The best management games (2022)

The best management games (2022)

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Once the preserve of the PC gamer, management gaming is no longer as much a niche reserved for computers alone. Thus, several games from our selection are available both on PC (Windows, MacOS, Linux) and on certain consoles.

The management game is a genre that is open to say the least, which includes games in the vein of the illustrious SimCity – where we take the destiny of a city into our own hands – as well as games more focused on the management of a company, an amusement park… even a space colony. Such a variety implies choices and, inevitably, leads us to make many more disappointed than happy ones. The fact remains that apart from purely sporting management, we have tried to touch on all styles.



Anno 1800 – Management of cities in the midst of the Industrial Revolution

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Year 1800

  • Fine colony management
  • Production lines in shambles
  • Two worlds to manage in parallel
Ubisoft Blue Byte returns to the errors of previous episodes for a sumptuous Anno 1800. We return to a gameplay closer to the origins of the series, but which retains the best ideas of the latest opuses. A real one than to get lost in these innumerable chains of production of goods.

The seventh title in the franchise is also that of redemption for the Ubisoft Blue Byte studio, which had gotten a little lost with futuristic episodes blowing hot and cold. Like the previous opuses, Anno 1800 is a pure management game that borrows from city-builders, but nevertheless focuses on production chains to satisfy the needs of inhabitants that we must attract ever more numerous to grow our colony and achieve ever more difficult objectives.



Unlike the futuristic episodes, Anno 1800 incorporates everything that was the strength of the oldest opuses, namely a (long) single player campaign, a multiplayer mode allowing a maximum of 4 players and a sandbox mode to indulge in delirium. town planners. Above all, it has the good taste to offer a remarkable balance between all its game mechanics, from the correct layout of production units to the necessary overhaul of certain districts to accommodate new inhabitants and new structures.

Anno 1800 is finally distinguished by the intelligent integration of a double colony system evolving in parallel between the Old World and its industrial productions and the New World more oriented towards tropical cultures with, to spoil nothing, an absolutely sublime graphic realization. .

Cities: Skylines – My city will crack!

The best management games (2022)

Cities: Skylines

  • Absolutely gigantic cards
  • Runs on modest configurations
  • Realization cute as all
Taking advantage of the failure of the last SimCity, Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive rush into the breach. Cities: Skylines is not perfect, but it will perfectly meet the expectations of all future mayors thanks, in particular, to a remarkable interface and accessibility.

The SimCity franchise being only a shadow of itself, several studios had the idea of ​​taking up the torch. Of course, the task is not easy, but the Colossal Order team is among those who have come out best with a convincing Cities: Skylines. At first glance, you are charmed by the “model” side and its cute buildings. The objective is simple: build a complete city and manage every aspect of it, from road infrastructure to public services, including water and electricity supply.



On the mechanical side, there are not many new features either and some will regret that traffic, for example, is managed in a perhaps a little more simplistic way. Still, the Finns have managed to produce a coherent whole while the cards offered can be really huge. The construction options are very rich and the whole game retains an excellent fluidity, even the cities become gigantic with skyscrapers in all directions. Not to spoil anything, the whole is also very accessible, thanks to an excellent interface.

Finally, since the release of the game in 2017, Colossal Order has ensured a remarkable follow-up with many updates, some well-felt extensions and a complete openness to the modder community. Thanks.

Frostpunk – The must of the cold profession?

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The best management games (2022)See priceFrostpunk

  • A graphic marvel
  • Effective construction of the colonies
  • Beautifully portrayed dark universe
  • Gut-wrenching scenario
Dark, sometimes depressing, Frostpunk is also a very rich management game that does not forget the scenario aspect. We take up the cause of our survivors whom we try, somehow, to lead through this eternal winter. A game that takes the guts.

Taking the opposite view of the current climatic situation, the Poles of 11 Bit Studios imagine a chilling future. A future whose origin is not exactly known, but whose consequences for humanity are catastrophic: struggling with polar temperatures, most of the world's populations have disappeared and, as a player, we take hand a small colony of survivors who managed to settle in the heart of a crater. The temperature is not better there than elsewhere, but some structures allow survival.



The Apocalypse according to 11 Bit Studios happened in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Engineers have set up a heat generator in the middle of the crater. From there, we build various structures to live, heal, extract some resources, like a city-builder. Money is no longer an issue, but resource management is just as tricky. Cold spells regularly prevent any production. When we can, we stock up hoping to have enough to hold the next wave.

Just to drive the point home, the Poles add many moral choices to make to ensure the survival of our group, the reception of migrants and the exploration of the surrounding areas. A well thought out game that does not leave unscathed.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 – Animal park and big lizards can go hand in hand

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The best management games (2022)See the priceSee the testJurassic World Evolution 2

  • Very enjoyable Chaos Theory mode
  • The animation and intelligence of dinosaurs
  • Improvements compared to the first opus
Fans of dinosaurs and the Jurassic Park and/or Jurassic World movies will love creating and managing their own park, as well as watching their dinosaurs, which are beautifully animated and react intelligently to their surroundings. However, the lack of challenge ends up making the whole thing repetitive and boring, since money is never an issue. As for fans of management games, they will probably not find their account.

