City Game Studio

Starting at $12.11Buy now

"City Game Studio" is a tycoon game where you run your own video game development company, starting in a small space and growing to hire artists, developers, and testers. Successful games will allow you to move to larger locations and self-publish, but working with publishers may be necessary in the beginning. The game features engine development and publishing contracts as you aim to dominate the market.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 602 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

City Game Studio offers a deeper and more complex experience than Game Dev Tycoon, with features like managing multiple studios, creating custom consoles, and negotiating contracts.
The game is highly addictive, providing a satisfying gameplay loop that keeps players engaged for hours.
The developer is very responsive to community feedback, frequently updating the game and adding new features based on player suggestions.

The user interface can be cluttered and confusing, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the mechanics.
Some players find the game too easy once they understand the mechanics, leading to a lack of challenge in higher difficulties.
There are reports of bugs and performance issues, particularly with the game freezing or crashing during play.

gameplay
85 mentions
28 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this management simulation game is engaging and offers a deep experience, particularly for fans of the genre, with mechanics that allow for extensive customization and strategic decision-making. While it shares similarities with "Game Dev Tycoon," many players appreciate its added complexity and variety, although some find the interface cluttered and certain mechanics unclear. Overall, the game provides a solid gameplay loop with a rewarding learning curve, though it may become repetitive over time.
- “You can dive deep into every aspect of game development, from designing and releasing your own custom console to tweaking in-game mechanics like microtransactions.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are intuitive and easy to grasp, making it accessible to both newcomers and seasoned gamers.”
- “The process of balancing development tasks, managing resources, and strategically releasing games adds an exciting layer of strategy to the gameplay.”
- “On top of the mechanical and UI issues, the screen is hard to read in terms of telling what's going on at a glance.”
- “While the game has some interesting proposals and innovative ideas over the genre, its mechanics have very little depth in my opinion.”
- “I sincerely and wholeheartedly hope that you, the developer, will not abandon the game halfway through, because it looks promising, but something definitely needs to be done with the transparency of the mechanics so that there is no feeling that I do not control anything, and the game seems to be playing itself.”
graphics
37 mentions
24 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as minimalist and functional, prioritizing clarity over flashiness, though opinions vary widely. Some players appreciate the unique art style and find the visuals effective, while others criticize them as subpar or in need of optimization, particularly in late-game scenarios. Overall, while the graphics may not be the game's strongest aspect, they are often seen as adequate for the gameplay experience.
- “The visuals themselves are minimalist but effective, focusing on clarity and functionality rather than overly flashy graphics.”
- “It has a lot of depth, features, etc. The UI is solid and the graphics match the game's style.”
- “Nice graphics and awesome content so far, can't wait to see how this game grows and progresses.”
- “My main takeaway and drawback is that the game has absolutely atrocious graphics and UX.”
- “It's like Prison Architect, with garbage visuals.”
- “The graphics leave something to be desired, but by no means are bad.”
story
29 mentions
10 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The story aspect of "City Game Studio" is generally viewed as less engaging compared to its predecessors like "Game Dev Story" and "Game Dev Tycoon," with players noting a lack of narrative depth and charm. While the game allows for slider adjustments to influence gameplay elements like story, many feel it lacks meaningful storytelling and character interaction, reducing it to a more mechanical experience. Overall, it is seen as a more complex iteration of the genre but falls short in delivering a compelling narrative.
- “I rarely write reviews, but as a huge game dev story/tycoon fan, this game takes it to the next level.”
- “If you ever played game dev story, this is a more fleshed out version of that.”
- “This is still in early access but it already offers more than game dev tycoon and others (including the original mobile game game dev story).”
- “It's basically a featureless clicker game with a game dev story skin.”
- “It has absolutely zero of the charm that game dev story and other games in the genre have - like you never get letters from fans about how much they like your games, you're never told how/what your games are doing in any terms other than the raw sales numbers and fan count.”
- “There are some games which really do not need story, character customization, etc., so I set them to like 16%... and on the game report, it says I failed on the story.”
replayability
14 mentions
36 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, primarily due to its procedural generation and extensive options for genres and themes, reminiscent of the original Game Dev Tycoon. While some players note that the historical context limits variability, the potential for modding and future expansions could enhance replay value further. Overall, it provides a solid experience with ample opportunities for repeated play, especially for tycoon enthusiasts.
- “The procedurally generated nature of this game is what makes it insanely replayable when compared to other games of this very special genre.”
- “The amount of options for genres and themes is already massive in the base game and it can be very easily increased with mods, which gives this loop insane replayability, similar to what it had in Game Dev Tycoon.”
- “Great replayability if you like tycoon.”
- “It hurts the replayability - because actual history never changes.”
- “Unfortunately, finding a game to match the depth, replayability, polish and charm it had, has been a pain.”
- “But on the other, it lacks replayability.”
grinding
10 mentions
10 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
