11 Board Games Like Suburbia

Looking for the best board games like Suburbia? You’re not alone.

I LOVE playing Suburbia. It’s like the board game version of SimCity that you can play with friends (or on your own) without sitting in front of a computer screen.

This game has provided me tons of fun over the years I’ve owned it. But, let’s be honest, sometimes you need to shake it up a bit.

If you’re looking for board games like Suburbia and aren’t sure where to start, I recommend checking these games out:

Best Board Games Like Suburbia

It’s the 1950s and you’re tasked with building the best town. You complete with other players to build the best city by creating the best housing estates. In Welcome to Your Perfect Home, you’re the developer and architect, and it’s up to you to build a city.

This is a game that’s fun for the whole family AND super easy to play. I like that it’s highly replayable AND goes quickly (about 25 minutes), plus everyone over the age of 10 can have a ton of fun.

Most players say this is a fun game, especially for it’s value-based price (board games can get super pricey!). I also love it for solo play, because it’s card based with smaller pieces it’s relatively easy to pack up and take on the road with you.

Terraforming Mars makes it on almost all of my game lists, and that’s simply because I love it so much. But it is legitimately like Suburbia in a few distinct ways.

The biggest for me is tile placement – though you place tiles differently in each game. But it’s also a cooperative-yet-competitive game. What the other players do will effect your game, but you’re still playing to win independently.

However, this game is a little less SimCity and a little more Civilization. It’s perfect for strategy players, those that like longer games, and those that need something engaging to play alone.

Cities: Skylines is a little more SimCity-like, especially since you consider other factors like crime, traffic flow and education, instead of just building the environment around you. It’s a fun, interactive and cooperative game that’s fun for everyone.

You start with a blank canvas with the goal of making a big, gorgeous city.

It makes for a unique city-building experience that’s highly recommended. Some describe it as city-building combined with Tetris since you need to fit everything together just right to make the city work.

In Megacity: Oceania you act as architects building a new city on platforms that float on the ocean surface. It’s cooperative and combines easy rules with dexterity based mechanisms, combined these actually end up creating new cities EVERY single time.

This reminds me a bit of Tetris, Jenga and SimCity all put together into a game that doesn’t require any knowledge beforehand to know what you’re building. You get “handed” contracts and requirements, and its up to you and your fellow players to make a great city out of it.

Players say that it’s tricky but fun, and overall easy to understand. It’s a great game that’s worth the value and can work for ANY type of board game player. Add something new to your game night and start building!

Catan is basically Suburbia but before sky rises and “cities” were a real thing. In this game, you trade, build and settle land with the aim to acquire the most resources. This game only takes minutes to learn, but for the right people it’s the game of a lifetime.

This game can be fun for the whole family, but kids need to be a little older to fully understand what’s going on (you know, say 10?). All-in-all it’s a great game that comes highly recommended by many-a board game enthusiast, though there can be a learning curve (depending on how intense you play).

This is by-far one of my favorite board games, and there are a few expansions you can add to it if you feel like your game night needs a little more variation.

Big Boss is a game that allows you to build your business from the ground up. Instead of building a city, you’re building a business, investing in other players and trying to amass a fortune to make an impact.

It’s a spin-off of the game Acquire (though created by someone else entirely), and it’s a strategic game that’s designed similar to other 90s board games. Your goal is to build an empire an invest through card-based game play – though you do get to build “physical” companies on the board.

This is a German board game, and it’s designed for players to win big through acquisition. It’s similar to Suburbia where in you’re building something BIG for an overall outcome. However it’s focused on building instead of civil development.

Much like Suburbia’s strategic tile placement, Ticket to Ride challenges players to claim railway routes on a map, optimizing paths and connections. Both offer interactive gameplay, with Suburbia featuring subtle competition for tiles and Ticket to Ride encouraging direct route races.

Ticket to Ride is a classic game that’s on many family shelves. It’s fun for the whole family, G-rated and can give you a few minutes to hours of interaction. Plus there are a number of expansions (or variations) that you can add to your collection to mix up game play.

Embark on a journey where city planning meets railway construction and explore the common ground between these engaging classics.

Though it might not sound like it Keyflower is a cut-throat strategy game that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. Each player starts with a “home” tile and a random team of workers, you are then tasked with acquiring resources, skills and additional workers to earn victory points and win the game.

It’s a fun worker placement game that’s full of player interaction. However, it’s worth noting that it is sometimes described as a little more complex learning curve. Many players recommend giving it a few plays so you know what you’re doing before you make up your mind about it.

Rolling Hills is a city-building game based in the 1920s, so if you’re in for going back in time (but not quite as far as Catan) this might just be the game for you.

You’re a general contractor who’s just started your own business – but you’re not the only one. Competitors are nipping at your heels and it’s up to you to keep your workers in line and build more.

This game is described as being loads of fun, especially if you’ve got slightly older players (teenagers and up!). What I like most about it is that it’s not terrible competitive, so it’s easy to keep it lighthearted and fun.

On a more micro level we have Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig – instead of building a city, you’re focused on a castle (which, in the olden days were technically little towns). It’s a competitive tile-drafting game that’s perfect for older kids and crowds.

It’s similar to Suburbia in gameplay, but is more competitive – so there’s a bit more player interaction (if that’s your thing). It’s easy to learn and a real TON of fun for players that are into competitive cooperation.

I’m not going to lie, Wingspan seems like it wouldn’t be anything like Suburbia – but it does have a similar vibe. Instead of building a city your goal is to attract the BEST flocks of birds to your wildlife preserve.

It’s described as an “extraordinary” game experience that takes you on a real journey. It’s incredibly easy to learn and has countless ways to replay, it’s WELL worth it to get this into your game inventory.

Final Thoughts: Board Games Like Suburbia

I really enjoy playing Suburbia, but it’s not the most player-interactive game out there. That said, if you enjoy the city building aspect (or want to play that bad boy solo) there are plenty of games like Welcome To Your Perfect Home out there.

For those that enjoy the Suburbia gameplay but want a little more strategic player interaction, I recommend looking towards something like Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig or the classic game, Ticket to Ride.

Honestly, there are plenty of board games like Suburbia out there for ANY playing style and player. Which one will you play next?