Theme Park Studio

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Theme Park Studio is a game that lets players design, build, and explore their own amusement parks. It features a variety of tools for creating terrain, rides, scenery, and more, and players can share their creations with others through Steam Workshop. The game also includes a "Enter Park" feature for touring community-built parks in virtual reality using Vive, Oculus Rift, or OSVR.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

36%

Audience ScoreBased on 280 reviews

graphics12 positive mentions

stability16 negative mentions

The game has great potential for creativity and customization, allowing players to design their own theme parks and roller coasters.
The graphics are impressive, providing a visually appealing experience for players.
The coaster building tools are user-friendly and offer a lot of flexibility in design.

The game is currently unfinished and lacks many promised features, such as roller coasters and a management aspect.
It suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate and use effectively.

graphics
33 mentions
36 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising them as "incredible" and "outstanding," while others criticize them as "dated" and "buggy." Comparisons to other titles like Planet Coaster and Theme Park Studio highlight that many feel this game falls short in visual quality and polish. Overall, while some appreciate the graphics for a simulation sandbox game, many find them lacking compared to competitors.
- “The graphics are incredible, the gameplay is simple and easy to use, and the detail is outstanding!”
- “Theme Park Studio is more than just a game; it is the ultimate simulation game that lets you build any coaster imaginable. The flat rides are amazing, the graphics are awesome, and the trees look real. This game reminds me of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3; it's way better than RCT3. I personally recommend this game to anyone who loves building a theme park.”
- “The graphics are incredible in every aspect; the physics are pretty realistic yet they made them fairly simple.”
- “Quite simply, Planet Coaster is better in every single aspect: content, updates & dev support, graphics, community and workshop content, ease of use, UI design, audio/visuals... everything you would want if you were a fan of previous RCT games.”
- “I used to play / still do play RCT 3. This game is not as fun and the graphics on it are really not that good. Plus, they don't update it anymore. Do not spend your money on this; save up for Planet Roller Coaster.”
- “The graphics seem dated, like something from the 90s.”
stability
16 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many describe the interface as confusing and poorly designed, while others express frustration over the lack of updates and support from the developers. Overall, the game is seen as unfinished and unstable, making it difficult for players to enjoy the experience.
- “It's really hard to use, full of glitches and I feel a little robbed of my money.”
- “The game constantly freezes and crashes.”
- “Overall I would give this game 4/10; it is very buggy and keeps crashing, but it may be my computer.”
gameplay
14 mentions
29 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with many users criticizing the controls and mechanics as frustrating and unintuitive, leading to a lack of enjoyment. While some appreciate the potential for creativity and the strong engine, they note that the gameplay is currently limited and requires significant time investment to master. Overall, the game shows promise but needs substantial improvements to enhance the user experience.
- “Planet Coaster not only looks stunning, has a great selection of rides, coasters, shops, scenery, and custom buildings, it has over 100,000 workshop items, and the gameplay and features are awesome!”
- “The graphics are incredible, the gameplay is simple and easy to use, and the detail is outstanding!”
- “I'm just glad that I can build anything I want now, without worrying about the puzzle-piece mechanics of RCT3.”
- “The controls are a joke; I don't understand where you're supposed to download resources from. There are mechanics that you end up not being able to use. Honestly, I would play Planet Coaster or RCT World over this.”
- “What little I managed to build after a few frustrating hours of gameplay was watered down by the dull and lifeless atmosphere.”
- “Sluggish gameplay, non-standard way of launching the PDF reader (minimize/maximize buttons are not there).”
optimization
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it offers extensive customization options, users report significant performance issues, particularly on high-end systems, leading to lag when multiple rides are present. Overall, the user interface is criticized for being overly complicated and poorly optimized.
- “Very well optimized to handle these things.”
- “If anyone has tips for better performance, please message me.”
- “It's insanely customizable, but the user interface and overall software performance are just awful.”
- “It is extremely overcomplicated and has very bad optimization.”
- “Optimization is bad... I have a high-end custom-built PC with 2GB DDR5 GTX 670 FTW, and it still lags when there are more than 3 rides in the park.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Users find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly when placing paths and items, as the lack of rotation options and unclear node connections complicate what should be straightforward tasks. This results in a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of building within the game.
- “It can be extremely tedious at times when you are building paths and you are unsure how the nodes connect or keep forgetting to select specific nodes to continue construction. The buildings, I am sure, require just as much patience to get the hang of as well.”
- “Again, placing paths in a theme park should be one of the least tedious tasks, but Theme Park Studio seems to lack functionality and usability in these aspects.”
- “The placement of flat rides, scenery, and foliage is easy to use, although having to place an item on the ground without the ability to rotate before placement makes this simple task tedious.”
atmosphere
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game has been widely criticized for being dull and lifeless, with comparisons made to a quiet visit to a library, lacking excitement and immersion. In contrast, some users noted that other games effectively create a vibrant ambiance that enhances the experience, making players feel engaged and entertained. Overall, the game's atmosphere is seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “The atmosphere is rich with noise and ambience, making you feel like you're running a real theme park that's all about fun.”
- “What little I managed to build after a few frustrating hours of gameplay was watered down by the dull and lifeless atmosphere.”
- “The biggest thing this game lacks is atmosphere; there is nothing. It's as exciting as a quiet visit to the town library. Also, the fact that the game runs in a window, similar to running an Excel spreadsheet, does little to immerse you into the game.”
- “This game, if you can call it that, is not about fun.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Planet Coaster" is noted for its ironic commentary on the game's early access status, with users finding the situation amusing and highlighting the game's overall value.
- “It's now November and it's still early access, too funny.”
music
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The music aspect received a score of 0/10, with users highlighting the complete absence of music and criticizing the overall graphical user interface (GUI) as terrible.
- “Music: 0/10”
- “No music, terrible GUI.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is diminished by frustrating controls and an overwhelming sense of realism, leading some players to lose interest, especially with the emergence of alternatives like Planet Coaster.
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the monetization strategy heavily emphasizes ads for coaster building features that are not yet available in the game, leading to frustration among players.
- “The main highlight of their ads is the coaster building feature, but there are no coasters available yet.”
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the overall experience.”