SimCity

 PC
User Score
2.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 4557 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 602 out of 4557
  2. Mixed: 428 out of 4557
  3. Negative: 3,527 out of 4557
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  1. Voodoo311er
    Apr 1, 2013
    0
    Takes everything you loved about Simcity 4 and replaces it with EA. The always on DRM, lack of a single player game, and ridiculous prefab region setup ruin what this game should have been. You would think EA would learn lessons from each franchise that it gobbles up and destroys, but they doggedly stay focused on the dollar bills at the expense of gamers everywhere. Reinstall Simcity 4Takes everything you loved about Simcity 4 and replaces it with EA. The always on DRM, lack of a single player game, and ridiculous prefab region setup ruin what this game should have been. You would think EA would learn lessons from each franchise that it gobbles up and destroys, but they doggedly stay focused on the dollar bills at the expense of gamers everywhere. Reinstall Simcity 4 and remember from now on to skip anything with an EA logo on it.… Expand
  2. AbsoluFab
    Oct 28, 2014
    0
    This game should have never been called SimCity. Very tiny maps. They took off the game everything that can look like city items. Very disappointed. Support and management teams just keep denying they failed. Do not buy it.
  3. Arasine
    Apr 3, 2013
    0
    EA have taken a deep, relaxing simulation and turned it into an iphone game for 12 year old girls (imagine "The Sims" with a option to 'plop' houses down).
    City size is laughable compared to every other city empire building game out there. Servers will eat your gamesave, never to be seen again and you never even own the game, you are renting until EA turn off the servers whenever they    EA have taken a deep, relaxing simulation and turned it into an iphone game for 12 year old girls (imagine "The Sims" with a option to 'plop' houses down).
    City size is laughable compared to every other city empire building game out there. Servers will eat your gamesave, never to be seen again and you never even own the game, you are renting until EA turn off the servers whenever they feel like it (read when it's not making them enough profit).
    Learn from others mistakes people, do not buy.    … Expand
  4. DGR52
    Apr 3, 2013
    0
    Want to thank all you guys for the sharp reviews, It truly saddens me that so much potential has been wasted by EA games with the SimCity franchise. While I'm still a fan of this company for the Sims 2 and Sims 3 games, I always had a special place in my heart for Sim City. Anyway, because I fortunately didn't have time to open Sim City 5 (plus a $14 gameplay book) I bought a fewWant to thank all you guys for the sharp reviews, It truly saddens me that so much potential has been wasted by EA games with the SimCity franchise. While I'm still a fan of this company for the Sims 2 and Sims 3 games, I always had a special place in my heart for Sim City. Anyway, because I fortunately didn't have time to open Sim City 5 (plus a $14 gameplay book) I bought a few weeks ago, I was able to return them to Target this morning. Some of the $70 I just saved will be going to Sim Pegasus and Sim Devotion for all the great downloads they've provided Sim City players all these years. (Already gave to Simtropolis!)… Expand
  5. holton0289
    Apr 3, 2013
    0
    Been a simcity fan since back when it was on super nintendo, over 2 decades. All creativity is gone with this version. No uniqueness is allowed. Small city sizes. No mods like simcity 4. Oh and the always online drm just doesnt work. regret buying this game. Why would i play a sity simulator with other people? I dont need anyone else messing up my region. Server problems, lostBeen a simcity fan since back when it was on super nintendo, over 2 decades. All creativity is gone with this version. No uniqueness is allowed. Small city sizes. No mods like simcity 4. Oh and the always online drm just doesnt work. regret buying this game. Why would i play a sity simulator with other people? I dont need anyone else messing up my region. Server problems, lost cities. Cities bound to the server it was created on. Dont buy this game… Expand
  6. MasterRanger
    Apr 4, 2013
    0
    Launchtime was, of course, a nightmare for anyone who wanted to actually play. By the time it became available, I had quit caring. Too bad really, the beta was ok. However: the map sizes were too small, the documentation for more advanced things and concepts was non-existent. All in all, what should have been a very detailed, powerhouse of an updated retro-game has become aLaunchtime was, of course, a nightmare for anyone who wanted to actually play. By the time it became available, I had quit caring. Too bad really, the beta was ok. However: the map sizes were too small, the documentation for more advanced things and concepts was non-existent. All in all, what should have been a very detailed, powerhouse of an updated retro-game has become a demonstration in how frustrated you as a gamer can become..… Expand
  7. SniperX22
    Apr 9, 2013
    0
    Wish I could get my money, back. Broken Gameplay, Broken Servers, and Broken Game. I really enjoyed the previous Sim Cities, to bad cities XL doesn't have the funding this game did. If it did it would blow this game out out of the water even more.
  8. provo44
    Apr 5, 2013
    0
    this game! it. Do not buy it. It is a worthless piece of I cannot even access the game because I have to download a ****ing million ****ing things that all ****ing glitch out. I bought the CD version so I wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of downloading, but noooo,.. u still have to ****ing download a million ****ing things even with the CD version. EA and anyone else who had a this game! it. Do not buy it. It is a worthless piece of I cannot even access the game because I have to download a ****ing million ****ing things that all ****ing glitch out. I bought the CD version so I wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of downloading, but noooo,.. u still have to ****ing download a million ****ing things even with the CD version. EA and anyone else who had a hand in creating this game. You are all worthless pieces of ****ing … Expand
  9. davej42
    Apr 11, 2013
    0
    IF you like wasting countless hours to a game and loosing all your work ten this is the game for you. The inability to do local saves and the fact that there servers are so messed up makes the game almost unplayable. I have been a simcity fan for years but because of this experiences i no longer am. I wouldn't pay for an EA game again.

