author: Retromaniak
32 Best Tycoon Games Ever - Top Economic Strategies on PC in 2023
Once beloved and now forgotten, the tycoons have a rich history, which has plenty of outstanding games. We offer a review of what we believe to be thirty of the best economic simulations released in the nearly 30 years of the genre's existence.
Table of Contents
- 32 Best Tycoon Games Ever - Top Economic Strategies on PC in 2023
- Transport Fever 2
- Caesar 3
- Cities: Skylines
- Fallout Shelter
- Game Dev Tycoon
- Jurassic World Evolution 2
- Patrician 3
- Planet Coaster
- Prison Architect
- RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
- SimCity 4
- Highrise Project
- Theme Park
- Tropico 3
- Factorio
- Let's Build a Zoo
Theme Park
THEME PARK IN A NUTSHELL
- Year of release: 1994
- Platforms: PC, MAC, PS1, NDS, AMIGA, SNES, 3DO, JAGUAR, GENESIS, SEGA SATURN, iOS, AND
- Theme and type: theme park management simulator
Before Bullfrog Productions released Theme Hospital into the hands of the players, in 1994 the team created a completely different title, which undoubtedly contributed even more to the development of the tycoon genre. Of course, we speak about Theme Park, which initiated an ongoing trend and inspired the best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon series.
The gameplay mechanics of Theme Park don't differ much from what was offered by the aforementioned Frontier Developments studio series. The most important element here is therefore the development of the park itself - constructing roads, building individual objects and shops and decorating it with a rich set of trees and eye-catching accessories. Cleaners, technical personnel and living mascots entertaining our guests are responsible for everything. Everything is supervised by a specialized staff.
The whole is crowned with scientific research, which allows to invent new attractions, open new shops and increase the reliability of already invented devices. The game can take place on one of three levels of difficulty. The easiest "sandbox" focuses exclusively on the location of attractions and shops. The second level of "simulation" adds to our duties the necessity to carry out research. Finally, the last "full" difficulty level allows for a comprehensive service of the entire park - including the delivery of products to service outlets.
The original Theme Park is still available in digital distribution on GOG.com, but the age of the title will scare away most of the modern players. Fortunately, the work of the Bullfrog Productions studio had two successful sequels: Theme Park World from 1999 and Theme Park Inc. from 2001, as well as the mobile edition (2011) created by a completely different studio - Progressive Media - which was effectively drowned out by an intrusive micropayment system.
However, the heritage of the game cannot be overestimated, manifested in a huge number of better or worse imitations, from which the above mentioned best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon series by Frontier Developments definitely stands out in the foreground.
OpenTTD
OPENTTD IN A NUTSHELL
- Year of release: 2010
- Platform: PC
- Theme and type: transport company management simulator
Created by Sid Meier in 1990, Railroad Tycoon became the first commercially successful production of its kind. However, not to belittle the legend, it had one major drawback: it focused exclusively on rail transport. So why not extend the mechanics of the cult original to other modes of transport?
This approach was demonstrated by Chris Sawyer, whom we have already mentioned, among others on the page dedicated to RollerCoaster Tycoon series, who in 1994 created Transport Tycoon in cooperation with Microprose. The title was another major success of the legendary game developer and publisher, and soon it was refreshed and improved to a Deluxe edition, becoming a real classic position.
Okay, but you have just started reading the next paragraph, and so far there has been nothing about OpenTTD, which is the production on the list. However, the introduction to Transport Tycoon Deluxe was necessary because OpenTTD is nothing more than a free version of this game made by fans.
In OpenTTD, we take on the role of the CEO of a transport company, and over the next hundred years, we try to turn this small enterprise into a global giant.
The fun begins in 1930 with relatively little capital and a few not very impressive vehicles to choose from. The money can be invested in four different types of transport - road, rail, air and sea. Each of them has its own pros and cons, and the player decides which one to use in a given situation. We are also burdened with such detailed activities as designing a route or replacing aging vehicles. During the game the world is constantly changing, and our industry is developing, offering us newer and better vehicles.
The fun begins in 1930 with relatively little capital and a few not very impressive vehicles to choose from. The money can be invested in four different types of transport - road, rail, air and sea. Each of them has its own pros and cons, and the player decides which one to use in a given situation. We are also burdened with such detailed activities as designing a route or replacing aging vehicles. During the game the world is constantly changing, and our industry is developing, offering us newer and better vehicles.
OpenTTD is the only free game on this list. There are no microtransactions in it. Interestingly, the source code is open and available online. This allows for easy (as long as you know how) implementation of various changes to the gameplay.