Table of Contents HIDE
- Mount & Blade Series
- Civilization series
- The Settlers series
- Land of the Vikings
- Crusader Kings series
- Age of Empires Series
- Knights of Honor Series
- Total War Series
- Europa Universalis Series
- Stronghold Series
- Stronghold Kingdoms
- Banished
- SimCity
- Tropico Series
- Anno series
- Cities: Skylines
- Frostpunk
- Northgard
- Endless Legend
- RimWorld
- Surviving Mars
- Airborne Kingdom
- Songs of Syx
- ISLANDERS
- Kingdoms and Castles
- Alek – The Lost Kingdom
- Factory Town
- Industries of Titan
- Dawn of Man
- The Universim
- Railway Empire
- Cliff Empire
- Surviving the Abyss
- Against the Storm
- Ixion
- Farthest Frontier
- Foundation
- Timberborn
- Medieval Dynasty
- Kenshi
- 7 more online kingdom-building games for PC
The genre of empire-building and kingdom-building games has always been popular among gamers, as it offers a unique and immersive experience of building and managing your own virtual world. The genre is characterized by its emphasis on strategy, resource management, and the ability to customize and expand your kingdom or empire. One of the main appeals of these games is the sense of achievement that comes from building a successful and thriving civilization from scratch. Players must gather resources, build structures, and make strategic decisions to expand their territory and defend against rival civilizations.
One trend in the genre is the increasing popularity of multiplayer options, where players can compete or collaborate with other players to build their empires. Another trend is the integration of storytelling and character development into the gameplay, providing a more immersive experience. Additionally, many games in this genre offer different levels of complexity, allowing both casual and hardcore gamers to enjoy the gameplay. As technology advances, games in this genre are becoming increasingly more realistic and visually stunning, offering players an even more immersive experience.
Empire- and kingdom-building games offer a unique and engaging experience that allows players to build, customize and manage their own virtual world. With a growing number of games in the genre, each with their own unique gameplay and features, it’s easy to see why it continues to be a popular choice among gamers. In this collection, I have compiled all the best games where you can build your own kingdom or even an entire empire.
Mount & Blade Series
The Mount & Blade series is a highly acclaimed action RPG franchise that places players in a medieval-inspired world filled with danger and adventure. The series is known for its unique blend of action-packed combat, strategic gameplay, and sandbox-style open-world exploration. Players can take on a variety of roles, from a humble merchant to a powerful lord, and build their own empires through conquest, diplomacy, or trade.
The highly anticipated latest entry in the series, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, features improved graphics, new factions, and enhanced gameplay mechanics, including more advanced AI and a deeper crafting system. Players can lead armies into battle, besiege enemy strongholds, and engage in epic one-on-one duels with a variety of weapons and armor. With a massive open-world map, dynamic economy, and intricate political system, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord promises to offer a truly immersive and engaging experience for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
Civilization series
The Civilization series is widely regarded as one of the best empire-building games for PC. Developed by Sid Meier and his team at Firaxis Games, the series has been around since 1991 and has seen numerous iterations over the years, each improving on the last. In Civilization, players take on the role of a leader of a civilization, starting from the very beginning of human history and guiding their people through the ages to become a dominant world power. With a wide variety of gameplay mechanics, including diplomacy, trade, war, and research, players can shape their civilizations in a multitude of ways, and even rewrite history.
The latest entry in the series, Civilization VI, features improved graphics, new leaders, and enhanced gameplay mechanics, including a new district system that allows for more strategic city planning. With its addictive gameplay, deep strategy, and endless replayability, Civilization is a must-play series for any fan of empire-building games.
The Settlers series
The Settlers series is a long-running franchise of real-time strategy games that offers a unique take on city-building and resource management. In these games, players take on the role of a leader who must guide a group of settlers to establish a thriving settlement in a new land. The game focuses on production chains and economic systems, and each building in the settlement serves a specific purpose, such as producing food, weapons, or luxury goods. Players must carefully balance their production to keep their settlers happy and well-fed, and an intricate trade system allows for the exchange of goods with other settlements. Building settlements is an engaging experience, as players must consider factors such as terrain and resources, construct roads and bridges, and defend against enemy attacks. With its charming art style and engaging gameplay, The Settlers series is a must-play for fans of real-time strategy and city-building games.