    MAC users don't wast your money on this. The only    IF you like wasting countless hours to a game and loosing all your work ten this is the game for you. The inability to do local saves and the fact that there servers are so messed up makes the game almost unplayable. I have been a simcity fan for years but because of this experiences i no longer am. I wouldn't pay for an EA game again.

    MAC users don't wast your money on this. The only way EA will learn is to lose the bucks$$$$.    … Expand
  10. dupapa
    Apr 15, 2013
    0
    I have never felt compelled to write a review for a game, but honestly, this game hands down is the WORST iteration of the simcity franchise to date. unfortunately, they have taken our loved complex foundation of previous titles then stripped it down to 5 year old's level, they have also added a multitude of limitations that affect the core game experience.

    as others have said this is a    I have never felt compelled to write a review for a game, but honestly, this game hands down is the WORST iteration of the simcity franchise to date. unfortunately, they have taken our loved complex foundation of previous titles then stripped it down to 5 year old's level, they have also added a multitude of limitations that affect the core game experience.

    as others have said this is a £60 Facebook game. nothing more.

    i base my review on roughly 100 hours of play since the title went live,    … Expand
  11. Noel3679
    Apr 19, 2013
    0
    @SimCity is the worst game of this year(2013). I spent over $60 USD to buy a copy of #SimCity Deluxe Edition, but now I want to a full refund of #SimCity. There're too many bugs, rollbacks, and dumb A.I. @SimCity is a huge in a gift box.
  12. Dovahbear
    Apr 18, 2013
    0
    This is game is pure mixed with "EA guaranty of pure ****TINESS". I bought the game full price and In launch day game was rendered unplayable! Then you are lying that the "AGENTS" are controlled server side and PC couldn't handle it offline, then you are saying we are so sorry for that. You can lip my ass now! I sold origin account with this absolutely ****ty game to my schoolmate for 30€This is game is pure mixed with "EA guaranty of pure ****TINESS". I bought the game full price and In launch day game was rendered unplayable! Then you are lying that the "AGENTS" are controlled server side and PC couldn't handle it offline, then you are saying we are so sorry for that. You can lip my ass now! I sold origin account with this absolutely ****ty game to my schoolmate for 30€ at least or I could simply kill myself from this horrific game that completely killed the franchise!… Expand
  13. philoscience
    Apr 23, 2013
    0
    Horrible game, even if you exclude all the ridiculous bugs and DRM-related flaws, the underlying game is itself deeply flawed. Shallow simulation, no clear relation between the needs of your city and the actions you should take to fix them, horribly crippled simulation where look was obviously placed far ahead of depth. Add in the shady as business practices of EA and Maxis, the laughableHorrible game, even if you exclude all the ridiculous bugs and DRM-related flaws, the underlying game is itself deeply flawed. Shallow simulation, no clear relation between the needs of your city and the actions you should take to fix them, horribly crippled simulation where look was obviously placed far ahead of depth. Add in the shady as business practices of EA and Maxis, the laughable patches which make the issues WORSE not better, and the colgate DLC campaign and you've got yourself the most laughable game of the year.… Expand
  14. Klyne
    Apr 25, 2013
    0
    Couldn't play the game for several weeks after launch. The Simulation is extremely simplistic. Bug-laden and apparently just a tool for marketing. Would not recommend you ever touch this.
  15. BuldozerX
    Apr 30, 2013
    0
