Choose City Maker
Choose City Maker if you want an Indie and Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 89% cheaper on the Steam Store. City Maker launched in 2021.
City Maker vs Ancient Islands
City Maker and Ancient Islands both land in Strategy on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Strategy games on Steam. City Maker (2021) is 1 year older than Ancient Islands (2022). Ancient Islands scores higher on Steam reviews (78.6% positive) than City Maker (75% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Ancient Islands
Choose Ancient Islands if you want an Action experience. Ancient Islands launched in 2022.
Both City Maker and Ancient Islands sit in Strategy on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 City Maker |  Ancient Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Casual | Action, Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 75% positive (16 reviews) | 78.6% positive (14 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Emerick Gibson | Avernus Software, Art Games Studio S.A. |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- City Maker (2021) is 1 year older than Ancient Islands (2022).
- Ancient Islands scores higher on Steam reviews (78.6% positive) than City Maker (75% positive).
- City Maker is currently ~89% cheaper on Steam than Ancient Islands (0.99 USD vs. 8.99 USD).
City Maker vs Ancient Islands — FAQ
- Should I play City Maker or Ancient Islands first?
- If you want chronology, City Maker (2021) came out before Ancient Islands (2022). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are City Maker and Ancient Islands similar?
- They overlap on Strategy on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.