Skip to main content

Flooded

Flooded is a strange reversed city builder. This morbidly amusing title will test your patience and management skills. Furthermore, it asks you to happily sacrifice your work for the greater good! Can you balance loss and progress? Complete each quest, work quickly, and save the miners. + Old-school imagery. + Simple audio. + An interesting concept. + Oddly addictive. - Procedurally generated action can make it touch to plan. - The need to start from scratch will annoy some gamers. (Rating: PEGI 3 Release date: 23/02/2024 Price: £10.74) (Reviewed on the Xbox Series X. Also available on Xbox One, PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5) (Full disclosure! This review is based on a copy of the game being provided by the publisher/developer.)
Flooded Game Cover
78%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, music
81% User Score Based on 48 reviews
Critic Score 76%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCPlaystation 4Xbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
Buy Nowfrom $1.94
Buy NowGet on Steam
Flooded Game Cover

About

Flooded is a single player survival city builder game with a economy theme. It was developed by Artificial Disasters and was released on April 12, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Flooded is a reversed city-builder, in which you need to optimize your production on an island that shrinks over time. Gather enough resources to flee to safety, while the surrounding world is getting flooded.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
Flooded screenshot
+2
Skip User Reviews

81%
Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews
gameplay13 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • Unique and original gameplay concept focusing on managing a shrinking island with rising water, creating a fresh take on city-building and strategy genres.
  • Addictive and engaging resource management and base-building mechanics that challenge players to adapt and make strategic sacrifices.
  • Polished with solid replayability through procedural maps, multiple modes, and unlockable perks and commanders; suitable for casual and strategy fans alike.
  • Technical issues including bugs, glitches, and lag that can detract from the experience and frustrate players.
  • Campaign and story elements are simplistic, sometimes feeling childish or unengaging, with limited narrative depth.
  • Game mechanics and difficulty can feel repetitive or predictable after initial stages, and some quality-of-life features like saving mid-game are missing.
  • gameplay
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Flooded offers a unique and refreshing twist on city-building by emphasizing survival, loss, and adaptation as rising waters threaten your settlement. While praised for its innovative mechanics, immersive atmosphere, and accessible pacing, some find it overly easy and repetitive, with limited depth or challenge throughout the campaign. Overall, it provides a distinctive, engaging experience for strategy fans seeking a concise and thoughtful game.

    • “Instead of rewarding long-term sprawl and steady growth, Flooded asks players to plan for loss, sacrifice, and constant adaptation, turning familiar resource-management mechanics into a tense exercise in survival under relentless pressure.”
    • “Flooded has an excellent core gameplay mechanic where water is closing in on your island from all directions and you have to complete objectives while either fighting the rising tides, staying away from them, or deciding which resources or land to lose if you can't fight it.”
    • “Randomized elements and a variety of biomes with unique characteristics keep the gameplay loop fresh and make individual missions continuously fun.”
    • “The gameplay is ridiculously easy and most of the main campaign you can steam right through without much resistance, and you will not experience anything interesting in terms of gameplay mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay isn't interesting, and doesn't change throughout the campaign--despite adding a few structures that are very situational.”
    • “This game is so bad, you can literally ignore 100% of the mechanics in it and win anyway if you just focus on maximizing resource production.”
  • story
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is generally simple and somewhat light, offering just enough context to frame the gameplay but often described as childish or uninspired. While not a major draw, it provides a decent backdrop with some thematic elements of resilience and catastrophe, supporting the overall enjoyable and replayable experience.

    • “While the narrative elements remain understated, they provide enough thematic context to frame each run as part of a larger story about catastrophe, resilience, and the limits of human control.”
    • “It plays really well, has a decent tutorial and a decent story with everything else about this game being almost perfect for what kind of game it is.”
    • “A cute little indie game that I enjoyed very much. It didn't cost much and I do recommend it to others to try if they like DOS-styled graphics and little indie games. I won't give anything away but the storyline is fun enough.”
    • “The writing and plot are very simple, feeling almost childish at times.”
    • “The story could have been written by a child, and the attempts at humor are an embarrassment for humankind.”
    • “The story, characters, and music really are not a draw either.”
  • graphics
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game feature a clean, colorful pixel-art style that emphasizes clarity and charm over high-end visuals, appealing mainly to fans of retro or indie aesthetics. While some find the simple graphics charming and fitting for the game's atmosphere, others note performance issues and basic visuals. Overall, the pixel art is praised for complementing the gameplay and immersive experience despite its simplicity.

