Games Like City Life 2008

Build cities, shape a world.Cities XL Platinum lets you design, build and link up cities of all shapes and sizes around the Cities XL planet!Build more impressive cities than ever before! Cities XL Platinum offers a huge variety of over 1,000 buildings and constructions (including 50 brand new structures), that you can freely place on...

Why similar: City Builder 63%, Simulation 25.1%, Strategy 12%

Why You'll Like It: As the direct spiritual successor to the City Life series, it retains the same core philosophy of large-scale 3D city building and economic management.

Cities: Skylines is a modern take on the classic city simulation. The game introduces new game play elements to realize the thrill and hardships of creating and maintaining a real city whilst expanding on some well-established tropes of the city building experience.

Why similar: City Builder 70%, Simulation 18.2%, Strategy 11.8%

Why You'll Like It: The modern gold standard for city builders, offering unparalleled freedom and depth in urban planning and infrastructure management.

Design, build, and manage the world’s largest and most diverse cities in Cities XXL. Bigger and better than ever before with a more powerful game engine and new interface, become the mayor of your very own sprawling metropolis.

Why similar: City Builder 64.6%, Simulation 20.5%, Strategy 15%

Why You'll Like It: This iteration refines the formula established by its predecessors, offering a more polished experience for fans of the City Life engine.

SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition includes the bestselling SimCity 4 and the all-new SimCity 4 Rush Hour Expansion Pack. Create the most massive region of cities ever, with a farming town, bedroom community, high-tech commercial center, and industrial backbone.

Why similar: City Builder 60.1%, Strategy 20.2%, Simulation 19.7%

Why You'll Like It: A foundational classic that shares the deep simulation mechanics and regional planning focus found in City Life 2008.

Highrise City offers a new spin on City Simulations & Tycoon games expanding the economy and resource management aspect. Experience a modern take on the genre enriched with a complex resource based economy system.

Why similar: City Builder 57.5%, Simulation 21.3%, Strategy 21.2%

Why You'll Like It: Combines traditional city-building mechanics with a strong emphasis on economic simulation and resource management.

Build a soviet republic from an impoverished country into a rich industrial superpower in a city builder with intricate production chains and a fully simulated global economy. Manage the lives of your citizens from education to work and party loyalty to criminal activity.

Why similar: City Builder 57.6%, Strategy 21.4%, Simulation 20.9%

Why You'll Like It: Provides an incredibly deep simulation of supply chains and population needs that will appeal to fans of complex city-builders.

El Presidente is back! Prove yourself once again as a feared dictator or peace-loving statesman on the island state of Tropico and shape the fate of your very own banana republic through four distinctive eras.

Why similar: City Builder 61%, Strategy 21.5%, Simulation 17.6%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses heavily on the social and political management of citizens, mirroring the class-based interactions that define the City Life experience.

Create your own Nation, build cities and bring prosperity to your people. Citystate II is a unique city-builder featuring realistic economics and complex political options. Slums or skyscrapers, experiment and bring about your vision of the ideal society.

Why similar: City Builder 65.5%, Simulation 20.3%, Strategy 14.2%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a unique focus on political and economic simulation, allowing for granular control over how your city's society functions.

Urban Empire is a ‘City Ruler’, pioneering a new breed of strategy game that combines city builder features with political scheming and adds profound social and historical events into the mix, creating a whole new gameplay experience.

Why similar: City Builder 51%, Strategy 26.2%, Simulation 22.8%

Why You'll Like It: Blends city building with political strategy, forcing players to navigate the social tensions of their growing population.

Constructor Plus is the definitive building simulation for the modern day tycoon. Build your dream town full of crackpot undesirables, businesses, and quirky tenants whilst fending off your rivals in the eagerly awaited sequel to Constructor HD. With almost 3 times more content, building just got bigger!

Why similar: City Builder 44.3%, Strategy 28.5%, Simulation 27.2%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the management of urban development and social interactions with a distinct, character-driven style.

Anno 1800™ – Lead the Industrial Revolution! Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age. The path you choose will define your world. Are you an innovator or an exploiter? A conqueror or a liberator? How the world remembers your name is up to you.

Why similar: City Builder 64.8%, Strategy 19.5%, Simulation 15.6%

Why You'll Like It: Features sophisticated production chains and population tiers that require careful balancing, similar to managing social classes.