Land of the Vikings
Land of the Vikings is a strategy game with a colony survival theme. As a wise Jarl, you lead a Viking village to expand and turn it into a thriving city. Players must manage resources and survive harsh conditions, including seasonal changes and social conflicts, to guide the Vikings to work together. The game offers 42 Steam Achievements and is available in English language with full audio and subtitles. It is developed by Laps Games and published by Iceberg Interactive, and was released on 8th November 2022.
Land of the Vikings is an Early Access game that will receive new features, maps, objectives, and other types of content during the development process. It is fully playable, and the core features include growing and decorating villages, trading, training warriors, going on raids, facing difficult seasonal conditions, and disasters. The game offers over 10 hours of gameplay for the average player. The Early Access period is planned to last for about one year, during which players’ feedback will be taken into consideration to improve the game. Community feedback is welcomed, and the developers plan to implement the best and feasible ideas suggested by the players. Land of the Vikings will see a price increase when it reaches version 1.0.
Crusader Kings series
Crusader Kings is a series of empire-building games for PC that has been developed and published by Paradox Interactive. The games are set in medieval times and offer players the chance to play as a monarch or noble and build an empire through various means, including diplomacy, warfare, and marriage.
The series is known for its complex and intricate gameplay mechanics, which allow players to make decisions that can affect their character’s traits, as well as the trajectory of their kingdom or empire. Each game in the series has received critical acclaim for its attention to detail and immersive gameplay, and has a dedicated fan base that continues to support the games through mods and expansions. Overall, Crusader Kings is a must-play for anyone interested in empire building games for PC, or for those who enjoy deep strategy games set in a historical context.
Age of Empires Series
Age of Empires is a renowned series of real-time strategy (RTS) games that has been capturing the imagination of PC gamers since 1997. These empire-building games for PC let players construct and manage their civilizations, engage in epic battles, and explore various historical eras. Each game in the series features unique campaigns, factions, and units, giving players plenty of strategic options and hours of gameplay.
The fourth entry in the series, Age of Empires IV, released in 2021 after a long wait, introduced several new features while retaining the classic gameplay mechanics that made the series famous. One of the most prominent features of Age of Empires IV is its stunning graphics, which offer a detailed representation of historical civilizations, environments, and battles. The game also features four new civilizations – the Delhi Sultanate, the Chinese, the English, and the Mongols – each with their unique units and technologies. The addition of landmarks, special buildings that confer various bonuses and abilities, adds another layer of depth to the gameplay.
Knights of Honor Series
Knights of Honor is a popular empire building game series that offers players the chance to become the ruler of their own medieval kingdom. The latest installment in the series, Knights of Honor 2: Sovereign, takes this experience to new heights. With over 200 kingdoms to choose from across Europe, North Africa, and Asia, players can dive right into the action-packed, real-time gameplay without any turns needed. The game also features an accessible grand strategy system that includes diplomacy, city development, religion, and more, without any of the confusion.
One of the most important aspects of the game is assembling your Royal Court, which is made up of marshals, diplomats, merchants, clerics, and spies. These advisors will help you exert your will across the land by leading armies into battle, negotiating treaties, trading goods, taking care of the spiritual needs of your kingdom, and even conducting espionage. The game also offers exciting real-time strategy battles with up to four armies, which players can lead themselves. Knights of Honor 2: Sovereign also includes a robust multiplayer mode, where players can join forces with friends to conquer the medieval world together or fight each other in teams or free-for-all games. With a variety of victory conditions and control over the duration of the match, the game offers endless replayability for those looking for a fresh challenge.
Total War Series
The Total War series is one of the best kingdom-building games available for PC. Developed by Creative Assembly, these games allow players to build their empires, manage resources, and engage in epic real-time battles on a grand scale. The series spans over two decades, starting with the release of Shogun: Total War in 2000 and continuing with titles such as Rome: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, and Total War: Warhammer.
Each game in the series offers a unique setting, such as ancient Rome, medieval Europe, or a fantastical world of high fantasy. Players must balance diplomacy, economy, and military power to expand their territories and become the dominant force in the game world. With immersive graphics, complex gameplay mechanics, and deep historical accuracy, the Total War series has become a staple for fans of strategy games and kingdom-building simulations.
