The Best Gridless City-Builder Games

Creative thinking and innovation are at the heart of all great city-builders. It is the foresight to envision a mass metropolis and see it all come to fruition a hundred hours or so later. The genre, however, has traditionally depended on grid-based building, which confines structures to rigid squares or rectangles and can often stifle that much-needed prerequisite of imagination. Nevertheless, a growing number of city-builders have embraced gridless mechanics, allowing for more organic methods of city planning.

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Gridless city-builders remove the restrictions, supplying players with the means to shape their settlements how they see fit, fitting them with sprawling town centers, winding roads, and uniquely shaped districts. The end result is an immersive and dynamic experience where cities evolve in response to player preferences. These games are high-quality examples of city-builders that chose to employ a gridless form of building.

10

The Settlers 7: Paths To A Kingdom

Freely Building A City For Structured RTS Gameplay

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom

City Builder

Real-Time Strategy

Systems

Released

March 24, 2010

ESRB

everyone 10+

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom comes from a long line of city-builder royalty. For a game released in 2010, it features some positively freeing building mechanics. It allows players to drop buildings anywhere within the player-controlled territory, unburdened by the constraints of the grid that many city-builders used at the time.

While the game has certainly come to show its age and predominantly follows more of an RTS dynamic, enshrouded in a steep learning curve (which may bottleneck the creativity of a city-builder player), it still offers some engaging gameplay that is not found in many other strategy games. Ultimately, while it doesn’t fully explore the potential of a gridless building system, The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom offers some enjoyable creation tools for crafting visually appealing cities in an RTS landscape.

9

Planetbase

No Grid, No Gravity—Just Pure Space Strategy

• Release Date: October 16, 2015
• Developer(s): Madruga Works
• Platform(s): PC; PS4; Xbox One

Although Planetbase may not offer the most fluid building system or the most visually appealing designs, it still supplies a sense of wonder by enabling players to create a self-sustaining colony on a distant planet in whatever way they imagine. The building process involves placing prefabricated structures anywhere the player wishes and then connecting them to existing structures with tunnels.

Unfortunately, there is a limited amount of land to build on, hindered by the set maps and the rocks and mountains surrounding it. This can sometimes create a sense of rigidity in building, making it feel less open compared to other titles in the genre, particularly the more expansive Surviving Mars. Still, for a relatively relaxing colony space builder that challenges creativity in a hostile environment, Planetbase is worth a playthrough.

8

Land Of The Vikings

A Viking-Themed Sandbox For Aspiring Jarls

Real-Time Strategy

Tactical

Systems

Released

November 8, 2022

ESRB

t

Land of the Vikings presents an excellent opportunity for those looking to create a thriving Norse community in intricate detail from the ground up. Without a grid restricting the placement of Viking longhouses in symmetrical spaces, this game allows players to position buildings anywhere on the map, enabling them to construct their Viking village according to their vision. To support this creative endeavor, the buildings are designed with a strong commitment to historical accuracy, reflecting the traditional Viking architecture that many will recognize.

One key feature that deserves significant praise is the in-game building editor, which offers players the chance to customize an unlimited number of buildings or decorations. These designs can then be used in any desired location within the game, further reinforcing the flexibility of the game’s gridless focus. Once a village is finished and the journey from humble wooden huts to bustling market town is complete, Land of the Vikings places itself as a distinctive creative experience.

7

Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles

A Vertical City-Builder On The Big Blue Sea

• Release Date: January 30, 2024
• Developer(s): Tomas Sala
• Platform(s): PC; PlayStation; Xbox

Certainly the most original entry on this list, and one that may diverge from the essence of a typical city-builder, Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles, challenges players to construct a thriving community in the most hostile of terrains. A loose sequel to The Falconeer, the inhabitants of The Great Ursee universe build densely packed towers bolted to the sides of cliffs, interconnected by a complex web of rickety walkways and bridges, all surrounded by an endless, open-world ocean. In a place like this, a grid can’t possibly exist.

The concept behind this city-builder is truly captivating, making it even more fascinating to engage with and see it all come to life. While it may not rank as the most in-depth or even the most replayable title in terms of traditional city-builders, there’s nothing shallow about Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles’ wholly unique approach to the genre.

