# Timberborn 8 Hacker News commenters recommended Timberborn and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months. **Verdict:** City builder where wrong guesses about fluid dynamics can kill everyone; people find it fun, chill and neat since its 1.0 release, though some say it feels unfinished. ## Why people recommend it - Unique fluid dynamics twist on city building (2 comments): "I think it's a great city builder, plus a fluid dynamics simulator where if you guess wrong everyone dies." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48300930)) "It's like banished but mixed with fluid dynamics." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49946173)) - Chill, enjoyable city builder (2 comments): "I think it's a great city builder, plus a fluid dynamics simulator where if you guess wrong everyone dies." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48300930)) "Timberborn 1.0 is indeed quite nice! Very chill, and the surprise automation feature drop is a god send." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47393761)) - Recent 1.0 release with automation (2 comments): "Timberborn 1.0 is indeed quite nice! Very chill, and the surprise automation feature drop is a god send." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47393761)) "It’s rather neat, and recently hit 1.0." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47486270)) ## What people warn about - Feels unfinished, poor execution (1 comments): "Timberborn is a good idea, terrible execution, and feels unfinished." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48315698)) ## 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 ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://mechanistry.com/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Timberborn", https://hackerapproved.com/p/timberborn/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).