Europa Universalis Series
Europa Universalis is a critically acclaimed grand strategy series that spans centuries of world history, from the Late Middle Ages to the Age of Revolutions. The game puts players in control of a nation and allows them to guide its development through diplomacy, warfare, trade, and exploration. The series is known for its deep and complex gameplay mechanics, which offer a high level of historical accuracy and detail. Players must manage everything from the economy and military to religion and culture, all while navigating the complex web of political relationships between nations.
With each new game in the series, the map and gameplay mechanics are expanded and improved upon, providing an ever-evolving and engaging experience for fans of the genre. Whether playing as a European power during the Renaissance or a colonial empire in the New World, Europa Universalis offers an unparalleled level of depth and immersion for those who enjoy grand strategy games.
Stronghold Series
The Stronghold series focuses on castle building and siege warfare. Players must construct and manage their castles, recruit armies, and engage in battles to defend their territory or conquer enemy lands. The games are known for their detailed castle-building mechanics, which require players to balance their economy, resources, and military forces to succeed. Stronghold also offers a variety of different game modes, including single-player campaigns, multiplayer battles, and cooperative missions. Overall, the Stronghold series is a must-play for fans of castle-building and siege warfare strategy games.
Stronghold Kingdoms
If you’re looking for an online medieval strategy, pay attention to Stronghold Kingdoms. It is a free-to-play multiplayer strategy game that puts players in the role of a medieval lord, tasked with building and expanding their castle, managing their resources, and engaging in diplomacy and warfare with other players. Set in a persistent, real-time world, players must build their castles, manage their economies, and raise armies to defend their lands and conquer their enemies. With a variety of gameplay modes, including solo play, co-op, and PvP, as well as a robust trading system, player alliances, and a vast tech tree, Stronghold Kingdoms offers a deep and engaging strategy experience for players looking to carve out their corner of the medieval world.
Banished
Banished is an indie city-building strategy game where players control a group of exiled travelers who must start a new life in a new land. The game offers no skill trees and no money, but instead, players must collect resources and trade with merchants to add livestock and annual crops to the townspeople’s diet.
The townspeople are the primary resource, and the player must keep them healthy, happy, and well-fed to make the town grow. There are twenty different occupations that townspeople can perform, and players must manage resources carefully to ensure the success of their town. The game is challenging, and the success or failure of a town depends on the appropriate management of risks and resources.
SimCity
SimCity is a city-building simulation game that allows players to design, build, and manage their own virtual cities. Unlike traditional kingdom building games, the focus is not on conquering other territories or engaging in battles, but on creating a prosperous and sustainable urban environment. Players must balance various factors such as housing, transportation, utilities, and entertainment while responding to the needs of their citizens and managing disasters such as fires, earthquakes, and storms. The game offers a range of scenarios and difficulty levels, allowing players to tailor their experience to their preferences. While not a traditional kingdom building game, SimCity shares many similarities with the genre, as both involve managing resources and balancing the needs of different groups to build and maintain a successful society.
Tropico Series
The Tropico series of games is a city-building and management simulation set on a tropical island nation. Players take on the role of El Presidente, the ruler of the island, and must balance the needs and wants of their citizens, the economy, and foreign relations. One of the key features of the series is the ability to customize El Presidente’s personality, which affects the gameplay and reactions from citizens and foreign powers. The game also includes political aspects, such as elections, factions, and foreign relations, making it more than just a typical city-building game. The series has become popular for its humor, engaging gameplay, and unique setting, allowing players to create and rule their own Caribbean paradise.
Anno series
The Anno series is a popular city-building strategy game that offers a unique blend of city management, trade, and exploration. Set in different historical periods, from the Middle Ages to the future, the games challenge players to build and manage thriving cities, establish trade networks, and discover new territories. The series’ key features include intricate supply chains, customizable buildings, research trees, naval warfare, diplomacy, and multiplayer options. The games’ attention to detail and immersive atmosphere, combined with their complex gameplay mechanics, has made them popular among strategy fans looking for challenging and rewarding gameplay experiences.
Cities: Skylines
Cities: Skylines is a city-building simulation game that challenges players to manage and grow their own city. With an emphasis on urban planning and infrastructure, players must manage everything from traffic flow and public transportation to zoning and taxation. The game offers a robust set of tools and features that allow for detailed customization and creative freedom, as well as modding support for even more possibilities. While not strictly a kingdom-building game, Cities: Skylines shares many similarities with the genre and offers a deep and engaging experience for fans of strategy and simulation games.
