Town to City is a cozy, gridless city builder that launched in Steam Early Access on September 16, 2025, offering players complete creative freedom to build their dream 19th-century Mediterranean town for $24.99 with a 10% launch discount. This voxel-based city builder from Galaxy Grove (creators of Station to Station) and publisher Kwalee features a campaign mode with two maps, sandbox mode with five maps, and has already earned a "Very Positive" rating from 98% of its 349+ Steam reviews.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 16, 2025 (Early Access) |
| Developer | Galaxy Grove |
| Publisher | Kwalee |
| Price | $24.99 (10% launch discount) |
| Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Steam Rating | Very Positive (98% positive) |
| Early Access Duration | 6-8 months planned |
| Current Content | 2 campaign maps, 5 sandbox maps |
| Max Population | 1,000 citizens (500 for optimal performance) |
| Steam Deck | Verified, runs at stable 30 FPS |
After spending extensive time with Town to City's Early Access build, I can confidently say this is one of the most polished early access launches of 2025. The game focuses on giving creative power to players to build and decorate a gorgeous little town, while being cozy and relaxing. Unlike traditional grid-based city builders that force you into rigid patterns, Town to City embraces organic design with its completely gridless building system.
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Set to mimic the style of 19th-century Mediterranean cities, grape vineyards dot the landscape, accompanied by colorful stucco-walled homes, market stalls, and cobbler's shops. The voxel art style creates a charming aesthetic that's both nostalgic and modern, reminiscent of playing with tiny LEGO bricks but with infinitely more freedom.
The progression system in Town to City follows a satisfying rhythm that never feels overwhelming. The actual gameplay loop of growing from a town to a city is simple: the player is given limited access to buildings, shops, and decorations, and tasked with growing the population. You'll start with a small settlement around a train station, welcoming new families as they arrive.
Citizens need new homes to move into, and you don't attract new citizens unless you keep the happiness level above 60%. The happiness system serves as your primary challenge, though it's intentionally forgiving:
The research tree provides a steady stream of new content without overwhelming players. You'll passively generate research points over time, which unlock:
Truly grid-less building sets you free to lay out your town however you like - plan out carefully ordered rows of houses and city districts, or grow outwards organically with residences, amenities, parks and plazas connected by winding streets and alleys. This freedom extends to:
The Early Access version includes substantial content across two distinct modes:
Campaign Mode:
Sandbox Mode:
The presentation quality rivals many full-release titles:
Town to City runs surprisingly well even on modest hardware:
While impressively polished, some Early Access rough edges remain:
| Feature | Town to City | Cities: Skylines | Anno Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grid System | Completely gridless | Grid-based | Grid-based |
| Difficulty | Relaxing, accessible | Moderate to challenging | Complex, strategic |
| Focus | Creativity and aesthetics | Traffic and infrastructure | Supply chains and economics |
| Art Style | Voxel, cozy | Realistic | Detailed, historical |
| Learning Curve | Gentle | Moderate | Steep |
| Price Point | $24.99 | $29.99 | $59.99 |
If this gameplay loop sounds familiar, then you have probably played the Anno series, which I believe invented or at least popularized the style of city builder Town to City mimics - the difference is that Town to City is a far more simplified version of the concept.
Galaxy Grove has outlined ambitious plans for Town to City's development:
Town to City has strong developer support and an active community:
We are already working closely with the community during development with playtest sessions open to Discord members and a dedicated channel for feedback on our Discord. The developers actively respond to bug reports and feature suggestions, making Early Access feel like a genuine collaboration.
Town to City delivers exactly what it promises: a relaxing, creative city-building experience that prioritizes player freedom and aesthetic satisfaction over complex management systems. It sets itself apart from other entries in the genre with a wide array of customization options, and the gridless building system feels revolutionary after years of rigid city builders.
The Early Access launch shows remarkable polish, with Despite being in Early Access, they've put a lot of effort into polishing the basics. The game already feels feature-complete enough to provide dozens of hours of entertainment, with the promise of substantial additions over the next 6-8 months.
Pros:
Cons:
The developers plan for Town to City to remain in Early Access for approximately 6-8 months, though this timeline may adjust based on community feedback and development progress.
Yes! Town to City runs excellently on Steam Deck with verified compatibility. The game maintains a stable 30 FPS even with larger cities and includes optimized controls for handheld play.
Currently, Town to City is a single-player experience with no multiplayer features. The developers haven't announced plans for multiplayer, focusing instead on the solo city-building experience.
The Early Access version includes 2 campaign maps (Belvau and Fontebrac), 5 sandbox maps, 8 city stages, 6 monuments, over 30 quests, and dozens of buildings and decorations. Most players report 8-10 hours of campaign content plus unlimited sandbox play.
Campaign mode provides structured progression with quests and gradual unlocks across two connected maps. Sandbox mode offers five maps with all content unlocked and customizable difficulty settings for pure creative freedom.
Yes, once you unlock Global Stockpile and Global Farming through research, you can share resources between your Belvau and Fontebrac settlements, creating an interconnected economy.
While not officially confirmed, the developers have indicated they plan to maintain save compatibility throughout Early Access and into the full release.
Both games share Galaxy Grove's signature voxel art style and relaxing gameplay, but Town to City focuses on city building and management while Station to Station emphasized railway connections and logistics.
The developers haven't announced DLC plans, focusing instead on completing the base game with all promised Early Access features before considering additional content.
Join the official Discord server for direct developer communication, or use the Steam Community forums for bug reports and feature suggestions.
Town to City proves that Early Access doesn't have to mean unfinished or unpolished. Galaxy Grove has delivered one of the most charming and accessible city builders of 2025, offering a perfect balance between creative freedom and gentle management mechanics. While it may not satisfy players seeking deep strategic challenges or complex economic systems, that's not what Town to City aims to be.
This is a game about the joy of creation, the satisfaction of watching your quaint Mediterranean village grow into a bustling town, and the peace that comes from playing at your own pace. The gridless building system feels revolutionary, the voxel art style creates endless screenshot opportunities, and the gentle progression ensures you're never overwhelmed or stressed.
At $24.99 (or less with the launch discount), Town to City offers exceptional value even in its current Early Access state. With 8-10 hours of campaign content, five sandbox maps, and the promise of significant updates over the coming months, there's already enough here to justify the purchase. The overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews speak for themselves - this is a game that delivers on its promises.
Whether you're a veteran of the city-building genre looking for something more relaxing, or a newcomer intimidated by the complexity of games like Cities: Skylines or Anno, Town to City welcomes you with open arms. It's the perfect game to unwind with after a long day, lose yourself in creative expression, or simply watch your little voxel citizens go about their daily lives in the beautiful world you've created for them.
If you've been searching for a city builder that prioritizes creativity over spreadsheets, aesthetics over efficiency, and relaxation over challenge, Town to City is your answer. Join the growing community of mayors in September 2025 and start building your Mediterranean dream today. With Galaxy Grove's proven track record and commitment to community feedback, this Early Access journey is one worth taking.
Ready to start building? Grab Town to City on Steam while the launch discount is still active, and don't forget to join the official Discord to share your creations with fellow mayors!