Games that satisfy my itch to grow and build
June 12, 2018 10:43 AM   Subscribe

I'm looking for video games like Cities: Skylines, but for iOS. I don't want resource management, or puzzles, or enemies to come attack my castle- I just want to be able to plant a garden and watch it grow, or build a city from scratch, or design a building, or coral reef, or whatever. Similar to Viridi, but something that I can play actively, instead of checking in on occasionally. What games will scratch that itch to make something and relieve some nervous energy?

You're all going to say "Minecraft," but I don't find the visual style appealing, and all the mining feels more like work than play.
posted by BuddhaInABucket to Computers & Internet (9 answers total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
I found Tiny Tower fun for a while.
posted by danwalker at 11:10 AM on June 12, 2018


Mini Metro's Endless Mode might be something you'd enjoy.
posted by box at 11:15 AM on June 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


Plant a garden? I highly recommend Stardew Valley
posted by jillithd at 11:17 AM on June 12, 2018 [5 favorites]


Response by poster: Unfortunately Stardew Valley is not available on iOS :(
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 11:41 AM on June 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


You might also like Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, Tap Tap Fish, and Birdstopia, though all of those have some of the same timer-dependent gameplay as Viridi.

I haven't played Crashlands, Castaway Paradise, Dawn of Crafting, or Fiz, but I've seen them recommended to iOS folks who like these kinds of games. There's also an iOS Harvest Moon game--it gets mixed reviews.
posted by box at 11:43 AM on June 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


I hate being attacked, too! I've been playing Chef Town for over a year now and it is all planting and cooking. There is some resource management involved, but you can just grow things if you want.
posted by soelo at 1:02 PM on June 12, 2018


I also enjoy games like this! It's definitely harder to find on iOS than on computer, but there's a few good ones out there. Lots of Kairosoft games will scratch this itch, although the pixel-art style may not appeal to everybody and the controls can be a little awkward. But most of the paid ones have free demo versions, so I'd definitely recommend checking out a few of them. I think my favorites are probably 8-Bit Farm, Hot Springs Story, and Oh! Edo Towns, but a lot of the others are great, too.

From other producers, I also like Pocket Build, although it's more focused on just the building without much simulation. Townsmen has much more simulation, but is a little heavier on the resource management side.
posted by duien at 1:18 PM on June 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


Is roller coaster tycoon available on ios?
posted by Jacen at 1:51 PM on June 12, 2018


Stardew Valley is exactly this. I also greatly enjoyed Terraria back in the day, and suspect that there may be a way to turn baddies off and just build (though I could be wrong).
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:19 PM on June 12, 2018


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