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Metropolis 1998
A fresh, modern city builder with charming aesthetics. Detailed agent-based simulation and scheduling. See inside buildings. Design and customize almost anything. Business-specific zoning, and mixed use zones too!

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Features
Single-player
Family Sharing
Steam is learning about this game 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔ ✔

Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Player feedback is priceless. Simulation games are complicated and requires constant feedback from the community. I'd like to develop the game with that in mind.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Two years.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“I'd like to add terrain height, multiple floors, curves roads, and a lot more content (more businesses, economic classes, more industries, etc.). If possible, I'd also like to implement some semblance of an economy.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Currently, you can place roads, zones, buildings, design your own buildings, and place units and vehicles. Agents can path between buildings to travel home and to work, as well move around the buildings. Agents also work on a schedule and will sleep at night and head to work during the day.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes. The price will increase over time as it approaches it's 1.0 release state.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Listening to your feedback every day, and getting directly involved via multiple social platforms. You can communicate with me in my game's discord server (and please do!). Your feedback is critical towards helping me create a game that is both entertaining and challenging. I'll share progress before releasing it publicly to get feedback from you!”
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Download Metropolis 1998 Demo

This game is not yet available on Steam

Planned Release Date: 2026

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About This Game

Welcome! Metropolis 1998 is a new city builder entrant that pushes familiar gameplay into unexplored territory. 

Metropolis 1998 is a modern city builder with agent simulation and charming retro aesthetics. Every single citizen is it's own entity with their own needs, job, schedule, and family. As the mayor, you will manage infrastructure, utilities, citizen needs, municipal and emergency services, zones, traffic, pollution, and more!

The game offers extensive customization tools for players who enjoy designing, creating buildings, and customizing the look of their city. 

New features Metropolis 1998 adds to the genre:

  • You, the player can see inside every single building and every individual floor. This includes the people living or working inside!

  • It is possible (but optional) to design any building you want yourself within the game world. It can be saved as a blueprint to place copies or exported to share with other players.

  • Supply and demand is calculated via individual businesses, not zones. Businesses are still grouped into zone types, but your citizens will ask for e.g. a grocery store; or a business needing an office or crop farm.

  • Businesses are individually place and have a supply radius (for residential customers). Residential buildings level up as their inhabitants' needs are fulfilled. Businesses level up when their customers do, and office and industry level up as the businesses they supply level up.

Other features include:

  • Performant pathfinding. The engine can handle 80,000 to 150,000 sims (depends on your CPU).

  • Classic 90s/00s isometric pixel art enhanced with shaders (optional).

  • Complex agent simulation. They will eat, sleep, work, run errands, enjoy leisure activities, and more.

  • Overlays to view detailed information about your city.

  • Top down camera mode.

  • All the classic features of the city builder genre: Utilities, roads, transportation, municipal services, emergency services, citizen happiness, schools, economy, and more!

  • Day/night cycle and weather (no precipitation yet).

Early access communication

Some features will not be implemented when the game launches (but are planned):

  • Transportation options. Sims can only walk or drive.

  • Placing roads or buildings on elevated terrain. 

  • Intricate road types, bridges.

  • Functional bodies of water (i.e. no ships, ports, or water physics)

There are a lot of ideas planned for the game, which will soon be linked in the FAQ in the discussion forums. 

Hardware requirements:

As a solo developer, this is really difficult to answer for everyone. The game is generally not CPU bound, though you will hit a CPU-restricted population cap (see above) eventually.

  • ARM integrated graphics will not work! (e.g. Snap Dragon)

  • Intel 1st-5th gen integrated graphics will not work!

The game will be GPU bound for low powered computers. I tested the game on an eleven (11) year old laptop (Intel 6th gen i5). This necessitated implementing a low-quality graphics mode (not available in alpha demo 05/22/2026). An empty map was used for the test.

  • Integrated graphics:

    • Low Quality: 30 FPS

  • Same laptop using 4 GB NVIDA GPU: 

    • High quality: 40-60 FPS

    • Low quality: 120-135 FPS

  • My main PC uses a GTX 3060 and is more than enough for high quality mode. 

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 64 bit
    • Processor: Intel / AMD: 2 GHz - (Intel 6th Gen or Later)
    • Memory: 1 GB RAM
    • Graphics: A Graphics card. Game needs 2+ GB of *available* VRAM
    • Storage: 100 MB available space
    • Additional Notes: Requires a 64 bit operating system
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 64 bit
    • Processor: Intel / AMD: 3 GHz - (Intel 6th Gen or Later)
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Dev uses GTX 3060, more than enough
    • Storage: 100 MB available space
    • Additional Notes: Requires a 64 bit operating system
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