CITIES: SKYLINES

Cities: Skylines is a city builder where zoning is only the first layer of the problem. Traffic flow, public services, population growth, and sprawling modded cities can turn it into a serious CPU-heavy simulation long after the streets first look pretty.

Its popularity on PC comes from how much freedom it gives players to obsess over tiny details or think in sweeping urban terms. You can care about road hierarchy, public transit, and zoning efficiency, or simply chase the pleasure of watching a city slowly organize itself around your decisions.