Choose Cities: Skylines
Choose Cities: Skylines if you want a Strategy experience. 99,307 Steam reviews back the pick.
Cities: Skylines vs The Garden Pub
Cities: Skylines and The Garden Pub both land in Simulation 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 Simulation games on Steam. Cities: Skylines (2015) is 4 years older than The Garden Pub (2019). Cities: Skylines scores higher on Steam reviews (92.8% positive) than The Garden Pub (70% 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 The Garden Pub
Choose The Garden Pub if it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Garden Pub launched in 2019.
Both Cities: Skylines and The Garden Pub sit in Simulation 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
 Cities: Skylines |  The Garden Pub | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 8.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.8% positive (99,307 reviews) | 70% positive (10 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Colossal Order | K² Game Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Simulation games on Steam.
- Cities: Skylines (2015) is 4 years older than The Garden Pub (2019).
- Cities: Skylines scores higher on Steam reviews (92.8% positive) than The Garden Pub (70% positive).
- The Garden Pub is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Cities: Skylines (2.99 USD vs. 8.99 USD).
- Cities: Skylines is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Garden Pub has no Deck rating yet.
Cities: Skylines vs The Garden Pub — FAQ
- Should I play Cities: Skylines or The Garden Pub first?
- If you want chronology, Cities: Skylines (2015) came out before The Garden Pub (2019). 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 Cities: Skylines and The Garden Pub similar?
- They overlap on Simulation 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.
- Does Cities: Skylines run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Cities: Skylines is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Garden Pub doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.