By Hernan Diaz
Free-to-play city building games have struck a chord with gamers due to their unique blend of creativity, strategy, and resource management. These games empower players to become architects and mayors, allowing them to design and develop intricate cityscapes from scratch. Players experience the thrill of constructing and expanding their cities, managing resources, and solving various challenges to keep their virtual metropolises thriving.
As a prominent game development studio, we have solidified our position as a leading force in the city building genre, and InnoGames has done this after years of working nonstop to offer you, our lovely players, all the key features that you need to have the best experience with our city builders; now you may wonder what these key features are, so let’s go and list the top 5 features that every free city building game should offer to their players.
A free city-building video game typically offers several key features to engage and entertain players. Here are some common features you can expect:
1. City Planning: A top feature is to allow players to design and construct their own cities from scratch. In this type of games, you can lay out roads, buildings, and infrastructure to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing city. Take Forge of Empires as an example, it is set across various historical eras, and players can build and evolve a civilization from the Stone Age to the modern era. It combines city planning, exploration, and strategic warfare elements, creating a dynamic and immersive experience to al gamers.
2. Resource Management: Managing resources is a crucial aspect of city-building games. Players must allocate resources such as money, materials, and energy to develop their city, build structures, and meet the needs of their population. In a game like Rise of Cultures that celebrates the diversity of cultures throughout history, players can allocate resources to build cities that reflect the unique characteristics and architectural styles of different civilizations. Whether constructing an Egyptian pyramid or Roman colosseum, players can create a town that captures the essence of iconic cultures, fostering a deeper sense of connection and appreciation for history.
3. Zoning and Land Use: City-building games often involve zoning different areas for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes. Players can designate areas for housing, shopping districts, factories, and other types of buildings. In the case of Sunrise Village, the game offers players a serene and tranquil setting. The visuals, soothing soundtracks, and peaceful atmosphere create an environment that allows players to unwind and play with their land as they wish while they calmly zone it. This focus on providing a peaceful gameplay environment sets Sunrise Village apart from other city building games, as it encourages all interested players to continue growing their village while they solve the game’s mysteries.
4. Population Management: Players are responsible for managing the population of their city. This includes providing housing, jobs, healthcare, education, and other essential services to keep the residents happy and satisfied. In more classic titles like Grepolis, this feature is key to engage in strategic warfare as gamers build an army that can lead them to battle while balancing growth and efficiency. Trade, and diplomacy are other areas where players compete for dominance in this historically inspired world. In Grepolis, population management serves as the backbone of city-state development; it will enable you to maximize resource production, maintain a strong military presence, and ultimately thrive in the competitive world of ancient Greece.
5. Infrastructure Development: City-building games typically involve constructing and upgrading various types of infrastructure like roads, bridges, public transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, and more. To start their city expansion, players will typically need to grow a population that can directly influence the production of vital resources such as wood, stone, silver, and metal to build a solid infrastructure, however, fantasy games like Elvenar where rare relics are the norm, and where elves and humans coexist with each other, those who play the medieval game will rely on additional items like magic spells to transform small villages into whole kingdoms.
The popularity of free-to-play city building games, including those developed by InnoGames, continues to rise with their engaging gameplay and active social media presence drawing in an ever-expanding community. If you want to learn more about the great features that all free-to-play city building games should have, don’t miss the second part of this blog article in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, make your day a bit more amusing listening to the Grepolis Theme, recorded by Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester. Enjoy!
Hernan Diaz,
The InnoGames Team
RJ 
Fiene