Foundation is a grid-less, laidback medieval city-building game with a focus on organic development, monument construction and resource management.

Why similar: City Builder 68.8%, Simulation 16%, Strategy 15.2%

Why You'll Like It: A gridless city builder that focuses on the organic growth of a population and their specific societal needs.

Urbek is a city building game where you can build your own neighbourhoods: from nightlife district to industrial district. Don't exhaust your natural resources before you have an educated population to build more efficient structures.

Why similar: City Builder 61.5%, Simulation 19.7%, Strategy 18.9%

Why You'll Like It: A modern, grid-based builder that focuses on the symbiotic relationship between different types of urban zones.

Children of the Nile™ is a unique gem of a city-building game, unparalleled in both grandeur and attention to detail.As Pharaoh you will guide your people through thousands of years of history: from simple hunter-gatherers to the creation of an immortal civilization.

Why similar: City Builder 60.2%, Simulation 20.9%, Strategy 18.9%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses heavily on the individual needs and social roles of citizens, making it a great match for fans of social-centric builders.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited brings you the classic strategy gaming of SimCity 3000 with all-new scenarios that open up a whole world of city planning and building possibilities! The thrills of the classic SimCity 3000 are here again!

Why similar: City Builder 52.8%, Simulation 26.1%, Strategy 21.1%

Why You'll Like It: A nostalgic classic that captures the essence of urban management and civic planning that inspired the City Life series.

CivCity: Rome, an innovative city builder inspired by the world of Sid Meiers Civilization, and created by a collaboration between Firefly Studios and Firaxis Games, invites players to shift focus from building a multi-city empire and zoom-in on the great cities of the Roman Empire, culminating in Rome itself!

Why similar: City Builder 64.9%, Strategy 23.2%, Simulation 11.9%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a detailed look at the daily lives of citizens, emphasizing the importance of social infrastructure in city planning.

In this city-building strategy game, you control a group of exiled travelers who decide to restart their lives in a new land. They have only the clothes on their backs and a cart filled with supplies from their homeland. The townspeople of Banished are your primary resource.

Why similar: City Builder 66.6%, Strategy 17.5%, Simulation 15.8%

Why You'll Like It: Challenges players to manage a small population's survival through resource allocation and social organization.

Silicon City is a new take on the classic city builder genre, where each citizen voice their opinion. Will you be an urban designer, a rural evangelist or a reckless capitalist? Build your way to the most productive city until elected as the best mayor or plan the city of your dreams in sandbox.

Why similar: City Builder 77.9%, Simulation 22.1%

Why You'll Like It: A retro-styled city builder that emphasizes data-driven management and the needs of a growing urban population.

Starting as governor of a newly formed province in the Roman Empire your goal is simple: advance up the empire's political ladder to become the next Caesar.

Why similar: City Builder 59.2%, Strategy 24.1%, Simulation 16.8%

Why You'll Like It: A historical city builder that emphasizes the social and logistical requirements of maintaining a thriving ancient metropolis.

Build and manage your dream city in this captivating simulation game. Create unique urban landscapes and enjoy compatibility with the mobile versions. Unleash your creativity and shape the metropolis of your dreams.

Why similar: City Builder 59.6%, Simulation 20.6%, Strategy 19.8%

Why You'll Like It: A versatile city builder that offers deep management options and a classic aesthetic for fans of the genre.

Raise a city from the ground up and transform it into a thriving metropolis with the most realistic city builder ever. Push your creativity and problem-solving to build on a scale you've never experienced. With deep simulation and a living economy, this is world-building without limits.

Why similar: City Builder 66.2%, Simulation 21.8%, Strategy 12%

Why You'll Like It: The latest evolution in the genre, offering advanced simulation features and complex urban systems to manage.

Frostpunk is the first society survival game. As the ruler of the last city on Earth, it is your duty to manage both its citizens and infrastructure. What decisions will you make to ensure your society's survival? What will you do when pushed to breaking point? Who will you become in the process?

Why similar: City Builder 70.4%, Strategy 21.3%, Simulation 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: A high-stakes survival city builder where social policy and population management are the keys to success.

Economic booms, stock market crashes, oil crises, upswings, triumphs... Now you can become the greatest power in industry!

