SimCity™ 3000 Unlimited

About

"SimCity™ 3000 Unlimited" expands on the original game with new building sets from Asia and Europe, over 95 world landmarks, and four additional disasters. Create and control your urban empire with 13 challenging scenarios, or build your own using the SimCity Scenario Creator. Customize your city with the Building Architect Plus tool and hundreds of buildings from SimCity 3000 and new European and Asian styles. Protect your citizens from nine disasters and reunify East and West Berlin in this ultimate SimCity experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 290 reviews

music25 positive mentions

monetization2 negative mentions

SimCity 3000 is a nostalgic classic that offers a charming city-building experience with engaging gameplay and a fantastic jazz soundtrack.
The game runs well on modern systems and provides a satisfying level of complexity without overwhelming players, making it accessible for both new and returning fans.
Despite its age, the graphics hold up well, and the game allows for extensive customization and creativity in city planning.

The port suffers from several issues, including fast scrolling speeds, lack of modern resolution support, and missing original soundtrack tracks, which detracts from the overall experience.
Controls can be clunky and frustrating, with no mouse wheel zooming or edge scrolling, making navigation difficult and sometimes unplayable.
Many players feel that the port was lazy, lacking necessary updates and fixes that would enhance playability on current hardware.

music
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
38%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic and relaxing qualities, featuring a blend of jazz and 90s electronica that enhances the overall atmosphere. Many reviewers consider it one of the best soundtracks in the SimCity series, although some express disappointment over missing tracks from previous installments. Overall, the soundtrack is described as superb, memorable, and a significant contributor to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “The music is absolutely wonderful and provides a great atmosphere.”
- “The sprite-based art style and music - combining jazz with 90's electronica - elevate this game beyond the competition.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing and one of the best game OSTs out there.”
- “I'll be listening to the soundtrack or a YouTube video for a second, only to get earraped by static noise.”
- “One of the most disappointing things from my viewpoint was that I was expecting the original soundtrack to be available.”
- “Several songs are missing compared to the original SimCity 3000, including the iconic main theme Broadway.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
46%
12%
The graphics of the game are characterized as charmingly pixelated and nostalgic, evoking a sense of simpler times while still holding up well for its age. Many users appreciate the colorful and detailed sprite-based art style, which, despite being dated, remains visually appealing and enhances the overall experience. However, some critiques highlight that the graphics can feel clunky and limited compared to modern standards, leading to mixed feelings about their quality.
- “The graphics are charmingly pixelated, reminiscent of simpler times when we didn’t have to worry about hyper-realistic buildings or complex traffic simulations.”
- “The sprite-based art style and music - combining jazz with 90's electronica - elevate this game beyond the competition.”
- “The art style is still amazing, and the game is just pleasing to look at... it's hard to believe this came out in 1999 and still looks as good as it does.”
- “The controls are a bit clunky by today’s standards—zooming in and out requires buttons instead of the mouse wheel, and the graphics are pretty pixelated if you zoom in too much.”
- “Graphics are total crap and I only played it for 20 minutes and was very disappointed.”
- “Interface is horrific, controls are a nightmare, and graphics are stuck in 1992.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The gameplay of SimCity 3000 Unlimited is characterized by its depth and complexity, offering a nostalgic experience reminiscent of older city-building games. While it features a steep learning curve and some minor bugs, players appreciate the detailed mechanics and engaging simulation, which provide a satisfying challenge without modern microtransaction pitfalls. The game is praised for its intuitive mechanics, well-balanced gameplay, and an outstanding soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- “The game's mechanics are well-balanced, providing just the right amount of challenge without being overwhelming.”
- “A relaxing classic, featuring timeless music, and outstanding gameplay depth.”
- “Its engaging gameplay, detailed graphics, and rich customization options make it a must-play for any fan of simulation games.”
- “There are minor bugs regarding the gameplay.”
- “Old school mechanics can be a bit of a hassle.”
- “Its gameplay is still stuck in the 2000s.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's stability is highly inconsistent, with some users experiencing frequent crashes, freezes, and issues with saving progress, particularly on modern systems. However, others report smooth performance on Windows, especially when using specific configurations like the widescreen mod. Overall, while there are significant stability concerns, there are also instances of satisfactory performance.
- “Runs great on Windows.”
- “It runs great on my laptop.”
- “Runs great on Windows 10 with the widescreen mod.”
- “Unforgivably buggy - crashes and doesn't save.”
- “For me, it freezes and locks the screen so that I have to reboot.”
- “It is not smooth on modern systems; the architect tool freezes the game. I could go on and on, but this is not to pan the game, but to highlight some of the issues that, if fixed, will make this game great again.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story aspect is characterized by a sense of creative freedom, as players begin with an empty plot of land that invites personal expression and narrative development. Additionally, the inclusion of new simulations, such as a love story, suggests a diverse range of storytelling possibilities that can enhance the overall experience.
- “You start with a blank canvas—an empty plot of land just waiting for your genius (or chaos) to unfold.”
- “The bookstore gets new copies of simulations: a love story.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the wonderful and well-composed music that significantly enhances the overall experience and enjoyment of gameplay.
- “The music is absolutely wonderful and provides a great atmosphere.”
- “Additionally, the soundtrack is wonderfully composed, enhancing the overall atmosphere and making the gameplay experience even more enjoyable.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
SimCity 3000 Unlimited is praised for its lack of microtransactions and mobile-like mechanics, offering a refreshing experience for fans of classic strategy games who wish to avoid the monetization pitfalls common in modern city builders.
- “SimCity 3000 Unlimited feels like a breath of fresh air compared to modern city builders that get bogged down with microtransactions and mobile-like mechanics.”
- “If you're into classic strategy games and want to avoid the nonsense of modern microtransactions, SimCity 3000 Unlimited is definitely worth picking up.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The optimization of SimCity 3000 Unlimited has been criticized for not showing significant improvements over its original release, with some users noting that performance issues persist even after 25 years. While the game offers a more realistic simulation experience, it may feel overwhelming for newcomers, suggesting that the underlying code may be the source of these optimization problems rather than hardware limitations.
- “SimCity 3000 Unlimited is an improved version that strikes a better balance of simplicity versus complex mechanics, focusing on the realistic simulation of a highly-developed city.”
- “The game offers a more 'retro' feel to its graphics, making the memorable buildings and disasters stand out, although it may be overwhelming for newcomers to the genre.”
- “Despite being a classic, the performance has not improved after 25 years, suggesting potential issues with the game's code rather than the hardware.”
- “I'd understand if this was still 1999, when the original game released, but seeing that the performance has somehow not improved after 25 years makes me think this must be an issue with the game's code, not my computer hardware.”
- “The performance is lacking and doesn't control as great on a console controller, which detracts from the overall experience.”