Comparison

SimCity BuildIt vs RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SimCity BuildIt

Design and build a bustling city metropolis, managing resources, citizen happiness, and urban challenges like traffic and pollution. Trade with other players, compete in city wars, and unlock unique landmarks and regional styles to create your dream city.

Highlights
  • Design and build city metropolis
  • Manage citizen happiness and services
  • Solve urban challenges like traffic
  • Trade with other players
  • Compete in Club Wars and contests
  • Unlock landmarks and regional styles
  • Build and customize train networks
Read full description

Includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items. Welcome, Mayor, to the city builder and simulator! Be the hero of your very own city metropolis. This is the city-building game to design and create a beautiful, bustling town or metropolis. Every decision is yours as your city simulation grows larger and more intricate. You need to make smart building choices as a city builder to keep your citizens happy and your skyline growing. Then build, trade, chat, compete, and join clubs with fellow city-building Mayors. The city game that lets you build your city, your way! BRING YOUR CITY METROPOLIS TO LIFE Build your metropolis with skyscrapers, parks, bridges, and much more! Place buildings strategically to keep your taxes flowing and your city growing. Solve real-life city-building challenges like traffic and pollution. Provide your town and city services like power plants and police departments. Strategize, build and keep traffic moving with grand avenues and streetcars in this fun city builder and simulator. PUT YOUR IMAGINATION AND CITY ON THE MAP The possibilities are endless in this town and city-building simulator! A worldwide city game, build Tokyo-, London-, or Paris-style neighborhoods, and unlock exclusive city landmarks like the Eiffel Tower or Statue of Liberty. Make building rewarding and discover new technologies with the Future Cities while getting athletic with sports stadiums to become a pro city builder. Build and decorate your town or city with rivers, lakes, forests, and expand along the beach or mountain slopes. Unlock your city-builder strategies with new geographic regions for your metropolis, such as the Sunny Isles or Frosty Fjords, each with a unique architectural style. The city-building game where there’s always something new and different to make your city simulation unique. BUILD AND BATTLE YOUR WAY TO VICTORY The city-building game that lets you defend your city metropolis against monsters or compete against other mayors in Club Wars. Plot winning city-builder strategies with your Club mates and declare war on other cities. Once the battle simulation is on, unleash crazy disasters like the Disco Twister and Plant Monster on your opponents. Earn valuable rewards to use in battle, in building or to improve your city. In addition, take on other players in the Contest of Mayors, where you can complete weekly challenges and climb the League ranks toward the top of this city game. BUILD A BETTER CITY WITH TRAINS The city-building game to improve as a city builder with unlockable and upgradeable trains. Discover new trains and train stations for your dream metropolis! Build, expand and customize your rail network to fit your unique city simulation. BUILD, CONNECT AND TEAM UP Join a Mayor’s Club to trade city supplies with other members who love and chat about city-building strategies and available resources. Collaborate with other town and city builders to help someone complete their personal vision as well as get support to complete yours. Build big, work together, lead other Mayors, and watch your city simulation come to life in this city-building game and simulator! ___ Important Consumer Information. This app: Requires a persistent Internet connection (network fees may apply). Requires acceptance of EA’s Privacy & Cookie Policy and User Agreement. Includes in-game advertising. Contains direct links to the Internet and social networking sites intended for an audience over 13. The app uses Game Center. Log out of Game Center before installation if you don’t want to share your game play with friends. User Agreement: http://terms.ea.com Privacy and Cookie Policy: http://privacy.ea.com Visit https://help.ea.com/en/ for assistance or inquiries. EA may retire online features after 30 days’ notice posted on www.ea.com/service-updates.

About

RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™

Build and manage your dream theme park, from designing thrilling roller coasters to customizing every detail. Expand your park, attract more visitors, and compete in fun challenges.