    • “Visually, Flooded adopts a clean and colorful pixel-art style that prioritizes clarity over spectacle.”
    • “Some other commenter wrote 'don't let the simple graphics fool you, this is a great game' and they hit the nail on the head.”
    • “The game combines beautiful graphics, an immersive atmosphere, and intricate gameplay mechanics to keep strategists hooked for hours.”
    • “I had to lower every graphic setting for this game to be remotely playable, and even then I can't open the upgrade menu without having single-digit FPS.”
    • “Graphics, sound, and story are basic, but you're getting this for the gameplay which is very good.”
    • “Some people are put off by the simple graphics, but they really work for this game.”
  • music
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music effectively enhances the game's somber atmosphere with a restrained, supportive soundtrack that complements the strategic focus without being distracting. However, it is noted as solid but not a standout feature compared to other elements like story and characters.

    • “The music is the vibe for this game.”
    • “The story, characters, and music really are not a draw either.”
    • “Sound design and music remain restrained, supporting the atmosphere without distracting from the strategic focus, and reinforcing the somber tone of a world steadily slipping beneath the waves.”
    • “A solid soundtrack.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Flooded's optimization emphasizes strategic layout and building upgrades to manage limited growth within time constraints, creating a challenging experience. While the mechanics offer unique depth, they may feel restrictive to players used to more open-ended city builders.

    • “Production optimization involves upgrading buildings and using the unique skills of our leader.”
    • “Flooded excels at making players feel the weight of these choices, as even well-optimized layouts must eventually yield to the encroaching water.”
    • “The very mechanics that make it unique can also feel restrictive, especially for players accustomed to long-form city builders where growth and optimization unfold over hours without hard limits.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report significant stability issues, noting that the game is buggy and glitchy, with troubles starting from the tutorial. Overall, the experience is hampered by frequent malfunctions that affect playability.

    • “So this game is buggy and glitchy. I was warned beforehand by my gaming buddies, but since it was on sale I gave it a go.”
    • “This game doesn't work at all, and the tutorial is also buggy and doesn't do a good job explaining things.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game’s atmosphere is conveyed through restrained sound design and music that enhance its somber tone without distracting from strategy, complemented by beautiful graphics that create an immersive and engaging experience.

    • “Sound design and music remain restrained, supporting the atmosphere without distracting from the strategic focus, and reinforcing the somber tone of a world steadily slipping beneath the waves.”
    • “The game combines beautiful graphics, an immersive atmosphere, and intricate gameplay mechanics to keep strategists hooked for hours.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely seen as immature and poorly executed, detracting from the overall writing quality. Many find the comedic attempts embarrassing rather than entertaining.

  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability is enhanced by procedural island generation and a variety of game modes, encouraging players to experiment and experience fresh challenges each time.

    • “Replayability is supported through procedural island generation and multiple modes that encourage experimentation.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a memorable emotional experience by emphasizing adaptation, efficiency, and challenging trade-offs, rewarding players who demonstrate careful thinking and emotional resilience.

    • “Its emphasis on adaptation, efficiency, and difficult trade-offs creates a memorable experience that rewards careful thinking and emotional resilience.”
Skip Critic Reviews

76%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Flooded

18h Median play time
16h Average play time
12-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Flooded

Games Like Flooded

Thronefall Image
97%15.5kreviews

Thronefall

2024Survival City Builder
Nintendo SwitchPCTablet+8
Games like Thronefall
Drop Duchy Image
91%1.5kreviews

Drop Duchy

2025Tactical Simulation
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+7
Games like Drop Duchy
The King is Watching Image
89%3.1kreviews

The King is Watching

2025Tactical City Builder
Nintendo SwitchPCWeb Browser+2
Games like The King is Watching
Gloria Victis: Siege Image
73%836reviews

Gloria Victis: Siege

2021Survival City Builder
PCWindows
Games like Gloria Victis: Siege
Cataclismo Image
77%2.8kreviews

Cataclismo

2025Survival City Builder
PCXboxWindows
Games like Cataclismo
More games like Flooded
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Flooded is a survival city builder game with economy theme.

Flooded is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and others.

On average players spend around 16 hours playing Flooded.

Flooded was released on April 12, 2023.

Flooded was developed by Artificial Disasters.

Flooded has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Flooded for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Flooded is a single player game.

Similar games include Thronefall, Drop Duchy, The King is Watching, Gloria Victis: Siege, Cataclismo and others.