Let Them Trade

About

Let Them Trade is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Spaceflower and was released on July 24, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Let Them Trade is a relaxed city builder focused on managing supply chains and trading resources between autonomous cities. Players build and expand cities while protecting the economy from bandits in a vibrant, detailed world. The game offers both sandbox and scenario-based campaigns with light combat and approachable gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 412 reviews

gameplay29 positive mentions

replayability7 negative mentions

The game is easy to figure out and start playing, making it accessible for both experienced players and newcomers.
It features a charming art style and relaxing gameplay, providing a cozy experience while managing trade and resources.
The campaign offers a well-structured tutorial that gradually introduces mechanics, allowing players to enjoy the game without feeling overwhelmed.

The game lacks depth and replayability, with a short campaign that can be completed quickly, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness.
There are issues with the transport and trading mechanics, where resources may not be efficiently distributed, causing frustration.
The game currently has performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems, which can detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
67%
3%
The gameplay is characterized by its simple mechanics and relaxing pace, making it accessible for players, especially those interested in economic simulations. However, many reviews highlight a lack of depth and variety, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of unfinished content. While the core mechanics are enjoyable and visually appealing, the game struggles with limited replayability and a campaign that often feels like an extended tutorial rather than a fully developed experience.
- “The mechanics (including the self-adjusting market prices) are deeper than they appear at first glance.”
- “The gameplay loop itself has a relaxing but fun feel.”
- “I love how simplistic the basic gameplay is, but also how in-depth it gets with a full research tree to explore and upgrade your production chains for cities to trade.”
- “However, the mechanics seem to be too repetitive.”
- “Overall, it's a really cute game with potential, but it's hard for me to recommend it when a lot of the core mechanics do not work and there is such a lack of depth or replayability.”
- “Overall, the campaign ends up being overly repetitive because you are required to perform the same steps to complete your mission objective in pretty much the exact same way on every level, with practically identical access to resources, and no meaningful variation in challenge.”
graphics
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
49%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, wooden toy aesthetic and cozy, board-game-like presentation, which many players find delightful and visually appealing. However, some users report performance issues, including poor optimization and limited graphics settings, which can detract from the overall experience. While the art style is consistently appreciated, concerns about low-quality visuals and stiff animations persist among certain players.
- “The graphics are utterly charming, with everything looking like wooden toys, but you do need to force yourself to zoom in and appreciate the aesthetic because the whole game can be played while zoomed very far out.”
- “The standout feature for me is the unique tabletop-inspired art style—it gives the game a charming, original identity that sets it apart in the genre.”
- “The clean, minimalist art style adds to the cozy atmosphere, and it’s easy to lose track of time while playing.”
- “While the game looks nice, sadly its performance is poorly optimized and the graphics settings are lacking.”
- “The low graphics settings make the game look quite bad, but there is no way to turn off the shadows and reflections that my computer seems to struggle with the most.”
- “Graphics are low quality, and animations are stiff and unconvincing, further cementing the feeling of an outdated product.”
story
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
90%
5%
The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and repetitiveness, with missions often feeling like a simple checklist of tasks rather than engaging narratives. Players note that the campaign primarily focuses on basic economic management, with little variation in mission objectives and a failure to explore advanced mechanics until the very end. While some appreciate the structured approach to learning gameplay, many express a desire for a more fleshed-out story and greater challenge throughout the campaign.
- “The campaign has good missions that slowly ease you into more complex economies.”
- “While they say don't expect a story-driven campaign, it still has a goal and teaches you slowly and effectively.”
- “I'm playing through the campaign and it's a fun story that teaches gameplay.”
- “Every mission is basically 'do literally what the quest says, do not think'.”
- “The campaign spends two-thirds of its missions on the peasant economy, with the city economy (in its two phases) only being addressed in the last mission!”
- “Overall, the campaign ends up being overly repetitive because you are required to perform the same steps to complete your mission objective in pretty much the exact same way on every level, with practically identical access to resources, and no meaningful variation in challenge.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
33%
13%
The music in the game is generally praised for its pleasant, cozy atmosphere and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, creating a relaxed environment for players. However, some reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the combination of charming visuals and engaging music contributes positively to the game's appeal, making it a delightful choice for casual gaming.
- “I was able to sit back, relax, listen to the wonderful soundtrack and build up my trading empire.”
