Planet Coaster
- November 16, 2016
- Aspyr (Mac)
- 44h median play time
Get on SteamPlanet Coaster is a theme park construction and management simulation game that allows players to build and design their own parks with a high level of detail using piece-by-piece construction and over a thousand unique building components. The game also features landscape sculpting tools to shape the land and create various terrains, and offers total authenticity in recreating your favorite rides or building new ones. The simulation is highly advanced, making it one of the most realistic theme park simulators available.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- graphics2,876 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics in *Planet Coaster* are widely praised for their stunning detail and vibrant aesthetics, effectively bringing the theme park experience to life. Players appreciate the game's beautiful 3D visuals, dynamic lighting, and the ability to customize parks extensively, although some report performance issues on lower-end systems, particularly when parks become large and complex. Overall, the graphics are considered a significant highlight, enhancing both the gameplay and the creative aspects of park building.
“Visually, Planet Coaster is stunning, with vibrant graphics that bring the parks to life, along with a dynamic day-night cycle and beautifully animated visitors.”
“The graphics are beautiful, with a touch of cartoonish look to them, and the attention to detail is very realistic while keeping a fantasy style charm to it.”
“The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the attention to detail in the gameplay, music, etc. is mind-blowing.”
“⚠️ Some graphical glitches with terrain and object placement.”
“The graphics are horrible.”
“The graphics became more than out of date and there wasn't another or better replacement.”
- gameplay1,574 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Planet Coaster is characterized by its deep simulation mechanics and extensive customization options, allowing players to create intricate theme parks and roller coasters. While many players appreciate the creative freedom and detailed coaster-building tools, some find the management aspects lacking and the mechanics unintuitive, leading to frustration with pathing and staff management. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable sandbox elements and challenging management gameplay, though it may require a steep learning curve for new players.
“The coaster building mechanics are particularly impressive, offering a level of detail and creativity that allows players to craft thrilling rides from the ground up.”
“The game’s management mechanics require you to balance visitor satisfaction, park finances, and staff needs, offering a deep and engaging challenge.”
“Planet Coaster sets a new standard for amusement park simulation games with its depth of gameplay, creative tools, and attention to detail.”
“The game can be fun, but it also has many weird, annoying, or unintuitive mechanics.”
“Great game in concept but far too complicated with mechanics that aren't easy to use and aren't taught to you well, if at all.”
“The mechanics are very simple and the skills needed to make great parks are quite easy to learn.”
- music969 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in "Planet Coaster" has received widespread acclaim for its high production quality and ability to enhance the game's immersive atmosphere. Players appreciate the cheerful and thematic soundtrack, which adapts to the action and can evoke nostalgia reminiscent of classic amusement park experiences. Additionally, the game allows for extensive customization, enabling players to add their own music to rides, although some users noted that the music can become repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout features of the game, contributing significantly to its charm and enjoyment.
“✅ Original soundtrack with cheerful and thematic music that enhances the atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack is fantastic, very fun and relaxing.”
“The music creates a calm atmosphere as you painstakingly place and craft your theme park.”
“⚠️ Music can become repetitive after extended play.”
“The trailer is very misleading, I thought I would be able to build my own theme park up from nothing but I cannot, it has extremely annoying music.”
“The music is so obnoxious that I was expecting something more engaging, but it just feels like nails on a chalkboard.”
- optimization759 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting performance issues, especially as park size and guest numbers increase. While some users experience smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others struggle with low frame rates and lag even on recommended hardware, indicating that the game is not well-optimized for larger, more complex parks. Overall, the consensus is that while the game offers great creative potential, its performance limitations detract from the experience, necessitating further optimization efforts from the developers.
“One of the best things is that it's super tight; the system inside and out is optimized in every way. I can build a scene in potato mode and then bump those graphics up to a million and enjoy the ride.”
“The game offers a satisfying challenge, ensuring your park runs smoothly while allowing you to let your imagination run wild.”
“Great graphics, gameplay, and optimization.”
“This game is very poorly optimized... it doesn't matter how good of a PC you have, once you build a decent sized park, the game becomes unplayable.”
“The performance is absolutely terrible.”
“Game is fun but it's probably the most poorly optimized game ever, even playing on a high-end PC you will get frame drops.”