    Horrible game that is completely ruined by always online DRM. EA is treating every honest gamer like a true pirate. Don`t support EA, and don`t buy games like these.
  16. MoltenReviewer
    May 5, 2013
    0
    This game is the definition of selling out. Buying it only supports bad game development. Destroying a game by forcing DRM is something that needs to end.
  17. PlayerGuy
    May 8, 2013
    0
    Its a good and fun game, but people will want it with singleplayer one, on my 16 years of gaming, this is the most crap game because of the forced online, SERIOSLY EA, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING WITH THIS? MAKING THE GAME'S SINGLEPLAYER A DLC?
    Its a singleplayer game but forced online? Hell no.
    Waste of money. the premium edition is even 80 bucks, this is the real waste of money.
  18. Ghostmarauder
    May 8, 2013
    0
    most successful scam in gaming history. there is not a single redeeming quality to this piece of trash. it is an insult to the franchise for which it is named. the ea team has consistently and unfailingly lied to the playerbase time and time again. do not buy this game.
  19. shoti66
    May 15, 2013
    0
    What a catastrophe. EA has destroyed yet another game. I have been playing Simcity since the first in the franchise. I bought all of them over the years and still play SC4. I love SC4 for the mods that all the fans have developed. No more of that stuff for this latest iteration of the game I'm afraid. No! Now they'll make you purchase any extra content after you've paid full price for aWhat a catastrophe. EA has destroyed yet another game. I have been playing Simcity since the first in the franchise. I bought all of them over the years and still play SC4. I love SC4 for the mods that all the fans have developed. No more of that stuff for this latest iteration of the game I'm afraid. No! Now they'll make you purchase any extra content after you've paid full price for a broken game. This is a huge scam and someone should take legal action.

    Unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to buy the latest offering from EA. Luckily I had read the reviews before I went to purchase so I knew how badly EA had stuffed this up. I mean come on, SC was NEVER a multiplayer game. The people that play SC don't want to interact with other players. They play so they can be God and build their own cities without relying on someone else to supply the essentials.

    And what's with this always on DRM? No. Just No. I will not but a game that is dependent on servers to function If I pay upwards of $80 for a game I want to be able to play it whenever wherever and for as many years as I like just as I do with SC4 which is now going on 10+ years.

    The contempt that I have towards EA for ruining this fantastic game is monumental. I have sworn to NEVER EVER buy another EA game just on principle. I hope they sink in a quagmire of their own making. When they go bust I'll through a party cause it'll mean that they won't be able to ever again ruin another game.

    And the map sizes???? They should have called it Sim Suburb. EA couldn't have done any worse if they'd tried.    … Expand
  20. coochnader
    May 21, 2013
    0
    Horrible waste of time and money.
    Oversimplified and yet tedious to do anything with the user interface.
    As others have said, cannot play offline. While this is crap, the game itself is a much bigger disappointment. They have severely limited the type of buildings. About 30 minutes of tedious game play and then you'll be asking "That's it?" Go buy Sim City 4 and you'll be much    Horrible waste of time and money.
    Oversimplified and yet tedious to do anything with the user interface.
    As others have said, cannot play offline. While this is crap, the game itself is a much bigger disappointment. They have severely limited the type of buildings. About 30 minutes of tedious game play and then you'll be asking "That's it?"

