CityVille: the Facebook city builder and how to play it today

What is CityVille?

CityVille is a city-building and management simulation made by Zynga. You start with a small plot of land and grow it into a city: you put up houses and businesses such as a bakery, plant and harvest crops, collect rent and level up by finishing quests. It plays as a single-player game with a social side, because neighbors can visit your city and lend a hand.

CityVille launched on Facebook on December 2, 2010. The loop is easy to learn: houses bring in population and rent, crops and businesses bring in coins and goods, quests point you to what to build next, and energy limits how much you can do in one sitting. Our how-to-play guide has the actual numbers.

What happened to CityVille over the years?

CityVille was not limited to Facebook. A localized Chinese version made with Tencent arrived on July 26, 2011 under the name Zynga City, and a Google+ version followed on September 26, 2011.

A sequel came next. CityVille 2 launched in December 2012 and was cancelled on February 5, 2013. The original game carried on until April 30, 2015, when its Facebook version closed. That date applies to Facebook specifically, and we make no claims about any other platform.

One more name to keep apart: CityVille Hometown was a separate Zynga mobile game for iPhone and iPad. It has no connection with the web game and is no longer available.

Can you still play CityVille today?

Yes, through this edition. It is independent, unofficial and made by fans, it is in beta, and it is free to play at cityville.fbgamesweb.com. It runs on a server operated by FB Games, not by Zynga, and it is based on the 2013 version of the game.

You need an account of your own: a username and a password, with email optional. There is no Facebook sign-in and no login through other services. Progress from the original Facebook game cannot be imported, so every account starts a fresh city.

The site and the game are available in English and Spanish. Some names or texts inside the game may still show up in the other language, which is a known limitation.

What is inside this edition of CityVille?

Your city begins on a 36 by 36 tile plot, and you can expand it in blocks of 12 by 12 tiles: the expansion table defines 252 steps, each one asking for population and permits. The level cap in the game data is 250.

The game data defines hundreds of buildings and decorations, from residences and businesses to community buildings, plus 83 collections. That count includes seasonal and unavailable items, so it is not a list of what the market offers today.

It also defines 1,312 quests, most of them tied to events and seasons, so do not read that number as a promise. What has been followed from start to finish is the opening chain of 80 quests, run through in an automated test that ended at level 35.

Is CityVille social in this edition?

Yes, within limits. City Sam, a simulated neighbor, is always there for your first visit. Real neighbors are possible too: you send requests, search by name, visit their cities and help them. There is also a global chat with a Spanish channel and an English channel.

Players cannot send each other gifts or invitations, and there are no private messages. Our private server guide covers the rules, the limits and how support works.

What is still missing from CityVille here?

It is a beta, and it shows in places. Part of the artwork and of the dialogs is missing, so some buildings look incomplete. Features that belonged to old events, to other games or to outside promotions are not included either.

Several systems are built in but have not been played through from start to finish with real clicks: franchises, trains and cars beyond the welcome train, collections, weather, the zoo and achievements. We do not promise them, and we make no promise about seasonal events.

If something breaks, tell us through the Support link inside the game. It opens a ticket form in a new tab, and your city stays open.

CityVille at a glance, and where to go next

Quick facts: made by Zynga; launched on Facebook on December 2, 2010; closed there on April 30, 2015; this edition is independent, unofficial, free and in beta; it is based on the 2013 version; it is browser only, with no Flash and no app; you use your own account, not Facebook; old progress is not imported.

What to read next depends on what you need. For your first hour, read the how-to-play guide. For accounts, neighbors, chat and support, read the private server guide. If the game will not start, the no-Flash guide has fixes. For phones, read the mobile guide, and for the warning about fake installers, the download guide. If you want alternatives, the games-like guide compares them.