Pocket City

Toronto developer Codebrew Games, a one-person indie studio, released Pocket City on Google Play in late July 2018 as a premium city builder with no microtransactions, and Android Authority covered the launch on July 31, 2018. The paid game is still on Google Play today at $2.99 and is also included with Google Play Pass. A sequel, Pocket City 2, followed in 2023.

What Is Pocket City

Pocket City is a city-building sim in the tradition of SimCity, trimmed to suit a phone screen. You zone residential, commercial and industrial land, connect it with roads, provide power and water, and balance a municipal budget. Parks and recreation spots keep residents happy, while special buildings unlock as you level up through quests. It plays offline and works in upright or sideways orientation.

Pocket City Skips Timers And In-App Purchases

Most mobile city builders slow you down with timers and premium currency, and Pocket City refuses both. You pay once, and every building, upgrade and expansion is earned by playing instead of bought. That single design choice explains most of the praise it received in 2018, when free-to-play games dominated the genre on phones.

Disasters, Block Parties And City Events In Pocket City

Cities do not grow in peace. Random disasters such as fires, tornadoes and volcanic eruptions hit buildings, and crime calls for police coverage. Players can also trigger events themselves, from block parties that cheer up a neighborhood to a tornado for anyone who wants to test their emergency services. Cloud save lets you move a city between devices or share it with someone else.

How The Original Differs From The Basic Edition And Pocket City 2

Codebrew also published a free version that let players build a smaller city with ads but no microtransactions, and it later carried the Basic Edition name. That free app was removed from Google Play in November 2024, leaving the paid game as the way to play the original today. Pocket City 2 is a separate game with a Free Roam mode, a first-person view and a 3D avatar you create, plus day-night cycles and town rivalries, so it is not an update to the first. When the sequel launched, Android Police listed it at $5 against $3 for the original, and Codebrew also released a Windows edition of the first game.

Getting A Good Start In Pocket City

1. Build a small, balanced block of all three zone types before expanding.
2. Place power and water early so new buildings do not stall.
3. Follow the quest list, since it unlocks buildings and pays out experience.
4. Keep fire and police coverage near dense areas before disasters strike.
5. Watch the budget after each expansion, because services cost money every cycle.

How Pocket City Rates With Players

Google Play shows about 4.3 stars from roughly 17,500 reviews and more than a million downloads. Sales on Android, including a 99 cent deal in June 2020 that cut it from its usual $2.99, introduced it to many more players. The listing’s most recent update came in December 2024.

Players coming from PC city builders should expect a lighter game. The systems are simpler than in PC games such as SimCity or Cities: Skylines, and that restraint is exactly why the game feels comfortable in short sessions on a phone, where a few minutes are enough to zone a block, collect taxes and check on the budget.