SimCity 4

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 360 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 305 out of 360
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 360
  3. Negative: 9 out of 360
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Keron_Heruman
    Aug 28, 2023
    7
    It's a good city builder game, with beautiful graphics and plenty of options... But it is less complete than cities skylines and less fun than simcity 3
  2. apokalipto
    Aug 13, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  3. Crimson9
    Dec 24, 2022
    7
    As far as I know, the only city builder game worth playing. There are prettier games out there, but this actually attempts to be a city SIMULATION, not a city painter. It doesn't do an amazing job. The economics are wonky, everything is kind of janky, its easy to break and cheat this game. But its the best thing out there in this genre.
  4. gulbaba1996
    Oct 6, 2022
    8
    Awesome City Game Score 8,5
    Awesome City Game
    Awesome City Game
    Awesome City Game
  5. Izoeros
    Apr 26, 2022
    8
    qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
  6. cezar88augusto
    Feb 26, 2022
    8
    After the success of its predecessor (SimCity 3000), SimCity 4 was even better. The city management system and graphics have improved significantly. Without a doubt, this game marked the time it was released! I still have the CD.
  7. andyg33
    Nov 23, 2021
    10
    Classic city builder still unrivalled in terms of customization and size. Pretty polished although can be a resource hog with larger maps but with all maps joining the possibilities are endless. With the network addon mod you can do curved roads, many real life road designs and even see which one is best implemented in your town. Will you make an off grid eco town or an industrial nuclearClassic city builder still unrivalled in terms of customization and size. Pretty polished although can be a resource hog with larger maps but with all maps joining the possibilities are endless. With the network addon mod you can do curved roads, many real life road designs and even see which one is best implemented in your town. Will you make an off grid eco town or an industrial nuclear powerhouse for neighbouring cities… Expand
  8. FRIST_008
    Jun 14, 2021
    9
    Ну вы же и без меня знаете, что это был тот самый идеальный симулятор мера, того времени=)
  9. Robims
    Apr 5, 2021
    6
    The game crashes every 30 minutes. But the gameplay and the city feeling is very good.
  10. DawnOfSili
    Dec 14, 2020
    9
    Sim City 4 was the peak of the Sim City series. For players looking for a modern fix, try SC4 Launcher and Network Addon Mod.
  11. Mattia9336
    May 29, 2020
    9
    Even in 2020 it is the best SimCity ever. Nowadays Cities Skylines takes averything this game has done right and improves it, but being a 2003 game, SimCity 4 is realli strong. It's pretty hard but fair, so if you want a challenging simulation game this is the one for you
  12. chronoT
    Mar 10, 2020
    9
    I can honestly admit that I have spent way too much of my life playing this game. I may have taken a few months or maybe even a year break but going back and playing this game is still fun. The best SimCity to date, far better graphics with an array of options and much improved game play. The mechanics of this game are brilliant and are actually pretty darn realistic in comparison to how aI can honestly admit that I have spent way too much of my life playing this game. I may have taken a few months or maybe even a year break but going back and playing this game is still fun. The best SimCity to date, far better graphics with an array of options and much improved game play. The mechanics of this game are brilliant and are actually pretty darn realistic in comparison to how a real city may be. Another amazing thing about this game is fact that there are thousands of mods, buildings, and cities available for download online that REALLY adds some serious amount of content. Also, I am more excited about SimCity 5 than any other game coming out, it will be epic!

    -HAHA EA played me (and us all) for a fool! Funny to look back years ago when I was "so exited" about SimCity 5, this really was the era that marks the downfall of quality games coming from EA!

    'Fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again!'"
    -George W. Bush, Sept, 17th 2002    … Expand
  13. Wiebe
    Feb 26, 2020
    8
    Best city building sim out there, still to this day I would say! Sunk many hours in it as a kid.
  14. DerekSCritic
    Feb 19, 2019
    10
    Just reinstalled this game on my computer via Origin and it's an absolute blast to play. SimCity 4 is a fantastic city building game! The game is addictive and has a sense of challenge. Playing and managing new cities is incredibly fun and all the features this game offers is mind blowing. Also this game allows you to connect cities with other cities to create regions which is justJust reinstalled this game on my computer via Origin and it's an absolute blast to play. SimCity 4 is a fantastic city building game! The game is addictive and has a sense of challenge. Playing and managing new cities is incredibly fun and all the features this game offers is mind blowing. Also this game allows you to connect cities with other cities to create regions which is just amazing. Even though I had this game on Origin uninstalled for years, I have been enjoyed it ever since I installed it to my computer. Also, I'm surprised that the Deluxe Edition on Origin runs well on modern computers. SimCity 4 is very addictive and the game is an absolute blast to play!… Expand
  15. malkin8
    Oct 10, 2018
    10
    Simcity 4 is an outstanding game. I have grown up all my life with Simcity, and by far, this is the best game in the series. My first experience of Simcity came from Simcity Ds when I was about 8 years old, and have been playing ever since. Compared to Simcity 3000, this game is a huge step up.
    Clearly aimed at experienced, PC gaming, simulator loving gamers, Simcity can satisfy all of    Simcity 4 is an outstanding game. I have grown up all my life with Simcity, and by far, this is the best game in the series. My first experience of Simcity came from Simcity Ds when I was about 8 years old, and have been playing ever since. Compared to Simcity 3000, this game is a huge step up.
    Clearly aimed at experienced, PC gaming, simulator loving gamers, Simcity can satisfy all of the requirements that are needed to make a great city simulator, and does so much more to interest the player.

