15 – Super Fantasy Kingdom
Published by Hooded Horse, Super Fantasy Kingdom might look like the world map of Super Mario, but it’s a new take on the city-building genre by blending it with rogue-lite elements and frenetic horde defense. Players return to their ruined lands and must embark on the challenging task of rebuilding their kingdom while simultaneously fending off relentless waves of monsters that attack nightly. The game encourages strategic planning in both city development and combat: you’ll harvest resources, construct essential buildings, and manage production chains to support your growing population and bolster your defenses. A core feature is the “Vampire Survivors-like” combat, where you recruit and deploy a unique team of over 100 diverse units, from vampires to dinosaurs, each with their abilities and upgrade paths, which is kind of wild when you think about it. There are also plenty of cute dogs and horses running around, I wonder if those are recruitable as well. Every run is designed for high replayability, with randomized resource locations, unlockable heroes, relics, and allies that carry over to future attempts, allowing for constantly evolving strategies and deeper progression. If your defenses fail, your kingdom will burn, but you’ll awaken to begin a new run, carrying forward newfound knowledge and unlocks. This title is poised to attract players who enjoy combining careful city planning with dynamic, action-oriented defense. Recently, we have been spoiled, with the release of the excellent 9 Kings, you already have a game you can play right now while you wait for Super Fantasy Kingdom.
14 – Espiocracy
Espiocracy already made quite into a number of my 2025 lists, and clearly, that was for good reason, as this highly anticipated grand strategy game will pull back the curtain on the clandestine world of Cold War intelligence, allowing players to lead the intelligence agency of one of 74 playable countries. Unlike traditional grand strategy titles, Espiocracy places players not at the head of a nation, but in service of it, and it’s going to focus on an often overlooked aspect, by putting espionage and subterfuge at its core, challenging players to rewrite history from the shadows. You’ll engage in a complex web of influence operations, staging coups, waging proxy wars, spreading propaganda, and even executing assassinations to further your nation’s interests. The game features a deep simulation of global geopolitics, where you’ll navigate nuclear brinkmanship, decolonization, and shifting alliances. I’m interested to see how well it’s going to play, and I would really love to have a good long look at it, but at the moment there’s not a whole lot of detail available.
13 – Fragile Existence
Another Hooded Horse title, Fragile Existence is looking pretty damn incredible if you don’t mind me saying. It’s a mix of sci-fi survival real-time strategy (RTS), 4X, and grand strategy. I don’t know how well the game is going to juggle all of those things at once, but I’m expecting it to play similarly to something like Sins of a Solar Empire 2 (which is amazing, by the way) meets Homeworld. Placing players in command of humanity’s last fleet after Earth’s annihilation by an unknown alien force, players will manage a nomadic civilization on the run. You’ll navigate vast, fully 3D solar systems, meticulously scouting planets and moons for vital resources to sustain your fleet and establish temporary colonies. A key feature is the seamless transition between commanding your capital ships in orbital combat and deploying ground forces for traditional RTS base building and tactical engagements on planetary surfaces. The game promises deep strategic depth, requiring players to balance resource management, technological development, and the well-being of their surviving population while constantly fending off a relentless, overwhelming enemy. It sounds like a very unique take on the real-time strategy and 4X genre, and there’s a 2025 release date for it, so I’m sure we will start to get some more in-depth looks at it soon.
12 – Fata Deum – The God Sim
What’s with you guys this year with real-time strategy games and city-builders? Looks like half of the list is composed of those two sub-genres. Fata Deum – The God Sim is set to revive the classic “god game” genre, inviting players to wield immense power over mortals and shape a living world in their image, be that good or bad, or very bad (you know who you are). Drawing inspiration from beloved titles like Populous and Black & White, this strategy simulation lets you mold settlements and their inhabitants, influencing their destinies through divine intervention. Players will have to decide if they want to be a benevolent deity, inspiring prosperity and growth, or a malevolent force, spreading fear and debauchery to summon terrifying demons to achieve dominance through conquest. A core mechanic involves competing with other gods for influence; the more followers you accrue, the greater your divine power, allowing you to unleash increasingly unearthly feats.
11 – Nova Roma
Another one, guys? At least Nova Roma will help us with our urges to always be thinking about the Roman Empire. This is a strategy city-builder where players are tasked with transforming a humble village into a sprawling, vibrant metropolis, players will delve into the intricacies of Roman urban planning and resource management. A core feature is the need to appease the gods through the construction of magnificent temples, while simultaneously meeting the diverse needs of your citizens by developing complex supply chains for food, goods, and entertainment. The game promises intricate water and weather simulations, alongside the ever-present threat of divine intervention, adding layers of challenge and unpredictability. Seemingly like all other strategy titles coming out soon, this is yet another game where terrain manipulation is going to be a major part of its gameplay. We can never have enough city builders, right?
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