# The Settlers 2

7 Hacker News commenters recommended The Settlers 2 and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a polished strategy game where optimizing resource flows across a node graph is rewarding, and as a nostalgic favorite.

## Why people recommend it

- Nostalgic favorite still considered best (3 comments): "I absolutely loved The Settlers 1 and 2 as a kid." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46034398)) "Settlers II is also a game I liked" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46214364)) "Yes, S2 is still the best." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46036150))
- Optimizing resource flows in a graph (2 comments): "it had a strict grid of nodes, creating a complex graph of buildings and paths" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46035589)) "It's quite interesting to optimize the resource flows through this graph." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46039833))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [SimCity 3000](https://hackerapproved.com/p/simcity-3000.md): 23 recommend
- [SimCity 2000](https://hackerapproved.com/p/simcity-2000.md): 20 recommend
- [SimCity](https://hackerapproved.com/p/simcity.md): 20 recommend
- [Cities: Skylines](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cities-skylines.md): 20 recommend
- [Microlandia](https://hackerapproved.com/p/microlandia.md): 20 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Settlers 2", https://hackerapproved.com/p/settlers-2/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).