Management and tycoon games: about the games
Planet Zoo is a zoo simulation from the developers of Planet Coaster and Zoo Tycoon, in which players build and manage zoos housing living animals that think, feel and explore the world around them. Players construct detailed habitats recreating natural environments, research and manage each species, and help their animals raise families. A globe-trotting campaign takes players across the world, or Sandbox mode lets them build freely, shaping lakes, mountains and caves.
Cities: Skylines is a modern take on the classic city simulation. As mayor you build a city from the ground up and balance education, water, electricity, police, fire fighting and healthcare along with a real economy, while citizens react to gameplay. It offers a detailed traffic simulation, the option to make parts of the city into districts with their own policies, and a day and night cycle that shapes residents‘ schedules – traffic is slower at night and some zones do not run at full efficiency. Extensive modding support lets you create and improve maps and structures and share them on Steam.
PGA TOUR 2K25 sends players onto golf’s biggest stages, where for the first time in the series they can compete in three prestigious tournaments: The PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship. An expanded MyCAREER lets every round build a legacy, while new MyPLAYER options, upgraded Skill Trees and advanced Course Designer tools shape the player’s own path. Ranked, casual and cross-platform multiplayer let players challenge friends, join cross-platform societies, earn seasonal rewards and take part in daily and weekly tournaments.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 follows the 2018 management simulation and adds a new narrative campaign voiced by cast members from the film series. After the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, players protect and contain wild dinosaurs roaming the USA alongside Dr. Ian Malcolm and Claire Dearing. Four modes are on offer: the campaign, Sandbox, Challenge with varied locations and calamities, and levels built on ‘what-if’ scenarios from the films. Players construct customisable buildings, hire scientists and bioengineer the genomes and colours of over 75 prehistoric species, including flying and marine reptiles.
F1® Manager 2024 is a management simulation where you run one of 10 official Formula 1 teams, or create your own for the first time in the series, picking its origin, design, logo and race suits. You set strategy and watch drivers follow your calls in races, and between them oversee staff, car development and facilities over several seasons. A new Mentality System covers the personalities and needs of your team members, and you develop talents from F2 and F3. The season adds mechanical failures and refreshed circuits, including the returning Shanghai International Circuit.
Frostpunk is a simulation and strategy game about keeping a society alive in an entirely frozen world, where heat means life and every decision carries a cost. As ruler of the last city on Earth, the player manages both its citizens and infrastructure and uses steam-powered technology to resist the overwhelming cold. City and society management takes up most of the time, but at some point the player must explore the world outside. The player establishes laws that govern working routines, healthcare and food provision, and must keep the population’s hope and contentment up, since optimization and resource management often clash with empathy.
The player is placed at the heart of the Jurassic franchise and builds their own Jurassic World. On the islands of the Muertes archipelago they run a park shaped by Science, Entertainment or Security interests, bioengineering dinosaurs with unique behaviours, traits and appearances. The creatures must be contained and made profitable to fund the search for lost dinosaur DNA, while espionage, breakouts and tropical storms threaten the park. Deep management tools sit alongside hands-on action on land and in the air, plus expandable islands and a narrative with iconic characters.
NBA 2K26 puts bragging rights on the line across MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyNBA, The W and Play Now. ProPLAY™ turns NBA footage directly into gameplay, making dribbles and crossovers feel closer with revamped size-ups and fast, dynamic movement. Players build a MyPLAYER and climb the ranks in a streamlined City, raising their REP and battling rival squads for Park supremacy. MyTEAM has them collect NBA and WNBA superstars into a dream roster for new single-player and multiplayer modes, while MyNBA lets them run one of 30 teams as a General Manager through 30 MyGM storylines chasing a championship.
Planet Coaster is a theme park building and management simulation in which players construct coasters and rides piece by piece from over a thousand building components. The land itself can be reshaped – mountains raised, lakes formed, caverns dug, islands built in the sky – with tracks wound above and below ground. Each visitor is an expressive individual with their own interests and desires, so the crowd shows at a glance how well the park is run; players manage every aspect of the experience and can share their creations through the Steam Workshop community hub.
DAVE THE DIVER is a casual singleplayer adventure RPG: you explore the deep sea and fish by day, run a sushi restaurant by night, and help Dave and his quirky friends uncover the secrets of the mysterious Blue Hole. Combat and gathering have rogue-like elements: you hunt creatures with a harpoon and other weapons and upgrade and forge gear with gathered resources and restaurant earnings, while running out of oxygen means leaving your catch behind. Pixel and 3D art combine in the visual style, over 200 kinds of sea creatures fill the ocean setting, and minigames, side quests and extra storylines add variety.
Overcooked! 2 is an action-packed, casual game about chaotic cooking in which a team of chefs returns to the Onion Kingdom to face a new threat, The Unbread, and save the world all over again. Up to four players can join in couch co-op or online, cooperating or competing to earn the highest score. Chefs ride teleporters, cross moving platforms and throw ingredients around dynamic kitchens that shift and change, all on a fresh overworld map travelled by land, sea and air, from sushi restaurants to magic schools, mines and alien planets. New recipes include sushi, cakes, burgers and pizzas.
In Kerbal Space Program the player takes charge of the space program of an alien race known as the Kerbals. From an array of parts they assemble fully functional spacecraft whose flight – or failure to fly – follows realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics. Crews are sent into orbit and beyond and must be kept alive while exploring the moons and planets of the Kerbol system, constructing bases and space stations. The game offers three modes: Science, where experiments unlock new technology; Career, covering construction, strategy, funding and upgrades; and Sandbox, where every part and technology is available. Mods made by the community are supported too.