Banished
Welcome to the world of Banished! In this city-building strategy game, you control a group of exiled travelers who decide to restart their lives in a new land. They have only the clothes on their backs and a cart filled with supplies from their homeland. The objective of the game is to keep the population alive and grow it into a successful culture. Options for feeding the people include hunting and gathering, agriculture, trade, and fishing. However, sustainable practices must be considered to survive in the long term.
What it feels like
An unhurried invitation to reflect on systems, consequences, and long-term planning. Despite difficulty, the pace and tone invite calm presence and patient management.
What it's about
Enduring a harsh new land with limited resources and hostile seasons is the central struggle. A grounded medieval or dark-ages aesthetic of settlers, agriculture, and simple economy.
How it plays
Core system is planning and growing a functioning city of exiled settlers. Managing autonomous townspeople's needs, jobs, and survival emerges into stories of growth and decline. Scarce resources (food, supplies, materials) must be gathered, budgeted, and spent under long-term pressure.
How it's structured
Explicitly designed as single-player only, with no multiplayer component mentioned. Player sets their own goals within a systemic play space; no imposed victory condition beyond survival and growth. The world is deliberately authored by designers rather than procedurally generated, despite user tags suggesting procedural content.
Kindred games
Shares City Building, Colony Sim, Resource Management, Survival Needs.
Both lean into City Building, Single-Player, Colony Sim, Resource Management.
Shares City Building, Resource Management, Colony Sim, Sandbox.
Both lean into City Building, Resource Management, Colony Sim, Single-Player.
Shares City Building, Resource Management, Sandbox, Handcrafted World.
Both lean into City Building, Single-Player, Resource Management, Sandbox.
Closest hidden gems
A lesser-known kindred — City Building, Resource Management, Colony Sim, Sandbox. 87% positive across 4,363 Steam reviews.
Both lean into City Building, Single-Player, Resource Management, Colony Sim.
A lesser-known kindred — City Building, Sandbox, Resource Management, Deep Simulation. 95% positive across 4,642 Steam reviews.
Both lean into City Building, Sandbox, Resource Management, Single-Player.
A lesser-known kindred — Sandbox, Resource Management, Deep Simulation, Farming. 90% positive across 4,944 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Single-Player, Sandbox, Resource Management, Deep Simulation.