Why similar: Strategy 52.2%, Simulation 47.8%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the economic backbone of urban development, perfect for players who enjoy the logistics side of City Life.

Project Highrise is a skyscraper construction and management sim...

Why similar: Simulation 43.3%, Strategy 35.3%, City Builder 21.4%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the vertical management of a city, emphasizing the needs of different tenants and social classes.

The world is changing and Tropico is moving with the times - geographical powers rise and fall and the world market is dominated by new players with new demands and offers - and you, as El Presidente, face a whole new set of challenges.

Why similar: City Builder 64.6%, Simulation 17.9%, Strategy 17.5%

Why You'll Like It: A fan-favorite in the series that perfectly balances political satire with deep social and economic management.

In Railway Empire, you will create an elaborate and wide-ranging rail network, purchase over 40 different trains modelled in extraordinary detail, and buy or build railway stations, maintenance buildings, factories and tourist attractions to keep your travel network ahead of the competition.

Why similar: Strategy 36.3%, City Builder 32.5%, Simulation 31.2%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the transportation networks that drive urban growth, a key component of any successful city builder.

Ostriv is a city-building game that puts you in a role of a governor of an 18th century Ukrainian town to challenge your creative skills and management abilities.

Why similar: City Builder 60.6%, Strategy 21.7%, Simulation 17.7%

Why You'll Like It: A realistic city builder that emphasizes the individual needs and behaviors of citizens in a historical setting.

Build your society of the future, colonize islands, and create sprawling megacities with multitudes of buildings, vehicles, and resources to manage.

Why similar: City Builder 62.7%, Strategy 24.4%, Simulation 13%

Explore a vast and detailed world and build a Transportation Empire!

Why similar: Simulation 53.9%, Strategy 46.1%

Create a 21st century micro-nation and experiment with economic and political ideals. Futuristic skyscrapers or spreading slums, the Nation relies on your economic and city planning skills.

Why similar: City Builder 59.1%, Simulation 21.3%, Strategy 19.6%

Children of the Nile: Alexandria is an addition to the base Children of the Nile game, adding a new mini-campaign focused on the rise of the city of Alexandria. Using the unique city-building dynamics of Children of the Nile, you will carve out a new dynasty to rule all of Egypt, and build the greatest city of the ancient world!

Why similar: City Builder 53.6%, Simulation 26.3%, Strategy 20.1%

Urbek City Builder: Prologue is a free city building game where you can build your own neighbourhoods: from nightlife district to industrial district. Don't exhaust your natural resources before you have an educated population to build more efficient structures. Try it yourself for free!

Why similar: City Builder 60.2%, Simulation 20.1%, Strategy 19.7%

Here's your chance to make it big in the Big Apple... New York City, the city that never sleeps! Go for broke building your own Manhattan empire, creating and customizing over 100 types of major businesses: run a hot nightclub, oversee a media conglomerate, open a lucrative Broadway theater - the choices are endless.

Why similar: City Builder 55.5%, Simulation 44.5%

Experience a city-building game, where the citizens are fully simulated and every decision you make impacts their lives. From the Stone Age to the Iron Age and beyond, watch your civilization evolve and progress under your guidance.

Why similar: Simulation 50.2%, Strategy 49.8%

Relive the captivating gameplay of a true city-building classic with Anno® 1404 History Edition.

Why similar: City Builder 58.7%, Strategy 23.4%, Simulation 17.9%

Casual city building. Become an architect. Manage the small polis. Construct beautiful city zones with plenty of modern blocks. Work your way to the top through the campaign mode, or create your own scenarios.

Why similar: Simulation 42.8%, City Builder 40.5%, Strategy 16.7%

Step into the next generation of urban public transport with City Transport Simulator 2026! Experience the most immersive bus and tram simulation yet, with a dynamic city that reacts to your every decision.

Why similar: City Builder 58.6%, Simulation 41.4%

The city builder strategy game Imperium Romanum is set in the time-honoured Roman Empire. As governor of a Roman province, you will devise a strategy to build a well organised, prosperous and commanding settlement. Its fortune very much lies in your own hands.

Why similar: City Builder 46.4%, Strategy 30.8%, Simulation 22.9%

Smart City Plan is a modern old-school style city builder game: Plan zones, roads, public transport like trains, trams, buses, subways and even the hypertube. Set taxes and policies and implement smart city technologies.