- “The art style and music give it warmth, the pacing keeps it thoughtful, and the trade logic rewards planning over grinding.”
- “Music deserves a special mention as well; integrates perfectly with the aesthetic, and helps encourage that relaxed Sunday-afternoon-gaming feel.”
- “The soundtrack is very limited for a game that spans such a long time frame.”
- “Still, the soundtrack isn’t bad by any means.”
- “Came for the art, stayed for the music.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
50%
35%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, primarily due to a lack of content and depth, with many players feeling that once the core mechanics are mastered, there is little incentive to return. While the map editor and user-generated content offer some replay value, the game is generally seen as a one-time experience that can be enjoyed for a limited duration. Players express hope for future updates that could enhance replayability through new content and features.
- “Regardless, I'm enjoying this game thoroughly and am hopeful for more content in the future, be that new maps (maybe even random generation for replayability), campaigns or even multiplayer!”
- “I would love to see a larger tech tree in the future, but the map editor already gives good replay value with hundreds of player-made maps.”
- “It's not the hardest game out there, but it is a fun game to spend an afternoon tinkering with every so often, and the map editor gives it great replayability.”
- “Basically no replayability.”
- “I think the game is pretty low on replayability due to a lack of content, is remarkably poorly optimized, and I generally don't agree with how the economy is structured.”
- “There is zero replay value; once you figure out the meta strategy, you're kind of done.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many users reporting poor performance and a lack of comprehensive graphics settings. While some players appreciate the satisfaction of managing systems within the game, the overall consensus is that it is poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating experience despite its visual appeal. There is a clear need for improvements in performance and quality-of-life features to enhance gameplay.
- “If you love the satisfaction of watching a system run smoothly after careful setup, this one absolutely delivers.”
- “A laid-back optimization game where you build trade routes, manage production chains, and vibe.”
- “Still has plenty of room for optimizations and quality of life features, but a very enjoyable game as released!”
- “While the game looks nice, sadly its performance is poorly optimized and the graphics settings are lacking.”
- “The performance is really bad relative to how the game looks.”
- “The graphics settings menu is extremely barebones too, so you can't really play with the settings to figure out what is the performance bottleneck.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is described as fun, creative, and well-integrated, enhancing the overall experience without being overwhelming. Players appreciate the clever, tongue-in-cheek dialogue and the lighthearted approach to serious themes, making the game both relaxing and engaging. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's charm and replayability.
- “The mechanics and sense of humor in the game are fun and creative enough to keep me coming back for more.”
- “The tongue-in-cheek humor is greatly appreciated.”
- “Campaign holds your hand a little when explaining new mechanics, but the humorous dialog makes up for it.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the game features a warm art style and thoughtful pacing, the grinding aspect can become tedious and complex, particularly in managing the economy and production perks. Some players find the grind rewarding in the long run, but others feel it may deter engagement due to its repetitive nature. Overall, the experience can vary significantly based on individual preferences for management and planning.
- “That is extremely tedious and tough, and may put many people away very rapidly.”
- “But as your kingdom progresses, the game gets very tedious.”
- “I think some design decisions need refining as well; I think the individual perks of production tiles you can select are tedious to manage.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of emotions regarding the game's mechanics, particularly feeling a sense of comfort despite the unrealistic economic system that seemingly disregards supply and demand. The juxtaposition of city-building challenges and the game's financial model evokes a strong emotional response, highlighting both frustration and amusement.
- “That made me feel comfortable with the game immediately.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting frequent crashes, significant frame rate drops, and various graphical glitches, while others have experienced smooth performance without issues. Despite the positive experiences, the prevalence of negative feedback regarding stability concerns raises questions about the game's overall reliability.
- “I'd love to recommend this game because it seems really fun, but even on the lowest settings, it keeps crashing, regularly runs 'seconds per frame' instead of fps, and there are buggy shadows glitching across the screen.”
- “Wasn't quite what I expected, seems a bit too cozy and maybe buggy, upgrades never completing even though they're queued and I verify there are enough resources to cover the cost.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its cozy and immersive qualities, enhanced by a clean, minimalist art style and excellent music. Players appreciate the attention to detail, which contributes to a captivating experience, although some find the gameplay's complexity can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Very nice music, cozy atmosphere, amazing in-game details - all in all really well done.”
- “The clean, minimalist art style adds to the cozy atmosphere, and it’s easy to lose track of time while playing.”
- “Spot on aesthetic and atmosphere... but it requires extreme levels of both pattern recognition and resource management.”