5 best medieval city building games, ranked

Key recommendations

• Medieval City Builders offers a unique experience from scratch.
• The best of these games allow players to create realistic villages on natural landscapes.
• Games like Banished offer freedom without technological unlocks, using natural resources.

While there are plenty of good city builders set in more recent or even futuristic times, many players are drawn to historical city builders, perhaps because of the feeling of starting from scratch with little more than nature and a few pairs of strong hands . work with.

Probably the most popular historical setting in gaming is the Middle Ages, and as such, players will find many great medieval city building games. The best of these allow players to create realistic-looking villages that follow the lay of the land rather than a grid, and the best worlds feel alive, with villagers and their families that really matter.

5 Going to Medieval

Rebuild medieval society after a deadly plague

Upper estimates for Black Death deaths are around 50% of Europe's medieval population. In Going to MedievalHowever, players must rebuild civilization after an even deadlier plague has wiped out 90% of humans. Although the beginning can be bleak, players should soon be able to find success and can even end up building castles, which not all the best medieval city builders allow.

Even the terrain can be modeled in this game and in fact all aspects of construction and customization are incredible. It is definitely one of the best options for gamers who like to be creative.

4 Banished

A classic medieval village building game with a lot of freedom

Despite being over a decade old, Banished it still holds up, being so ahead of its time. It is a true medieval village building game that gives the player complete freedom, although he will still have to contend with the harsh realities of medieval life. There is no technology to unlock and no currency other than resources to be traded.

If a village does well enough and produces the right resources, then players should be able to build whatever they like. Their villagers are also living, breathing characters who are born, work one of 20 jobs, and eventually grow old and die. The key to success in Banished use the natural resources available around each village. No two games will be played the same.

3 Norland

Even if your village fails, it's probably more fun to watch rebellions break out

while Norland is perhaps best described as a colony sim, it's also a medieval village building game, and an incredibly fun one at that. It's a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, as part of the joy is seeing the characters cheat, kill, and refuse the player's commands because of their level of happiness.

One of the best aspects of the game is how the characters have to learn new technologies by reading books and copying them for future generations. This is how new buildings and the like are unlocked. While watching pure mayhem, including religious rebellions, is one way to enjoy yourself Norlandplayers can also aim to dominate the wider world through diplomatic alliances and wars. At the heart of any power, however, is a strong and thriving capital city that is capable of producing a wealth of resources, including food and alcohol.

2 Medieval dynasty

Experience first-person and co-op medieval village building

Medieval dynasty it's a little different from most other city building games because it's played in first person while also being a survival/crafting game. Once players have overcome the initial hurdles of keeping themselves fed and alive, the goal is to then find land to build their own village.

So planning is one aspect, but players also have to gather the resources and manually construct each new building. This means cutting down the trees, using a saw and then hammering them back into place. Fortunately, as players expand their small settlement, they can travel around the map to find characters to live and work in their village. They will also want to buy animals to produce resources that include manure for better farming. There is a lot to do in Medieval dynastyand can also be enjoyed with friends through co-op.

1 Lords of the Manor

Beautiful graphics, addictive gameplay and more than just a city builder

Despite being in early access, Lords of the Manor already proven to be the best medieval city builder on the market. The game has realistic graphics that look great from above and in third person, thanks to the unique option to walk around as a lord or lady. Incredible attention to detail and historical accuracy are also essential Lords of the Manormaking it perfect for those who love realistic medieval games.

As for the game, Lords of the Manor it's primarily about building a new medieval village and keeping the citizens happy and fed. It's great to build houses, buildings and roads completely naturally without a grid, and it's impressive how easy the process is. However, depending on the game mode, players may need to provide armor and weapons for their men, as raiders are a constant threat, as well as neighboring lords. This is where an RTS element comes into play, with players able to control their small armies in realistic battles where every death means one less pair of hands to bring in the harvest.