Choose Empire City Simulator
Choose Empire City Simulator if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Empire City Simulator launched in 2024.
Empire City Simulator vs PaperCars Tycoon
Empire City Simulator and PaperCars Tycoon both land in Strategy, Simulation, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Empire City Simulator is free; PaperCars Tycoon is paid (Price unknown). Empire City Simulator is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; PaperCars Tycoon has no Deck rating yet. 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 PaperCars Tycoon
Choose PaperCars Tycoon if you want an Indie and Early Access game with Custom Volume Controls, Stereo Sound, and Playable without Timed Input.
Both Empire City Simulator and PaperCars Tycoon sit in Strategy, Simulation, and Casual 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
 Empire City Simulator |  PaperCars Tycoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | — |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation, Free To Play, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 59.3% positive (27 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Red Brix Wall | Tiny Papers Softworks |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation, Casual on Steam.
- Empire City Simulator is free; PaperCars Tycoon is paid (Price unknown).
- Empire City Simulator is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; PaperCars Tycoon has no Deck rating yet.
Empire City Simulator vs PaperCars Tycoon — FAQ
- Are Empire City Simulator and PaperCars Tycoon similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation, Casual 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.
- Is Empire City Simulator free?
- Yes — Empire City Simulator is a free-to-play Steam title. PaperCars Tycoon is paid (Price unknown).
- Does Empire City Simulator run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Empire City Simulator is rated Deck Playable by Valve. PaperCars Tycoon doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.