There are many exciting building strategy games coming out on Steam in 2022 and 2023 that hardly anyone knows about. We have the best insider tips for you.
We have prepared a little test to see if the following article is suitable for you. Quickly name the first three construction games that come to mind! Was your answer:
- Anno, The Settlers and Cities: Skylines? Then you are obviously connoisseurs of good building strategy, have fabulous taste, are familiar with the classics, but could do with more hidden building game gems in your life.
- Something else? Then you are obviously connoisseurs of good building strategy, have fabulous taste, enjoy fishing in the unknown and could do with more hidden building game gems in your life.
Congratulations, just for you we”ve picked out our most exciting candidates of upcoming building game secret picks on Steam that get lost in the shadows of the giants – even though they have so much potential!
Table of Contents
Grimgrad
For fans of: Pharaoh, Ceasar and Zeus, Slavic mythology.
Release: 2022
Developer: Juvty Worlds
(Go to Steam page)
First of all, Grimgrad”s Slavic medieval setting reminds me with discomfort of PlayWay”s myth Slavic Builder – the big publisher that swallows up building game dreams like a big black hole. But no, Grimgrad has nothing to do with the publishing giant. And the demo shows a completely different face: namely, it awakens surprising memories of Pharaoh.
First of all, Grimgrad is based on a fairly classic framework: settlement building, population classes with different needs, resource management. Added to this are modern features such as survival elements, weather conditions and random events that require my intervention. The whole thing is then set in the Slavic Middle Ages, including mythology and supernatural phenomena.
https://www.global-esports.news/general/grimgrad-i-havent-played-a-build-up-game-like-this-in-22-years/
Pile Up
For fans of: Townscaper, village romance, relaxed city building, vertical building.
Release: Early 2023
Developer: Remoob
(Go to Steam page)
The best thing about Pile Up is without question its tiny plot. Yes, no joke. While in Anno and the like we are annoyed by islands that are too small, Pile Up simply makes a virtue out of necessity and lets us build forever high up!
We build in a round system: a certain number of buildings must be placed effectively in each round. Thus, Pile Up offers a mix of the eternal puzzling of insider tips like Townscaper and Dorfromantik as well as the supply chains of an Anno.
Floodland
For fans of: Apocalypse settings, Frostpunk, Survival.
Release: November 15, 2022
Developer: Vile Monarch
(Go to Steam page)
Are there any Frostpunk fans here? What? Sorry, we didn”t hear you through the metres of ice. So if you”re here looking for even more survival combat in a different aggregate state, we”ve got Floodland for you!
This works similarly to Frostpunk in many ways, but lets water be your biggest enemy instead of ice.
City of Atlantis
For fans of: Atlantis, Ancient Times
Release: tbd
Developer: Gambit Games Studio, MeanAstronauts
(Go to Steam page)
In City of Atlantis you expand the mythological city, plan a clever city network, manage your income and make decisions about your various communities. Of course, you also have to grow food and raise livestock, as well as educate your inhabitants in the areas of agriculture, hygiene, architecture, technology, military, medicine, politics, trade, philosophy and art. There will also be military requirements, including fleet battles and ground troops.
Laysara: Summit Kingdom
For fans of: High quality graphics, weather change, map management.
Release: 2023
Developer: Quite OK Games
(Go to Steam page)
The trailer of Laysara: Summit Kingdom made an impressed sound when we watched it. My God, does this mountain village look amazing! And what”s more, there could be a really exciting building game behind it, because here it”s all about puzzling on tight maps and guiding complex chains of goods through three layers of mountains.
Laysara concentrates entirely on building and production chains and simply leaves out the military part, which many find annoying.
Fata Deum
For fans of: Populous, Black & White, god simulations.
Release: 2023
Developer: 42 Bits Entertainment
(Go to Steam page)
Who of you still has a nostalgic grin flitting across your face at the thought of god simulations like Black & White? Yes, we feel the same way. That”s why we have Fata Deum especially on our radar. It mixes the genre of city-building with god simulation, and although you are a god yourself in Fata Deum, you start at the bottom – and try to win over believers.
However, you also compete against other deities who vie for the favour of the inhabitants.
Ballads of Hongye
For fans of: Chinese settings, roguelike, high quality graphics, innovation.
Release: 2022
Developer: Seasun Games
(Go to Steam page)
The graphics of Ballads of Hongye can make your mouth water. Ancient China beckons with beautiful effects and changing seasons – which are more than just jewellery. They are just one of the many special mechanics of this promising building game.
Much is familiar here, but much is also new: instead of building freely, you develop a large map step by step. To do this, you hire various advisors who, in exchange for good money, help you with words and deeds, but also bring their own bonuses. The special thing: After completing all the challenges of a region, you can enter the next district – but you have to start all over again and experience completely new challenges.
Against the Storm
For fans of: Roguelite, Fantasy, Survival.
Release: 2022
Developer: Eremite Games
(Go to Steam page)
No, this isn”t Warcraft, it just looks a bit like it! However, Against the Storm plays completely differently. Because it is a roguelite-building game mix. That means: You build against time and the biting storm and try to fulfil ten orders for the queen on the side.
Against the Storm is anything but contemplative: it”s challenging and only something for people who love time pressure and maximum efficiency.