6

Black & White 2

A Timeless Fan Favorite With Classic God-Game City-Building Charm

Black & White 2

Stepping back to 2005, Black & White 2 was a monumental addition to the city-builder genre, offering a unique experience unlike anything that came before it. The game featured brilliant, puzzle-like gameplay, combat, an interactive map, and, of course, colossal creatures to command. It was also one of the first to move away from a grid-based system, allowing players the freedom to place buildings anywhere within the designated area.

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Even though it doesn’t follow the typical structure of gameplay found in traditional city-builders, operating instead with a series of level-based areas of increasing difficulty, Black & White 2 still leverages its gameplay strengths effectively and is undoubtedly part of a franchise that deserves a reboot.

5

Tiny Glade

An Endearing Masterclass In Detailed Building Mechanics

Tiny Glade

Systems

Released

September 23, 2024

The epitome of free-form city-building, Tiny Glade is certainly a niche game that tasks players to construct anything from quaint cottages to regal castles as part of an adorable diorama, all according to their creative vision. With the freedom to design and the ability to add intricate details, players can quickly assemble a small village that feels like a work of art; it is truly remarkable.

While the building mechanics are undoubtedly impressive, it is essential to reiterate that Tiny Glade is solely a building simulation game, offering no specific goals or challenges. For those looking to unwind and relax whilst designing a charming village, this game is the perfect choice.

4

Memoriapolis

Craft A City That Grows Naturally Through Time

City Builder

Simulation

Management

Strategy

Systems

Memoriapolis prides itself on being a city-builder that allows players to guide a civilization through multiple historical ages, starting in the Age of Antiquity and progressing to the Middle Ages. While it offers the freedom to choose the placement of buildings, similar to many gridless city-builders, in this case, a settlement will gradually develop autonomously, constructing itself around existing structures as more inhabitants arrive to settle.

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It is a unique system that effectively capitalizes on the lack of a grid, enhancing the sense of an expanding civilization while minimizing the micromanagement often required in many other city-building games. With intricate faction and policy mechanics that guide a city toward success, along with the inclusion of Wonder buildings reminiscent of the Civilization series, Memoriapolis is a remarkable historical addition to the genre.

3

Ostriv

An In-Depth Strategy Game That Tests Skillful City-Builders

Systems

Focusing more on village-building exercises than city-building, Ostriv allows players to create an 18th-Century Ukrainian settlement featuring thatched houses and asymmetrical neighborhoods. While it may not sound glamorous, Ostriv offers a high level of personalization in how the player imagines their village. The game uses a drag-and-drop system of pinning the size of houses and resource buildings, permitting the player to shape their village and the game map according to their preferences.

The building mechanics in Ostriv come together to create a village that feels genuinely organic and lived-in. This sense of realism is both heightened and tested by the game’s emphasis on resource management and labor dynamics, which are crucial aspects of this title’s sometimes challenging gameplay, especially towards the endgame. With the freedom to build as they wish, players are encouraged to adopt a strategic mindset and plan ahead, enabling them to overcome obstacles effectively as they arise.

2

Manor Lords

Recreate The Medieval World With Free-Flowing Historical Precision

Systems

Released

April 26, 2024

ESRB

t

Another remarkable entry in the historical city-building genre, Manor Lords stands out for its impressive use of a gridless design that captures the essence of a Medieval European town in exquisite detail. The game’s city-building mechanics are not only intricate but also historically accurate, often leaving players amazed at how closely the in-game towns mirror actual reconstructions of mid-14th-century settlements. One of the standout features of this gridless system is the introduction of burgage plots—versatile living spaces that can be uniquely tailored into almost any shape imaginable.

While Manor Lords poses some optimization challenges regarding the dimensions and location of building placement, players essentially have the freedom to create a vibrant and dynamic settlement in any way they choose. Starting from a humble camp, they can transform it into a sprawling town in no time with just a few clicks.

1

Foundation

Shape And Customize Your City From The Ground Up

City Builder

Simulation

Strategy

Systems

Released

January 31, 2025

Charming, adorable, and relaxing, Foundation provides immense joy in constructing a whimsical Medieval village. Instead of manually placing residential buildings, like in Memoriapolis, villagers autonomously build in areas designated by the player. This creates highly lifelike and organic gameplay, ensuring that no two villages ever look the same.

However, the key feature of Foundation is the ability to construct buildings without relying on prefabricated structures. This brilliant system allows players to assemble a building incrementally, room by room, reaching heights not thought impossible. It serves as an advanced personalization tool that seamlessly fits into a game already centered on individual creativity, utilizing its gridless formula in the best way possible.

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