The Best Tycoon Games From Your Past

Tycoon-style games found their niche in the early 2000s, but the genre hasn’t seen much growth since then. Back then, you’d find plenty of these management simulators at school book fairs and libraries. You may have even bought a few. However, modern gaming has since diversified; today, the “tycoon” genre has split into many subsets.

That’s not to say the concept of the new millennia ‘tycoon game’ is entirely dead. Games like Planet Coaster have carried the idea onward. Unfortunately, many of the genre’s most beloved — and often quirky — titles have been forgotten, lost to corporate mergers or studio shutdowns. Fortunately, many are still available on digital storefronts or old CD-ROMs.

10

SeaWorld Adventure Parks Tycoon

Back when video game product placement was as subtle as a jet engine, SeaWorld’s management team decided to expand onto home computers. Released in 2005, the wordily named SeaWorld Adventure Parks Tycoon was yet another addition to a massive lineup of theme park management simulators of the 2000s, albeit specifically themed around the now-controversial marine parks.

Considering recent welfare and safety developments within SeaWorld, this retro game may not be the most enlightened CD-ROM in your collection. Still, its gameplay loop is engaging. It follows the same formula as many others in the genre, allowing you to build and expand to your heart’s content. You just have to ignore the sad orcas and dolphins as you pocket your virtual profits.

9

SimTower

Some of the best tycoon games preceded widespread access to computers powerful enough to render basic 3D environments. 1994’s SimTower is one of these games, but don’t let the dated 2D graphics fool you. SimTower is packed with features and upgrades to keep you going for hours. Although, admittedly, some of that is padded time added by the game’s internal timekeeping.

Functionally, SimTower is a blend of classic Sims and business management. Obviously, you must manage your skyscraper’s finances and facilities. It’s not enough to make a profit; you’re also maintaining your building. Then, add the occupants because you’re also responsible for their happiness. The many moving parts create a delightful balancing act that’s emblematic of early tycoon-style gaming.

8

Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon 2005: Island Hopping

Despite its lengthy name, Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon 2005: Island Hopping is — in fact — the only game under the Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon banner. However, the head-scratching naming convention hides a surprisingly rich game that blends business and city-building elements into a single experience.

As with most tycoon games, there’s an unlimited sandbox mode. However, the built-in scenarios offer plenty of strategic enjoyment. Building and maintaining cabins is just the beginning of this blatantly sponsored game. You’ll also be managing your passengers’ personal needs by providing a wide range of entertainment and shopping options. Each option — from gyms and restaurants to casinos and theaters — has its own draws and perks, so think carefully about your audience as you furnish your new ocean liner.

7

Transport Tycoon

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to manage a city’s entire transport system? No? Well, you can do it, anyhow. Transport Tycoon eschewed the usual business sim targets to deliver an interactive look at an often-overlooked element of city-building games. As its name proclaims, Transport Tycoon is a meticulous exercise in micromanaging a city’s traffic flow.

Now, that’s a very narrow focus with an incredibly specific audience. For all its depth, Transport Tycoon never received a sequel, but that doesn’t make it a bad game. In fact, it’s one of the most in-depth explorations of traffic management. Its isometric viewpoints give the game more processing power to handle pesky routing problems, while its built-in economic system creates intriguing commercial flows.

6

Railroad Tycoon

The Railroad Tycoon series encompasses three games across over a decade of gaming. The first entry was released in 1990, and Railroad Tycoon 3 debuted in 2003. Like most series, each subsequent entry is built upon its predecessor’s core features. By 2003, when the series’ final game launched, you could even enjoy some 3D scenery in your financially inclined train simulation game.

The Railroad Tycoon games are about more than profit, though. As the overseer of a rail company, it’s your duty to micromanage every part of your empire. You’ll schedule departures, build new lines, and expand your industry across the nation. Beginning with Railroad Tycoon 2, you can even explore the challenges of forging new transit routes across every continent (barring the Arctics, of course).

5

Airline Tycoon

Following the genre’s storied history of straightforward naming, the Airline Tycoon series gives you control of your own fleet of aircraft. You’ll buy your own planes, upgrade your amenities, and train your staff. It’s all fairly standard fare for business management games, albeit with aeronautical livery.

Perhaps the two greatest draws for Airline Tycoon are its humorous tone and colorful style. The management elements of the games are certainly well-researched, but the series’ style is distinctly stylized. The airplanes are modeled with bulbous, friendly bodies and painted in almost unnaturally bright hues. Likewise, the sarcastic cast is filled with caricatures and over-exaggerations.

4

Mall of America Tycoon

Unsatisfied with being a simple tourist spot, the famously massive Mall of America decided to try its hand at blatant product placement in 2004. The result is Mall of America Tycoon, which serves as both an unabashed tourist plug and a surprisingly fun business management simulator. As the name implies, you must turn an empty mall into a bustling commercial hub.

Interestingly, the game has no story mode. Instead, you’ll always start with a blank slate and an open-ended business sandbox environment. Your starting area is small, and you must prove your worth before unlocking a new section of the shopping mall. With enough savvy financial insights, you can eventually beat the game after unlocking all sixteen sections.

3

Mall Tycoon

Though now a definitively defunct intellectual property, Take-Two Interactive’s Mall Tycoon series includes three intellectually thrilling business sim games. Functionally, these games have everything you’d expect. You build a mall, invite store owners, and maintain a healthy balance of retail offerings to entice certain crowds.

However, the Mall Tycoon games also have a playful side. The otherwise tame business sims include outlandish twists — like zombies and aliens — to add a bit of spice. While the first game in the series is infamous for its frustrating camera controls, later entries improved the gameplay without breaking the formula.

2

Zoo Tycoon

Before there was the critically acclaimed Planet Zoo, the world had the Zoo Tycoon series. Functionally, these games have most of their later spiritual successor’s features and options, albeit on a smaller scale. The first game is limited to a pixelated isometric view, while the second game came with surprisingly rich 3D graphics.

Despite their age, the Zoo Tycoon games offer a robust suite of tools to customize your zoo to your heart’s desire. Interestingly, the original game even includes a dinosaur expansion pack. Though functionally similar to their successors, the Zoo Tycoon games also boast a more playful and mischievous tone. For example, you can delete fences to unleash predatory animals upon your helpless guests or feed unruly visitors to starving orcas.

1

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3

Planet Coaster has taken up the Roller Coaster Tycoon mantle, but that doesn’t make the older games less entertaining. The series’ third entry is its best, offering a balance of graphics and functionality. Moreover, unlike many older tycoon games, the series is readily available through various digital storefronts.

For all its similarities to its spiritual predecessor, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 has a lighter overall tone and slightly less meticulous realism than Planet Coaster. You can toss guests around, launch them off unfinished tracks, or trap them in endless queues. The game won’t try to stop you; in fact, it often rewards your misbehavior with humorous reactions.