Not a Ban

Many developers use AI tools as part of their work. We recognize that AI can be useful for certain development tasks and that using these tools does not automatically diminish the effort involved in creating a game.

Using AI for limited purposes, such as brainstorming, coding assistance, testing, debugging, or producing placeholder content, does not by itself make a game prohibited.

Our policy specifically targets games that appear to have been created almost entirely through AI generation or automated assembly, without substantial human creative direction, design, or development work.

This is commonly referred to as vibe coding.

Our concern is not whether a developer has ever used AI. Rather, it is whether meaningful human development has taken place and whether the resulting game demonstrates genuine design, functionality, and creative effort.

We will consider the overall product and available evidence rather than relying exclusively on whether a developer acknowledges using AI.

4. What Moderators May Consider When Evaluating AI-Generated Games

No single characteristic proves that a game is primarily AI-generated.

Moderators may consider multiple indicators, including:

• The developer explicitly describes the game as mostly or entirely generated by AI, or states that it was created through prompts with minimal additional development.
• The game appears to consist primarily of generated assets or automatically assembled code without meaningful human direction, editing, integration, or polish.
• Core gameplay systems are missing, nonfunctional, or inconsistent with the game's advertised features.
• Menus, mechanics, or systems appear superficially implemented without a meaningful or functional city-building gameplay loop.
• Store pages or promotional material advertise substantial features that are absent or significantly incomplete.
• The developer is unable to provide a coherent explanation of the game's design, systems, or development process when moderators request clarification.

These are considerations rather than an automatic checklist.

A rough demo, unfinished game, limited art budget, small development team, unusual visual style, or ordinary programming bugs are not sufficient grounds for removal.

We recognize that legitimate independent games often begin as rough prototypes and improve through years of development.

We do not want to discourage experimentation, early development, or small independent teams.

5. Reporting Promotional Content or Suspected AI-Generated Games

Community members can report content that appears to violate these policies using Reddit's reporting system or by contacting the moderation team through modmail.

When possible, include specific and verifiable information, such as:

• A link to the game, post, store page, or developer statement.
• The particular feature, claim, or content that concerns you.
• A brief explanation of why you believe the content violates the promotional policy or demonstrates near-total AI production without meaningful human development.

Please report the content rather than confronting or harassing the developer.

Do not organize mass reporting campaigns, encourage dogpiling, or make accusations based solely on automated AI detectors, visual assumptions, or personal dislike of a game.

Reports are reviewed by moderators and do not automatically establish that a rule has been broken.

6. Moderation, Enforcement, and Appeals

Moderators will review reported content in context and may take appropriate action based on the circumstances.

Possible actions include:

• Removing promotional submissions posted outside the designated megathread by unverified developers.
• Requesting clarification from developers regarding their games or development practices.
• Removing repetitive, misleading, or excessively promotional content.
• Removing games that violate the policy against predominantly AI-generated, low-human-input development.
• Issuing warnings for repeated violations.
• Revoking Verified Developer flair when posting privileges are abused.
• Applying further moderation measures when necessary.

Moderators retain discretion to address behaviour that undermines the community, even when a particular situation is not explicitly covered by every example in this policy.

Developer verification is a privilege, not an exemption from moderation.

If your post is removed, your verification request is declined, or your Developer flair is revoked, you may contact the moderation team through modmail.

Appeals should include relevant information and remain focused on the specific moderation decision.

7. Our Goal for r/CityBuilders

We want r/CityBuilders to remain a community for people who genuinely enjoy city-building games.

That includes players discussing their favourite games, people discovering new titles, independent developers sharing years of hard work, and established studios engaging with their audiences.

We also recognize that developers need opportunities to promote their projects, particularly in a genre where smaller independent games can struggle to gain visibility.

The Verified Developer program is intended to balance these interests.

Our goal is not to eliminate developer participation or ban the use of AI tools. It is to encourage meaningful development, thoughtful promotion, and genuine community discussion without allowing advertising or low-effort content to overwhelm the subreddit.