Why similar: City Builder 46.2%, Strategy 27%, Simulation 26.8%

Make your own metropolitan utopia! Stores, mansions, towers--anything goes!

Why similar: City Builder 52.1%, Simulation 25.9%, Strategy 22%

Manage transportation for commuters in four of the world's greatest cities - Vienna, Helsinki, Berlin, and Amsterdam

Why similar: Simulation 42.3%, City Builder 40.7%, Strategy 17%

Become a ruler and build the ancient city of your dreams in Empire City! Unlock new opportunities for your city's prosperity, gain the support of the gods, construct grand buildings, and create unique infrastructure. Transform a small settlement into a magnificent center of civilization!

Why similar: City Builder 55.5%, Simulation 22.7%, Strategy 21.8%

A city-building game with a unique twist—step inside and experience your city firsthand! Plan roads, zones, and infrastructure while growing your economy, managing resources, and unlocking special buildings. Host events, build mega projects, and watch your city thrive in a dynamic world.

Why similar: City Builder 64.8%, Strategy 24.9%, Simulation 10.3%

City Tales is a medieval city builder, allowing you to unleash your creativity and shape vast cities that break outside a traditional grid. Plan each district for your citizens needs and aid your companions in their tales, creating a city to be proud of!

Why similar: City Builder 72.5%, Simulation 27.5%

From barren land to towering metropolis, every decision you make shapes the destiny of your city. Industrial flow, global trade, surging land values, and growing wealth, offers deep management gameplay, perfect for players who love strategic city-building and economic simulation.

Why similar: City Builder 69.8%, Simulation 27.1%, Strategy 3.1%

Create dream homes! From 3D plan modelling through to on-site decision-making, you must bring each project to life while giving free rein to your creativity, to take your architectural firm to the pinnacle of the profession.

Why similar: Simulation 71.1%, Strategy 28.9%

In Anno 2205™, you join humankind‘s next step into the future with the promise to build a better tomorrow. You conquer Earth, establishing rich, bustling cities and grand industrial complexes, but to secure the prosperity of your people, you must travel into space.

Why similar: City Builder 62.7%, Strategy 22%, Simulation 15.4%

Build, expand, and rule a growing space colony. Explore tech, trade, and multiplayer.

Why similar: City Builder 66.1%, Simulation 17.6%, Strategy 16.3%

Villagers is a beautifully illustrated and richly detailed town-building game where you build a thriving community using the people and resources around you. Success or failure depends on your ability to create a town that can grow and prosper, and overcome the harsh realities of medieval life!

Why similar: City Builder 55.2%, Strategy 22.7%, Simulation 22.1%

Planet Coaster® - the future of coaster park simulation games has arrived! Surprise, delight and thrill incredible crowds as you build your coaster park empire - let your imagination run wild, and share your success with the world.

Why similar: Simulation 43.8%, City Builder 34.5%, Strategy 21.6%

Sweet Transit is a unique city builder where the railway is king. Build and automate the dream supply chain for your citizens, giving them all they need to expand quaint villages into bustling cities. Progress from steam power to diesel and beyond in this advanced train-driven experience.

Why similar: City Builder 58.6%, Simulation 21.2%, Strategy 20.2%

​Immerse yourself in ancient Egypt with PyramidValley, a management game where you develop your pharaonic city by constructing iconic monuments and gathering various resources to ensure prosperity.

Why similar: City Builder 53.3%, Simulation 35.1%, Strategy 11.6%

City-building experience reimagined as a simple relaxing puzzle game bringing the original Tile Cities to a new level

Why similar: City Builder 43.2%, Strategy 29.5%, Simulation 27.3%

Become the mayor and build the city of your dreams! In this game, anything is possible. Whatever you can imagine in a city-building and development simulator, you can do. Start from the very beginning and unlock new possibilities for developing your city in Global City!

Why similar: City Builder 59.8%, Simulation 20.2%, Strategy 20%

The Regional City Builder: Let's Build Something New.

Why similar: City Builder 58.4%, Simulation 23.1%, Strategy 18.5%

The classic transport simulation genre has a new gold standard with Transport Fever 2. Discover a whole new world by navigating transport routes through land, water and air. May progress and prosperity find their way!

Why similar: City Builder 51.2%, Simulation 26.5%, Strategy 22.3%