All the titles in our selection have in common to offer a relatively high challenge, it is of course always possible to adapt things a little so that the game is less demanding, but you will still have to roll up your sleeves and invest a bit of his time to achieve something. Jurassic World Evolution 2 goes against the grain. As its name indicates without ambiguity, it places us at the head of a theme park featuring friendly saurians that have been recreated in the manner of Michael Crichton's work.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 essentially follows the formula of the first opus and, in this sense, it is a little disappointing. However, it brings some small improvements like these flying and aerial dinosaurs, it adds humans to manage like these “paleomedical” teams which complement the scientists and the visitors. Above all, it retains this remarkable accessibility and this “cushy management” side which should delight casual players. Money is never too much of an issue and trial and error can easily be done without ruining their animal park.

The Frontier Developments game finally has the good taste to retain the graphic excellence of the first opus to stage dinosaurs more real than life.

Oxygen Not Included – The demanding and apnea management

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Oxygen Not Included

  • Unique and remarkable achievement
  • Incredible game richness
  • Smooth progress
Oxygen Not Included could be classified among the video game UFOs because even if it clearly belongs to the management genre, it differs in many respects from the classics of the genre. Of an unsuspected richness, it is revealed little by little involving more and more parameters to ensure its survival. A marvel to try without further delay.

Imagined by the little guys at Klei Entertainment (Don't Starve), Oxygen Not Included is a UFO in the management game. The idea is to manage a kind of colony lost on an asteroid which, of course, does not have an atmosphere and therefore no oxygen... hence the name of the game. Each game is unique and is based on both the procedural generation of a unique asteroid and on the selection of our first three "duplicants", our colonists. Of course, each duplicant has its own characteristics and clearly conditions the game.

Part then requires creating an ecosystem for our Duplicants on their asteroid. This goes through the essential toilets as well as everything related to the survival of these dear settlers (water, food, oxygen). Raw materials must be extracted and then recycled and we must always pay attention to the propagation of gases, their pressure and their temperature, the game managing the physics in a very precise way. In order to give a little role-playing side to the whole thing, the duplicators gain experience and skills which opens up new possibilities.

Oxygen Not Included also has quantities of probes and sensors in order to automate a maximum of tasks on the most complex bases. Finally, don't be fooled by the "childish" side of its realization, this is a demanding and difficult management / survival game.

Planet Zoo – Small cozy nest for endangered species

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Planet Zoo

  • A great aesthetic success
  • Particularly powerful construction tool
  • Complete and demanding management
  • Discreet but omnipresent educational side
  • 80 diverse and varied animals
  • Colossal lifespan
Breathtakingly beautiful, Planet Zoo is a smart animal park simulation. He teaches us a lot about the way of life of many animals and offers us to recreate the best possible conditions despite captivity. In addition, quantities of fun finds encourage us to take a step back from the very existence of these parks. Clever we tell you.

The second "animal" management game and the second Frontier Developments production in our selection, Planet Zoo is, in many ways, quite close to Jurassic World Evolution 2. Of course, it's no longer a question of dinosaurs, but of species very real animals currently present on the surface of our planet. On the other hand, the concept remains substantially the same, so it is a tycoon-game, a management game in which we will do everything to create the most beautiful, most successful, most pleasant and more profitable.

Planet Zoo first impresses with its aesthetics with 80 animals modeled in a simply exceptional way. Better, without being educational, the game takes the opportunity to teach us many things about the animals that are introduced into the park. We must recreate their habitat as faithfully as possible so that they feel good there. We also end up focusing on protecting ourselves while we try by all possible means to anticipate the problems that are sure to happen (animal disease, unscrupulous visitors, clumsy employees, etc.).

Despite the wealth of options available, Planet Zoo is also very good at making us progress smoothly and, in this sense, it is a perfect management game "for beginners", even if the highest challenges will know interest even the most expert.

Satisfactory – When Factorio gets into 3D

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Satisfactory

  • Real puzzle management game
  • Wealth of construction options
  • Huge procedurally generated map
Still in early access at the time of writing, Satisfactory is already very complete in addition to having an excellent finish. If the challenges are of a difficulty that risks putting off more than one player, success is all the more satisfying. A game that lives up to its name beautifully.

Of all our selection, Satisfactory is the only one that hasn't actually been released yet. Why tell you about it then? Simply because it's been in Early Access long enough to already have a pretty good idea of ​​its potential… and it's huge. In principle, Satisfactory is a kind of 3D version of the remarkable Factorio which, suddenly, we decided not to include in this selection. The game invites us to embody an engineer from the FICSIT company who has been sent to a new planet.

