Each card below is a game we played across several weeks rather than an afternoon. They range from sprawling empires with guilds and research trees to a Stone Age camp and a comic hospital that grows wing by wing. Filter by mood, then open the full review for the honest detail.
Our first pick01A settlement that starts with Stone Age huts and keeps climbing through the eras. Houses, supplies, a technology tree fuelled by forge points that refill on their own, landmark Great Buildings and turn-based hex battles. It is the deepest and longest-lived city builder on our list, and the one with the busiest guild life.
Prettiest streets02Elves or humans, then a city that grows more elegant with every upgrade. Elvenar mixes careful town planning with a research tree of over two hundred improvements, a world map to explore, relics that boost production and a trader for swapping goods with other players. Calm, handsome and quietly deep, it rewards a tidy mind and good neighbours.
Tightest economy03One settlement, a limited crew of workers and a long road from the Stone Age into the great ancient cultures. Rise of Cultures has you splitting hands between building, production and training troops, settling allied cultures such as Egypt to support your capital, and leading armies against historical commanders. Short tasks, sharp planning and a clean, modern feel.
For commanders04A city that climbs from the Stone Age towards the future, but the stars are more than seventy historic and mythological heroes. Heroes of History has you summoning, levelling and equipping a squad, timing abilities in battle and fighting through campaigns, arena matches and alliance contests, while research and barracks upgrades at home make the whole team stronger.
Gentlest start05A tiny tribe, a clearing and no knowledge at all. Stonies has you teaching each tribe member to gather mushrooms and berries, hunt, fish, make fire and craft carving stones, spears and fishing rods, then building huts and storage as the camp grows. Slow, warm and personal, it is the most hands-on start to civilisation in our collection.
Light relief06A comic hospital builder where patients arrive with smelly feet, downy beards and sore behinds. You treat them, hire doctors and nurses, add departments from tomography to orthopaedics and research your way to a bigger building, all while the villainous Dr Knievel unleashes epidemics. Silly, warm and surprisingly absorbing for a planning game.