Frostpunk
Frostpunk is a city-building survival game set in a frozen, post-apocalyptic world where you must lead a group of survivors and make difficult decisions to ensure their survival. The game combines strategy and management elements as you build and manage your city, gather resources, and make choices that will affect the fate of your people. With a gripping story and challenging gameplay, Frostpunk offers a unique and immersive experience that pushes players to their limits as they fight to survive in a harsh and unforgiving world.
Northgard
Northgard is a real-time strategy game that takes place in a Viking-inspired world full of mystery and danger. Players must lead a clan of Vikings as they explore, conquer, and settle a newly discovered continent while facing fierce foes, harsh weather conditions, and limited resources. With a focus on survival, players must manage their clan’s economy, research technologies, and make strategic decisions to survive in this unforgiving land. Northgard’s unique blend of resource management, exploration, and combat creates an engaging and challenging gameplay experience that will keep players coming back for more.
Endless Legend
Endless Legend is a 4X turn-based strategy game set in a unique fantasy universe, featuring an immersive storyline and dynamic gameplay. The game stands out with its stunning and varied landscapes, each with their own ecosystems and resources, and its distinctive factions, each with their own gameplay mechanics and units. Additionally, the game introduces an innovative hero system, which allows players to develop their heroes and assign them to lead armies or govern cities, as well as an intricate city-building system, including advanced technology trees and city specialization. Finally, the game features a dynamic diplomacy system, allowing players to forge alliances, trade, negotiate, and engage in espionage with other factions, or declare war and conquer them by force.
RimWorld
RimWorld is a game that has become incredibly popular due to its innovative gameplay mechanics and endless replayability, despite its minimalistic 2D graphics. The game is a survival simulator that places players in the role of a group of colonists who have been stranded on a harsh, alien world. Players must manage their colony’s resources, build structures to shelter and feed their people, and defend against raiders, disease, and other threats.
One of the primary reasons RimWorld has become so popular is its deep and complex gameplay mechanics. The game offers a staggering level of customization and decision-making, allowing players to tailor their experience to their own preferences. With multiple difficulty levels, a wide variety of starting conditions, and countless mods available to download, RimWorld is a game that can be played in countless different ways. Additionally, the game features procedurally-generated worlds, events, and characters, ensuring that no two playthroughs are ever the same. The combination of these factors has led to a massive and dedicated fanbase that continues to support and expand upon the game, despite its minimalist graphics.
Surviving Mars
Surviving Mars is a strategy game that challenges players to build and manage a colony on the red planet. It offers a unique experience that combines city-building with survival gameplay, as players must contend with the harsh realities of life on Mars, such as limited resources, extreme weather, and potential disasters. While it’s not exactly about building a kingdom in space, the game does allow players to shape their colony according to their own vision, with various technologies, resources, and policies that can affect its development. In general, Surviving Mars is an intriguing and immersive game that offers a fresh take on the city-building genre.
Airborne Kingdom
Airborne Kingdom is a unique city-building game that allows players to create their own flying kingdom and lead it on a quest across a vast, randomized world. The game offers interesting mechanics, such as balancing air drag with propulsion and lift with mass. Players need to attend to the needs of their citizens by building housing and service buildings, researching technologies, and gathering resources. The game also involves exploring the varied landscape, aiding struggling people below, uncovering lost secrets, and bringing back the legend of the Airborne Kingdom. With mostly positive reviews, Airborne Kingdom is a critically acclaimed sky city builder that offers players an enjoyable and relaxing experience.
Songs of Syx
Songs of Syx is a fantasy city-building game that has been overwhelmingly positively reviewed by players. The game is set in a complex and realistic world where small events can lead to the collapse of kingdoms. The mechanics of the game are intricate, and the learning curve can be quite steep. However, once players become comfortable with the game, they can easily sink hundreds of hours into it.
The game’s main advantage is its depth and complexity, offering a vast range of possibilities for players to explore as they develop their civilization. However, it is also a downside as the game may be challenging to get into, especially for those who are new to the genre. Additionally, the game’s graphics may not be up to par with the latest games, but it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker for those who are more interested in the gameplay than the graphics.
