Total Nerd The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time  

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This is a list of the best economic simulation games of all time for any console or system, including cover art pictures when available. These highly rated economy sims are ordered by popularity, so only the greatest economic simulation games are at the top of the list. Spanning the entire history of the genre, these economic simulation games are considered the best in the genre. This list includes all challenging economic simulation games that have ever hit the shelves, so it doesn't necessarily have all the more obscure or new economic simulation games.

List is made up of many different games, including classics like Tropico and Capitalism II. This list answers the questions, "What are the best economic simulation games?" and "What is the greatest economic simulation game of all time?"
list ordered by

1
804 254
Capitalism II is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2001 Capitalism II is the business simulation video game sequel to the original Capitalism. It was created by Enlight and published by Ubisoft Entertainment in 2001. The player creates and controls a ...more

2
470 182
OpenTTD is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2008 OpenTTD is a free and open source business simulation game in which the player aims to earn money through transportation of passengers and freight by road, rail, water and air. It is an open ...more

3
380 162
Tropico 4 is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
Markus_Wolf added 2011
 Tropico 4 expands on the gameplay of the previous game with new political additions – including more superpowers to negotiate with, along with the ability to elect ministers into power to help get your more controversial policies passed. But remember to keep your friends close and your enemies closer as everyone has an agenda! Your political mettle will be thoroughly tested, as new natural disasters will have the populace clamoring for you and your cabinet to help them recover from some of the worst Mother Nature can dish out.Tropico 4 also brings a new level of social interaction with the addition of Facebook and Twitter integration. Post comments on Twitter direct from the game and have updates go out when you complete missions or unlock new achievements. You can even take screenshots of your burgeoning island and post your dream creation on your Tropico 4 Facebook page and compare your interactive Dictator Ranking on the online leaderboards. Tropico 4 is a video game developed by Haemimont Games and published by Kalypso Media. It is a construction and management simulation video game, which focuses on a city-building simulation. ...more

4
373 152
Anno 1404 is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2009 Anno 1404, known as Dawn of Discovery in North America, is a city-building and economic simulation game of the Anno series, with real-time strategy elements. Released in 2009, it was developed ...more

5
351 136
Theme Hospital is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1997 Theme Hospital is a business simulation game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1997, in which the player designs and operates a hospital. Like most of ...more

6
447 193
Railroad Tycoon 3 is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2003 Railroad Tycoon 3 is a computer game in the Railroad Tycoon series, released in 2003.

7
307 130
Railroad Tycoon II is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1998 Railroad Tycoon II is a game for the PC, Macintosh, PlayStation and Dreamcast in the Railroad Tycoon series. The Dreamcast version is a Gold Edition with improved graphics and gameplay. Railroad ...more

8
188 62
Banished is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
AaronDoerksen added Banished is an upcoming city-building strategy game focused on careful resource management and survival as an isolated and growing society. The player guides citizens of a remote community of ...more

9
186 52
Cities: Skylines is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
PzGeneral added Cities: Skylines Mar 10, 2015

Developed by Colossal Order, Cities: Skylines offers sprawling landscapes and maps with endless sandbox gameplay and new ways to expand your city. Key to progression is the ability to influence your city’s policy by incorporating taxation into districts. All this plus the ability to mod the game to suit your play style.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/cities-skylines

10
155 61
RollerCoaster Tycoon is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2003 RollerCoaster Tycoon is a construction and management simulation video game that simulates amusement park management. Developed by MicroProse and Chris Sawyer and published by Hasbro ...more

11
236 129
Tropico is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2001 Tropico is a series of construction and management simulation computer games developed by PopTop Software and published by Gathering of Developers in April 2001. Feral Interactive has developed ...more

12
198 96
Industry Giant II is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2002 Industry Giant II is a business simulation game for Windows. It is the sequel to Industry Giant. Despite a wide range of aspects Industry Giant II is not a complete business simulation game, as ...more

13
180 90
Railroad Tycoon is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1990 Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon is a business simulation game. There are five versions; the original Railroad Tycoon, Railroad Tycoon Deluxe, Railroad Tycoon II, Railroad Tycoon 3, and Sid Meier's ...more

14
110 43
Sid Meier's Colonization is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1994 Sid Meier's Colonization is a computer game by Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier released by MicroProse in 1994. It is a turn-based strategy game themed on the early European colonization of the New ...more

15
188 106
The Movies is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2005 The Movies is a business simulation game created by Lionhead Studios for Microsoft Windows and subsequently ported to Mac OS X by Feral Interactive. It was released on 8 November 2005 in North ...more

16
153 75
Transport Tycoon is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1994 Transport Tycoon is a video game developed by Chris Sawyer and published by MicroProse in 1994. It is a business simulation game, presented in an isometric view in 2D with graphics by Simon ...more

17
117 74
Zeus: Master of Olympus is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
StepanOrda added 2000 Zeus: Master of Olympus is the fifth full title of the City Building Series developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Entertainment. Like previous titles, Zeus focuses on the ...more

18
69 29
Patrician III is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
Abram Jones added Patrician III

19
88 48
RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2002 RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 is a construction and management simulation PC game that simulates amusement park management. Developed by Chris Sawyer and published by Infogrames, the game was released ...more

20
133 88
Zoo Tycoon 2 is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2004 Zoo Tycoon 2 carries the same game-play as Blue Fang Games' original video game Zoo Tycoon, which is to create and operate a zoo by creating exhibits and aquariums, keeping guests and animals ...more

21
129 81
Capitalism is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1995 Capitalism is a business simulation video game first published in 1995 by Interactive Magic, developed by Enlight for the Macintosh and MS-DOS and designed by Trevor Chan. Other similar business ...more

22
104 63
Game Tycoon is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2006 Game Tycoon is a business simulation game focused on production of video games. The game has been largely ridiculed, especially for some parts not translated from German to English.

