The Cities Skylines 2 economy has certainly improved since the big 2.0 patch from Colossal Order. But if you want a strategy game and builder with a serious focus on manufacturing, production chains, and money management - something that marries the spirit of SimCity with the depth and detail of maybe Industry Giant - there's one underloved Steam stalwart that deserves more attention. A plucky rival to CS2, Highrise City is huge, complex (in a good way), and boasts a supremely intricate economic simulation. And if you haven't tried it yet, it's about to get even better courtesy of a new DLC.
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If Cities Skylines 2 performance has you worried, play this instead
Here's a handy fan roundup of 30 city builders coming up
"Next evolution" city builder Highrise City is getting a beta test this week