The 8 Best Kingdom Building Games, Ranked

Key takeaways

  • Many gaming genres feature kingdom-building, from survival games like Terraria to RPGs like Fallout 4.
  • Mount and Blade mixes strategy with first-person action, while Dwarf Fortress offers unparalleled building freedom.
  • In games like Fallout 4 and Terraria, players must balance exploration and settlement management.



Renowned for their typically slow pace and strategic-mindedness, kingdom-building games see players take on the role of a leader as a guardian, ruler, or deity of NPCs. For the players, their goal is to keep their kingdom alive. Whether defending their settlements personally or providing them with the means to protect themselves, players can rest assured that they will be rewarded for their efforts with power, wealth, and honor.

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Building settlements and cities in these games is spiced up with unique settings ranging from floating settlements in the sky to the red planet.

While the term kingdom builder is often associated with grand strategy games The Crusader KingsIt spans many genres and forms, such as from first-person shooters Colony existence Dynasty builders love it Guild 2.


5 Colony existence

First-person state building


Colony Sim

Existence

base building

the building

systems

PC-1

issued
June 16, 2017

developer(s)
people please

Colony existence is a first-person strategy game set within a medieval world. Players lead their colonies, building sprawling cities to protect them from nighttime monster hordes. Building cities is expensive, however, and players must feed and keep their colonies healthy to ensure the survival of their kingdom.

of colony existence Base building gives players a huge amount of creativity and customization options when it comes to building their settlements. No two settlements are ever the same, from small outposts to sprawling fortresses. The game forces players to build and strengthen their defense force as the monster hordes become increasingly powerful. The gameplay loop, however, becomes repetitive as players cycle themselves through a handful of tasks for hours on end.

4 Guild 2

Destroy the competition


systems

PC-1

issued
July 27, 2010

developer
4 head studio

publisher
Jowood Productions

Guild 2 is a life simulation strategy game. Players play as the impoverished founder of a new dynasty in a medieval world. Become a wealthy merchant, a holy healer, or a crook with a sticky finger; The choice is up to the players, as long as they can defeat the rival dynasties. No one said the game had to be fair. Political intrigue and violence are as practical a means of eliminating threats as economic power.

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Guild 2 is a fantastic versatile game. Whether building powerful rogues, financially profitable businesses, or gaining political power, players have endless ways to win. As a multi-generational game, players must also balance improving their current characters with their children. Dynasties would quickly disintegrate under sub-par successors.

3 Mount and Blade series

A strategy-action hybrid


issued
October 25, 2022

OpenCritic rating
strong

The Mount and blade The series is a strategy-action RPG hybrid. Players must learn to survive in a brutal medieval world where brigands and overzealous nobles lurk around every corner. Players can recruit armies, fight wars, and conquer cities to claim the continent as their own.

The series is a unique gaming experience that skillfully blends strategy with action-packed first-person combat. Bad choices on the strategic map will make the battle more difficult, while bad battles will limit the players' options on the strategic map. These games also evolve organically as players grow in wealth and prestige, from single armies and individual battles to commanding a nation and managing castles.

2 dwarf fortress

Building security in a hostile world


As with disease

Strategy

simulation

systems

PC-1

Platform(s)
Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows

issued
August 8, 2006

OpenCritic rating
the mighty

developer
Bay 12 Game, Tarn Adams, Zach Adams

dwarf fortress is a survival sandbox city builder. Build a fortress to protect the inhabitants from the horrors of this medieval fantasy world. Players must learn how to keep their inhabitants happy and healthy while gathering resources to increase the strength and wealth of their fortress.

dwarf fortress Gives players an unprecedented level of freedom with their fort construction. Complex and varied building mechanics allow players to build anything they can dream up. From crumbling throne rooms to deadly lava traps, creativity is the only limit in this game. Players are also allowed to choose where in the world they want to build their fortress, giving access to an array of unique biomes, monsters and factions.

1 Crusader Kings series

Manage an empire

systems

PC-1

issued
February 14, 2012

The Crusader Kings series Dynasty is a grand strategy game with simulation. Players are rulers of nations in a historical medieval world. Raise armies, conquer land, and launch political schemes; Players can pursue power and wealth through any means.


The game is literally a kingdom builder, with players building their nation from scratch. Players must build not only the power of their kingdom and ruler but also that of their heirs, as a nation does not survive long with its ruler having an unsuitable heir. Random events also add chaos and tension to the game, as players cannot predict how their victories and political plans will unfold.

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