    The game is orientated around grittier city building, or large gleaming metropolises, which, to a long term player, is a great change from the previous installments - where the design choices and city genres seemed somewhat limited.

    With so many buildings to choose from, you may expect a steep difficulty curve, which indeed is apparent as you play the game. However, there is a certain satisfaction as your first high-rises begin to develop!

    In my opinion, an important factor in gaming, is the music, as it creates most of the atmosphere. Simcity 4 does impress; it impresses a lot. The ambient music in the regional view, combined with the gritty, hard jazz in the mayor view, combine to create an incredible atmosphere, incomparable to previous entries in the series, despite the impressive jazz tracks in Simcity 3000. My favorite track in the game, known as ‘Zone System’ is an example of the perfection of ambient, gritty, depressing, but most of all, interesting, city-sounding music. It sets the atmosphere of the game perfectly, and captures the player’s and the sim’s emotions as you expand your corrupt city into a gleaming paradise.

    One of Simcity 4’s main selling points, is the region view. This is a grid of differently sized square plots, all connected together. Compared to Simcity 5, this set up is perfect. It allows players to create a huge metropolis, which would not have been possible in a single city, with a total plot size that would be impossible otherwise to run on a computer today, let alone back in 2003.
    Each individual cell, either 256x256, 128x128 or 64x64 tiles, can be landscaped by the player before creating their city. This could involve creating mountains, valleys, rivers, oceans or really any land form that the player could dream of.

    Alternatively, the player has the possibility to import maps off of Simtropolis, and though difficult to install, adds an extra element to the game – I’m currently working on a city in a region shaped as the UK, with the landscape shaped from a high detailed height map.

    Another selling point of the game is the implementation of features from The Sims. While these features are not necessary, they add a certain charm to the game. They allow the player to drive cars, fly planes, ride boats, control trains, or even drive a tank whilst destroying buildings with missiles.

    An important part of gaming is certainly the graphics and aesthetics, and Simcity 4 does not disappoint. The graphics, while pixelated once zoomed in, are amazing. Loads of buildings have interesting features, even with customized gardens or small details such as cars. The view of the game is isometric, and the player can rotate the view by 90 degrees, in order to see parts of the map that may be hidden. This is an important feature, especially when working around hills. What I would have liked though is a feature where the player could view the map from birds-eye-view, but I can understand there may have been hardware limitations back in 2003 that may have made this impossible.

    Simcity 4 gives the player access to many natural disasters and scenarios. Meteorites, tornadoes and earthquakes can be summoned by the player at any time, along with many other disasters. An example of an interesting scenario is if a nuclear power plant explodes, causing a lot of radiation to be expelled into the city. This can be interesting if the player wants a challenge, or just fun to destroy a huge metropolis!

    Simcity 4 does have a few problems however, though not major if you know how to overcome them. The most prominent problem is the commute time being too difficult to manage.

    Another issue is the constant industrial demand, where the player would need to build huge cities dedicated only towards industrial. This can be rather boring, as industrial development is limited, but can be improved by adding a mod that quarters the industrial demand.

    Overall, Simcity 4 is a steal on Origin! For such an amazing game as this, with so many customization options, and such amazing music and game play, it is definitely worth the low price, despite being 15 years old. I would rate Simcity 4 a 10/10 simply for the enjoyment of the playing the game, but I would recommend that new players start with an easier game, Simcity 3000 or Simcity Ds, in order to introduce themselves to the basic fundamental ideas of how to play and manage a city.    … Expand
  16. Shawndroid
    Feb 26, 2018
    4
    Bought this years late. The resolution stays at 4:3 making it hard to play on a laptop monitor and there is no detail at zoom levels with a broad enough view.
  17. iddqd4
    Feb 11, 2018
    8
    이 텍스트는 내 프로필에 점수가 표시되도록하기위한 것입니다.
  18. ajyto
    Nov 14, 2017
    10
    The old time classic. With more addons and mods, everything just perfect. Even if you need to build the road by piece, by piece, by piece, by piece... by piece... by... piece...
  19. crishy
    Aug 13, 2017
    10
    Almost 15 years and counting, and is still the gold standard in city creation and simulation. Great graphics that were amazing at the time, and, especially with user generated content, are still a pleasure to look at today, even if limited by its four-sided isometric view (understandable due to hardware limitations at the time).

