Citystate II

While there’s certainly no shortage of city-building games available on PC, fans of the genre each have their own preferred title that caters to their particular tastes. While some might enjoy planning a city based on its transport routes, those who are looking for the ultimate simulation in terms of economic and political systems need to look no further than the incredible Citystate II.

This passion project comes from the mind of developer Andy Sztark, who also developed the game’s prequel. Promising to be a better version of its predecessor, Citystate II seems to be on its way to being one of the most in-depth city-building simulators available.

Economy and Finances

Some games like Cities Skylines pride themselves on how realistic their traffic simulations are. In Citystate II, however, the game is all about the economy and the politics that make the markets work the way they do.

Everything, from taxes to banks and even inflation rates, must be kept under strict control if you hope to build a prosperous society. However, while most other city-building sims will have players building their dream utopia, Citystate II focuses more on constructing an entire nation from the ground up.

Before we get into how this game differs from similar titles, let’s take a closer look at how powerful Citystate II’s economy simulation really is. The player has near-complete control over every commercial activity that happens in their cities, including printing money in their central banks and keeping unemployment figures looking good.

Failing to balance the economy properly will result in the population revolting against their leader, which could lead to an early end for your career.

Own a Nation

Building your own town in games like SimCity can be loads of fun – so just imagine how fun it could be if you had a legion of towns instead. In Citystate II, players must take control of dozens of different cities, as they take the role, not of a mayor, but rather a president.

Each map comes with space for 64 cities, giving players ample space to concentrate on the kind of nation they wish to create. Keeping those cities connected is crucial for success, and establishing complex transport lines like roads, subways, and railways will prove a necessity in the long run.

All of this is just scratching the surface of a game like Citystate II, however, as it also borrows some elements from some more advanced grand strategy games, like Democracy 3.

Politics and Policies

Keeping a stable economy is only one of the many ways to make your citizens happy in this game. When all else fails, a strong policy can succeed even when the economy is looking grim.

Things like setting border policies and pushing political issues into your population can help you win the approval of your townsfolk. The game features 60 policies to play with, each with 4 different options that align with sides of the political compass. Want to create an anarcho-capitalist utopia with socialist values? You can do that and many more political shenanigans in this game.

Pros:

• Excellent visuals
• Clean UI
• Powerful economic and political simulations

Cons:

• Subpar traffic simulation