The best city-building strategy games range from the delightful mundanity of Cities Skylines 2 and SimCity to the mysterious and fantastical realms of Against the Storm, or the frozen scarcity of Frostpunk. But rather than pleasing the boardroom, or your citizens, in new city builder Worshippers of Cthulhu your true masters are the Eldritch Old Gods; those unknowable, omnipotent beings of Lovecraftian legend that blend the very fabric of reality.
Worshippers of Cthulhu is, in many respects, just like many of the best city-building games on PC. Lay out your buildings, organise your roads, formulate production lines and industry networks. Unlike some of the more traditional offerings in the genre, however, the islands you’ll build on here require you to work around some rather ominous-looking ruins carved into the landscape.
The good news is that you’re happy to see these ruins. They are, after all, the key to awakening your god – your one true, singular purpose. As such, every decision you make is in service of this. Form a cult of followers and determine how they’ll work best towards this grand design, whether that be hard work or practising dark rituals.
You’ll be able to proclaim dogmas that affect how your worship and rituals play out with distinct modifiers, much like 2023’s cuddly yet sinister roguelike game Cult of the Lamb. As for the non-believers, well, they’re a rather bothersome waste of space and resources. It’s up to you to decide whether to conquer, pillage, convert, or simply sacrifice them to your own ends.
Worshippers of Cthulhu is coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store in 2024. It’s set to launch in early access, which developer Crazy Goat Games estimates will last for “about a year.” You can wishlist it now if you want to keep track of when it becomes available.
There’s plenty more of the best strategy games to play in 2024, too, so you’ll have lots to keep you busy while we await its arrival. Alternatively, if you’re into the dark, foreboding mythos of the unknowable, you’ll likely find more of that among the best horror games on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.