Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 7 playedThe main SimCity games in release order. Each one stands alone, so start with whichever era appeals to you.
Maxis classics
- 1 SimCity Will Wright's original, released February 2, 1989.
- 2 SimCity 2000 Isometric view with underground layers for water pipes and subways.
- 3 SimCity 3000 Adds waste management and business deals. The Unlimited re-release (2000) is the version to buy.
- 4 SimCity 4 Region play with linked districts. The Rush Hour expansion arrived later in 2003.
EA era
- 5 SimCity Societies Tilted Mill entry built around social energies instead of classic simulation. Divisive, so save it for last.
- 6 SimCity Full 3D reboot on the Glassbox engine, released March 2013. The Cities of Tomorrow expansion followed in November 2013.
- 7 SimCity: BuildIt Free-to-play mobile city builder, released December 2014. The latest release.
About SimCity
SimCity ran from Maxis and Will Wright's 1989 original through SimCity 4 in 2003, then returned under EA with Societies, the 2013 reboot, and mobile BuildIt.
The games share no story, so this play order is release order, and each entry stands alone.
Good to know
Japan-only SimCity 64 (2000) and the delisted Facebook game SimCity Social (2012) sit outside the main list. Maxis Emeryville closed in 2015 and no new SimCity has been announced, so the series reads as finished.
