City Builder
Ongoing coverage on City Builder.
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Manor Lords' next beta update adds what all video games are sorely missing: cow breeding
Manor Lords is receiving a beta update by the end of the month that introduces cow breeding, allowing players to import, milk, and butcher cattle. The update also includes new features like pastures with construction costs, cheesemongers, categorized structures, improved construction site animations, oat cultivation, and a new map called Wide Valley.
Halo: Campaign Evolved, Mistfall Hunter and Hell is Us Headline Wave 2 of Game Pass in July
Xbox is adding several notable titles to Game Pass in the latter half of July, including the remake Halo: Campaign Evolved and the action-adventure Hell is Us. Mistfall Hunter, a PvEvP Souls-like, and the pirate-themed city builder Corsair Cove are also set to debut. The article also previews upcoming games for August and lists titles leaving the service at the end of July.
With its tech debt settled, here's what's coming to Manor Lords next
Developer Slavic Magic is preparing a new update for the medieval city builder Manor Lords, which will introduce features like animal herding, cheesemaking, and seasonal workplace schedules. The update, planned for beta testing by the end of July, also includes a new map type and the long-awaited Large Stone Church. The developer has focused on refining the game's technical foundations before implementing these new gameplay elements.
Forget Black Flag Resynced, the best pirate game of 2026 might be a logistics-heavy city builder
Corsair Cove, a new pirate-themed game from Limbic Entertainment, redefines the genre by focusing on logistics and city-building rather than traditional swashbuckling. Players will manage resources, construct a colony on cliff faces, and utilize novel transportation methods like ziplines and elevators to create an efficient pirate haven. Despite its complex systems, the game aims to be accessible and visually vibrant, blending management gameplay with pirate fantasy elements.
Palettopia – Beta Sign Up | Alpha Beta Gamer
Palettopia is a relaxing city builder game that allows players to create minimalistic urban landscapes by painting districts onto procedurally generated islands. The game offers creative freedom with optional placement puzzles and features four distinct biomes, dynamic weather, and local wildlife. Beta sign-ups are currently open for players to experience the intuitive painting mechanics and tranquil gameplay.
Go-Go Town! Review – It's fun to be the Mayor
Go-Go Town! is a charming city-building and management simulation game developed by Prideful Sloth. Originally in early access for PC, the game has now launched its 1.0 version on PC and Nintendo Switch, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version also available. While offering creative freedom and hilarious writing, the game can become a grind due to resource management and currency caps, though its adorable character designs, extensive accessibility features, and fun gameplay loop make it an enjoyable experience.
City Builder Feudal Baron: King's Land Debuts on XBOX
Feudal Baron: King's Land, a medieval city builder with strategy and simulation elements, is launching on Xbox Series X|S on July 16, 2026, and on PlayStation 5 on August 8, 2026. Developed by Sim Farm S.A. and published by Ultimate Games S.A., the game allows players to build and grow a settlement, manage politics, and fight for influence. It was previously released on PC.
Coming Out in gaming this week — July 13, 2026
This week's gaming releases include a variety of titles across multiple platforms, such as Ascend to ZERO, The Alters: Last Variable, D-topia, and Denshattack!. Several games are launching in Early Access, including Funnel Runners and Colonies of The Remnant, while Go-Go Town! receives its 1.0 release.
Game Demos
Verde is a cozy city-builder game available on PC via Steam. Players will manage mysterious seed-like creatures called seedlets, constructing facilities and decorations to help their town thrive.
Next Week on XBOX: New Games for July 13 to 17
This week's Xbox releases from July 13 to 17 include a variety of genres across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Game Pass. Notable titles include the roguelike 'Ascend to ZERO', the tactical train-builder 'Fogpiercer', and the open-world extreme sports game 'MAVRIX by Matt Jones'.
Why Farming Shouldn’t Be Background in War Strategy Games
Mandate Order, an upcoming ancient Chinese war city-builder from Digital Sky, aims to integrate farming and resource management more deeply into the core gameplay loop, moving beyond a simple background mechanic. The game emphasizes seasonal cycles, labor allocation between farming and war efforts, and the impact of food reserves on city stability and morale, suggesting that preparation for war begins long before battles commence. Planned for a Q3 2026 launch on Steam, Mandate Order seeks to make every decision, from field placement to worker assignment, critical for a city's survival and military readiness.
Manor Lords latest patch notes tune citizen pathing, and the alcoholism in your settlements
The latest patch for Manor Lords focuses on stability and foundational improvements, including a significant rework of citizen pathfinding and balance changes to ale consumption. These updates aim to fix economic bottlenecks and improve overall gameplay ahead of future content releases.
Against the Storm Free Weekend
Eremite Games and Hooded Horse are offering a free weekend for the fantasy city-builder Against the Storm on Steam. Players can try the game for free until Monday.
Cyberpunk diorama builder Midnight Moments aims to slow us all down and stop us chasing endless objectives
Midnight Moments, a cyberpunk diorama builder from Belgian indie developer Happy Volcano, is set to launch on Steam on July 30. The game allows players to create detailed backstreets and neighborhood corners without objectives or timers, offering a relaxing sandbox experience. It is inspired by lo-fi cityscapes and aims to provide a break from the typical game industry focus on endless objectives and microtransactions.
In Mandate Order, Seasons Don’t Just Pass — They Decide Whether a City Survives
Mandate Order, an ancient Chinese war city-builder by Digital Sky, emphasizes seasonal survival mechanics where choices in spring directly impact a city's fate in winter. The game, planned for a Q3 2026 launch on PC via Steam, integrates farming, resource management, and logistics into a continuous pressure system that precedes warfare. Success hinges on managing time, land, and resources effectively through distinct spring, summer, autumn, and winter phases.
Strategy Games Don’t Only Ask Players to Eliminate Chaos
Mandate Order is an upcoming ancient Chinese war city-builder from developer Digital Sky, set during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era. The game, planned for a Q3 2026 launch on Steam, focuses on managing disorder within a frontier settlement by balancing resource management, logistics, labor allocation, and defense against invasions. Unlike typical city-builders, it emphasizes the constant management of a system that is always being disturbed by seasons, resources, labor, and war.
Build a medieval castle piece by piece and then defend it from enemy knights in the city builder and RTS Bergfried
Bergfried is a new game that combines city building and real-time strategy elements with a medieval theme. Players construct and customize their own castles and towns, then defend them from attacking knights. The game is currently in development with no release date, but players can sign up for playtests or wishlist it on Steam.
More Systems Don’t Automatically Make a Better Strategy Game
Mandate Order, a city-builder from Digital Sky set in ancient China, focuses on making its complex systems understandable rather than simply adding more. The game aims to provide clear feedback on farming, logistics, conscription, and defense, allowing players to diagnose issues and make informed adjustments. This approach seeks to transform complexity into strategic depth, enabling players to build and manage a thriving military stronghold.
One of the top-rated city builders on Steam is getting a survival game sequel set in the same world: "Keeping this…
Eremite Games has announced a sequel to their acclaimed city builder Against the Storm, which will be a survival game set in the same universe. The small indie studio emphasized that the project is in its earliest stages and subject to significant changes. The developers also confirmed that Against the Storm will continue to receive updates.
"I could feel myself coming apart at the seams": Suicide Squad leads on almost leaving the games industry after its failure
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League co-director Axel Rydby and associate design director Johnny Armstrong considered leaving the games industry due to the game's troubled development and public failure. They discussed the shift from Rocksteady's traditional single-player games to a live-service model, the pressure from Warner Bros. executives, and the eventual decision to move on. Both developers have since started a new studio and are crowdfunding their upcoming game, Secret of Circadia.
