Iron District

Iron District scratches the builder itch nicely. You lay out a city block by block, manage power and water, and try to keep citizens from rioting over traffic. It's approachable but has enough depth to trip you up.

The interface is clean for a sim on a small screen, which is no small feat. Zooming and dragging feels natural, and the menus don't bury important numbers. I only started struggling once my city got genuinely large.

Progression can slow to a crawl mid-game, and that's my main complaint. Push through it and the late-game sandbox opens up nicely, but expect a lull around the middle.

What we liked

• Clean interface for a mobile sim
• Deep enough to reward planning
• Big sandbox once you unlock it