Research-backed game lineage

SimCity

SimCity is included in the Series Atlas after independent recognition and an authoritative game-by-game roster audit. Editions, simple ports, DLC, bundles, canceled projects, and cameo-only appearances are excluded.

20 curated games 1989–2014 release span 0 connected branches

Release chronology

The complete path.

Ordered by researched series position, then original release date. Ports, DLC, and duplicate editions are intentionally excluded.

20 games in this lineage

Mainline1989

SimCity

SimCity, later renamed SimCity Classic, is a city-building simulation video game, first released on February 2, 1989, and designed by Will Wright for the Macintosh computer. SimCity was Maxis's second product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1993, SimCity 3000 in 1999, SimCity 4 in 2003, SimCity DS, SimCity Societies in 2007, and SimCity in 2013. Until the release of The Sims in 2000, the SimCity series was the best-selling line of computer games made by Maxis.

Oct 3, 198972/100

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Remaster1992

SimCity Classic

SimCity Classic was the later shared name for the enhanced rereleases of SimCity for Windows 3.x, OS/2 Warp and Macintosh, built around their window systems.

Dec 31, 1992

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Mainline1993

SimCity 2000

It has all the features, flexibility, art, animation, and power you need to create an environment of your dreams. Choose from a selection of bonus cities and scenarios to rule or ruin as you please. Build schools, libraries, hospitals, zoos, prisons, power plants, and much more... Lay down roads, railways, and highways. Explore the underground layer and build subways and utilities without compromising your aesthetics. Customize different buildings or design your own graphics sets from scratch. This is the ultimate classic Maxis city-building and management simulation. If this game were any more realistic, it'd be illegal to turn it off!

Dec 1, 199375/100

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Mainline1993

SimFarm

SimFarm was developed by Maxis as a spinoff of SimCity, and allowed the player to simulate the running of a farm. It was released in 1993 for PC Dos, and was released a year later for Macintosh. It has become a classic, and began the subsequent development of the farm simulation subgenre, although Maxis did not make any sequel to the game in the way they have for SimCity.

Dec 31, 199380/100

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Mainline1993

SimRefinery

SimRefinery is a computer management simulation game designed to simulate Chevron Corporation's refinery operation.

Dec 31, 1993

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Mainline1995

SimTown

SimTown is a 1995 video game published by Maxis, much like the best selling SimCity but on a smaller scale. SimTown allows the player to construct a town consisting of streets, houses, businesses and parks and then control the people in it. SimTown was one of the many 'Sim' spin-offs at the time, and was targeted more towards children.

Dec 31, 199579/100

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Mainline1996

SimCopter

SimCopter lets players explore SimCity 2000 environments from a helicopter pilot's perspective. Players respond to various emergencies across custom or pre-made cities, including fires, bank robberies, and medical evacuations. The game integrates with emergency services, allowing players to coordinate with police, fire departments, and ambulances while completing missions in their aircraft.

Nov 20, 199670/100

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Mainline1997

Streets of SimCity

Streets of SimCity is a 1997 racing and vehicular combat computer game published by Maxis. The game offers several different modes of play, including a career mode, where the primary, mission-based play mode allows the player takes part in one of four television shows, with missions being presented as "episodes." There are four different shows to choose from, each with a set of episodes that increase in difficulty. It's your city to cruise through or bruise through... check out your own SimCity 2000 city or one of the 50+ built-in cities, or take on opponents in an urban free-for-all while skidding, bootlegging and blasting away. Speed through a sprawling metropolis or tackle one of the Streets' rim-rattling missions. On the Streets of SimCity, you set the road rules.

Oct 31, 1997

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Mainline1999

SimCity 3000

SimCity 3000, released in 1999 as the third major installment in the SimCity series, continues its successful course as a city building simulation game. In SimCity 3000 new tools have been introduced to create and control the city build-ups. Recreate the world's greatest cities using predefined landscapes such as San Francisco or Berlin and landmark buildings like the Empire State Building or Big Ben. Negotiate and barter with neighbouring cities to strengthen your metropolis and seal contracts to import water or get rid of huge amounts of waste.

