Deal | Only $2.84: This unusual city builder is back at its all-time low on Steam

City building in Urbek City Builder feels more like a strategic puzzle than a traditional entry in the genre – because money plays no role at all. Instead, the entire city's development is based on more than 30 resources such as food, coal, energy and labor. Many homes and facilities only evolve once certain requirements in their surroundings are met. Schools, for example, provide better-educated workers, while parks, libraries or luxury stores can upgrade certain residential areas.

As a result, the city develops in a fairly organic way. For example, building lots of bars and entertainment venues in one neighborhood can gradually turn it into a trendy district. At the same time, industry, energy supply and quality of life need to remain balanced. More information about the gameplay can be found in our previous article about the game.

The Steam community is largely impressed with the unusual concept: 89% of nearly 2,000 player reviews are positive. Gaming website Higher Plain Games even awarded it 9.5 out of 10, praising its deep resource management, puzzle-like city planning and wide range of development options in particular. There was little major criticism, although the grid-based voxel design may not appeal to everyone visually.

On Steam, Urbek City Builder normally costs just under $19. However, an 85% discount brings the price down to $2.84 until September 21. According to SteamDB, Urbek has only been this cheap once before, in early July. The game is Steam Deck Verified. That's not something that can be taken for granted with more complex city builders and could make the current deal particularly interesting for handheld gamers.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.