Choose Cities: Skylines
Choose Cities: Skylines if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 92.8% positive across 99,307 reviews.
Cities: Skylines vs Smartphone Tycoon
Cities: Skylines and Smartphone Tycoon both land in Strategy, 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 share Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Cities: Skylines (2015) is 4 years older than Smartphone Tycoon (2019). Cities: Skylines scores higher on Steam reviews (92.8% positive) than Smartphone Tycoon (51% 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 Smartphone Tycoon
Choose Smartphone Tycoon if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 22% cheaper on the Steam Store. Smartphone Tycoon launched in 2019.
Both Cities: Skylines and Smartphone Tycoon sit in Strategy and 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 |  Smartphone Tycoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 8.99 USD | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.8% positive (99,307 reviews) | 51% positive (721 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Colossal Order | Roastery Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Cities: Skylines (2015) is 4 years older than Smartphone Tycoon (2019).
- Cities: Skylines scores higher on Steam reviews (92.8% positive) than Smartphone Tycoon (51% positive).
- Smartphone Tycoon is currently ~22% cheaper on Steam than Cities: Skylines (6.99 USD vs. 8.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Cities: Skylines vs Smartphone Tycoon — FAQ
- Which is better, Cities: Skylines or Smartphone Tycoon?
- On Steam reviews Cities: Skylines scores higher (92.8% positive) than Smartphone Tycoon (51% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Cities: Skylines is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Cities: Skylines or Smartphone Tycoon first?
- If you want chronology, Cities: Skylines (2015) came out before Smartphone Tycoon (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 Smartphone Tycoon similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, 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.