SimCity is here, and while it's advanced and detailed, not everyone may enjoy it. PCMag's preview of the game noted the relatively small amount of space and limited choices, which might turn off fans of games like SimCity 2000 and SimCity 4. This dances around the biggest issue with SimCity, though.

EA requires that SimCity players stay connected to its servers whenever they play. The game itself is just a client, and nearly everything is stored on EA's own servers. That means when EA has server problems, as seen with the game's launch, gamers can't play. It also means that when gamers have Internet connection problems, they can't play. It also means that if EA decides to close the servers in a few years, gamers can never play again. (For more on that, check out DRM, DLC, and Disrespect: What Square Enix and EA Are Doing Wrong.)

Whether you're hesitant to rely on EA's servers or you simply want to take a stand against the policy of always-on games in genres that are usually single-player with multiplayer available as an option, you might want to look for other city-building games. These seven games aren't as new as SimCity, which just came out this week, but you can play them offline, and you'll be able to keep playing them even if the companies that make them disappear.


1. Cities XL Cities XL has only been around for a few years, but it's already become a series comparable to the long-stagnant SimCity series (before SimCity, the last SimCity game was the atrocious SimCity Societies in 2007). Cities XL Platinum offers 60 maps, 1,000 different buildings, and the ability to link together cities to create a global economy. (Available for PC for $29.99)

2. Cities in Motion Cities in Motion leaves actual city planning on the backburner (but you can make your own cities with the map editor) to focus on mass transit. It might seem stale and limited on paper, but with real-life cities like Amsterdam and Berlin and expansions faithfully reproducing London, Paris, San Francisco, and New York, you can challenge yourself in new ways. (Available for PC and Mac for $19.99)

3. Tropico 4 Instead of the mayor of a city, Tropico 4 makes you the dictator of your own banana republic. You can still build your own city, but you can also accumulate your own personal fortune, enact draconian laws, and rule your country with an iron fist. (Available for PC and Xbox 360 for $29.99)

4. Anno 2070 Global warming has flooded the Earth and you have to build a new civilization on mountain islands using new technologies. Anno 2070 combines city building with research and strategy to create a futuristic world that can be an ecological paradise or a pollution-choked wasteland. (Available for PC for $49.99)

5. Towns Sprawling cities are fun, but why not build a small village? Actually, you're building a small village near a dungeon, and you have to provide all of the support services heroes require to raid the dungeon. Towns is more Sims-like than SimCity (and more than a little like an isometric Minecraft), making you individually design each building to serve different functions, but the premise is interesting enough to explore. (Available for PC for $14.99)

6. Stronghold 3 Why build a city when you can build a castle? Stronghold 3 lets you build a titular stronghold, with all the knights, peasants, and burning oil you could want. There might not be subways or electricity, but there are siege engines at the gates and you have to fight them back. (Available for PC and Mac for $29.99)

7. A World of Keflings Think SimCity meets the Smurfs. Keflings are little dudes and you're a giant who has to guide them (by literally picking them up and putting them in front of things they need to do) to build their own kingdoms. (Available for Xbox 360 for $10)

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