If you are a fan of the city-building and strategy genre, and you are looking for a challenging and complex game, then Songs of Syx may be worth playing. However, if you are not fond of learning curves or dated graphics, then you may want to look elsewhere.
ISLANDERS
ISLANDERS is one of the best kingdom building games for PC, developed by Coatsink, GrizzlyGames, and Stage Clear Studios, and published by Coatsink. It’s a minimalist strategy game where players build cities on colorful procedurally generated islands, earning points for each building placement. The game offers an endless amount of islands to explore, a relaxing atmosphere, and vibrant colors. It doesn’t have features like guns, lootboxes, or microtransactions. ISLANDERS is perfect for players who enjoy playing casually, discovering new islands, and challenging themselves to beat their high score.
Kingdoms and Castles
Kingdoms and Castles is a city-building simulation game where players grow a kingdom from a tiny hamlet to a sprawling city and imposing castle. The game allows players to make trade agreements, alliances, and war with neighboring AI-controlled kingdoms. Each villager and resource is individually simulated. It offers a powerful castle building system where castles are constructed using blocks which can be placed anywhere. The success of your kingdom depends solely on your skill as a city and castle planner. Players strategically layout their town to improve peasants’ happiness and to attract new residents. Kingdoms and Castles has a stylized procedural cloud system and season cycle from summer to winter. The realistic tree growth algorithm simulates forests.
Alek – The Lost Kingdom
If you’re looking for a fantasy RPG adventure that allows you to build villages and manage production lines, then Alek – The Lost Kingdom might be for you. Developed by Jessy Lemieux and published by Blackmyers Studio, this game has an Early Access version released on 16 Jan, 2021, and is expected to be complete by 2025. The game is set in the open world of Zarabon, where you must rebuild villages and manage production lines with the help of villagers. The game features 5 lands available for building villages and hunting animals such as deer, wolf, and bear. The game also offers no main story mode yet. The factions in the game, including Orc, Elf, Dwarf, Mage, and Troll, each have unique arms and armor, and you can create alliances and wage war against other factions.
Factory Town
In Factory Town, your goal is to build and optimize a giant factory on 3D terrain using various transportation systems like conveyor belts, trains, chutes, pipes, and airships. You can sell your goods to nearby villages to expand their borders, increase happiness, and unlock even better technology. Worker units can help you move goods between production buildings and markets, but the majority of the workload should be automated. There are no enemies or starvation to worry about, so you can enjoy a stress-free logistics challenge to maximize production and happiness. You can play through eight built-in campaign maps with unique goals, or start your own customized/random map from scratch, and you can even customize rules and create new items using Steam Workshop features.
Industries of Titan
When you play Industries of Titan, you are the founder of a new city-corporation and you must compete with other rival corporations on Titan for resources, territory, and power. The game is an innovative sim/strategy game that allows you to seek victory via technology, influence, warfare, or the wealth extracted from your citizens. It was released on January 31, 2023, and was developed and published by Brace Yourself Games.
Industries of Titan is set on Saturn’s moon, Titan, and you must explore the ruins of a forgotten civilization while dealing with ruthless rebels and competition from your corporate rivals. You must balance the needs of the Council, your city, your citizens, and your employees to produce a powerful, efficient economy. The game also features battleship combat, technological superiority, and political influence.
Dawn of Man
What could be better than building a kingdom, but in prehistoric times? Dawn of Man allows you to command a settlement of ancient humans and guide them through the ages in their struggle for survival. This survival/city-builder game starts in the Stone Age and takes you up to the Iron Age, spanning more than 10,000 years of human prehistory. You will have to hunt, gather, craft tools, fight, research new techs, and face the challenges the environment throws at you to help your people survive, expand, and evolve.
The game features various activities such as collecting resources, building structures, and even constructing megalithic structures. Unlock farming technologies and domesticate animals to provide food, resources, and increased muscle power. Each new discovery will make it easier for your settlement to support larger populations, but will also bring new challenges, such as increased food demand, morale issues, and more frequent raider attacks.