90 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and micromanagement-heavy, particularly when scaling up and multitasking. While some appreciate the challenge and improvements over time, many express frustration with repetitive tasks, limited hiring options, and grindy achievements that detract from overall enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I like the vision the developer has and I like the idea for the game, but it has a fundamental problem: it wants you to scale up and multitask, but it is tedious to scale up and multitask.”
- “There is never enough decent designers in the hiring pool and the hiring pool doesn't increase in size, which is quite annoying at the later stages of the game. Also, balancing your teams becomes tedious and the 'fire' button should ask you again if you really want to fire a person.”
- “Grinding achievements: yes, the 1000 games and postmortems are a big, big grind.”
monetization
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
22 % neutral mentions
44 % negative mentions
The monetization system in the game allows for extensive customization, including the ability to implement microtransactions and ads, which can enhance gameplay but may feel limited due to a cap on the number of microtransactions. Players appreciate the hands-on approach to game development, though some express a desire for more flexibility in adding microtransactions over time. Overall, while the monetization features are robust, there are suggestions for improvement to keep them engaging and relevant.
- “You can dive deep into every aspect of game development, from designing and releasing your own custom console to tweaking in-game mechanics like microtransactions.”
- “It has much more features that you can add to your game (microtransactions + ads) and you can even make a free-to-play game.”
- “So the developer should definitely increase the number of microtransactions or make it that at first you can add 16 max but every time you update you can add like 4 more.”
- “There is a small problem with the microtransactions; you can add a maximum of 16, which might seem like enough at the beginning, but it becomes pretty limiting later.”
- “Over time, you unlock things like more sliders while creating games that you'll very quickly have zeroed in on their ideal spot and then never touch again, or more advertising options despite the best option still just being clicking the button to use all advertising.”
- “It has a lot of features, and it continues to add them like the microtransactions and ads.”
music
7 mentions
29 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game's music features a mellow soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere, blending ambient and lounge styles. While some players find it repetitive and unvaried, it remains enjoyable and complements the gameplay without detracting from the experience. Overall, the music adds charm to the game, despite some concerns about volume levels.
- “Adding to the game’s charm is its mellow soundtrack.”
- “The music creates a nice, balanced atmosphere that complements the flow of the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay loop is solid, the music is okay albeit repetitive (befitting of the environment, I suppose).”
- “The graphics leave something to be desired, but by no means are bad; the music, while repetitive and unvaried, doesn't make you want to turn off or down the volume.”
- “The music is a hodgepodge of ambient and lounge music.”
optimization
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received positive feedback, with many players praising its impressive performance and stability, especially compared to previous titles. However, some users noted that graphics optimization could be improved, as certain setups still experience lag despite decent hardware.
- “I've just beaten the game for my first time and, dude, this game is incredible! The optimization is insane and it's so good, well built. In my opinion, 9/10. It's a bit fast-paced, but other than that, amazing time playing this.”
- “The look is very similar, which I don't mind, but I believe this one has much better performance with much more going on, so great job on the optimization.”
- “The game has very high potential in terms of depth, gameplay, performance, and stability.”
- “Graphics could use some optimization, with studios of 100+ members causing lags on pretty decent machines (3770k/16g/ssd/1080ti).”
- “If you focus on optimization more than what is 'recommended', you end up with a bad game.”
stability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some users report frequent crashes and bugs, particularly at specific times, others find it relatively stable and enjoyable despite minor issues. Overall, the game shows promise but suffers from notable stability concerns that can detract from the experience.
- “This game is good, but it keeps crashing every time it hits the end of December. It freezes even though I have 4 mods on.”
- “The game is absolutely bug-ridden, and when combined with the very unintuitive interface, it does not make for an overall pleasant gaming experience.”
- “I still have much to learn, and there are a few buggy issues, but this game has a lot of promise.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive quality, enhanced by a well-balanced musical score that complements the gameplay. Players feel captivated by the authentic environment crafted by the developers, making the experience engaging from the very start.
- “The music creates a nice, balanced atmosphere that complements the flow of the gameplay.”
- “From the moment I set foot in my modest rented office space, I was captivated by the immersive gameplay and the authentic atmosphere that City Game Studio effortlessly created.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game features a strong sense of humor, highlighted by its amusing mini-game of office decoration that encourages absurdly tight employee arrangements. Additionally, players enjoy the hilariously generated game names and clever puns used for competitors, adding to the overall comedic experience.
- “The game has a great sense of humor: automatically-generated game names are absolutely hilarious, and the punny renamed competitors are clever.”
- “Is decorating the office strictly necessary? Not really, but it allows you to play a sort of mini-game of arranging your employees and decorations for maximum efficiency—though it hilariously doesn't require you to leave much actual room for your employees, so you can pack them into some pretty tight arrangements if you want to.”