Every game on this desk is free to begin and makes its money from optional in-game purchases, and none of them needs anything installed. What is worth a second thought is the build queue: a building that finishes in three hours is an invitation to come back in three hours, and a day can quietly arrange itself around four of those.
Time
- Decide when you will check, and let anything that finishes in between simply sit — all of these will hold it.
- Start a long build on purpose and walk away from it.
- Notice whether you are planning the city or just watching a progress bar.
Money
- Set a monthly figure before the first offer appears rather than after it.
- Turn on purchase approval on the device, which is the only limit that works when you are tired.
- In this genre, spending nearly always buys speed. Ask whether you actually want the next hour to arrive sooner.
Younger players
- Read the age rating on the studio's own site; these games are rated by the studio, not by us.
- Keep purchase approval on a parent's device, not the child's.
- Park chat and trading features until you have looked at them yourself.
If any of this has stopped being a choice, use the screen-time tools on the device and the limits your bank offers, and say so to someone close to you.