Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to MicroState – JavaScript City Builder
I’ve been working on MicroState, a city builder prototype written entirely in vanilla JavaScript using the HTML5 2D Canvas API. My goal was to see how far I could get with a 2.5D isometric style simulation with vanilla JavaScript built very simply and drawn entirely with procedural generation for maps, tiles, roads, trees, buildings, etc. The most interesting element is probably the terrain model, which allows for fairly arbitrary terrain. Although some of the generated graphics like trees are cached as sprites, buildings- which are much more intensive to draw - are not cached yet, and many…
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
- 1
A isometric city builder in JavaScript. Contribute to victorqribeiro/isocity development by creating an account on GitHub.
2019 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 2
It all started as an experiment to see if I could build a game making heavy use of Deno and its SQLite driver. After sharing an early build in the „What are you working on?“ thread here, I got the encouragement I needed to polish it and make a version 1.0 for Steam. So here it is, Microlandia, a SimCity Classic-inspired game with parameters from real-life datasets, statistics and research. It also introduces aspects that are conveniently hidden in other games (like homelessness), and my plan is to continue updating, expanding and perfecting the models for an indefinite amount of time.
Dec 2025 · microlandia.city · its alternatives →
- 3IM
Hi HN! I made many small web games in the past with Unity or Phaser. But this time I wanted to make something completely on my own. So I coded a basic game framework in plain JavaScript, and used it to make Almost Pong. This was a really fun project that taught me a lot about JavaScript, and I plan to make more minimalist games with this framework. Interesting fact: Almost Pong doesn't load any assets, all sprites and sounds are generated with code. Happy to answer questions, and please let me know if you have any feedback on the game. Thanks!
2022 · lessmilk.com · its alternatives →
- 4
An interactive CSS terrain generator. Define a grid and generate your terrain!
Nov 2025 · terra.layoutit.com · its alternatives →
- 5
Explore advanced web development for online casinos at Juliango 202. Learn about programming languages, RNG algorithms, and secure platform architecture.
2018 · juliango202.com · its alternatives →
- 6
Pts is a javascript library for visualization and creative-coding.
2018 · ptsjs.org · its alternatives →
- 7
Took a break from the falling sand simulation blog posts this week to work on another small project. It's a little pixel world generator- each time you visit, you'll see a new little world. I really like this stuff and had a blast building it yesterday!
2022 · jason.today · its alternatives →
- 8AA
This is a weekend project that spiraled out of control. I was originally trying to get Claude to play a ROM of the SNES SimCity. I struggled with it and that led me to Micropolis (the open-sourced SimCity engine) and was able to get it to work by bolting on an API. The weekend hack turned into a headless city simulation platform where anyone can get an API key (no signup) and have their AI agent play mayor. The simulation runs the real Micropolis engine inside Cloudflare Durable Objects, one per city. Every city is public and browsable on the site. LLMs are awful at the spatial stuff, which…
Feb 2026 · hallucinatingsplines.com · its alternatives →
- 9
Micron.JS▲214A [μ] microInteraction library built with CSS and JavaScript
2018 · webkul.github.io · its alternatives →
- 10IM
I've posted this game here before, hopefully a repost is fine as the game has changed quite a bit (improved AI, improved mapeditor, much quicker gameplay, etc). Game is based on JavaScript/Canvas and WebSockets. On the browser side the map is pre-rendered (as a background image), just the mobile units/buildings and animations are dynamically rendered. The lobby server is made in node.js, but the game server is C++ for performance reasons (mainly the pathfinding). I found the C++ WebSocket libraries out there to be too difficult to use so I made my own based on the rfc. Overall I…
2022 · battle-of-flags.com · its alternatives →
- 11CP
Hi HN! 2d spritesheets for game development are often distributed as a PNG image, sometimes with a separate JSON or XML metadata document describing the layout, including any animation sequences within the sheet. Sometimes there is no metadata document and you have to work it out and manually write custom code to chop up the spritesheet and reference the sprites you want. I think it would be good if it became standard practice to distribute spritesheet PNGs with the metadata inline inside a PNG "chunk" so the whole thing is self-contained. That way artists can just distribute one file, and…
2019 · mccormick.cx · its alternatives →
- 12
2020 · victorribeiro.com · its alternatives →
- 13
This is a little game implemented over a week of tinkering and targeting Emacs. The point is both to have fun with this kind of simulations, and also explore the "functional core / imperative shell" approach to architecture. I also developed a tile and tile effect definition DSL, which makes this even easier to extend. From this point of view it's a success: easy testing, easy extension, Gameplay-wise the simulation is too simplistic, and needs input from people interested in this kind of toys. The original Micropolis/SimSity is the last time I built a virtual city.
Feb 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 14AR
2015 · xqt2.com · its alternatives →
- 15
As part of the annual JS13K games challenge, I've put together a pretty large (but small-in-code) Metroidvania game that fits in just 13KB of compressed Javascript. The source is available here: https://github.com/arikwex/infernal-sigil NOTE: the current head of the main branch is at 13.6KB due to quality of life patches. The legit 13KB version is tagged in github. Useful hacks: - Using Roadroller (https://github.com/lifthrasiir/roadroller) for compression - Compressing the map data as grayscale PNG paired with some code generation. - Using procedural…
2022 · arineonshark.itch.io · its alternatives →
- 16MA
Hello HN! I’m excited to share this open-source community mashup showing the power and possibility of combining 3D Gaussian splat scans with traditional mesh-based 3D tiles maps in the browser. As you've probably seen on HN a bunch lately, Gaussian splats are a new method to allow custom 3D scans of scenes and objects [1] and Google Maps 3D Tiles API are the same 3D buildings and street views your familiar with in Google Earth or Google Maps, and recently they’ve been made available for inclusion in web apps. Combining splats + 3d map mixes highly detailed real-world custom micro-scans with…
2024 · maps-and-splats.glitch.me · its alternatives →
- 17
Builder Book▲130Learn how to build a full stack JS web app from scratch
2018 · builderbook.org · its alternatives →
- 18AB
2014 · actionstreetmap.github.io · its alternatives →
- 19MP
I have been working on this game somewhat sparsely for the past three years or so. However, it is still in a very early stage, and there is a lot of work to do. One of my friends encouraged me to post about it here, since he felt people might find interesting how I don’t use any libraries for it. The game can be played on a browser by virtue of WebAssembly. There are native ports using either MiniFB or SDL2, but you have to build those yourself. I decided to write the game in C because I feel like it is a simple language that a lot of people can understand well enough, and I didn’t think I…
2023 · zamfofex.neocities.org · its alternatives →
- 20
GitCity▲113GitCity transforms your GitHub contribution history into an interactive isometric 3D city skyline. Every commit builds a skyscraper. Free, open-source, embeddable in any README.
Apr 2026 · gitcity.natrajx.in · its alternatives →
- 21
2020 · youtube.com · its alternatives →
- 22
Mapbox GLJS V2▲116Interactive, customizable 3D maps in your browser
2020 · mapbox.com · its alternatives →
- 23
Craft and grow your own village
2015 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 24MF
2013 · highlinux.com · its alternatives →
Also compare
- A tiny isometric city builder in JavaScript alternatives
- Microlandia, a brutally honest city builder alternatives
- I made a web game called Almost Pong alternatives
- A CSS-Only Terrain Generator alternatives
- TerrainVer – Generate Worms-Style Cartoon Terrain in JavaScript alternatives
- Pts.js – A library for visualization and creative coding alternatives
Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →