From a skyscraper-hopping action game to castle designing adventure Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2017 and has been updated with the most recent information.
As children, we begin our interaction with the world through shapes, building blocks, and Legos. As times goes on, we lose that willingness to create as we fall back on more passive activities, watching TV shows rather than creating our own stories, texting our friends instead of daydreaming. For those whose fascination with making things never stopped, we've compiled the top video games every architecture nerd?and Lego fanatic?will love.
This list includes long-loved games like SimCity and Minecraft as well as lesser-known gems like Monument Valley and Calvino Noir. These games are meant to excite players through human curiosity, creativity, and puzzles. While some of them allow the player to build monuments and towns, others are examples of how architecture can influence our emotions in ways we might not realize. If there are any video games you believe were mistakenly left out of this list, be sure to let us know in the comments.
The Sims and SimCity by EA Maxis

There's little to say about SimCity and The Sims that isn't already obvious at first glance. These two video games allow the player to create their own neighborhood, city, and even human life with the potential to construct utopias or hellish atmospheres. While series creator Will Wright describes SimCity as "a gui...