The objective is to create an entire system of automated machinery from scratch. Satisfactory offers only one, huge, game map. It is a gigantic square of 5,4 x 5,4 kilometers on which we recover resources (copper, iron, limestone and full, full of others) that will be transformed into "primary" products which will in turn be used to manufacture new elements to further expand its machinery. The thing is, so to speak, endless, always greater, always more complex. However, Satisfactory is not limited to this and also requires managing your electricity, exploring the planet, fighting various more or less hostile creatures...

Finally, Satisfactory differs from Factorio by its 3D representation mode which requires time to adapt – the whole thing is not always very readable – but which offers magnificent environments.

Surviving Mars – A Mars and colonization starts again

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Surviving Mars

  • Colony/resource management
  • Parts very different from each other
  • Originality of the situations
Construction of cities – or rather colonies – Surviving Mars happily renews the SimCity style, but perhaps lacks a bit of content to last over time as the games start too slowly for those who have experience. For the rest, it's all good with a delicate balance to be found between expanding the colony and managing resources.

If Elon Musk plans to colonize Mars in the "near" future, on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, we can already do it for more than two years, thanks to the Haemimont Games studio which offers us to send imposing shuttles on the red planet. Pure and hard city-builder, Surviving Mars differs from classics like SimCity because of its environment: there is obviously no question of building highways and residential areas on Mars.

On the other hand, it is a question of building all the structures necessary for the survival of our first settlers, for the reception of an ever-growing population and for the satisfaction of ever more complex needs. This involves the exploitation of resources on the planet, but also through numerous exchanges with the Earth. We manage the production of various minerals to ensure a basic industry, we have hydroponic farms, we install enough to produce electricity and, of course, oxygen. The subtlety of the game lies in the presence of technological discoveries to be made throughout the game to improve the quality of life on Mars.

If we had to blame the game, it would probably be the start of the game a little soft, but we will console ourselves by thinking of the multiple DLCs published since the release and the support offered by a very active community.

Tropico 6 – El Presidente makes rain or shine

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Tropico 6

  • Always humorous
  • Play between various factions
  • Successful realization, nice atmosphere
The biggest criticism that can be made to Tropico 6 is certainly in its relative lack of contributions compared to the previous opus and the absence of a real scripted campaign. The developers have nevertheless brought a lot of new features, starting with an enlargement of the islands / archipelagos and a finer management of transport in order to run an economy that is gaining in wealth and complexity.

While the Bulgarians were working on Surviving Mars, they were forced to hand over the reins of the Tropico franchise to another studio. For Tropico 6, it's Limbic Entertainment, but we can't say that the Germans have tried so hard to stand out from the previous games. Tropico 6 logically remains a management game very focused on the city-builder and which takes place in a fictional republic of Latin America. It embodies a president obviously adored by his people, elected by an overwhelming majority and who thinks above all of the well-being of his population.

In reality, Tropico 6 is not as cynical as it looks and if it obviously takes on board certain "failures" of certain banana republics, it is more open. The idea remains to put us in control of a small Caribbean island over a long period covering the colonial era, the two world wars, the cold war and the contemporary era. It is a question of building there a kind of “ideal society”, knowing that one is quite free to put what one wants behind this term. We can very well make do with hutches for our dear fellow citizens, but also invest massively in quality housing.

Management game requires, it will anyway do with the means at hand to develop the island, its agriculture and its industry, but it's up to you to see if you prefer to be in the pay of big capital, Moscow or if you roll for your own account.

Two Point Hospital – Contagious diseases “for fun”

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Two Point Hospital

  • Successful tribute to Theme Hospital
  • Realization cute as all
  • Variety of diseases, situations
Resuscitating the venerable Theme Hospital was an untenable bet. The challenge is however taken up with brio by Two Point Studio which manages to preserve the humor and the accessibility of its model. Two Point Hospital may pay a little less in cynicism or black humor, but it also opens up a little more, a little wider. All good.

Undoubtedly the very good surprise of the year 2018, Two Point Hospital did not however simplify things by declaring most officially in the world that it wanted to pay tribute to the excellent, but very old Theme Hospital. However, 21 years later, the team at Two Point Studios have risen to the challenge wonderfully. Basically, it's a tycoon-game like we've seen dozens of, even if the hospital context is obviously more original.

In the shoes of a kind of grand director, you must therefore build and manage your own care complex with all that that implies in consultation rooms, complex devices, operating theaters and rest rooms. There are also hundreds of accessories and various equipment, but where Two Point Hospital stands out is like in Theme Hospital, the medical is treated with humor. We encounter "diseases" such as pixellite, turtle's head, cubism or early mummification.

The diagnostic devices are just as delirious and the visual result is a success which obviously plays down the subject. Be careful though, under its comical exterior, Two Point Hospital is a real management game with what that implies of reflection on the profitability of such and such an investment. Fortunately, in real life, health is not business...

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