This study investigates the changes in land use and land cover in Peshawar city, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. To analyze changes in land use and land cover, 25 years (1993–2018) satellite remote sensing data of Landsat TM, ETM+, and OLI were utilized. The Maximum Likelihood Classification method was applied to the Landsat images to distinguish between various land use and land cover categories. Differences between these land use and land cover categories were analyzed and compared. The changes in land use and land cover indicate that urbanization grew by 21.49% between 1993 and 2018. There is a rapid decline in the availability of open land/barren land which is 13.06% less in 2018 as compared to what it was in 1993 followed by vegetations decline (7.84%) in the same duration. Water bodies have experienced a reduction of 0.61%. In terms of land area, settlements have seen a significant expansion, increasing by 275.05 km2. Conversely, open/barren lands have decreased by 267.16 km2, reflecting a shift towards urbanization. Additionally, vegetated areas have diminished by 100.05 km2, indicating a substantial loss of green cover. These changes highlight the ongoing transformation of land use in the region, with urban development encroaching on natural and undeveloped areas. Spatial maps showing the gains and losses in settlements were generated using the Land Change Modeller (LCM) within TerrSet, focusing on three time periods: 1993–2003, 2003–2013, and 2013–2018. Additionally, spatial trend maps were created for 3rd, 6th, and 9th order polynomials over the same periods. The study area has experienced significant changes in land use and land cover patterns. Between 1993 and 2018, there has been a marked increase in settlements, accompanied by a considerable decline in open or barren lands as well as vegetated areas.