Aztecs The Last Sun is ancient Cities Skylines with human sacrifices

There's something so satisfying about managing resources and designing locations in a city builder, watching how every decision you make and every resource you decide to use can result in triumph or adversity in your city's growth. Like all the genre greats, Aztecs: The Last Sun is no different, except it's historical. Oh, and there's human sacrifices.

Think city building games like Cities Skylines and SimCity, except that while you're building monumental temples and raising great armies, there are also the gods to tend with, as well as all the difficulties of living between the 13th and 16th Century.

As the leader of the great city-state of Tenochtitlan in Aztecs: The Last Sun, you'll need to guide your people to prosperity.  That means planning, designing and creating your empire while managing the logistical nightmare that is building on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco, and overseeing the growth of your military, economy, and religion.

If that wasn't enough to satisfy your city builder requirements, there's also a survival element to deal with. Build your empire by day, but as night falls, you and your followers will need to face the wrath of the Moon Goddess, who will attack the city. Even more stressful is that only certain parts of the city, those under the shielded bloodzone, will be able to withstand her fury - and only if you have enough blood stored to keep it running overnight.

Don't worry too much, though; you can win over other gods' favor by sacrificing your people and securing your position as undisputed leader. It's an intriguing concept, and I'm certainly keen to see if I'll be able to secure the fate of Tenochtitlan, or if my poor resource management skills will lead the city to ruin.

There's a bit of time to wait either way. Aztecs: The Last Sun will release into early access on Steam on Thursday August 28 2025. You can find more info about the game here.

They might not be full of human sacrifices and survival, but there are plenty of other games you can enjoy while you wait for the release of Aztecs: The Last Sun. Here are our best management games, or try some of our other best strategy games in the meantime.

You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.