Summary
Games likeTheme Park Tycoongain cult followings even among non-gamers. Building and managing mega structures draws players in, but good tutorials and beginner scenarios make them stay for hours or even years. A great tycoon game likeRollerCoaster Tycoon 2lets players get creative and lay out their parks and cities how they want, regardless of efficiency.
Once players pass the simple stage, complex management mechanics keep them locked in. While games likeSimCityandTheme Park Tycoonget sequels, not every great tycoon game or business/building sim gets a follow-up, even if they deserve a second chance or a refresh.
City building
Platforms
PC
City management enthusiasts who love big cities have a soft spot forCities XLand its subsequent games.Cities XLlived up to its name by offering players huge populations and tiered development options. Building, zoning, and road placement are 100% in the player’s hands, but they must account for the effect social classes have on their city’s RCI zones.
Unfortunately, it was marred by bugs, a disruptive online subscription model, and poor developer response to community concerns. In the hands of another developer, aCities XLsequel could provide a decent alternative city building sim focused oncity planning and development.
City builder
SimTowerwas a straightforward building sim that got gamers to think vertically. Figuring out which facilities worked together and filling gaps between rooms was critical to makingthe tower profitable. So was elevator management, since poor pathing can drastically reduce cash flow.
Sites that host illegal copies of DOS games still haveSimTowerin circulation, but finding a legal copy that works without a lot of searching is next to impossible. It’s not hard to imagine an updatedSimTowersequel that allows mixed-use zoning selling well to fans old and new alike.
Sid Meier’s Railroads!offers a lot fora train sim. With careful strategy, extra elements like the stock market or owning industries can be safely ignored to funnel all investments into building train routes. Paying attention to cargo rates and values, plus building train routes strategically, results in more money to build railroads that are satisfying to watch.
A mobile port ofRailroads!came out in 2023, but no sequel is in sight. The port’s success may stir interest in a sequel though, and barring that, games likeTransport Fever 2,Mini Metro, andRailroadercan hold over train sim enthusiasts.
Dungeon management
Playing as a bad guy was a treat back in the 90s, andDungeon Keeperallowed gamers to live the life of a dungeon boss. Players use imps and other creatures to dig out a sprawling underground lair, manage rivaling species to effectively sic them on invading heroes, lay traps, make sacrifices, and foil other dungeon keepers’ plans. Multiplayer modes also allow gamers to compete or team up against each other in 15 different levels.
There are dozens of dungeon-making games that find their roots inDungeon Keeper’s RTS dungeon management mechanics and dark humor, but, aside from its 3D sequel, it has no true successors, as its 2014 installment is only a sequel in name. For now, fans can try the upcomingDungeon Tycoon, where they’ll foil adventurers to grow their evil dungeon business, but it is not a true sequel either.
Visual Entertainment and Technologies (VENT)
Platofrms
Car enthusiasts who’ve always dreamed of running a car company but don’t have the capital to do so can take on the challenge inGearCityinstead. Marketing itself as a complex business simulator,GearCitycovers all aspects of managing a car company.
Virtual CEOs have to account for their car designs and factory workflow, dealership and marketing, financial systems, andfunding their racing team. While the game still works, a sequel could do wonders for its cars and user interface. Developer VENT can partner with other studios to update its visuals while maintaining ownership over its brilliant simulation.
Caesar 3commands players to master road planning, supply chain management, diplomacy, emergency response, and siege defense. To avoid overwhelming players, Career Mode starts them as citizensin the Roman Empire. Ranks of citizen to architect or governor teach players how to plan cities and resources, manage boons or challenges from the gods, and start military campaigns.
To this day, players still go back toCaesar 3. The precise combination of mechanics and difficulty curve, along with its semi-fantastical elements, is difficult to find elsewhere. ACaesar 5can build on what the first three games in the series introduced, and improve upon what 4 tried to introduce.
InThe Movies, players get the full experience of becoming the owner of a movie studio. They’llneed to managestars’ health, skills, and addictions, find staff with great stats and genre specializations, and balance the budget for building a good studio lot. Creative players can also use the Advanced Movie-Maker to plug custom scripts and make truly unique films.
Sadly, the only simulator games to come close to all the ground thatThe Moviesambitiously attempted to cover areBlockbuster Inc.,Hollywood Animal, andMovie Tycoon. Each game shares elements withThe Movies, andMovie Tycoonin particular looks similar to Lionhead Studios’ work.
Capitalism 2designer Trevor Chan never got the chance to makeCapitalism 3under Ubisoft. Instead, he independantly madeCapitalism Lab, an expansion ofCapitalism 2. Chan, with a bigger team, can move this spreadsheet tycoon classic into Unity or Unreal Engine for a modern look with quality of life improvements.
History and city-building simfans have a lot to bond over throughThePatricianseries.Countries in the Hanseatic League are thrown under the spotlight, as are 1300s trade conditions, piracy, and politics. On the gameplay side, every sequel features visual improvements, positive adjustments to profitable goods and general game balancing, events with consequences, and better AI.
However, as a consequence of its straightforward gameplay, the series ended with 2010’sPatrician 4.A sequel may find a new audience now, with new stylized historical dramas populating streaming services, and historical simulation games likeAnno 1800andVictoria 2still doing well.
OpenTTDgives players the ultimate transportation tycoon experience. From 1950 to 2050, players link cities, resources, and industries through land, air, and sea. To do that, they need to design transport infrastructure that delivers cargo on time, improve their rail and vehicles, and do a little bit of terraforming.
It’s undeniable thatOpenTTDis the defaultbusiness simulation gamefor players who want to build their ideal train network. The remake ofTransport Tycoon Deluxehas been in open-source development for 20 years, and its dedicated community is proof of that. If its community ever starts work on a sequel, it can modernize its look, formally incorporate some must-have player mods, and continue developing that game for another 20 or more years, just like they have with the current release.