23
82 60
Tropico: Paradise Island is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2002

24
111 74
Sid Meier's Railroads! is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2006 Sid Meier's Railroads! is a business simulation game developed by Sid Meier on the Gamebryo game engine that was released in October 2006 and is the sequel to Railroad Tycoon 3. Although Sid ...more

25
104 73
Port Royale 2 is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2004 Port Royale 2 is the sequel to the business simulation game Port Royale: Gold, Power and Pirates. It is set in the Caribbean during the 17th century. Created by Ascaron Entertainment in 2004, it ...more

26
83 66
Tropico 2: Pirate Cove is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2003 Tropico 2: Pirate Cove is the 2003 sequel to the computer game Tropico. Tropico 2 was developed by Frog City Software and published by Gathering of Developers for Windows and Mac OS X PCs.

27
104 84
Airline Tycoon is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1998 Airline Tycoon is a business simulation game by Thomas Holz and Robert Kleinert, in which the player must successfully manage an airline. The original was developed by Spellbound, and published ...more

28
44 19
Anno 1701 is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2006 Anno 1701, also marketed as 1701 A.D., is a video game of the Anno series with both real time strategy and city building elements, developed by Germany-based Related Designs and published by ...more

29
91 76
Port Royale: Gold, Power and P... is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2003 Port Royale is a business simulation game set in the Caribbean and partly the Atlantic during the 16th and 17th centuries. Created by Ascaron Entertainment in 2003, it combines business–economic ...more

30
33 16
Imperialism II: Age of Explora... is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
bob-churchill added 1999 Imperialism II: Age of Exploration is a turn-based strategy computer game developed by Frog City Software and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1999. It is the successor to the 1997 ...more

31
47 35
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2004 RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a construction and management simulation computer game. It is the third installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, first released on October 26, 2004 in North ...more

32
38 20
Anno 1602 is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2000 Anno 1602: Creation of a New World is a video game with both real time strategy and city building elements, developed by Austria-based Max Design company. It was first published in 1998 and is ...more

33
74 68
Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2004 Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is a computer game by independent game developer Chris Sawyer. In his words, it is "the spiritual successor to Transport Tycoon". The game allows the player ...more

34
21 4
Cities: Skylines is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
Cities: Skylines Mar 10, 2015

35
50 43
Cities in Motion is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
masterampage added

36
38 21
Anno 2070 is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2011 Anno 2070 is a city-building and economic simulation game, with real-time strategy elements. It is the 5th game of the Anno series. It was released on 17 November 2011, and was co-developed by ...more

37
59 53
Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2002 Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs is an expansion pack released for the PC game Zoo Tycoon. It included dinosaurs and ice age creatures, as well as prehistoric themed items.

38
50 40
Detroit is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1993 Detroit is a turn-based business simulation game that puts one in charge of a fledgling automobile company starting in 1908. The player is responsible for the financing, research and ...more

39
28 18
Theme Park is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
xaxl added 1994 Theme Park is a construction and management simulation game designed by Bullfrog Productions and originally released in 1994, in which the player designs and operates an amusement park. Theme ...more

40
26 16
Imperialism is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
bob-churchill added 1997 Imperialism is a turn-based strategy game for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh computers, developed by Frog City Software and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1997. In ...more

41
25 10
Tropico 3 is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
HarisonGross added 2009 Tropico 3 is a video game developed by Haemimont Games and published by Kalypso Media. Like the previous games in the series, Tropico 3 is a construction and management simulation game with ...more

42
77 78
Restaurant Empire II is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2009 Restaurant Empire II is the sequel to Restaurant Empire. It has new features such as new themes for American restaurants, over 700 pieces of new internal and external furniture and decorations, ...more

43
46 41
Startopia is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2001 StarTopia is a computer game from Mucky Foot Productions and published by Eidos in 2001, in which the player administers various space stations with the task of developing them into popular ...more

44
26 23
Aerobiz is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1992 Aerobiz is a business simulation video game for the Super Nintendo, Sharp X68000 and Mega Drive/Genesis game consoles, released in 1992 by Koei. As CEO of a budding international airline, the ...more

45
24 14
Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2008 Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery is a real-time strategy video game of the Anno franchise for the Nintendo DS. It is published by Disney Interactive and makes extensive use of the system's ...more

46
46 49
Lemonade Tycoon 2 is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
Lemonade Tycoon 2 2004 Lemonade Tycoon 2 is the sequel to Lemonade Tycoon. This game contains more features, improved graphics, and is set in New York City, unlike its predecessor. Also, this version allowed the ...more

47
65 74
Lula: The Sexy Empire is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
1998 Lula: The Sexy Empire is a business simulation game for Windows and AmigaOS. The game revolves around building a multi-million dollar pornography and erotica industry. Character designs were ...more

48
47 48
Airline Tycoon Evolution is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
Airline Tycoon Evolution 2002

49
59 68
Restaurant Empire is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2003 Restaurant Empire is a 2003 computer game in which the player designs, owns, and operates a restaurant. It was created by Trevor Chan and published by Enlight Software, and runs only on PCs.

50
40 42
Hotel Giant is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best Economic Simulation Games of All Time
2002 Hotel Giant, known in North America as Maximum Capacity: Hotel Giant, is a business simulation game developed by Enlight Software and published by JoWood Productions for Windows. The soundtrack ...more