Build a city in a game - Fun at-home activities for Kids.

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Build a city in a game

Design and build a virtual city in a game, plan roads, zones, and services, manage resources, and test solutions to improve your town.

Table of contents

Step-by-step guide to design and build a virtual city in a game

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Create Your Own CITY BUILDER Game with Unity - Start Here P1 Intro

What you need

Access to a city-building game, paper, pencil, colouring materials

Step 1

Launch your city-building game and start a brand-new city.

Step 2

Choose one main goal for today like growing population increasing happiness or saving money.

Step 3

Take your paper and pencil and draw a simple outline for your city.

Step 4

Mark the main roads on your drawing.

Step 5

Mark three zones on your drawing: one residential one commercial and one industrial.

Step 6

Build the main roads in the game to match your drawing.

Step 7

Zone the game areas as residential commercial and industrial to match your map.

Step 8

Build a power plant or other energy source to supply your city.

Step 9

Build a water or sewage system so buildings have utilities.

Step 10

Place one public service building such as a school hospital or police station.

Step 11

Check your city budget to see income and expenses.

Step 12

Run the simulation and watch for one problem like traffic pollution power shortages or unhappy citizens.

Step 13

Fix one problem by making a single change such as adding a road moving a zone or adding a park.

Step 14

When you are happy with your city upload screenshots or a short description and share your finished city on DIY.org.

Help!?

What can we use instead of paper and pencil if we don't have them?

Use a tablet or phone drawing app, a whiteboard, or a printed grid map to draw your city outline and mark the main roads and three zones.

If my city immediately has power shortages after I build the power plant, what should I do?

Check that the power plant's output meets the demand of your residential, commercial, and industrial zones, that it's connected to the city's grid, and that your budget can cover its running costs or an upgrade.

How can this activity be adapted for younger or older kids?

For younger kids use toy blocks or stickers to mark one or two zones and focus on placing a school or road, while older kids can set numeric goals (population, happiness, budget), add utilities like sewage and power, and optimize traffic and pollution.

What are simple ways to enhance or personalize the city before uploading it to DIY.org?

Add custom landmarks, a themed park, or public transit lines, take multiple screenshots showing your main roads, zones, and the problem you fixed, and write a short description of your chosen goal and the single change you made.

Watch videos on how to design and build a virtual city in a game

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Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

How To Build A City - A Complete Beginner's Guide to Cities Skylines 2

4 Videos

Facts about urban planning for kids

🏙️ SimCity launched in 1989 and helped popularize the city-building game genre.

👷 Will Wright, the creator of SimCity, later developed The Sims, one of the best-selling PC game series.

🗺️ Zoning usually uses three main types — residential, commercial, and industrial — just like in many city-sims.

🚦 Traffic is the top challenge for many players (and real planners); smart road design can make a big difference.

💰 City-building games teach budgeting and resource planning by asking you to balance taxes, services, and growth.

How do I design and build a virtual city in a game?

Start by selecting a map and choosing a basic layout for roads and zones. Place residential, commercial, and industrial areas, then add essential services like power, water, waste, schools, police and fire stations. Monitor budget, traffic, and citizen happiness; adjust zoning, taxes, and services to solve problems. Test changes, watch consequences, and iterate—try public transit and parks to reduce traffic and improve satisfaction as your town grows.

What materials or devices do I need to play a city-building game?

You need a compatible device (PC, Mac, tablet or console), the city-building game app or disc, and a stable internet connection for updates or online features. Useful extras: a mouse or controller for easier building, headphones, power supply, and optional paper or a notes app for plans. Set up parental controls, ensure software is age-appropriate, and consider time limits and in-app purchase restrictions for younger players.

What ages is a city-building game suitable for?

City-building games suit a wide range: younger kids (about 6–9) enjoy simple creative modes with adult help, ages 9–12 can handle basic planning and resource trade-offs, and teens (13+) usually manage complex budgeting, traffic, and policy systems independently. Always check the game’s age rating, simplify settings for younger players, and supervise in-game purchases and online interactions to keep gameplay appropriate and educational.

What are the benefits of playing city-building games with my child?

City-building games teach planning, problem-solving, budgeting, spatial reasoning and cause-and-effect thinking. They encourage creativity, civic awareness about services and infrastructure, and perseverance when testing solutions. Multiplayer or cooperative play builds communication and teamwork. Use gameplay moments to discuss real-world topics like public transit, recycling, and economics, and set healthy screen-time limits to keep learning balanced and fun.

Ready to create?

All Activities

Build a city in a game

Design and build a virtual city in a game, plan roads, zones, and services, manage resources, and test solutions to improve your town.

Table of contents

Step-by-step guide to design and build a virtual city in a game

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

Create Your Own CITY BUILDER Game with Unity - Start Here P1 Intro

What you need

Access to a city-building game, paper, pencil, colouring materials

Step 1

Launch your city-building game and start a brand-new city.

Step 2

Choose one main goal for today like growing population increasing happiness or saving money.

Step 3

Take your paper and pencil and draw a simple outline for your city.

Step 4

Mark the main roads on your drawing.

Step 5

Mark three zones on your drawing: one residential one commercial and one industrial.

Step 6

Build the main roads in the game to match your drawing.

Step 7

Zone the game areas as residential commercial and industrial to match your map.

Step 8

Build a power plant or other energy source to supply your city.

Step 9

Build a water or sewage system so buildings have utilities.

Step 10

Place one public service building such as a school hospital or police station.

Step 11

Check your city budget to see income and expenses.

Step 12

Run the simulation and watch for one problem like traffic pollution power shortages or unhappy citizens.

Step 13

Fix one problem by making a single change such as adding a road moving a zone or adding a park.

Step 14

When you are happy with your city upload screenshots or a short description and share your finished city on DIY.org.

Help!?

What can we use instead of paper and pencil if we don't have them?

Use a tablet or phone drawing app, a whiteboard, or a printed grid map to draw your city outline and mark the main roads and three zones.

If my city immediately has power shortages after I build the power plant, what should I do?

How can this activity be adapted for younger or older kids?

What are simple ways to enhance or personalize the city before uploading it to DIY.org?

Watch videos on how to design and build a virtual city in a game

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

How To Build A City - A Complete Beginner's Guide to Cities Skylines 2

4 Videos

Facts about urban planning for kids

🏙️ SimCity launched in 1989 and helped popularize the city-building game genre.

👷 Will Wright, the creator of SimCity, later developed The Sims, one of the best-selling PC game series.

🗺️ Zoning usually uses three main types — residential, commercial, and industrial — just like in many city-sims.

🚦 Traffic is the top challenge for many players (and real planners); smart road design can make a big difference.

💰 City-building games teach budgeting and resource planning by asking you to balance taxes, services, and growth.