SimCity BuildIt Game Cover

SimCity BuildIt is a single-player business strategy game with sensational gameplay, fabulous graphics, and moments of humor, despite some bugs and grinding. As Mayor, create and manage your city, making smart decisions to keep citizens happy and skyline growing. Expand and customize through trading, chatting, competing, and joining clubs with other Mayors.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Phone
  • Android
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 9,998 reviews
graphics657 positive mentions
monetization1,074 negative mentions
  • Great graphics and engaging gameplay that captures the essence of city building.
  • Offers a variety of challenges and events that keep the game interesting and fun.
  • Allows for creativity in city design and management, making it enjoyable for players.
  • Progression becomes slow and frustrating, often requiring real money to advance effectively.
  • The global trade system is poorly designed, making it difficult to find necessary items.
  • Recent updates have introduced bugs and issues, such as crashes and unresponsive ads.
  • monetization1,301 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players expressing frustration over the excessive and intrusive nature of ads, particularly those that interrupt gameplay and often fail to provide promised rewards. Many users feel that the game is designed as a cash grab, heavily relying on in-app purchases and forcing players to watch ads to progress, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the option to watch ads for rewards, the frequency and mandatory nature of these ads have led to a significant decline in player satisfaction.

    • “I've played this app for years on and off and would brag about how well priced in-game purchases were.”
    • “The good thing is, it has no ads too!”
    • “Great graphics and the most thing I love about the game is that it allows you to progress at a good pace without in-app purchases.”
    • “Too many ads are so long that the game has to restart and I don't get the reward. Also, there are way too many pop-ups... too many annoying bubbles that can't be removed and they block access to factories, etc. I've been using this for a few months now and find myself ready to delete it because it has too many ridiculous hoops to jump through to expand the city.”
    • “Once I loved this game, but now it changed a lot. Without spending real money, you won't level any further. It's forcing us to watch ads (can't close the ads), money-minded game.”
    • “The game is riddled with microtransactions, in ways a lot of mobile games are not. It feels like a cash grab.”
  • graphics880 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising their high quality, detail, and realism, particularly in the context of a mobile platform. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals, smooth animations, and the immersive day-night cycle, which enhance the overall gaming experience. However, some users have noted issues with performance, such as lag and long loading times, especially when the city expands, suggesting a need for better optimization and graphic settings to accommodate different device capabilities.

    • “The graphics are amazing and the best I've seen in a build game.”
    • “Graphics are excellent and exceptionally responsive tech support!”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and pleasing to look at.”
    • “The graphics of the airport and the sea port are terrible compared to all previous SimCity games.”
    • “The graphics are outdated and do not fit well with the overall aesthetic of the game.”
    • “The graphics are poor for my phone, and I find it disappointing after playing for so long.”
  • gameplay351 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is generally described as enjoyable and addictive, with smooth mechanics and appealing graphics. However, many players express frustration with slow progression, excessive reliance on microtransactions, and intrusive ads that disrupt the experience. While some appreciate the strategic elements and depth, others find the gameplay repetitive and overly challenging without spending real money.

    • “The gameplay is great; you start from scratch and slowly build the city of your dreams. The time and effort are rewarding, and I still can't believe this game isn't popular.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, and the gameplay is addicting.”
    • “The gameplay is fun overall, and it provides challenging and rewarding gameplay for all ages.”
    • “Slow/sluggish gameplay... (to start, when moving between cities); too many different currencies; 'rewards' for 'watching ads' are not always granted.”
    • “The gameplay is a weak attempt at replicating the already over-simplified SimCity (2013) for mobile devices, and yet it fails to even respect its users with its patented license pending hurry up and wait technology.”
    • “Gameplay is stagnant after a while and does not do enough to keep you engaged.”
  • stability120 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent freezes, glitches, and crashes, particularly after recent updates. While some players experience smooth gameplay with minimal issues, a significant number express frustration over constant interruptions and the need to restart the app. Overall, the game's stability appears to be a major concern, with calls for developers to address these ongoing problems.

    • “I have experienced no glitches or bugs.”
    • “So far, gameplay is smooth and there are no glitches.”
    • “There are no problems; no glitches, not slow, and just a very good game!”
    • “The game also freezes a lot and I've lost many targets because of it.”
    • “Constantly freezes.”
    • “The only problem is that after about 30 seconds of gameplay it starts lagging and then freezes up entirely.”
  • grinding114 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and time-consuming, often leading to frustration among players. Many reviews highlight that while the game starts off enjoyable, it quickly devolves into a repetitive cycle of resource farming and waiting for materials, making progression feel slow and unfulfilling. Additionally, the reliance on microtransactions to alleviate the grind further detracts from the overall experience, with players expressing that it feels more like a cash grab than a genuine city-building game.

