Build and Conquer City Levels: Read the Current Requirements

What population do you need for the next city level?

Use the condition shown in your current game. We found conflicting numbers in recorded tutorials, so a single fixed level table would give false confidence. The important detail is the complete condition: a requirement may mention total residents and residents in a particular housing category.

The following screenshot is a dated interface example, rather than a promise about the live build.

YellowHeadVin’s October 11, 2026 recording, 3:15. Game © The Slop Company. The pictured tooltip includes 500 residents and at least 300 in houses.

Which dated population gates have complete visible fields?

Level	Inspected panel	Recorded counters
2	October 11 Suburban House 10	500 total, at least 300 in houses
3	October 11 Large Military Factory	5,000 total, at least 1,500 in houses
4	Fundo High Rise City Apartment	10,000 total, 2,500 houses, 6,000 apartments
5	October 11 Glass Apartment Tower	20,000 total field shown; other conditions not established by this panel

The level-3 factory frame is at 11:02. The level-3 guide shows its screenshot and a house-category deficit example. These are dated panel records across different recordings, not a reconstructed single-version progression table.

Why do tutorials give different numbers?

There are at least two reasons to read a number carefully: the game can change between recordings, and a spoken explanation can leave out a condition shown on screen. An earlier Fundo tutorial, 0:25 says 250 population for level 2. The later screenshot above shows a different condition.

For higher levels, the distinction is just as important. A narrator’s reference to a number of people in houses is not necessarily the total population gate. In the later video, the Glass Apartment Tower panel shows a larger resident requirement than the nearby spoken house-population figure. See the housing panel example rather than merging those figures into one threshold.

How should you read an upgrade gate?

Use this four-part checklist:

Check	What to record
Target	The city level or building unlock you actually want
Total residents	The full resident condition in the current tooltip
Housing category	Any separate condition for houses, apartments, or another category
Other conditions	Resources, research, utilities, or an additional stated requirement

Then compare each condition with the matching city counter. Do not substitute total population for a category-specific count.

How can you estimate the housing still needed?

The population planner calculates a building count from a chosen target, your current count, and capacity per new building. If the requirement concerns houses, enter the current population in houses and the capacity of a house. For an apartment condition, do a separate calculation with apartment values.

If there are several conditions, keep several small plans. This is easier to audit than one optimistic total that combines incompatible housing types. Check your construction budget before placing the resulting batch.

What if your population is high enough but the unlock is blocked?

Read every line of the tooltip again. Compare the relevant housing category, allow construction to complete, and check any other displayed gate. If the condition still looks satisfied, try the steps in city troubleshooting. Avoid demolishing a working district simply because an old guide says it should already have unlocked.

For source dates and our treatment of conflicting claims, see source notes.

Where should you go next?

• City Level 2: Population & House Requirements
• City Level 3: Total and House Resident Gates
• City Level 4: Houses, Apartments & Total Residents
• City Level 5: Read the 20,000-Resident Tooltip