Against the Storm review

Against the Storm takes the most rewarding part of any city builder, laying out a new settlement, and turns it into the whole game. As the Queen's Viceroy you found settlements across a world map, each one a short run under pressure from the Blightstorm and the Scorched Queen's patience. The store page describes five races, humans, beavers, lizards, foxes and harpies, each with different housing, food and luxury needs, plus six biomes and hundreds of modifiers, so no two maps play the same. Between runs you keep resources and upgrades for the Smoldering City, the roguelite layer that ties everything together. At $29.99 with a 4 GB RAM minimum it is cheap to try, and 95% of 19,315 English reviews are positive. It ranks second because some players want one permanent city to grow for weeks, which this design deliberately avoids.

Who it is for

Strategy fans who love the opening hours of a new city and want short, replayable runs.

Price

$29.99 one-time purchase on Steam (US store).

secure a future for civilization's last survivors. $29.99 Buy on Steam
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Roguelite structure that carries resources and upgrades between expeditions
• Five races: humans, beavers, lizards, foxes and harpies, each with its own needs
• Six distinct biomes and hundreds of gameplay modifiers
• A network of settlements on a world map, all serving the Smoldering City
• Recurring Blightstorms and a Queen's impatience meter that keep pressure on

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: 95% of 19,315 English Steam reviews are positive
• Strength: $29.99, with a minimum spec of 4 GB RAM and 5 GB of storage
• Strength: Each settlement is a fresh start, so mistakes cost one run, not a 40-hour city
• Weakness: Windows only on Steam
• Weakness: No Steam Workshop listed
• Weakness: Cities are temporary, which disappoints players who want one sprawling metropolis

Key facts

• Developer: Eremite Games
• Publisher: Hooded Horse
• Released on Steam: December 8, 2023
• Minimum RAM: 4 GB
• English Steam reviews: 95% positive of 19,315

Where it ranks

Against the Storm is No. 2 in our Best City Builder Games verdict.