    Go buy Sim City 4 and you'll be much happier. At a loss of words for whoever was in charge of product direction on this 5th sim city.    … Expand
  21. Narkul
    Jan 4, 2014
    0
    Ah! the Simcity reboot. A broken interactive screensaver. Let your imagination fly on the tiniest simcity maps ever. Watch traffic come to a halt and back up on the single roads connecting your cities. Watch your cities grow without any industrial zones. Watch EA take your money while your thinking that the latest DLC will fix this game. Ahh! the fun you'll have playing when your internetAh! the Simcity reboot. A broken interactive screensaver. Let your imagination fly on the tiniest simcity maps ever. Watch traffic come to a halt and back up on the single roads connecting your cities. Watch your cities grow without any industrial zones. Watch EA take your money while your thinking that the latest DLC will fix this game. Ahh! the fun you'll have playing when your internet goes down. Amazing social multiplayer experience. You must buy this game to really experience how bad it is, and then have fun trolling the five people that like it on the simcity forums.… Expand
  22. Teewilliger
    Jun 5, 2013
    0
    You can shove your DRM where the sun don't shine EA! Oh yeah, and this game is a dumbed down piece of garbage too! Simcity 1,2,3, and 4 were better than this.
  23. TheFrapRap
    Dec 26, 2013
    0
    This game was fun for the first 10 minutes. Until it said I wasn't running my town right and it said it could repair it. So I click ok. And it take you back to the main menu. NOW it does it every 5 minutes not saving the progress to my town. They said they'd fix this over 9 months ago. Really EA really?
  24. montreal
    Jun 18, 2013
    0
    This game is a train wreck. I desperately wanted to like it but it seems every time I muster the energy to start again, the servers are down for an update or some other kind of silly reason. I'm not against online DRM when it doesn't prevent me from playing the game. Civilization V is a good example. It works every time. Simcity is just disappointing. And having just one road going into aThis game is a train wreck. I desperately wanted to like it but it seems every time I muster the energy to start again, the servers are down for an update or some other kind of silly reason. I'm not against online DRM when it doesn't prevent me from playing the game. Civilization V is a good example. It works every time. Simcity is just disappointing. And having just one road going into a city is unrealistic and dumb.… Expand
  25. dam1306
    Jun 19, 2013
    0
    This game follow the CYBIECGM ideology ("convert your Brand in easy casual gamer money").
    It is a shame that a such great series, with such a great appeal, is ruined by the developing of social interaction (that no-one wants) instead of real city-building related functionality (Mass Transit! Mass Transit! Mass Transit!).
    I am very, very, very, disappointed.
  26. SX_Predator
    Jun 29, 2013
    0
    A HUGE step down from SimCity 4. DRM. Saves getting corrupted every couple of days on EA servers. Crashes. Alot of features taken away from SimCity 4. Music not as good as SimCity 4. Cities are tiny.
  27. Josefrodo
    Jul 23, 2013
    0
    This has got to be the worst game I have ever bought in my life. I am (was) a huge fan of SimCity, and was looking forward to this with a lot of anticipation. After seeing the launch fiasco, I decided to wait. After I saw the reviews... I decided to wait a little longer. When I finally purchased the game, I had to go through the horrid Origin experience, useless and annoying interface.This has got to be the worst game I have ever bought in my life. I am (was) a huge fan of SimCity, and was looking forward to this with a lot of anticipation. After seeing the launch fiasco, I decided to wait. After I saw the reviews... I decided to wait a little longer. When I finally purchased the game, I had to go through the horrid Origin experience, useless and annoying interface.
    When I FINALLY logged on I saw that EA had decided to put advertisements while the game loaded, gee thanks, I'll go buy a car while the game loads, I guess.
    When I finally could play, I saw first hand what everyone was complaining about: dumb AI, uselessly small maps, and the DRM is infuriating, I lost whatever progress my tiny city made because the game would not save or lost connection somehow.
    All in all, I uninstalled the program after playing it three times, and since EA does not give refunds on online downloads, I feel like a sucker for giving SimCity 5 the benefit of the doubt.
    (PS. I bought this game in April but someone just brought up the topic and the memories enraged me enough to write this review)    … Expand
  28. junkerlicious
    Aug 17, 2013
    0
    The fact that Maxis decided to sacrifice player experience for 'multiplayer' components in a predominantly single-player oriented game doomed this sequel to the epic simcity franchise from the start... tiny maps, always online DRM, ugly regions filled with deadspace, no terraforming, terrible lag, server downtime... the list goes on.

