Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). Updated December 2021: Added Satisfactory, Jurassic World Evolution 2, and Timberborn. As the kids have grown, I’ve found myself with a little more time to scratch that management and building itch, and these are the games that have sucked me back in.Ī note for potential players: While there are often console versions, you tend to get better controls and greater depth if you play on PC. These games are the perfect foil to multiplayer madness, offering a table of absorbing escapism for one. I built impregnable castles in Stronghold, and I sank days into Game Dev Story-a game about making games. My villainous lairs in Dungeon Keeper 2 and Evil Genius were beyond compare. I ran a studio in The Movies, managed a menagerie in Zoo Tycoon, and constructed the pyramids in Pharaoh. I spent countless days building in Sim Tower, SimCity, and Theme Park. Before kids and other responsibilities, when I regularly gamed into the wee hours, playing management sims was one of my favorite things to do.
