Nova Roma Review Roundup: The Roman City Builder Players Love
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Short answer: Nova Roma is one of the most charming city builders of 2026. You found a new Rome, bend rivers with dams and aqueducts, and keep five gods and a growing crowd of tiny citizens happy. Players rate it Very Positive on Steam (94% of 1,548 English reviews), and reviewers single out its water simulation and cosy look. It is in Early Access, so expect more content over the coming year. If you enjoy relaxed but deep city building, it is an easy pick at $29.99.
What is Nova Roma?
Nova Roma is a city builder from Lion Shield, the studio behind Kingdoms and Castles, published by Hooded Horse. As the old Empire falls into decay, you lead a small band of settlers to build a new Rome from a humble village. You grow farms and supply chains, raise temples to win the gods’ favour and turn a muddy riverbank into a city of orange roofs, baths and aqueducts.
| Developer | Lion Shield |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Hooded Horse |
| Release | Early Access since 26 March 2026 |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS |
| Genre | City builder, strategy |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (94% of 1,548 English reviews) |
| Price | $29.99 |
What players and critics love
Water you can reshape
The star of the game is its water. Rivers follow the shape of the land, rise in the rain and can carve out new streams and lakes. You build dams to stop floods, dig reservoirs and run aqueducts across the map, and the soil near water becomes richer farmland. One reviewer called it among the most impressive water systems in any city builder and compared it to From Dust; another simply said the aqueducts are beautiful to look at.
Freedom to build your own Rome
Buildings can be placed freely, so your city grows the way you want it to instead of filling fixed plots. Reviewers praise how clearly the interface shows what each building does and what the land allows, and how the game adds complexity step by step: first food, water, housing and warmth for the winter, then supply chains and citizens commuting between home and work.
A cosy, toy-like look
Nova Roma looks like a living diorama. The little citizens hop around like toy figures, and the warm colours, town squares and public baths give it a classic sword-and-sandal feel. Critics compare the mood to Kingdoms and Castles, and praise the soft Roman music that turns tense when raiders or disasters arrive.
Systems that click together
More citizens mean more workers, but also more mouths to feed. People want to live near their jobs and dislike noisy or smelly neighbours, and they can grow into artisans, gladiators and actors. Floods, fires and raids keep the pressure on, which reviewers found makes every city feel alive.
Gods, favour and progress
Five gods are in the game at launch. You build a temple to a god and complete their requests to earn favour, which unlocks new technology. Each god brings bonuses, such as happier citizens or more fertile fields, and some drawbacks. Ignore a god for too long and you may see lightning strikes and fires in your city.
What to know before you buy
- It is in Early Access. The developers call the current version fully playable and plan to stay in Early Access for about a year, adding more buildings, technologies and gods, plus war, politics and culture. They may raise the price as content is added.
- Room to grow. Reviewers agree the core city building is strong, while the gods and military defence still feel simple. One reviewer ran out of new things to do after two full cities, which is normal for an Early Access game.
- Performance. One reviewer saw frame drops and a few crashes on PC. On Steam Deck it is rated Playable by Valve, and a 30 FPS cap gave the smoothest results.
- Modes. Maps come in different sizes, with single or multi-island setups, adjustable difficulty and a creative mode for free building.
Who should buy Nova Roma?
Buy it if you liked Kingdoms and Castles, enjoy reshaping terrain, or want a city builder that is relaxing to play but still asks you to think about supply chains. If you want a finished game with deep warfare today, it may be worth adding it to your list and checking back as the updates arrive. If you love Roman settings, our Roads of Rome and Heroes of Rome walkthroughs are another way to spend time in the Empire.
Sources
- Steam store page and user reviews for Nova Roma
- Boss Rush: Nova Roma Early Access review
- Steam Deck HQ: Nova Roma Early Access review
- Checkpoint Gaming: Nova Roma Early Access preview
- Nexus store page for Nova Roma
Last checked against sources: 10 November 2026.