- story480 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story mode is often criticized for its lack of engagement and depth, with many players feeling it becomes repetitive and lacks a meaningful narrative. While some enjoy the challenge and variety of missions, others find the absence of a cohesive storyline or mission-giver akin to other tycoon games disappointing. Overall, the focus seems to be more on gameplay mechanics and sandbox creativity rather than a compelling story experience.
“The campaign missions are fun, the sandbox mode is fun for creative.”
“The story mode actually provides enough challenge while still teaching the basics, and it made me realize that I can use the prefab coasters with no shame.”
“The missions are great fun and just the right level of difficulty to make the gold objectives an enjoyable challenge.”
“When you finish the mission, the game just keeps on running; it doesn't stop and let you decide to move onto the next mission or not, just keeps on running as if nothing happened.”
“The 'storyline' will just leave you on your own to discover and test everything, even from and in this 'easy' scenario. They just made a beautiful game for themselves (expert players), so to say, and placed a quick 'career' storyline, probably to just make it saleable to the public.”
“The lack of a proper tutorial or a meaningful career/story mode quickly made me lose interest in playing this title.”
- grinding231 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 72 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and time-consuming, often leading to boredom after initial enjoyment. While some players appreciate the depth and detail involved in building and managing their parks, many find the repetitive tasks and inefficient controls to be frustrating, requiring significant patience and time investment. Overall, the experience can be rewarding for those who enjoy meticulous design, but it may deter players seeking a more streamlined gameplay experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“One long, tedious grind.”
“A bit grindy sometimes.”
“The game is tedious to set up even the smallest park with a poor menu system that makes you hunt for every change.”
“The management aspects of the game are overall really good, but some of the aspects of the management are a little tedious.”
“The game requires you to use the building system to build proper shops and coaster entries, and at first it's really cool, but after a few hours it becomes extremely tedious.”
- stability224 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 84 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs, graphical glitches, and crashes, particularly when managing larger parks or complex builds. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay without significant issues, the overall consensus indicates that the game is still plagued by instability and requires further optimization and bug fixes. Despite its enjoyable gameplay, the persistent technical problems have led to frustration among players, with some considering it overpriced given its current state.
“The game is polished and there are almost no glitches.”
“It's beautiful, it runs great, and it has every feature I've ever wanted in a theme park game.”
“The game as it stands is stable and bug free enough I can't think of any to report, so most of the post-launch development time can be spent on further polish and content creation.”
“This game is a buggy mess for me, and I'm sick of having to re-create my ride and scenery edits.”
“The game freezes often and at times I feel like the only thing I am accomplishing is adding to my hours played.”
“It's a good game but a couple of glitches.”
- humor169 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players enjoying the absurdity of creating chaotic roller coasters and watching guests react in hilarious ways. Many reviews highlight the funny animations, quirky characters, and the ability to design outrageous rides that lead to comical outcomes, such as guests flying off coasters or experiencing unexpected mishaps. Overall, the game combines creativity with humor, making it an entertaining experience for players who appreciate a lighthearted approach to park management.
“It's hilarious how the guests interact with the rides and the quirky elements of the game make it truly unique.”
“The game is filled with funny moments, from the absurdity of the roller coasters to the hilarious animations of the guests.”
“You can easily get lost for hours building hilariously impractical roller coasters that would never pass safety inspections in real life.”
“Balance issues, management isn't very intuitive; the economy is an unfunny joke.”
“The main problem is that you cannot focus on one aspect; you need both, and that makes the game not funny.”
“Honestly, this is not funny.”
- atmosphere109 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Planet Coaster is widely praised for its vibrant graphics, realistic lighting, and immersive sound design, which collectively create a cheerful and enchanting theme park experience. The dynamic soundtrack enhances the gameplay, making it feel lively and engaging, while the attention to detail in both visuals and audio contributes to a deeply immersive environment. Players appreciate the freedom to customize their parks, which further enriches the overall atmosphere, making it a delightful and creative experience.
“The vibrant graphics and joyful atmosphere make building and managing your park a delightful experience.”
“From the cheerful screams of guests on a hair-raising ride to the chirping of crickets in your tranquil forest area, Planet Coaster's immersive sound and visual design create an enchanting atmosphere that draws you in.”
“The atmosphere Planet Coaster generates for you will be relaxing, creative, and friendly.”
“This atmosphere would make it seem like a really chill game, but it’s not, at least, not for me.”
