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
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  1. WilliamG.
    Jan 3, 2005
    10
    Best sim city ever created!!!!!
  2. LuisL.
    Apr 20, 2003
    10
    C'est magnifique.
  3. CalebW.
    Jan 3, 2005
    10
    The game in itself is great, but if you want more, you can make your own custom plugins such as buildings. For a sample of some of the custom content available, go to www.simtropolis.com and go to the exchange.
  4. GuilhemC
    Feb 3, 2007
    10
    This is the best game I have ever played in my intire life! one of the best parts of the game is destroying the city with the ufo, robots, meteors and so on..... BUY IT!
  5. [Anonymous]
    Jan 16, 2003
    10
    Not just an evolutionary step, a truly revolutionary one! Far more immersive than past efforts, and as much micro management as you want (or don't). Perfect!
  6. JosephJ.
    Apr 26, 2004
    10
    NICE!!!
  7. K.W.
    Jan 31, 2005
    10
    One of the best computer games ever made! Such a great timekiller!
  8. GOD
    Jan 15, 2003
    10
    Endorsed by me!
  9. LenaS.
    Nov 3, 2004
    10
    Beatiful graphics & feeling, a great timekiller!
  10. JacobK.
    Apr 24, 2004
    10
    This game was weird when I first played it becouse almost nothing is based on tiles. then i found out you can make tress in exact spots it takes time to make stuff, it makes it seem like when you make something, that it falls from the sky, you can see people everywhere practicle, and that you can terraform before you start your city for free in god mode. You start with $100,000. Its justThis game was weird when I first played it becouse almost nothing is based on tiles. then i found out you can make tress in exact spots it takes time to make stuff, it makes it seem like when you make something, that it falls from the sky, you can see people everywhere practicle, and that you can terraform before you start your city for free in god mode. You start with $100,000. Its just overloaded my brain with fun. when i quit and walked out of my room i think i found a little pice of my brain by the light switch(LOL).… Expand
  11. DiogoC
    Jun 28, 2008
    10
    The improved graphics and the marvelous taste of challenge makes this the best SimCity ever!
  12. Jerik02
    Mar 10, 2013
    10
    This game is so great simply because it has a HUGE, thriving modding community. You can literally re-create your hometown in exacting detail by downloading stores which exist just down the street. You can build the mega-city of your dreams and tie it to a region of other cities. Simple mods allow you to set city and region sizes as big or as small as you want. This game has all theThis game is so great simply because it has a HUGE, thriving modding community. You can literally re-create your hometown in exacting detail by downloading stores which exist just down the street. You can build the mega-city of your dreams and tie it to a region of other cities. Simple mods allow you to set city and region sizes as big or as small as you want. This game has all the functionality it should have, plus any mods you'd like to add. It is amazing how good this game is compared to SimCity 2013, which doesn't even have half the features this game does. It is also Origin (spyware) free, DRM free and you can save your game to your own computer! You don't need to log onto a server to play a single player game!… Expand
  13. nichollz
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    This game is stunning and so far ahead of its time it's crazy. Probably Maxis' finest achievement. Will anyone be playing SimCity2013 in 10 years?......
  14. matticitt
    Jul 20, 2012
    10
    SimCity 4 is a great game. The graphics has been much improved since SimCity3000, are even by today standards are very good. Also they are rather realistic, not childish and colorful like in other similar games. The music is enjoyable to listen to and makes a great background for what you're doing. The game is not ridiculously hard, like some people say, but it is demanding, which for meSimCity 4 is a great game. The graphics has been much improved since SimCity3000, are even by today standards are very good. Also they are rather realistic, not childish and colorful like in other similar games. The music is enjoyable to listen to and makes a great background for what you're doing. The game is not ridiculously hard, like some people say, but it is demanding, which for me is a good thing, because more and more games tend to get easier these days.

    It's also very enjoyable to play, whether you're trying to create a huge metropolis, or just watch your sims living in your city. The game is now 9yo, and whenever I get a new PC I'm reinstalling SimCity 4 on it, because it's always so fun to play. And then, there are mods. You can literally create an entirely new game with modifications, new buildings, better textures and so on, so If you're bored with std SimCity gameplay, you can always download dozens of new buildings and build yourself a truly custom city of your dreams, which is quite awesome!

    There are some issues though. Fist of which is the lack of widescreen resolutions, which is common to all EA games from that time. It's also quite buggy, and tend to randomly crash with no apparent reason, so you have to remember to save your game often, otherwise you'll loose everything you have been working on. Also when your cities are growing bigger, the loading time is growing with them, so it can become very, very long.    … Expand
  15. MrDMan
    Mar 10, 2013
    10
    A city simulation that allows for total control and customization. Ten years later the game is still a huge hit with the modding community and still has plenty of replay value. I'm not sure there will ever be another city simulation game like this one.
  16. egn
    Mar 12, 2013
    10
    This game still holds the crown of all city builders, it is the yet-to-be-surpassed pinnacle of the modern city simulation. In terms of detail, fun, replayability, and strategy it has it all. I first bought this game 10 years ago when it was new, and I still play it from time to time even after all those years. This is one of those games that is like that.
  17. Daneoid
    Mar 7, 2013
    10
    The last true simcity to be made. The epic culmination of the games that came before it, presented with perfect, goal driven gameplay, a steep learning curve that screamed out accomplishment! when you overcame it, so many hours, so much creativity to be had, easily moddable, one of the top 5 games ever made.
  18. Oligharch
    Jun 23, 2013
    10
    This game has to be the most remarkable Simcity game ever made. This game proves to everyone that a game does not have to have stunning visuals to be a great game. I invested years into this game. Modding, and building until my region was filled with beautiful, realistic cities. I played this game for 5 years and I don't regret a single second of it. Simcity 2013... Now that's a wholeThis game has to be the most remarkable Simcity game ever made. This game proves to everyone that a game does not have to have stunning visuals to be a great game. I invested years into this game. Modding, and building until my region was filled with beautiful, realistic cities. I played this game for 5 years and I don't regret a single second of it. Simcity 2013... Now that's a whole different story.… Expand
  19. 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
  20. 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.
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. 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...
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. NickM.
    Mar 20, 2007
    9
    Awesome game, its about as realistic as a game can get as far as strategy....the only thing keeping it from being a ten is some slight technical problems: it takes forever to load, it occasionally has some freezing problems....but the problems aren't major enough for me to stop playin it....its worth it.
  30. JoshH.
    Apr 5, 2006
    9
    Superb they must make a fith game. Not sure which is better, 3000 or 4 but who cares, buy this game(and its expansion, makes it way better) BUY IT
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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
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