Highlights
  • Design custom roller coasters
  • Collect and customize attractions
  • Manage park operations
  • Upgrade rides and buildings
  • Participate in time-based challenges
  • Visit and trade with friends
Read full description

The gold standard for 3D park-building sims returns, with more fun, challenges, and thrills than ever…. A deep simulation game where you manage it all -- coasters, rides, shops, restaurants, bathrooms, janitors, ride engineers -- everything is up to you. Use the roller coaster builder to draw intense coasters, full of loops, rolls, twists, corkscrews, dips, dives, and more. -Collect and customize hundreds of attractions -Push the limits of coaster design .. add loops, rolls, twists, corkscrews, dips, dives, and more -Upgrade your park to grow attendance and make more -Earn rewards playing time-based challenges -Visit your friend’s parks and trade items -Build a water park with wet rides and crazy slides -Fun events all year long A modern take on the classic Roller Coaster Tycoon for phone and tablet … the classic is back. Set prices, start marketing campaigns, install decorations, even color each building. All to maximize customer satisfaction and increase your daily attendance. You can even trade-in and upgrade to rare and epic-level rides and buildings. The more successful you are, the larger you can make your park, and the more you can build and manage! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SimCity BuildIt4 screens
RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ at 4.5 against SimCity BuildIt's 4.1. RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 49%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). SimCity BuildIt's advantage is chart position (#59 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SimCity BuildIt sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 86K and 86K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of SimCity BuildIt's written reviews are positive against 75% of RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimCity BuildIt ships an update every 3 weeks, RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SimCity BuildIt versus RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimCity BuildItRollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (86K ratings)4.5 (86K ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.2% of reviews75.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings86K86K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#59 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size345 MB1.2 GB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperElectronic ArtsAtari

Customer experience

SimCity BuildIt

All ratings85,884 ratings
Positive77.1%
Neutral7.0%
Negative16.0%
Written reviews10,476 reviews
Positive49.2%
Neutral9.9%
Negative40.9%

RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™

All ratings86,152 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews3,586 reviews
Positive75.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative15.4%

User reviews

SimCity BuildIt

From 86K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Great game
  • 🌇 Beautiful graphics
  • 🕹️ Enjoyable gameplay
  • 🤝 Supportive club community
  • 🕰️ Relaxing and not too demanding

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🕰️ Slow progression without paying
  • 🔍 Difficult to find needed items
  • 🤖 Aggressive monetization tactics
  • 🤯 Frustrating club war mechanics

RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™

From 86K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 💡 Unique card-based progression system
  • 👍 Nostalgic for fans of the original Rollercoaster Tycoon
  • 👍 Visually appealing graphics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases required for progression
  • 🤔 Repetitive card rewards
  • 🤔 Limited park space and land expansion options
  • 🤔 Janitor and maintenance system could be improved

Bugs and requests

SimCity BuildIt

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cars phasing through trains
  • Inconsistent traffic patterns
  • Disappearing delivery trucks
  • Frequent crashes and connection issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add city layout editor
  • Allow raising/lowering train tracks
  • Improve free-to-play experience
  • Introduce search function for trade depot
  • Add option to disable construction bubbles

RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Park progress and purchases disappearing after updates
  • Inability to access main park after visiting a friend's park
  • Ads not loading or crashing the game
  • Incorrect rewards from card packs and casino spins

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to name your park
  • More land expansion options
  • Improved coaster building tools
  • Ability to customize park interiors
  • First-person ride mode
Show 1 more
  • Offline play mode

In-app purchases

10 purchases

SimCity BuildIt

One-time10
  • Small Daily SimCash$0.99
  • Pocketful of SimCash 3$1.99
  • Premium Vu Pass Level I$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Pocketful of SimCash$4.99
  • Premium Vu Pass Level II$5.99
  • Premium Mayor's Pass +$8.99
  • Little Stack of SimCash$9.99
  • Nice Pile of SimCash$19.99
  • Briefcase of SimCash$34.99
  • Big Sack of SimCash$49.99
10 purchases

RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™

Subscriptions1
  • VIP Subscription (1 month)$5.991 Month
One-time9
  • Some Coins$1.99
  • Some Tickets$1.99
  • Portfolio of Cards$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Level Up Pack$3.99
  • Handful of Coins$4.99
  • Welcome Pack$4.99
  • Beginner Pack$4.99
  • Utility Cards$4.99
  • Pack of Coins$9.99

Questions

Is SimCity BuildIt free?
SimCity BuildIt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ free?
RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SimCity BuildIt or RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™?
RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ is rated higher. SimCity BuildIt averages 4.1 out of 5 from 86K ratings, while RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ averages 4.5 from 86K ratings.
Do SimCity BuildIt or RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ have ads?
Both SimCity BuildIt and RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ show ads.
Which is updated more often, SimCity BuildIt or RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™?
SimCity BuildIt ships an update every 3 weeks, and RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ every 5 days. Most recently, SimCity BuildIt was updated on September 24, 2026 and RollerCoaster Tycoon® Touch™ on September 24, 2026.

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