Jan 31, 199983/100

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Mainline2000

The Sims

The Sims is a life-building simulation with emphasis on intimate details of individual characters rather than expansion of an entire society or civilization. You are in control of nearly every aspect of the lives of the individuals who make up your chosen population in the neighborhood. Characters are developed from the ground up and you infuse and mold them with personalities, looks, desires, moods, urges, living arrangements, career and personal choices, life styles, and reactions.

Feb 4, 200082/100

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Mainline2003

SimCity 4

SimCity 4 is a city-building simultor. You are in the shoes of one or several mayors, and you are tasked with populating and managing your cities.When you have chosen a segment to place your city in, you will be able to chose between 3 game modes. God mode: This mode lets you shape the overall landscapes as you desire Mayor mode: In this mode you build and manage your own cities. My Sim mode: Here the player can choose his own Sims and have them move into the city, or import saved games from the game The Sims.

Jan 12, 200383/100

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Remake2006

SimCity

Mobile remake of SimCity. It was also later ported for Mega Drive in Brazil.

Dec 31, 20063.6/5

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Mainline2007

SimCity DS

SimCity DS (SCDS) is a city building and management computer game and the first Nintendo DS installment in the SimCity series. It was published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by the AKI Corporation and EA Japan.

Feb 22, 200772/100

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Mainline2007

SimCity Societies

Featuring an all-new, revolutionary feature set, SimCity Societies allows players to create their own kinds of cities, shape their cultures, societal behaviors and environments. Build an artistic city, an Orwellian city, futuristic city, green city, spiritual community or any society you want! With more accessible and innovative choices than before, SimCity Societies is the most versatile city building game.

Nov 13, 200766/100

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Mainline2008

The Sims: Carnival - SnapCity

"Put your skills to the test in a fun combination of city building and quick-thinking puzzle solving!"

Jan 8, 2008

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Mainline2008

SimCity Creator

SimCity Creator follows the basic SimCity formula that sees players managing a city and placing residential, commercial, and industrial zones for buildings in addition to facilities such as police stations, hospitals, seaports, and stadiums. Players are also able to customize the look of their buildings by choosing from several themes for the city such as Egyptian, Roman, Japanese, European, Las Vegas, and near-future styles, in addition to ones that result in a crystal or confectionery-like appearance to buildings. Players are also able to tour their city, rendered in 3D graphics, in a helicopter or airplane. If the player builds an airport, more touring vehicles can be unlocked.

Sep 19, 200867/100

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Mainline2010

SimCity Deluxe

SimCity Deluxe was a mobile entry in the long-running city building franchise, based on the earlier SimCity 3000 for PC and Mac.

Jul 29, 2010

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Mainline2012

SimCity Social

SimCity Social is a city-building simulation game available on Facebook. SimCity Social brings the real city-building simulation to the masses, giving players the freedom to create sprawling cities that come to life as a result of player-driven choice. In SimCity Social, players don’t just build a city – they choose the kind of city they want and watch its soul come to life as it grows and reacts to their decisions.

Jun 25, 2012

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Mainline2013

SimCity

This is a new SimCity that delivers unprecedented depth of simulation. The model-like world and detail of the simulation make this the most responsive and personal SimCity ever. This is also the most expansive city management game yet where you can control a region that delivers true multi-city scale and play a single city or up to 16 cities at once each with different specializations. Multiplayer is also a first for the series, which adds a new dimension to your game as your decisions impact both your city and your region and creates new ways to play by collaborating or competing to earn achievements.

Mar 5, 201365/100

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Mainline2014

SimCity BuildIt

Welcome, Mayor! Be the hero of your very own city as you design and create a beautiful, bustling metropolis. Every decision is yours as your city gets larger and more intricate. Make smart choices to keep your citizens happy and your skyline growing. Then trade, chat, compete, and join clubs with fellow Mayors. Build your way to extraordinary with the most popular city builder on mobile!

Dec 16, 201475/100

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Sources and method

Built from the public record.

Membership is researched from external official and independent sources. Mainline games, direct spin-offs, remakes, remasters, and standalone expansions are included; DLC, simple ports, duplicate editions, compilation-only duplicates, rumors, cancellations, and cameo-only crossovers are excluded.

database SimCity collection — IGDB
IGDB maintains a distinct collection record for SimCity and supplies the authoritative roster used for membership verification.
reference List of video game franchises
The independent catalog recognizes SimCity as a multi-game franchise and supports its inclusion in this major-series research sweep.