    • “This will result in either grinding hours upon hours to manufacture items to sell which barely does anything.”
    • “It's a tedious grind to get essential upgrades and, as I said, becomes annoying and boring quite quickly.”
    • “After level 25 it starts to get way grindy and has group events where you have to rely on other people, who get bored and won't join so it doesn't work and I'm missing out on a lot of prizes.”
  • story76 mentions

    The game's story and quest structure have received mixed reviews, with many players finding the side quests and missions overly complicated and often irrelevant to the core city-building experience. While some appreciate the engaging nature of the quests, others feel that the demands for resources and time are excessive, leading to frustration and a lack of meaningful progression. Overall, the narrative elements seem to detract from the enjoyment of building and managing a city, with players expressing a desire for more coherent and rewarding storylines.

    • “The simcity franchise is a gaming success story.”
    • “Good game, amazing graphics, great storyline, even inhabitants have wishes that need granting.”
    • “It has challenging missions and there is a lot of fun.”
    • “The story line makes zero sense and gameplay lasts the hour mark; it's probably the most disappointing game I've played to date.”
    • “This game has a good concept, however the developers just overcomplicated it, making it too demanding with challenges and side quests that hardly have anything to do with building a city.”
    • “Moreover, there are random missions like war and monster which don't make any sense.”
  • optimization30 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate its smooth performance and impressive graphics, several report significant performance issues, particularly following recent updates. Some users have noted that the game runs well on certain devices but struggles on others, especially older or lower-end hardware. There are calls for better graphic options and updates to address these performance concerns, as well as frustrations with the grindy nature of progression.

    • “There are no ads, the game runs smoothly and never lags, and my favorite part of the game is the day and night cycle; the graphics are great.”
    • “Game captures a lot of what makes SimCity so great and delivers excellent graphics, performance, and controls for mobile.”
    • “Overall performance is superb!!!”
    • “Another problem I am experiencing is performance issues.”
    • “Everything in this game is optimized for making you lose your patience and either pay-to-win or stop playing.”
    • “The latest update was creating harm to my phone and my phone repeatedly noticing that it is draining battery and reducing my phone's performance.”
  • music18 mentions

    The music in the game receives generally positive feedback, with many players appreciating its relaxing quality and connection to the classic SimCity soundtracks. However, some users report issues with sound effects being intrusive, particularly during advertisements, and occasional glitches where the background music stops unexpectedly. Overall, while the music enhances the gaming experience, there are calls for improvements in sound management and additional tracks to maintain engagement.

    • “The music is so relaxing.”
    • “Cool graphics, amazing sounds and music, fantastic new areas.”
    • “It is one of the best games; it also has a good graphic design, the songs are amazing, it has magnificent buildings.”
    • “I switch off the music and sounds but still not improve.”
    • “Developers please note: the bee monster sound keeps buzzing even when the app is in the background or even when the sounds and music are turned off from the settings of the game.”
    • “This app does not honor its settings to mute sounds and music when it comes to advertisements and starts unannounced video ads at full volume with no clear and easy way to stop them (tiny buttons in the corner that barely work don't count).”
  • humor18 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the funny moments, humorous character interactions, and witty dialogue that add charm to the gameplay. However, some users find the humor overshadowed by frustrations related to monetization and gameplay mechanics, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. While the game offers enjoyable comedic elements, it may not sustain its humor over extended play sessions.

    • “Honestly, I've had my good share of fun with this game; it has a lot of funny moments and the waiting times aren't as outrageous as other games with a similar basis.”
    • “There's sims that react and state what's wrong (i.e. fire station, parks, etc.) or complain about being close to things they don't want to live near, which is funny.”
    • “Great graphics, funny citizens, challenging gameplay... all around a pleasant way to spend some time.”
  • emotional12 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting both the joy of building and the frustration of accidental purchases and resource management. While many appreciate the game's engaging aspects, they also feel a sense of disappointment and longing when unable to achieve certain goals or when the gameplay becomes tedious. Overall, the emotional experience is a mix of attachment and frustration, reflecting a desire for improvements that could enhance enjoyment.

    • “3 stars for that emotional attachment.”
    • “I couldn't get that last building.. time got over.. I badly want it... please help me to get that Christmas building.. whenever I see that building in others' city I feel like it's heart-wrenching.”
    • “I enjoyed the game at first, but it takes a lot of time and made me feel twitchy.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    Overall, players find the game offers high replayability due to its engaging content and rewarding mechanics, though some express frustration over limitations like a single save file and excessive random events that can detract from the experience. While many appreciate the lack of mandatory in-app purchases, the desire for more options and fewer annoyances suggests that improvements could enhance replay value further.

    • “Good graphics, fun rewards, lots of replay value.”
    • “Pros: -plenty to do -replayability -commercials are optional -graphics”
    • “Wonderful grind builder with super high replayability and absolutely no necessity to do in-app purchases.”
    • “It's annoying that you can't have more than one save, which makes the revisit and replay value quite low.”
    • “The lack of variety in gameplay really diminishes the replayability factor.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy SimCity BuildIt

Play time

6hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
73hMain story
100hCompletionist
1-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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