King of the Dwarves: Underground City Builder
For fans of: Dwarves, real-time combat, underground fortresses.
Release: tbd
Developer: Tag of Joy
(Go to Steam page)
Pah, anyone can build above ground! How about under the ground instead? And who usually lives underground? That”s right, earthworms … and dwarves! In King of Dwarves you will not only be able to dig an epic underground tunnel system, but also defend yourself against enemies with large armies.
Your cave will be procedurally generated and gradually populated by warriors, farmers, explorers, blacksmiths and more, whom you command as King of Dwarves. World events like earthquakes and also random lava flows and water veins are supposed to add spice to the whole thing.
Gord
For fans of: The Witcher, Dark Fantasy, Survival.
Release: 2022
Developer: Covenant.dev
(Go to Steam page)
Gord is a truly unique building game. It comes from former Witcher developers and once again makes use of gritty Slavic folklore. However, this time there is no shining monster hunter with a silver sword ready to save the villagers from their mischief – you are entirely on your own.
And although you farm, research and build here too, this will only be able to do a little against the advancing hordes of monsters.
LakeSide
For fans of: Sidescroller construction, beautiful construction.
Release: tbd
Developer: Massive Galaxy Studios
(Go to Steam page)
LakeSide reignites the flame of the rare sidescroller building games! In beautiful 2D optics you build a tranquil city on the coast and erect temples, housing estates and monuments. LakeSide looks like a little love letter to beautiful architecture. The special thing about it: You get different building types in each playthrough and thus have to adjust your strategy accordingly.
The game will initially be released in Early Access and comes from developers who previously created the popular deck builder For the Warp.
Prehistoric Kingdom
For fans of: Dinosaurs, Jurassic World.
Release: April 2022 (Early Access)
Developer: Blue Meridian
(Go to Steam page)
You”re big dinosaur fans, but Jurassic World Evolution hasn”t been able to fully excite you yet? Then maybe Prehistoric Kingdom is the game for you! Here, too, the aim is to build your own dinosaur park and breed and care for your animals. However, there are supposed to be considerably more cosmetic adjustments than in JWE.
We”ve already tested Prehistoric Kingdom in Early Access and tell you what”s in it – and what”s not:
https://www.global-esports.news/general/prehistoric-kingdom-in-test-a-building-game-between-overhit-and-megaflop/
Night is Coming
For fans of: gritty fanatsy, realzit fights.
Release: 2022
Developer: Wild Forest Studio
(Go to Steam page)
Night is Coming brings many of the same plans that made us curious about Gord: It”s gritty and bloody and pits you against Slavic mythological monsters. It also offers two games in one. During the day it is a classic city-building simulation, at night all hell breaks loose and it becomes a real-time strategy game.
The Wandering Village
For fans of: unusual ideas, survival construction, Nausicaä from the Valley of the Winds.
Release: 2022
Developer: Stray Fawn Studio
(Go to Steam page)
Just one look at the trailer of The Wandering Village is enough to see: This game is something special. Sure, it”s all about building a functioning settlement and farming resources. Only on the back of a gigantic living creature that leisurely snorts and stomps its way through various biomes of the post-apocalypse.
If you like city-building with a dash of survival, you should definitely put The Wandering Village on your wish list, because there will also be life-threatening events that demand decisions in favour of your creature or your city. Curious now? Then read more about it in our preview of The Wandering Village:
https://www.global-esports.news/general/the-wandering-village-in-the-test-this-building-game-turns-the-genre-on-its-head/
Myth: Build & Survive
For fans of: historical building strategy, real-time combat, settlement building.
Release: tbd
Developer: Madnetics Games
(Go to Steam page)
Some settings we”ve seen a hundred times before in construction strategy. A Slavic tribe full of mythological creatures is a breath of fresh air. Myth: Build & Survive is not a pure building game, but also relies on real-time battles against monsters and opponents. Along the way, however, we build our settlement, cultivate our relationship with the gods and care for our inhabitants.
Mythos, by the way, is published by PlayWay – one of the biggest game publishers for building games that hardly anyone knows about.
Terra Nil
For fans of: Environmental systems, unusual game concepts.
Release: tbd
Developer: Free Lives
(Go to Steam page)
Mars Colony Builder
For fans of: Base building, Survival, Space settings, Surviving Mars.
Release: tbd
Developer: Dark Star Studio
(Go to Steam page)
Have you just built everything on Earth by now? Well, then just keep building on Mars! Thanks to the hostile conditions, it”s guaranteed not to be boring there when you”re building your colony. You build roads and domes, put droids to work and indulge in research.
Use your resources to mine new ones and seek financial support from your home planet. Mars Colony Builder could be the right game for those who enjoy resource management and survival rather than tranquil city-building.
IXION
For fans of: Frostpunk, survival, space opera.
Release: 2022
Developer: Bulwark Studios
(Go to Steam page)
Our next insider tip is also something for space fans. Ixion was surprisingly announced at E3 2021 and wants to be a kind of Frostpunk in space. There is, of course, a lot more behind it. Ixion wants to focus on good storytelling and tell a space opera using the genre of building strategy.
Chinese Empire
For fans of: historical building strategy, Chinese culture, chic graphics.
Release: tbd
Developer: Yeyuna
(Go to Steam page)
