Ratopia: Adorable Side-Scrolling City Builder Exits Early Access With Full Release

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Khris Brayton | Last updated May 9, 2025 11:59 PM ET

Ratopia is an entry into the fairly saturated, complex city builder genre. With games like Frostpunk, Civilization, Skylines, and Manor Lords taking much of the attention of city simulation fans, smaller indie developers need to take a different approach to stand out. That is precisely what the Korean developer Cassel Games has attempted, with the cute yet daunting entry, Ratopia. The game has been in early access for a couple of years, but the team has finally found the entry ready for its full release.

Ratopia Catapults From Early Access Into the Deep End

Image of Ratopia, courtesy of Cassel Games.

For two years, Ratopia has sat in early access, gathering fan feedback as Cassel Games worked to perfect the title. The game appears to take inspiration from some other famous city builders in the genre, namely Dwarf Fortress and Oxygen Not Included. The game brings in a bit of cross-genre elements to start, with resource collecting, dungeon-delving, and base survival skills all tasked to your rat buddy from the start. As the game continues, though, players will want to build their team to grow the city back from its devastation.

The full release trailer indicates that Ratopia is not just a cute little simulation, but rather a complex and in-depth city builder, similar to the complexity level of Dwarf Fortress, an obvious game inspiration. Players are tasked with keeping every single citizen in their community happy, and let’s face it, rat characters are as finicky as human ones. Technology is also a major focus of the game, challenging users to move from basic technology all the way up to robot rats. In case managing living versions was not challenging enough!

According to PC Gamer, “It seems that Ratopia includes just about every trapping of the genre, including literal traps, which you’ll probably want to set up to ward off the squeaking undead and raids from other factions that don’t feel like trading. In addition to treasure and monster-filled depths below your kingdom, there’s a whole overworld map to explore, with options to pursue diplomacy or war with your neighbors depending on whether you’re taking inspiration from the Redwall novels or Warhammer’s deliciously chaotic Skaven.”

The full release trailer is available below:

Final Thoughts

Ratopia was well-received during early access, so that should likely continue with the game’s full release as well. The Korean indie developer seems to have hit on a perfect blend of cute aesthetic and challenging gameplay, something that should be a draw for fans of the genre. The game is available on Steam and PC, with a current sale running until May 14.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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