---
id: engines/power-network-tycoon
about:
  label: Power Network Tycoon
  description: >-
    Commercial single-player game by the solo studio David Made This in which
    the player builds and runs a high-voltage grid for a growing island town,
    with a physics-based model of voltage, current, conductor heating and
    protection.
  tags:
    - power grid
    - electricity
    - game
    - learning
    - renewables
    - substations
tool:
  form: commercial simulation game
  group: Participation and learning
  homepage: 'https://powernetworktycoon.com/'
  cost: 'US$14.99 on Steam; free demo, including one that runs in the browser'
domains:
  - energy
open:
  source: closed
  data: unknown
  api: unknown
  participation: unknown
  note: >-
    Sold on Steam, itch.io and other stores for Windows, Mac and Linux; the site
    reads "All rights reserved".
provenance:
  origin: agent
  sources:
    - title: Power Network Tycoon - Official Site & Game Updates
      url: 'https://powernetworktycoon.com/'
    - title: About Us | Power Network Tycoon
      url: 'https://powernetworktycoon.com/game/about-us'
    - title: Frequently Asked Questions | Power Network Tycoon
      url: 'https://powernetworktycoon.com/faq'
    - title: Power Network Tycoon on Steam
      url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/2429930/Power_Network_Tycoon/'
    - title: 'Power Network Tycoon (@DavidMadeThis) on X, profile'
      url: 'https://x.com/DavidMadeThis'
    - title: 'Seaver Wang on X, 5 September 2026'
      url: 'https://x.com/wang_seaver/status/2096345469236736150'
  created: '2026-10-23'
  reviewed: '2026-10-23'
  reviewed_by: 'Claude, from the sources listed'
  status: draft
---
Power Network Tycoon is a game about keeping the lights on. The player starts on an empty island and places generators, substations, poles and power lines while the town grows into a city.[^3] Demand rises, equipment ages, and storms, heatwaves and cold snaps test the network.[^1,4] When the player is satisfied with the city, they hand the network to a regulator, which scores it on its size and how well it was designed.[^3] The points unlock new technology, such as solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, for the next island, so the grid can move away from oil-fired generation.[^3]

David, who works alone, makes it under the name David Made This.[^2,4] He is a power engineer in Australia.[^5] It came out in early access in 2024, and version 1.0 was released on 30 September 2026.[^1,4]

The difference from most city builders is the electricity model.[^2] The game treats power as voltage and current flowing through real equipment, not as one supply-and-demand number.[^3] Lines overheat when they carry too much, and the fix is a heavier conductor or more paths for the power to take.[^3] The player manages power factor and adds capacitor banks, lightning rods and grounding rods.[^1,3] In-game instruments borrowed from the industry include an electromagnetic field meter, an infrared camera and a tool for ground potential rise, the voltage that builds up in the ground around equipment during a fault.[^1,3,4] Text, video and interactive tutorials explain these ideas in accessible terms.[^3]

It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, is sold on Steam and itch.io among other stores, and is single-player, with a level editor.[^1,3,4] For someone who wants a feel for why a [grid runs short](/questions/electrification/) as demand grows, it is a low-cost way in.