Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 18
  2. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Sep 24, 2020
    100
    Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 is often considered a genre-defining title and it's an accolade that's well-deserved. Even after 16 years and several successors, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 is still fun, engaging, and addictive. If you want a theme park simulator that's diverse without being too overwhelming or intricate, then this title is sure to fill that coaster shaped hole in your soul. Showcasing Frontier's development team at its best, there was no need to remake this title simply because it was built to last, unlike some of the coasters you're sure to build along the way.
  2. Oct 5, 2020
    90
    With a very small amount of reductions made for performance, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch is a triumph of port work. The developers should be proud to have pulled off what seems like an almost impossible feat. To have this fully featured and much-loved title on a portable console will have revolutionised many people's spare time. A fantastic game and one that nobody should hesitate to pick up!
  3. 85
    RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch is the game you know in all of its classic glory. The additional expansions make for a fun (but aged) experience.
  4. Oct 13, 2020
    80
    RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition is a great remaster that made me remember a lot about RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 and I am looking forward to spending even more time in that great classic game.
  5. Oct 5, 2020
    80
    Like any good theme park, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition has some ups and downs, but the depth of gameplay and wealth of content make it well worth the price of admission. This was my first experience with the series in many, many years but it’s refreshing to see that it still holds up quite well. It’s a crash course in capitalism with addictive elements, but the complicated toolkit and sluggish controls may be off-putting. Despite some minor setbacks, the price is right- Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 is a bargain on Switch, and a gem to play if you’ve got the time and patience.
  6. Sep 25, 2020
    80
    Disappointing visuals and cumbersome controls aside, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition still proves just as much fun now as when it released on PC back in 2004. RollerCoaster Tycoon will always be best suited to a mouse and keyboard setup of course, but the Nintendo Switch version makes for a decent alternative and a great reminder of how great this series can still be.
  7. Sep 24, 2020
    80
    Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition brings the classic theme park building sim and all of its DLC to Switch in a generously priced package that's hard to knock. A very well-implemented control scheme streamlines the potentially fussy business of managing menus and constructing great big behemoths and, besides a few judders here and there when your park gets crazy busy – a problem inherited from earlier versions of the game – the whole thing runs pretty smoothly in docked and handheld modes while still managing to look good (thanks in part to a HD lick of paint) some sixteen years after its original release. This is one ride Switch sim fans should absolutely consider jumping aboard.
  8. Sep 24, 2020
    78
    This is a great opportunity to enjoy a fantastic management game everywhere. It has aged really well, and even if the control scheme might be weird on Switch, you quickly get used to it.
  9. Sep 30, 2020
    70
    Whilst there’s barely been any kind of update to the visuals and the complication of moving PC controls to a controller is present and correct, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition is a delight, purely because it’s always been a damn fun video game and in that regard, like everything else about this game, nothing has changed.
  10. 70
    RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a delight on Nintendo Switch. It's the ideal pick-up-and-play game for those commutes, it's also the kind of game that you can play while also doing something else, like watching a movie or TV show. And it's the kind of game that, if you want it to, can occupy hour upon hour of your time. The Nintendo Switch is steadily building up a library of excellent simulators, but even among them, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 might be the most playable, blissfully entertaining of them all.
  11. Sep 29, 2020
    70
    If you are ready to accept a handling that inevitably lacks fluidity, especially on its navigation aspect in the interface and visuals that closely make you feel the weight of the age of the game, this Complete Edition of RollerCoaster 3 will allow you to discover or rediscover a management game which has not lost any of its splendor when it comes to the degree of micromanagement or the solidity of the content.
  12. Sep 25, 2020
    70
    Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition looks old fashioned but it has a lot of content to play and fantastic controls. If you want to create the roller coaster of your dreams, here you can achieve your ambition.
  13. Sep 24, 2020
    70
    RollerCoaster is a great little title to add to your collection if you’re either a nostalgia buff or fancy having a classic management sim on the go. Otherwise, you might be best sticking to something a little more current.
  14. 65
    At the end of the day I don’t know if I can think of any reason to buy Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 on Switch outside of if you are just really that desperate to get your nostalgia trip in. In a world where games like Planet Coaster exist as a more modern take on the exact same formula with many of the same features, I don’t even know if nostalgia is a justifiable position on this one. If all you’re really interested in is the idea of a portable park management sim this one is still a pretty alright entry into the genre, but it definitely still feels and looks like a game that came out in 2004. Add to that the clunky gamepad controls and I can say for sure that if you’re dead set on buying Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, the Switch is probably not the place to do it.
  15. Sep 30, 2020
    60
    RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition is a nostalgic trip down amusement park lane that feels every bit its age.
  16. Sep 28, 2020
    56
    There might be a decent park management hidden somewhere underneath, but on Switch the control scheme for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is not only clumsy but imprecise as well.
  17. Oct 8, 2020
    55
    Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is a fantastic game that even 16 years later remains one of the most entertaining simulation titles ever made. Playing the game without a mouse and keyboard leaves much to be desired, and even after getting over the learning curve, it’s still a murky prospect indeed. But if you simply must have a portable Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, there’s plenty of thrills to be had.
  18. Sep 30, 2020
    50
    RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition is in no way a bad experience, but it isn't a particularly great one either. Though veteran players may find great joy in returning to this classic, new players will probably have a completely different experience. The game's expansive Career Mode and in-depth mechanics are undermined by its failure to teach players and the overly complicated control scheme.
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Sep 28, 2020
    9
    took a bit to get used to the detailed menus/controls but once you do, maaaaaan it’s so good. and then you think about the fact that thistook a bit to get used to the detailed menus/controls but once you do, maaaaaan it’s so good. and then you think about the fact that this fantastic classic pc game is now playable on your switch in handheld or docked mode and it makes it even better! just old school sim joy! Full Review »
  2. Dec 2, 2022
    7
    Un grande e divertente classico da giocare su switch, purtroppo sente il peso del tempo ma per chi anni fa ci ha perso centinaia di ore questoUn grande e divertente classico da giocare su switch, purtroppo sente il peso del tempo ma per chi anni fa ci ha perso centinaia di ore questo non è in alcun modo un problema. Full Review »
  3. Jan 2, 2022
    10
    The game is a great way to introduce someone to the rct franchise and has a wide variety of things to do. The games interface is not tooThe game is a great way to introduce someone to the rct franchise and has a wide variety of things to do. The games interface is not too complicated and easy to explore. And the fact you can do it anywhere makes it 10 times better Full Review »