As theme park off-season approaches, let’s check out some of the best ways to get your theme park fix during the winter.
Every theme park fan dreams of building their own park. I often ask myself, “if I had billions of dollars, what kind of theme park would I build?” The likelihood of acquiring that kind of money is slim to none for most of us, unfortunately. However, with RollerCoaster Tycoon’s 1999 release, roller coaster fans have been able to try their hand at theme park design for nearly 25 years. Throughout that decade and a half, sequels, spinoffs, and new games have been released providing players with even more freedom to create immersive worlds and intricate attractions. On November 6th, theme park fans will be welcomed into the most ambitious theme park simulation game yet. Including roller coasters, water slides, dark rides, and even some ride systems familiar to Disney fans, Planet Coaster 2 continues to expand and innovate the genre. With only a few weeks until the game's release, let's take a look at my Top 5 best theme park simulation games of all time.
5. Thrillville: Off the Rails
For those that grew up in the 2000s, even hearing the name Thrillville will bring back nostalgia. Developed by Frontier and published by LucasArts, Thrillville: Off the Rails was released on November 16th, 2007 on PC, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox 360. Continuing the story of Thrillville, players set out to continue their mission to build the best, albeit unrealistic, theme parks and take down competitor Globo-Joy. What makes the Thrillville series so unique is that the game allows players to walk around their theme parks and interact with guests, meet and greet characters, and ride your theme park creations. It also has an incredible soundtrack of 2000s tween bops. This game’s real drawback is that many elements of the coaster creation are just so fantastical that players who are into engineering or ride design may feel taken aback by how cartoonish this game is. However, for casual players and storyline, this game was an absolute hit. You can still play Thrillville: Off the Rails by purchasing the game on Steam, PlayStation, or Xbox. The game is only $9.99 so relive the nostalgia, you’ll love it.
4. Parkitect
Parkitect is an indie theme park simulation game developed and published by Texel Raptor. Back in 2014, a Kickstarter campaign was launched to develop the spiritual successor to the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise. In just a month, the game had raised $63,730. Over the next four years, the game would go through several testing periods and an early access release before officially debuting on November 29th, 2018. Gameplay is similar to the first two isometric RollerCoaster Tycoon games, however, Parkitect modernized the perspective allowing players to enjoy the nostalgia of RCT and RCT2 with the conveniences of 3D video games. This game accomplished what fans had hoped RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 would. With consistent content updates, this game is perfect for those that appreciate both the simplicity and accessibility of RCT1 and 2, while offering players a modern experience. Parkitect is available on Steam for $29.99.
3. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
Initially released on November 2nd, 2004, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 took the iconic series and completely changed the landscape of the genre. The game’s main selling point was offering players the chance to “ride” their creations from the perspective of their guests. The game also was the first to implement a night and day sequence, allowing players to see their parks come to life at night and even design firework shows. Through expansion packs, the game also added water parks and wildlife to the series, providing fans of all types of theme parks to create the playground of their dreams. While the game was a tad ambitious for the time, with lag, glitches, and a somewhat drab art style in comparison to the poppy colors of its predecessors, the game was the last great and realistic roller coaster simulation for over 10 years. In addition to the game’s stock content, the RCT3 community crafted gorgeous and realistic custom content, including coaster trains, scenery, and flat rides, that added so much value to the game. Frontier and Atari’s RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 holds an important place in the theme park simulator genre that still holds up to this day. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is available on PC and Mac.
2. Planet Coaster
Developed by Frontier, Planet Coaster is the new standard for modern theme park simulation. The game takes everything that is integral to RCT3 and breaks it free from its grid based building structure. Unlike most theme park sims of the past, Planet Coaster gives players the freedom to rotate, curve, and bend track pieces into whatever shapes and sizes they wish. Players are no longer confined to geometric designs and presets. While the game can be a bit overwhelming to casual players of the genre, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. Planet Coaster also perfectly combines a cartoonish art style with ride accuracy, providing a game with both an identity and a focus on realism. Planet Coaster, which was released in 2016 on PC, has grown both its audience and content over the past 8 years. Fans of dark rides aren’t left out of the equation in this game. Featuring ride systems based on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and more, players could utilize animatronics and scenery pieces to create immersive experiences for their guests in a way that had never been done before. While RCT3 had aspects of this, Planet Coaster prioritized the immersion that was lacking in previous entries into the genre. Planet Coaster also introduced new variables into gameplay, including staff break rooms and hotels. Over the past 8 years, players have crafted some incredible theme parks and attractions, even spawning accurate recreations of Disney Parks. Planet Coaster is what RCT3 fans were waiting over a decade for, and it does not disappoint.
1. RollerCoaster Tycoon/ RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
Who doesn’t love a classic? Back in 1999, RollerCoaster Tycoon took the world by storm becoming the best selling game of the year. It continued to hold selling power for years, and prior to the release of RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 in 2002, the computer game had sold 6 million copies worldwide. RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 expanded on the amazing gameplay found in the first game, including Six Flags branded scenarios and attractions. The isometric theme park simulation game has one of the most iconic art styles of any video game. What makes this game so special is its accessibility. While fans of theme parks can spend hours designing buildings, coasters, queues, and theming, casual players could jump in and build wacky creations that never felt out of place. There isn’t really a “correct” way to play RollerCoaster Tycoon/RollerCoaster Tycoon 2. With its iconic soundtrack, scream sounds, and art style, these two just can’t be beat. Both games are available to purchase on Steam and other platforms, including a mobile app called RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic. These timeless games are absolutely worth revisiting.
You can preorder Planet Coaster 2 now on Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox.
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