“All you have is a few scenarios that basically seem to define some textures and the atmosphere, and that's it!”
“It doesn't quite capture the atmosphere of the original RollerCoaster Tycoon, but then I've never played any other game that did either, including the subsequent RCT games.”
- monetization107 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 78 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it as a blatant cash grab due to the prevalence of DLCs that contain content they feel should have been included in the base game. Users express frustration over the lack of in-game tutorials, reliance on monetized YouTube videos for guidance, and the constant bombardment of advertisements for additional purchases, which detracts from the overall experience. While some acknowledge the game's creativity and management depth, the overwhelming focus on microtransactions and DLCs has left a sour impression, leading to calls for a reevaluation of the monetization approach.
“My advice is to really take the time to develop big worthwhile expansions that include new themes and expand upon the game systems currently instead of approaching DLCs as releasing small microtransactions for purely cosmetic items.”
“Customisation is a higher level than a Call of Duty loadout; everything from entrance styles to colors has been included, and the best bit is that there's no microtransactions to use the many choices already implemented.”
“Can only hope new content is delivered through free updates or full expansion packs and not microtransactions for each piece of content.”
“This game left a sour taste in my mouth when I saw how a lot of things in the DLC should have been, could have been, base game and it seems more like a DLC cash grab than a fun game that is for the players.”
“The game is okay, but is always advertising its DLCs that I'm never gonna buy because of their money grabbing tactic of not letting me buy the bundle and trying to force me to buy all the DLCs separately for like 200% the price of the bundle.”
“I've played all roller coaster tycoon games and all of them aren't good as this one but they are cool except for the new one that came out recently, but they are not even 10% good compared to this game, planet coaster totally smashed it, it's really amazing you can do whatever you want literally anything you want every small detail everything, so yes build a fairy tale theme park or a pirate theme park or whatever you want, manage your park, make some marketing such as tv commercials, internet ads and a lot more so more people will get to know your park and come to have some fun, watch people having fun in your park look what they're thinking, positive or negative thoughts such as 'this ride is awesome', 'this queue is taking so long', so yes manage it make it the best amusement park ever, make people happy make people enjoy and have fun there, amazing game.”
- replayability104 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its exceptionally high replayability, with many players highlighting the endless creative possibilities and strong community support through mods and user-generated content. While some users note that the base game may have limited scenarios, the sandbox mode and customization options provide virtually infinite replay value, making it a favorite among simulation enthusiasts. Despite a few criticisms regarding management aspects and content limitations, the game's depth and variety ensure that players keep returning for more.
“The game's varying themes, endless possibilities for creativity, and limitless replay value make it a must-have for fans of the simulator genre.”
“Additionally, the strong community support and modding capabilities add endless replayability, making it a fantastic choice for both creative builders and management enthusiasts.”
“With Steam Workshop already having tons of player-built rides, this game will have a lot of replay value.”
“There are some decent options in the game for what it's worth, but it's still nothing in comparison to the simplicity and replay value of RollerCoaster Tycoon 2.”
“Personally, scenarios are where I sunk all my time into the original RollerCoaster Tycoon games, and the scenarios in Planet Coaster do not have much replay value in my opinion.”
“It's repetitive and doesn't give the game much replayability.”
- emotional51 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, often feeling nostalgia and joy reminiscent of their childhood experiences with titles like RollerCoaster Tycoon. Many reviews highlight the game's heartwarming aesthetics, engaging mechanics, and the ability to evoke strong feelings, including happiness and even tears. However, some users also mention that the high cost of additional content can detract from their overall emotional investment in the game.
“It made me cry, and I missed her more than before.”
“I have no words to accurately describe the wonderful, emotional, and just all-around joyful feelings I get from this game.”
“Planet Coaster is the worthy successor of the RCT trilogy, with a lot of heartwarming nostalgic moments and a wonderfully planned and delivered modern aspect to the genre.”
“☐ heartbreaking”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by its impressive character design and style, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. However, some players find the cartoony aesthetic off-putting, which may detract from their enjoyment of the characters.
“Wonderful style, character designs, absolutely amazing music (I recommend both soundtracks), and by far the best theme park simulation game ever.”
“Good character design.”
“Off-putting character design.”
“The game runs very smoothly and the graphics are very pleasing to the eye, though cartoony in some parts like character designs, so if you do not like that, then it can be a negative.”