The Universim
Whenever you’re in the mood for a new type of game, The Universim is a great choice to consider. This game, developed by Crytivo, is a God Game that allows you to manage your own planets as you guide a civilization through the ages. It is an Early Access game that was released in August 2018 and has since received Very Positive reviews from over 5,800 users. The Universim is a new breed of game that falls under the categories of Indie, Simulation, and Strategy with a Colony Sim and Sandbox+ theme.
The game’s developers have invested a lot of time and passion into creating a deep simulation and living world system, making the gameplay engaging and varied for players. They welcome feedback from the community to help them achieve their vision for the game and ultimately please the fans. Although there are bugs and missing features, being part of the Early Access community provides a chance for you to help make The Universim the best it can be. The game is ongoing and will continue developing new content and introducing new mechanics. The Universim will show its full potential within 12-18 months from now, and players can expect a far more polished game upon release.
Railway Empire
It’s impossible to ignore the level of detail and complexity in Railway Empire, a popular railway empire building game for PC. In the game, you’ll not only create a vast rail network and manage your workforce but also purchase and develop trains, stations, factories, and tourist attractions. To keep ahead of the competition, you’ll need to progress through five eras of technological innovations and develop over 300 different technologies. But beware – with up to three rival tycoons vying for success, you may need to resort to cutthroat tactics such as sabotage and industrial espionage to come out on top.
Cliff Empire
Most popular strategies games nowadays involve building empires and managing cities, but Cliff Empire takes it to another level. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where life on the surface is impossible, you must manage the restoration of life on Earth by developing and trading between several independent cities built on cliffs. With a dynamic climate change system, various power supply options, over 120 structures to construct, and additional research options, this indie simulation and strategy game for PC challenges you to rebuild civilization and survive against all odds.
Surviving the Abyss
In this fresh colony-building game, you will be managing a deep-sea science facility in Earth’s cold war era, aiming to perfect human cloning. Developed by Rocket Flair Studios and published by Paradox Arc, Surviving the Abyss is a hardcore survival strategy where you must explore the darkness, mine resources for construction, and keep your crew alive while maintaining oxygen, power, food, and much more. However, beware of the untold horrors that lurk in the depths.
The game has received mostly positive reviews. It was released on January 17, 2023, and is currently in Early Access. The developers plan to incorporate community feedback into the game and make it the best possible experience. The game is available in English with full audio and subtitles.
Against the Storm
We also shouldn’t forget about the unique gameplay experience that Against the Storm offers. As the Viceroy, you must lead your settlements to success in a world ravaged by the Blightstorm. With a diverse set of fantasy races at your disposal, each with their own needs and abilities, you’ll need to manage resources, build infrastructure, and keep morale high to survive the dangers of the wilderness. But even if a settlement falls, the game doesn’t end – you can carry forward your progress and experience to your next expedition, adding a roguelike element to the city builder gameplay.
With a variety of biomes and gameplay modifiers, each new settlement presents its own challenges and opportunities for growth. Balancing the needs and preferences of your diverse population, while adapting to changing weather conditions and recurring Blightstorms, is crucial to building a vast and prosperous network of settlements. And as you collect meta-progression resources to upgrade the Smoldering City, you’ll be able to interact and trade with other established settlements, creating a growing and dynamic world for you to explore.
Ixion
Space is dangerous and Earth is on the brink of collapse in Ixion. As the Administrator of the Tiqqun, a prototype space station drifting through space, you must manage its infrastructure, population, and resources in order to ensure the survival of humanity. In this city-building game, you’ll need to constantly assess and adapt to the perils of space while also uncovering its secrets and navigating the challenges posed by other factions of survivors. Your decisions will have repercussions and determine the success or failure of the mission, so it’s up to you to manage risks, deal with emergencies, and lead your crew to a new home.
Farthest Frontier
Despite the fact that Farthest Frontier is an early access game, it has already received very positive reviews, with over 11,000 ratings on Steam. In this indie simulation and strategy game, developed and published by Crate Entertainment, players must create a thriving town on the edge of the known world, in untamed wilderness. To do so, they must hunt, fish, farm, and harvest raw materials, while producing crafted items to trade, consume, equip, and fight with. Players must protect their town and people against outside threats, including the elements and raiders.
