What frustrates you the most in Cities Skylines 2? For some players, it's getting taxes absolutely right. In other cases, optimizing garbage collection and building the perfect road network are a constant bane. Obviously you want a challenge in a strategy game, but there's also something to be said for sitting back and just admiring your creation, those reflective moments in Civilization 6 or Age of Empires where you just bask in the majesty of what you've made. Take that feeling and combine it with Night City from Cyberpunk 2077 - eliminate all the headaches from CS2, and indulge, fully, in the joys of architecture and urban design. This is Dystopika, a unique city builder that you have to play, especially now it's had a huge update.
In Dystopika, there are no taxes, no roads, no citizen groups banging on the door of your office, making demands. A city building game of pure expression, you are free to create your own sci-fi, cyberpunk metropolis without any pressure whatsoever.
Night City is meant to be a bit of a dump, likewise the LA of Blade Runner. But if you've ever gazed at those ominous, neon-illuminated skyscrapers - the animated billboards, freckled occasionally by passing flying cars - and thought it all looked seriously gorgeous, Dystopika is for you.
Of the more than 1,500 user reviews Dystopika has received on Steam, a staggering 96% are positive. Now, it's had a significant overhaul - the latest update adds better weather effects and advertisement holograms, an fps slider, adjustments to certain items to allow for easier building and placement, and fullscreen windowed mode.
Bugs have been fixed and developer Voids Within says that the roadmap has been updated to prioritize mod support. If you want to try Dystopika for yourself, it's available for $6.99 / £5.89. Just go right here.
Otherwise, try some of the other best strategy games, or maybe the best 4X games ever made.
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