Games That Let You Build A Theme Park

Highlights

• Thrillville offers a quirky and interactive take on theme park management, featuring customizable rides and over 30 mini-games for variety.
• Parkitect is a nostalgic homage to classic theme park games, allowing players to create their dream park with online co-op for up to eight players.
• Planet Coaster modernizes the theme park builder genre with creative freedom, solid management mechanics, 3D visuals, and the ability to share creations via Steam Workshop.

Building roller-coasters, zoos, and various theme parks is a treasured pastime for many PC gamers, especially for those who enjoyed games in the 90s and early 2000s. Games such as Theme Park and RollerCoaster Tycoon were seminal entries in the genre, and although releases have slowed down since then, many developers have gone on to pay homage to these games.

These games typically fall under the management and simulation genres, specifically the business-sim, and task players with building and managing all manner of theme parks. This can range from a park full of dinosaurs, all the way to a classic roller-coaster park.

Updated August 14, 2024 by Harry Ted Sprinks: Theme park builders and management/tycoon games have proven to be exceptionally popular in the past. Games such as RollerCoaster Tycoonand the more recent Planet Coasterare just a couple of examples.

Unfortunately, despite the popularity of these games, there has been little in the way of innovation in recent years. Furthermore, these games are few and far between. Hopefully, games such as the upcoming Planet Coaster 2 will be able to breathe new life into the genre.

1 Indoorlands

Interior Park Management

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2022
• Developer(s): Pixelsplit, Pixelsplit Simulations
• Genre: Simulation

This unique park management game has players building a theme park indoors. In the game, players can build their own roller coasters and share them via the Steam Workshop. These rides are the main focus of Indoorlands, but it remains a management game at its core.

In between building various rides, players will have to expand and manage their indoor amusement park. There are a variety of buildings to unlock and level up, as well as over a thousand decorations to customize the park with. However, Indoorlands isn’t quite as in-depth as the other theme park builders on the market.

2 Thrillville: Off The Rails

A Weird And Wacky Time Capsule

• Platform(s): PC, PlayStation, Xbox
• Released: 2007
• Developer(s): Frontier
• Genre: Simulation

This wonderfully quirky gem from 2007 has become somewhat forgotten over the years, overshadowed by games such as RollerCoaster Tycoon. However, Thrillville is a tremendously streamlined and accessible management game that allows players to not only build and design their park but also walk around and interact with it.

Building and riding customizable rides is arguably the biggest joy of Thrillville. However, the game also featured a set of mini-games that distinguished it from the more complex management games of the time. Thrillville features over thirty of these mini-games, and although most of them are simple arcade games, they add short bursts of much-needed variety. However, Thrillville’s streamlined gameplay comes at the cost of mechanical depth, and the game frequently limits the player in frustrating ways.

3 Parkitect

A Nostalgic Homage

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2018
• Developer(s): Texel Raptor
• Genre: Business-Simulation

This nostalgic business-sim tasks players with building and managing traditional theme parks. Parkitect frequently hearkens to older theme park games such as Theme Park and even features online co-op with up to eight players, a particularly unique feature for the genre.

Parkitect gives players plenty of tools and options for creating the park they want; from deforming terrain and creating water to making use of the plethora of decorations, Parkitect is a highly flexible game that allows players to customize their park freely.

4 RollerCoaster Tycoon 2

The Best Of The Series

Although many might prefer the original RollerCoaster Tycoon, and some may appreciate its aging 3D sequel, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, this middle entry in the classic series is arguably the best. RollerCoaster Tycoon 2‘s charming old-school graphics and isometric perspective have helped it to age somewhat better than its 3D contemporaries.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 is packed with old-school charm, and although more recent titles have arguably improved on the formula, this nostalgic theme park builder is still worth playing today for fans of the genre. Furthermore, the game can frequently be found at a relatively low price.

5 Planet Coaster

A Modern Theme Park Builder

This nostalgic homage to the classic theme park builders of the 90s and early 2000s is a well-crafted re-imagining of those games. The slick 3D visuals, creative freedom, and solid management mechanics make Planet Coaster a brilliant game about building theme parks.

Planet Coaster makes it easy to build coasters with creative freedom and even allows players to sculpt the landscape to create their ideal scenery. Furthermore, Planet Coaster features Steam Workshop support, allowing players to share their creations with the community.

6 Parkasaurus

A Dinosaur Theme Park Builder

• Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch
• Released: 2020
• Developer(s): Washbear Studio
• Genre: Tycoon Management

This tycoon management game tasks players with building and managing their very own dinosaur theme park, complete with tools for designing and building exhibits. Parkasaurus also features over 24 different dinosaurs, and the game’s cute and colorful aesthetic and tone provide a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Parkasaurus is great for fans of theme park games and dinosaurs alike, simultaneously providing players with plenty of creative freedom and strong park management mechanics. However, players will also have to prevent their dinosaurs from escaping and attacking their guests.

7 Jurassic World Evolution 2

An Immersive Theme Park Management Game

This sequel to 2018’s Jurassic World Evolution is an improvement on the original in more ways than one. Jurassic World Evolution 2 is the perfect theme-park building and management game for fans of the Jurassic Park franchise, but it stands on its own as a game even without its borrowed IP.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 even features a campaign mode, complete with voice acting. However, what’s likely to keep players engaged is Jurassic World Evolution 2’s deep management and creative tools, as well as the dinosaurs themselves. Furthermore, Jurassic World Evolution 2 features over 75 different dinosaurs, making it a great game for fans of prehistoric creatures.

Special Mention: Planet Coaster 2

• Platform(s): PC, PlayStation, Xbox
• Released: N/A
• Developer(s): Frontier Developments
• Genre: Simulation

The original Planet Coaster is an extremely well-crafted and highly popular love letter to old-school theme park builders such as RollerCoaster Tycoon. In a way, it delivers on the promise those early theme park builders had, bringing the gameplay of those iconic titles into the mainstream.

Planet Coaster 2 aims to deliver an experience that further improves and modernizes the original’s formula. More notably, however, Planet Coaster 2 is set to include new content in the form of new rides and water park elements.