GeraCity Walkthrough: Your First Hour
Published 21 April 2026 · 9 min read
Quick answer: First hour: zone residential (5 tiles), add a GeraClinic hospital, a GeraEats restaurant, and a GeraCash bank. Keep happiness above 60%. By 60 minutes you should have ~500 citizens and your first 50 GeraCoins.
Minutes 0–10: Zoning basics
Start with five residential zones clustered around a central road. Don't over-commit; each zone must be reachable by road or citizens won't move in. Place the road grid before any buildings.
Minutes 10–25: First service buildings
Drop a GeraClinic hospital (health), a GeraEats restaurant (food), and a GeraCash bank (economy). Each service raises citizen happiness within a 5-tile radius. You'll see happiness climb to the 70s.
Minutes 25–40: First GeraCoins
Happy citizens generate GeraCoins. Once you pass 500 citizens with happiness > 60%, GeraCoins accrue at ~1/minute. Stockpile them — at 50 GeraCoins you unlock the first upgrade path (GeraMarket shops).
Minutes 40–55: Expand carefully
Add commercial (GeraMarket) and education (GeraLearn). Resist the urge to expand residential too fast — every new resident reduces average happiness if services don't scale.
Minutes 55–60: Set up a supply chain
Connect a GeraFarm (suburb) to a GeraEats restaurant to a GeraRide delivery hub. This triggers the “Local Supply Chain” achievement and +5% happiness across your city.
Mistakes to avoid
- Building residential before roads — citizens won't spawn.
- Ignoring happiness — below 50% citizens leave.
- Over-investing in one service type — variety matters.
- Spending GeraCoins on cosmetics before the first upgrade path.
What's next
Hour 2 introduces GeraRide transit, GeraSure insurance, and the first neighbouring city (GeraTycoon-linked trade). Read Tips & Tricks and GeraCity Lore.
Play GeraCity (free).
Download on iOS / Android or play in browser at city.gera.games/play.