Before kids and other responsibilities, when I regularly gamed into the wee small hours, playing management sims was one of my favorite things to do. I spent countless days building in Sim Tower, SimCity, and Theme Park. I ran a studio in The Movies, managed a menagerie in Zoo Tycoon, and constructed the pyramids in Pharaoh. My villainous lairs in Dungeon Keeper 2 and Evil Genius were beyond comparison. I built impregnable castles in Stronghold, and I sank days into Game Dev Story—a game about making games.
These games are the perfect foil to multiplayer madness, offering a table of absorbing escapism for one. 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.
A note for potential players: While there are often console versions, you tend to get better controls and greater depth if you play on PC.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