    Tons of user generated content will drastically improve    Almost 15 years and counting, and is still the gold standard in city creation and simulation. Great graphics that were amazing at the time, and, especially with user generated content, are still a pleasure to look at today, even if limited by its four-sided isometric view (understandable due to hardware limitations at the time).

    Tons of user generated content will drastically improve and enhance gameplay, especially in regards with the transportation system, allowing it to remain up to date with newer releases - indeed, it is the reason why the game has stood the test of time for many, although on its own the vanilla game remains a pleasure to play with.

    Region play dozens of cities/tiles to be connected to one single metropolitan area. Simulation is simple and limited in scope (especially beyond the borders of the tile in current play), but it works well, and allows for almost limitless large megalopolises to be created.

    Its only major flaw is that it can be buggy at times, especially in regards to mods, leading to CTDs in specific or random circumstances. Save the game often and that should not be a major problem. Also, if you played SC3000 or before it can be a little hard if you are stuck with old habits, but do not forget to adjust funding (that hospital with only a dozen patients should not get full funding) and you should have no problems in regards with that - personally I find newer simulators harder in the financial aspect.    … Expand
  20. Review123
    Aug 5, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. will be better with multiplayer.
    good things:
    graphics
    gameplay
    the game is not hard and not easy, its a bit median

    What Is Ruining:
    Ea Dont Update The Game Anymore......    … Expand
  21. TwerkDouglas
    Jul 25, 2017
    10
    O melhor sim city já existente, interface maravilhosa, bem real e facil de ser administrada, jogo sempre quando posso, recomendo a todos que gostam de um jogo de city
  22. Opcode_
    Aug 6, 2016
    8
    The best SimCity we have ever had. Sim City 4 is one of the greatest city builders of all time. The deluxe edition is the best. Even 13 years later I still play this game from time to time.
  23. KD5K
    Aug 17, 2015
    8
    Simcity 4 is a game that makes you go wow, this is a good game! Simcity 4 does come with it's flaws, in fact they even published it before they finished it(So i've heard), But that doesn't mean it's bad. this game is perfect for traveling due to 2 reasons: 1. It doesn't require an internet connecton. And 2. It has endless gameplay, literally no end whatsoever. You can play for years andSimcity 4 is a game that makes you go wow, this is a good game! Simcity 4 does come with it's flaws, in fact they even published it before they finished it(So i've heard), But that doesn't mean it's bad. this game is perfect for traveling due to 2 reasons: 1. It doesn't require an internet connecton. And 2. It has endless gameplay, literally no end whatsoever. You can play for years and still play, it last's a lifetime. You can build multiple regions, cities, etc etc. And with the amount of mods for this game, You will never get bored(Like Gmod). I will note that if you want to get Simcity 4, get the deluxe edition! Its only $10 on ebay Brand new and sealed and without the rush hour expansion pack it comes with, the game feels so limited. So i give this game and 8/10 Cause it does come with it's flaws. But it is an amazing game with or without the flaws. I definetely reccomend this game! And if you can't afford this game(Which i find surprising since its only $10 on Ebay) You can still get the open source software micropolis or lincity-NG(Even though Simcity 4 is alot better). They will keep you somewhat busy until you can afford this game.… Expand
  24. lmca9000
    Jun 28, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Simcity 4 is a fantastic Building Editor that in 10 years he has not aged, and that continues to prevail as the king of games in construction of modern cities.… Expand
  25. RomulusNR
    Jan 20, 2015
    5
    I don't think any of the reviewers have even played this game beyond twenty minutes' worth. For starters, the move and zoom interface is horrible. And the game shifts your view suddenly -- so you were laying a bit of pipe right over there? Boom, now it's suddenly over here, because **** you. Oh, you were demolishing some old dirty industrial? Well, there was a fire over here -- boom,I don't think any of the reviewers have even played this game beyond twenty minutes' worth. For starters, the move and zoom interface is horrible. And the game shifts your view suddenly -- so you were laying a bit of pipe right over there? Boom, now it's suddenly over here, because **** you. Oh, you were demolishing some old dirty industrial? Well, there was a fire over here -- boom, demolish the military base that was giving you a much-needed $150/mo injection. Well, look on the bright side -- the fire's put out!