We appreciate the feedback from community members and developers that helped shape these changes.

— The r/CityBuilders Moderation Team

The recent onslaught of vibe coded atrocities is now banned. Posting these games will lead to a ban. This subreddit is for actual games not garbage.

The birthday of a friend of mine is coming up, he is a fan of modern age city builders as far as I know, such as city skylines. I've read that cs1 and 2 are not very optimized, I don't know how true this is. What are some good options to gift him? Is city skylines the best option? If so, are any of the DLC's needed or extremely good?

I want to buy a game between Ostriv and Manor Lords. WHich game is more immersive? I'm not looking for combat but just chill city building with management/logistics?

What I love most about city-builders is when you can take things at a leisurely pace.

When buildings take time to be constructed.

When you can just stop and observe the civilization.

Watching your citizens, each with their own name.

When you can see them walking around and interacting with the buildings and elements of the city.

And I also like it when you can create soldiers and fight.

I'm looking for a game that's still challenging even after I know all the mechanics and how to play. I love banished but even on the hardest difficulty the game becomes samey and trivial for me now than I've learned how to play. I like what you could call stressful on the clock games, games were there's micromanging something could always go wrong if you dont plan ahead, and is very engaging all the time. Basically the opposite of a chill city skylines experience. Cam you guys recomend me some games? Thanks.

I remember this game because was one of the kind and i wish someone can make a remake or maybe a sequelae.

The game was about modify the terrain and send people to different places .

Here is a gameplay video of the game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EysSol_e0Dw

Working on a medieval survival / fortify game (Forgebound — Amilcar Technologies). Early loop: you push farms past the palisade for food, then the first real night raid hits.

Design fork I'm stuck on: - A) Raiders treat outside crops as free damage, so over-expanding is a real mistake. - B) Farms can get hurt, but never fully wiped, so new players don't softlock into starvation.

Which reads fairer to you? How have other fort / settlement games handled "prosperity outside the walls"?

Store page if you want the broader pitch (not a wishlist ask): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3691400/

Without it being an empire builder (Civ), has anybody ever actually made a game that starts off with settling (1200s-1400s kind of vibe), and then works it's way through to "modern"?

Basically, a game where you would work from actually founding a city, and working through hundreds of years slowly building it out over time as needed, similar to real cities, where there are countrysides, city centers, etc etc

I can see how in depth something like Cities Skylines (and the sequel) gets, but it sort of starts with "you need to establish everything right now" but nothing really actually develops as a need; more like a checklist that adds more stuff as you get more citizens

It would be cool to have a game with the map size of Skylines 2 or larger, but also the ability to still have city management

It would be like "This area was settled because there was a logging industry, and slowly built out over time" or "People came here for proximity to fishing but over time developed into a bustling metropolis" kind of game

I don't know how to explain my idea (and question) any better than this, so hopefully this gets my point across. Also, sorry if you guys see this post (or one like it) every month or something; I'd just found it and joined because of my interest in the genre as a whole

I’m looking for a city-building game that can get as close as possible to the overall look and atmosphere of Arcane, particularly the contrast between Piltover and Zaun.

I’m not necessarily looking for an official Arcane/League of Legends game or a game with a native Arcane mod. Instead, I’m interested in which city builder comes closest in terms of:

- Art style and visual presentation

- Industrial / steampunk-inspired architecture

- The general technological era

- Dense vertical cities and layered buildings

- The contrast between wealthy, polished areas and grimy industrial districts

- Overall atmosphere and aesthetic

It can be any city builder — old or new, realistic or stylized, with or without mods. Mods are a bonus, but the base game’s visual style and building possibilities are more important.

If you had to choose one single city builder that gets closest to the world of Piltover and Zaun, which game would you pick?

I’m specifically looking for the closest overall match rather than simply the most popular city builder.