A game about French towns: 35,000 communes to discover
Updated October 27, 2026
Paris, Lyon, your hometown, the village of your holidays: in Towndom, every commune in France has its own page, its price and its short code. The game counts about 35,000 of them, and that is the playground. Here is how to use it to discover French towns in a new way, alone or with friends, with a currency that stays fictional. The app is in French for now, so the screen names below are translated.
Towndom is a game: the currency is 100% fictional and nothing can be won or withdrawn for real. This guide is not investment advice.
What is on the page of a French town?
Every commune in France has its own page, with a price, a chart and a short ticker code: PAR for Paris, LYON for Lyon. The chart reads over an hour, a day, a week, a month or three months, and markers on it show the events that moved the price.
You can search a town by name, by département or by ticker, or browse the map. The page also shows the current mayor, the ranking of the biggest holders and a status that tells you what you can do with the town.
Why does the price of a town move?
The price follows local news: a festival, roadworks, a strike. The “Why is it moving?” button details the events behind each move, with their source. So you learn something about the town each time, not just a number.
This price belongs to the game: it predicts nothing about the real commune and has no link with a real market. A small commune moves little because it has fewer events and less data, and that is not an oversight.
Which towns are playable, and which are watch only?
Every town page shows a status, which depends on the quality of the data available for the town:
- Playable: you can put up to €2,000 in it.
- Limited stake: your position is capped at €1,000.
- Watch only: you can follow the town but not buy into it yet.
How do you become mayor of your hometown?
In Towndom, the player who holds the most shares of a town becomes its mayor. Their nickname appears on the town page, they wear the sash and collect doubled rent. It is a game title, with no link to the real mayor of the commune.
To go for your hometown, open its page: it tells you how many shares you are missing (“3.2 more shares to become mayor”, for example), and the buy button fills itself in. A small commune is often taken with a modest investment. A big city is more contested, and the mayorship may be out of reach.
What routes can you follow to discover towns?
Rather than choosing at random among 35,000 communes, give yourself a thread to follow:
- Your town: the one where you live or grew up, to see what moves it.
- Your holiday town: find a place you love and read its events.
- The ten biggest: the country’s largest cities, to compare very contested pages.
- An unknown département: open it on the map and read its top towns of the day.
Quiz or game: what is the difference for learning towns?
A quiz about French towns asks you to recall a name or a position and tells you whether you are right. Towndom is not a quiz: there is no question and no grade. It is a game where you hold towns, their price reacts to the news and you measure yourself against other players.
The two complement each other. A quiz is ideal for testing your memory. The game gives you a reason to care about a commune over time: you follow it, you reinforce it, you watch who is aiming at its mayorship. It is learning through use, with no promise of making you better at geography.
What challenges can you set between friends?
Every week, Towndom places you in a league of 30 players, ranked by percentage gain. That is the ready-made challenge: the week’s league. Leagues are played in season mode, with the same €2,000 in play money for everyone.
A few challenge ideas to play with friends, with nothing real at stake:
- everyone picks their hometown and tries to become its mayor;
- everyone explores a département the others do not know;
- compare your mayorships at the end of the week;
- tell the most surprising event you read in a “Why is it moving?”.
Frequently asked questions
- How many towns are in the game?
- About 35,000 communes of France, each with its own page, price and short code. Their status (Playable, Limited stake, Watch only) depends on the quality of the available data.
- Is this a quiz about French towns?
- No. Towndom is a stock-market and board game: it asks no questions. You discover towns by following and holding them.
- Can I be mayor of my own town?
- Yes, if you hold the most shares of the town. It is a game title, with no link to the commune’s real mayor.
- Is there real money at stake?
- No. The currency is entirely fictional: €2,000 to start, nothing can be won or withdrawn for real. The game is free on iPhone, from iOS 18.