    You need a police station every mile and a fire station every half mile. Oh, you actually wanted to FUND those? Fat chance. You can't possibly make that much in taxes in that amount of space.

    Cutting back on utilities to save money? Well, you're going to have to shell out $90-200 at the start of every single month and painstakingly repair every burst pipe. No money? Tough crap. Game won't continue until you deal with every single one. Every month.

    This is a piece of **** and isn't worth sharing a name with its predecessors. It has all the feel of a cheaply made and very rushed-out-the-door game. This is about quality in game development -- there isn't any. Hiring GED-wielding kids to "test" your games isn't a quality process. They wouldn't know how to test their own heartbeat.    … Expand
  26. jerrylee22
    Apr 12, 2014
    10
    Indubitably the best of them all! One of my favourite games of all time, SimCity 4 provides it all in stunning graphics for its publication date and an unbelievable, inspiring, absolutely sensational soundtrack to go along with it!

    Do not be let down by this game's age, it compares to be better than its newer city simulation rivals; I specifically mention SimCity: 2013, which was an    Indubitably the best of them all! One of my favourite games of all time, SimCity 4 provides it all in stunning graphics for its publication date and an unbelievable, inspiring, absolutely sensational soundtrack to go along with it!

    Do not be let down by this game's age, it compares to be better than its newer city simulation rivals; I specifically mention SimCity: 2013, which was an absolute failure compared to this. If you appreciate that game, you will worship this game -- I believe that it is superior in its gameplay, its entertainment value, and its soundtrack.    … Expand
  27. yedijas
    Mar 20, 2014
    10
    Best SimCity game ever! The complexity in building your empty land into a great city, or town supporting your neighboring city was so great and I keep playing this since published until now.
  28. CaKeS
    Dec 29, 2013
    9
    The perfect city-building simulation game! I've spent SO many hours of my childhood making cities and destroying them, that I lost track years ago. I've always held this game in a special place in my heart, and for good reason. It's very well constructed, it seems accurate enough (from a citizen's standpoint), the graphics do not disappoint for it's time period, the gameplay isThe perfect city-building simulation game! I've spent SO many hours of my childhood making cities and destroying them, that I lost track years ago. I've always held this game in a special place in my heart, and for good reason. It's very well constructed, it seems accurate enough (from a citizen's standpoint), the graphics do not disappoint for it's time period, the gameplay is exhilarating and keeps you on your toes. It feels great to be in control of a city of hundreds of thousands of people (for me, even a million!). It makes you feel accurately powerful and that you've truly accomplished something. I played this SimCity before any of the others, but I believe this one's the best either way. The control and interface is spot-on perfect, and all of the utilities and missions you can do keep you interested for hours and hours! There was so much promise in this game series, as this was in my top three all-time favorite games growing up (before I got into Steam and such), but my god EA, SimCity 5 is probably the biggest gaming disappointment in my entire life.… Expand
  29. WCheffirs
    Dec 8, 2013
    10
    Over a decade on there is nothing that comes close to SimCIty 4. The map size is huge, the detail and graphics are beautiful especially at night-time and the core of the game is challenging but very rewarding. Starting as an agricultural city with high profit ratios, your city expands and many of the corresponding issues that plague big cities build up till you find yourself trying toOver a decade on there is nothing that comes close to SimCIty 4. The map size is huge, the detail and graphics are beautiful especially at night-time and the core of the game is challenging but very rewarding. Starting as an agricultural city with high profit ratios, your city expands and many of the corresponding issues that plague big cities build up till you find yourself trying to juggle all your cities demands. Unlike previous and future SimCity games this one is enthralling from start till...we always which can become a problem for ones social life. I consider this to be a perfect game.… Expand
  30. ChrisLight
    Dec 3, 2013
    9
    I really like this game,I spended most of my time on this game because it is very addictive.I build up my own city and watch it grow.Unfortunately,I played on Window 7 it crash randomly.That bug make me had to rate this game 9 out of 10 but it is still a great game!
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best PC Game of 2003
16
#16 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. GameSpot
    81
    Due to the presence of some stability and performance issues, as well as a few noticeably lacking features, SimCity 4 doesn't seem as polished as it could have been.
    Read full review
  2. Gaming Age
    83
    Technical sim junkies will have a lot to build, destroy, and monitor, but newbies might want to run for shelter.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpy
    75
    Unfortunately the high system requirements and tedium of building will probably turn away hordes of players who otherwise would've had a great time.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »