A wholesome city builder with a light strategy
Outlanders is a premium strategy game that blends city-building, life sim, and resource management into a calm and structured experience. Instead of war or conflict, it focuses on helping small communities grow through careful planning and a balanced use of resources.
Top Recommended Alternative
In Outlanders, you can expect a mission-based structure that slowly introduces new goals and mechanics. The game shares a similar laid-back feel with Dorfromantik but offers more progression and narrative depth through its character-led chapters. The peaceful tone and low-pressure environment make it a relaxing break from more intense titles in the genre.
Leading a town, one goal at a time
Each level in Outlanders introduces a new town leader and a mission tailored to their vision. Some just want to survive and grow crops, while others pursue quirky ambitions that give each chapter a distinct personality. You’re not rushing to expand a massive empire. Instead, you’re helping small groups thrive in their own way, giving each task a sense of purpose within the game’s larger, low-stakes narrative.
Rather than controlling each person, you assign roles and set priorities by placing buildings and designating work areas. Your role is more about managing the big picture than micromanaging individual actions. You’ll need to make the most of available resources while keeping people content. Decrees let you shift priorities—like extending work hours or conserving food—but you’ll have to weigh the trade-offs carefully, especially as challenges increase.
Once you’ve played through the campaign’s story-driven levels, Sandbox mode offers a break from objectives. You’re free to experiment, build your ideal town, or simply enjoy the slow rhythm of the simulation. The art style and ambient sounds give each environment a calm, cozy tone. While the game is peaceful and consistent, it can begin to feel repetitive over time. Performance might also slow down if your town becomes too large.
The adventures keep coming
Since its release, not only have Outlanders received plenty of updates to fix bugs and add new features, but there have been multiple DLCs that have come out for it since. While they are paid packs, they expanded upon the base game with more locations and adventures for players who have already finished the main story campaign and want more to experience.
There are eight DLCs so far, starting with Outlanders - Heir of the Roads, to the most recent release being Outlanders - The Culinary Diaries. Each one offers a fun new adventure, with fresh faces to meet and a set of challenges to overcome. They are individual, self-contained stories, so you can choose the one that seems most interesting to you without having to think about continuity or unfamiliar references.
Outlanders - The Culinary Diaries centers on a food-driven campaign where Antonia visits nearby towns, discovers their local dishes, and brings those flavors back home. The DLC highlights how food shapes community life and adds a warm narrative layer to the usual settlement-building loop. It features a six-level story campaign and introduces several gameplay additions. Players gain access to new buildings and recipes, expanded customization options for Sandbox mode, and five new playable leaders.
A relaxing but repetitive loop
To sum up, Outlanders delivers a calm, structured take on the city builder genre, with enough personality to keep you engaged early on. It’s ideal if you’re looking for a wholesome and relaxing strategy game with light resource management. While the game shines in its early missions and atmosphere, its repetitive pacing and occasional lag might impact long-term enjoyment. Still, it offers a quiet space to plan, build, and unwind.
