Playing city-building games almost never ends quickly.

Getting immersed in building entire structures and catering to the residents makes for long sessions.

TheNintendo Switchis great for long gaming sessions, since you might take it anywhere with you to play.

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Terraformers is a turn-based building game that lets you start from scratch on the planet of Mars.

And, since the planet’s landscape is procedurally generated, it’s a fresh start every time.

The further you get, the more tile types and colors you unlock.

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Dorfromantik offers some challenge in its puzzle-like gameplay, but it’s not an intense game by any means.

You get to decide the kinds of buildings you build, from offices to restaurants.

The people who come with them act differently from each other, giving more weight to your building decisions.

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11Prison Architect

Just because Prison Architect’s art style is simple doesn’t mean its gameplay is.

You may have heard of them, but not as much as they deserve.

10Minecraft

Technically, you’re free to build more than just cities in Minecraft.

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It’s the sort of game where the sky really is the limit.

9Cities: Skylines

The more expansive city-building games are, the better.

Cities: Skylines is huge, but also incredibly intricate, just like real modern cities.

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Balancing aspects like water, electricity, and healthcare is your job as your city’s mayor.

You also have to manage the traffic, which the game’s day and night cycles realistically affect.

There is not as much polished content in this one, but it can still be fun.

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As you build around you, it becomes rich with different groups with their own ways of doing things.

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How you adjust your territory’s policies affects how your people and other territories react to you.

7Townscaper

Townscraper is probably the ultimate low-stakes city-building game.

There’s zero urgency here, only blocks.

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You place those blocks into the water and watch them become buildings.

How you place them determines what buildings they become.

Of course, this isn’t a game you play if you want tension and challenge.

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Townscraper is particularly good if you need something to keep your hands busy while idle.

6Islanders

Islanders is a simple, relaxing game that works a little differently from other city builders.

How you place them determines how many points you get.

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For example, placing a fountain in a park or near a house nets you some points.

It starts off easy and becomes more challenging as you unlock more objects to place.

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Triple-A Games

Nintendo Switch