Farthest Frontier has been designed to offer players around 20 hours of gameplay, taking them through four tiers of town-building and defense against raiders. The game is currently available in 14 languages, including English, French, German, and Spanish. The developers have stated that they will collect feedback from players via the forums, in order to refine and polish the game, and expand the late-game with additional features. The full version is expected to be released 8-12 months after the early access release date of August 9th, 2022.
Foundation
Kingdom building games have reached a new era with Foundation – a medieval city-building game that focuses on organic development, monument construction, and resource management. As the newly appointed lord or lady, you have the opportunity to create a prosperous medieval settlement from scratch, managing your resources and growing population while being challenged by narrative events, quests, and missions from across the kingdom.
From humble beginnings, build workplaces, extract and store resources, establish trade routes, and erect majestic monuments to develop a bustling city in your newfound lands. Foundation features organic urbanism, flexible building creation, and interactions with the Estates of the Realm, allowing you to create a complex web of interactions between inhabitants’ needs and skills, resource availability, extraction, and goods production. With modding community and support, you can create and share your own characters, buildings, quests, terrains, and gameplay tweaks, and immerse yourself in the blissful soundtrack by Audinity, talented composers who worked on Paradox titles such as Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV.
Timberborn
Why this game is so popular? That’s because Timberborn is a city-building game with a twist: instead of managing human inhabitants, players must help a society of beavers survive and thrive. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have vanished, leaving beavers as the dominant species. Players must contend with deadly droughts, design vertical architecture, and manage the flow of the river. There are over 100 different buildings to choose from, and players can even create their own maps using the built-in editor. The game is currently in early access, but already has overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Developer Mechanistry has been working closely with the community to incorporate player feedback into the game, and plans to add even more content ahead of the full release.
The core mechanics of Timberborn are in place, including terraforming, dams with water physics, irrigation, power grids, district system, and more. Players can choose from two playable beaver factions and an endless survival mode where the world alternates between temperate weather and ever-deadlier droughts. Players’ feedback will dictate the specifics of what features will be added next, including additional beaver factions, more water-related gameplay, an expanded science system, new resources, fresh food chains, and perhaps even a trading system. The game is priced affordably in early access, but the price will likely increase after the full release. Despite the game being in early access, there is already a thriving modding community and developer Mechanistry is actively engaging with the community to incorporate feedback and suggestions.
Medieval Dynasty
Even if you don’t like RPG or simulation games, you might want to try Medieval Dynasty. This game, one of the best kingdom building games for PC, allows you to create your own medieval dynasty, hunt for survival, and build your own village. You can develop your character from a beginner into a master, as you gather resources, craft equipment, and protect yourself from wild animals. With challenging winters and unexpected events, you’ll have to be resourceful to create a prosperous dynasty that will last for generations.
Kenshi
The main feature of Kenshi is its free-roaming squad-based RPG gameplay, which offers a vast open-ended sandbox world without a linear story. Players can be anyone from a trader to a rebel, a farmer to a warlord, or even just food for the cannibals. The game world spans over 870 square kilometers, making it one of the largest single-player RPG worlds since Daggerfall, and it provides players with limitless possibilities and variations of gameplay. Kenshi does not restrict players’ personal play styles, and it offers a realistic medical system that affects gameplay. Characters’ stats are affected by equipment, encumbrance, blood loss, injuries, and starvation, and severe injuries will result in amputees needing robotic limb replacements.
Players can custom design as many characters as they want and build up a whole squad to fight for them. Characters grow and become stronger with experience, not just in their stats but in their appearance too. The game’s intelligent AI allows for characters to reason and work towards long-term goals and desires, and squads work together and carry their wounded to safety. Kenshi’s dynamic world will continue to move and change regardless of the player’s actions, and players can either aid or oppose the various factions in the world while striving for the strength and wealth necessary to simply survive in the harsh environment. There are no fantasy cliches, and the game offers an original take on the RTS-RPG hybrid genre, where every character and NPC the player meets potentially an equal, and has a name, and a life.
7 more online kingdom-building games for PC
The games listed below are multiplayer and primarily designed for Android and iOS platforms. However, you can still download and install these games on your computer. I would be happy to add online games for building your own kingdom specifically designed for PC to the collection, but there are practically no such games available, and if they do exist, they are mostly ports from mobile devices.