    Seriously, even if u just took SC2000, SC3000 or SC4    The fact that Maxis decided to sacrifice player experience for 'multiplayer' components in a predominantly single-player oriented game doomed this sequel to the epic simcity franchise from the start... tiny maps, always online DRM, ugly regions filled with deadspace, no terraforming, terrible lag, server downtime... the list goes on.

    Seriously, even if u just took SC2000, SC3000 or SC4 and made it 3D and give it a graphic makeover without changing any features, it would've been better than SC2013...

    And stop making excuses about not giving the players what they want. "we can't make bigger maps because mainstream computers cant handle the computation", or "it's always-online to offload computation to the server", or "maps are smaller to encourage cooperation within regions and enhance multiplayer", or "you can't demolish cities or create multiple saves because it would mess up the leaderboard"...

    Just admit that you wanna make money off a pretty much dysfunctional game at release (it's not a cheap game) and keep making money off every single DLC that eventually completes the game (2016 maybe?). There'd be a DLC for bigger maps, another DLC for subways, another one for computation optimization, perhaps an expansion or two for terraforming and region design...

    Maxis really disappointed me, I've been a huge SimCity fan since SC SNES and I've waited for nearly 10 years since SC4 rush hour. THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE FANS don't be the next big sell-out like Westwood or Bullfrog, great studios that sold their fans and their souls to EA for a quick buck that destroyed great franchises that they build up themselves.

    On the other hand, I'm not surprised that EA is still the same old greedy d-bag that rips everyone off, but please leave simcity alone    … Expand
  29. Hecatone
    Aug 21, 2013
    0
    I wish I could give this game less than a 0. This and the Sims are the only games I've played since the start and this game was far less than the start. I preordered this game and walked away after the first few weeks hoping they would undo what they did. I came back much later and I have to say I feel violated that they took my money on my trust and gave me steaming zhit.The cities areI wish I could give this game less than a 0. This and the Sims are the only games I've played since the start and this game was far less than the start. I preordered this game and walked away after the first few weeks hoping they would undo what they did. I came back much later and I have to say I feel violated that they took my money on my trust and gave me steaming zhit.The cities are tiny unlike the sprawling utopias that Simcity is known for and impossible to balance. You rely on other near players to balance your city who abandon the game and leave you out to dry.On top of that it is still glitchy as fuku and often results in your long time goal for a city not able to work. You can't save the city and the joy of destroying it is gone. I just wish i could have my money back and a 'Eternal Sunshine' to forget it ever happened.… Expand
  30. Type4101
    Jan 13, 2014
    0
    Electronic Arts ruins yet another franchise, and yet another developer. It is hard to see how Maxis could recover from this nightmare of a game--a cash grab counting on the SimCity name, and nothing more--and we have likely seen the end of the SimCity franchise. Tiny maps, broken mechanics (even almost a year after launch) and dumbed-down casual gameplay makes this one of the worst gamesElectronic Arts ruins yet another franchise, and yet another developer. It is hard to see how Maxis could recover from this nightmare of a game--a cash grab counting on the SimCity name, and nothing more--and we have likely seen the end of the SimCity franchise. Tiny maps, broken mechanics (even almost a year after launch) and dumbed-down casual gameplay makes this one of the worst games ever made, when compared to the classics of SimCity's past.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
21
#21 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 75
  3. Negative: 10 out of 75
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 5, 2013
    65
    Given enough patches and DCLs, SimCity might eventually become the game that should have been on its release and justify the ambiguous choices that its developers made. [May 2013]
  2. Games Master UK
    May 9, 2013
    68
    Hints at great things but is limited by small cities and promises it can't deliver on. [June 2013, p.80]
  3. Hyper Magazine
    May 9, 2013
    40
    There's more problems with this game than I have words. Looks great though. [June 2013, p.80]
See all critic reviews »