# New building games, from Roman provinces to your own town

Source: https://roam.new/new-building-games/. Checked November 3, 2026.

The most talked-about building game of 2026 is Pokemon Pokopia, out March 5 on Switch 2. For full city builders, Anno 117: Pax Romana keeps adding content through November. Here are the new ones, the classics they come from, and Roam builders you can start on a phone.

## New and recent building games

- **Pokemon Pokopia**: Released March 5, 2026 on Switch 2, made by Game Freak with Koei Tecmo's Omega Force. A cozy building and life game where you shape a town with Pokemon.
- **Anno 117: Pax Romana**: Ubisoft's Roman city builder from November 13, 2025. You govern Latium or Albion and balance trade chains. Its Year Pass ends with a third expansion due in November 2026.
- **Hytale**: Block building plus adventure from Hypixel Studios, in early access on Windows, Mac and Linux since January 13, 2026.
- **Tiny Glade**: A 2024 building toy with no goals: draw walls, watch a castle grow.

## Where city builders come from

- **SimCity (1989)**: Maxis made the city builder: zones, roads, power and angry citizens.
- **Cities: Skylines (2015)**: Colossal Order's game became the modern standard, with a 2023 sequel.
- **Manor Lords**: A medieval town builder that launched in early access in 2024, where the village grows around your roads.

## Roam builders

Roam is a free iPhone app with builders of every size. Pocket Skyline is a city builder: start with a power plant and grow a city around it. Mars Colony asks you to pick a site, land and build a home on Mars. Overload Island is a power grid puzzle: light every house without blowing the grid.

HANDFUL is a god game: you are the hand, they are the village. Hold Till Dawn is voxel survival: punch a tree, build up, last the night. Splash or Splat is a water park tycoon where you draw a slide and fill it with paying guests.


## Play it on Roam

- [Pocket Skyline](https://roam.gg/play/pocket-skyline/): One power plant, an empty field and $9,000.
- [Mars Colony](https://roam.gg/play/mars-colony/): Choose your crater. Land. Build.
- [Overload Island](https://roam.gg/play/overload-island/): Nine homes. One plant. Do not blow the grid.
- [HANDFUL](https://roam.gg/play/handful/): A whole village fits in your palm.
- [Hold Till Dawn](https://roam.gg/play/hold-till-dawn/): Punch a tree. Build a wall. Wait for the sun.
- [Splash or Splat](https://roam.gg/play/splash-or-splat/): Draw the slide. Collect the cash.

## Build your own town with Roam

Describe the town and what it needs. Roam makes it playable, and you can ask for disasters, more citizens or a co-op friend. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "build my hometown from scratch, start with a bakery and a bus stop, keep everyone happy through winter, a friend can build the other side of the river"

[Get Roam on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6745489251?pt=126889634&mt=8&ct=rnew-new-building-games)

## Questions people ask

**Is Pokemon Pokopia on Switch 1?**
No. It released March 5, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2 only.

**What is the newest Anno game?**
Anno 117: Pax Romana, released November 13, 2025 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series.

**Are there building games on phones?**
Yes. Roam has city, colony and tycoon builders on iPhone, and you can make your own from a sentence.

## Sources

- Pokemon Pokopia: Game Freak + Omega Force, Mar 5 2026, Switch 2 only: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Pokopia
- Anno 117: Ubisoft Mainz, Nov 13 2025, PS5/PC/Xbox Series, Latium/Albion, Year Pass to Nov 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_117:_Pax_Romana
- Hytale early access Jan 13 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hytale
- Tiny Glade 2024, no goals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Glade
- Manor Lords early access April 2024: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manor_Lords

## About Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play. https://roam.gg