Land of Empires: Immortal
Online strategies like Land of Empires: Immortal offer players a chance to save humanity from the demons attacking the mortal realm. Lead survivors, recruit legendary warriors, incubate titans and giants, and explore the vast overworld to gain resources and treasure. The game allows players to manage and build their cities, conduct research, and form alliances with other lords to fight against demons and conquer the throne. Available to play on PC via emulator, Land of Empires: Immortal is a free game that promises real-time battles with cinematic scenes to keep players engaged in their quest to restore humanity’s glory.
State of Survival
This game is not just about building your own Settlement in an apocalypse, it is a SLG and RPG game that offers puzzle-solving, shooting, and multiplayer gameplay where you must use your brain to survive and build your post-apocalyptic world. State of Survival is available on mobile devices and can also be played on PC through an emulator, and it’s completely free. Engage in competitive multiplayer battles, explore the world, collect resources, recruit Survivors, and fight off hordes of zombies in this exciting role-playing experience. You can also chat with other players, team up to slay monsters, and participate in tie-in events featuring famous heroes from popular franchises like The Walking Dead and DC Comics.
Rise of Cultures
One of the most captivating historical city construction simulator games is Rise of Cultures. With the ability to play on PC through an emulator and for free, players can build their kingdom from the Stone Age to an urban city while developing their civilization and engaging in advanced multiplayer gameplay. With features like unlocking different cultures, joining alliances, trading with neighbors, researching new technologies, and meeting famous historic characters, players can progress through the game and dominate strategic PvE battles to gain global domination. Witness the Rise of Cultures and explore the well-known cultures of mankind.
The Lord of the Rings: War
Let’s take a look at The Lord of the Rings: War, a free-to-play game available on PC through emulators. The fate of Middle-earth now falls into your hands as an irrepressible dark power brings war to every inch of the land. Build your fortified settlement, assemble formidable armies, and form your fellowship to expand your territory and conquer your enemies. Explore Middle-earth’s wonders and experience the epic battle between Beornings and Orcs. Live your War of the Ring and dominate Middle-earth by seizing control over the One Ring. Your strategy and might will determine the outcome of this legendary battle.
Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars
How far can you go in the ultimate MMORPG battle for kingdom domination? In Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars, you’ll need to conquer enemy kingdoms and build your own empire to become a true Lord. Recruit heroes from various backgrounds and assemble your army to fight in RPG-style campaigns. With four different troop types, six different troop formations, and powerful heroes at your disposal, perfect your strategy to defeat your enemies.
Build your own kingdom by upgrading buildings, conducting research, and training your troops. Join alliances and fight alongside your allies in exhilarating events like Guild Wars and Kingdom Versus Kingdom battles. Clash online with players from around the world in this amazing strategy game, which is free to play on PC through an emulator. Watch as your armies clash in beautiful 3D graphics and experience the thrill of war firsthand!
Three Kingdoms: Overlord
The best way to relive the history of the Three Kingdoms Period is through the game Three Kingdoms: Overlord. This old-school simulation game combines city governance, military tactics, and strategy, allowing players to become a vassal aiming to unify the entire country. With hundreds of cities available for conquest, players can manage and develop their newly acquired territories, recruit heroes to strengthen their armies, and form alliances with other players to achieve victory. The game is also round-based, allowing players to start anew and devise better plans for future conquests. Best of all, Three Kingdoms: Overlord is free-to-play and can be played on PC using an emulator.
Forge of Empires: Build a City
Forge of Empires is an old, award-winning strategy city-building game that allows you to build your own empire and travel through the ages of civilization, from ancient times to the future. With millions of active players worldwide, Forge of Empires lets you rule your lands and experience history, evolving your village into a town and then into a megapolis, all while competing in tactical PvP battles or trading goods with your neighbors. Whether you prefer to fight or explore new territories and develop technologies, Forge of Empires offers a rich and immersive gaming experience that can be played for free on both mobile devices and PC through an emulator. However, some game features can also be purchased for real money.
On this happy note, we have come to the end of our roundup of the best kingdom building games for PC. From the medieval castles of Stronghold Crusader 2, to the sprawling empires of Civilization VI, to the strategic conquests of Three Kingdoms: Overlord and the historical progression of Forge of Empires, there is no shortage of exciting and immersive games to choose from. Whether you prefer to build, conquer, or trade, there is a game out there for you. So gather your resources, rally your troops, and start building your kingdom today!