Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic

Lore & Background

Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic was developed based on the success of similar games such as Cities: Skylines and Transport Fever, but with a focus on simulating the economic systems of Communist states, particularly Eastern Bloc economies during the Cold War era. The game is set between the 1960s and the 1990s with no ending time limit. Citizens have two main factors—health and happiness—and if happiness is too low they escape the country, while low health leads to death; these can be addressed through medical infrastructure, food supply, and cultural buildings like theaters, sports fields, and pubs. The game uses two currencies: rubles for Eastern customs houses and dollars for Western customs houses.

Reader's Guide

Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic received mostly positive reviews from critics and players during early access, though some criticized the lack of tutorials in early stages. The game offers three tutorial sets covering basic mechanics, transportation, and energy and networks, as well as two campaigns that guide players through building a Soviet republic while learning separate tutorials. The first campaign takes place in a coastal valley area, teaching resource extraction, basic production, and public services; the second focuses on developing a pre-existing nation by expanding infrastructure and exporting resources via trains and trucks. The game also features a Steam workshop where players can create new building and vehicle textures, scripts, or entire maps. Three DLCs have been released: Biomes (adding tundra, desert, and tropic landscapes with unique challenges), World Maps (adding 10 maps based on real-world locations including Austria, the UK, East Germany, and North Korea), and Early Start (allowing players to begin in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, or 1950s with period-appropriate vehicles and buildings).

Did You Know?

• The game was temporarily removed from Steam in February 2023 due to a DMCA takedown over rights to a realistic mode conceived by a fan, and was restored in early March 2023.
• The first DLC, Biomes, was released alongside the full version of the game on 20 June 2024.
• The second DLC, World Maps, includes maps based on the landscapes of Austria, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, East Germany, Estonia, France, North Korea, Poland, the Central Atlantic coastline of the USA, and Yugoslavia.
• The third DLC, Early Start, released on 22 May 2025, adds four new starting decades from the 1920s to the 1950s.