Citystate Metropolis: A Limitless City Builder
Whether the genre is among our favorites or not, we are all in some way familiar with city-builders. The more veteran among us surely remember those iconic Sim-City titles from Maxis, the same creators of The Sims. From 1999 to 2014, this franchise made history, granting us a level of creative freedom in city construction that was previously unknown. Now, Andy Sztark, developer of Citystate (2018) and Citystate II (2021), will launch the next installment of the saga, Citystate Metropolis, during the first quarter of 2026.
After more than 3 years of solo development, we finally have in sight the results of the effort and passion poured into this project that aims to be, without a doubt, the next step in city-building simulators. Citystate Metropolis implements carefully measured procedural generation with a grid-less zonal development tool, resulting in massive, complex mega-cities full not only of structures but of life itself, with the bustle and dynamism of the world’s largest cities. Up next, we invite you to watch the Official Gameplay Trailer, shared from Citystate’s official YouTube channel:
One City-Builder To Rule them All…
Citystate Metropolis is a city-building simulator aiming to take the genre to the next level, displaying remarkable smoothness and a large number of elements simultaneously on screen, all supported by a collaborative model-based simulation capable of handling populations of over one million inhabitants. The urban planning tools can create neighborhoods of any kind and shape, giving the player full control over the developed surface, including structures, decorations, vegetation, and much more. In this title, it is possible to experiment to find the perfect balance between form and function, expanding the city at your own pace and setting meaningful goals.
Beyond creativity and aesthetics, planning, regulations, and city operations also drive urban growth, factoring in the socioeconomic profile and therefore the city’s image and atmosphere. In Citystate Metropolis, it is possible to build in a simple and affordable way to reduce housing costs and encourage social mobility, or opt for sophisticated, eco-friendly approaches to increase land value and attract foreign investors.
In this new entry in the Citystate saga, you can approach gameplay from a creative perspective, focusing on the size, colors, and shapes of residential, commercial, industrial, and service areas, literally designing everything from scratch with a wide variety of roads, highways, and parks at your disposal. Creativity has never felt so free in any city-builder to date!
On the other hand, if we approach the Metropolis from a business perspective, the role of Governor is entirely ours, taking charge of growth, regulation, taxation, and much more. Regardless of whether the goal is to build an eco-paradise, a capitalist powerhouse, or a work of art, it is necessary to balance the budget, collect taxes, and make tough decisions.
Beyond our preferences, let us emphasize for a moment the title of this article. Citystate Metropolis is literally a limitless city-builder. The map editor can create thousands of highly detailed terrains using an innovative approach that combines real data with procedural generation. The dynamic water simulation allows the creation of lifelike rivers and lakes, letting us adjust the forest density as well as the slope and overall topography of the entire map. Unlike agent-based simulations, this crowd-based engine makes it possible to achieve realistic demographic figures.
Income disparity, gentrification, urban decay, and other socioeconomic factors have been taken into account to the point that they are vital aspects to consider for the city’s development. Metropolis draws inspiration from early 2000s city-builders yet proposes an innovative alternative: built on an apparently simple framework, the game establishes a practical and meaningful link between creative tools and simulation systems. The Mayor does not manage production lines but instead creates the conditions for growth and development.
So…
According to its official sources, Citystate Metropolis will launch during the first quarter of 2026, although it is highly likely to enter Early Access very soon. Therefore, it would be wise to visit its Steam page or Official Website to add it to our Wishlist and stay tuned for any possible updates. The links are right below as usual. And since we have to wait, it would be great if you stopped by the comments and told us what you think about this impressive proposal. You know gamer, we’ll be reading you! 🙂
Images Source: Citystate Official YouTube Channel, Citystate Metropolis on Steam, Citystate Official Website
