Used to identify the game, unaltered. SimCity 4 wordmark, trademark of its owner, from the publisher's Steam store listing

SimCity 4

Catalogue entry · not reviewed · store data read 30 August 2026

SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition includes the bestselling SimCity 4 and the all-new SimCity 4 Rush Hour Expansion Pack. Create the most massive region of cities ever, with a farming town, bedroom community, high-tech commercial center, and industrial backbone.

Simulation

Player score

8.2/10

9,833 reviews

Released: 2003
Developer: Maxis
Platforms: 1 systems
Critics: Not scored
Steam Deck: playable
Download: Not stated

We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

What is SimCity 4?

Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released	14 January 2003
Developer	Maxis
Publisher	Aspyr, Electronic Arts
Platforms	PC
Genres	Simulation
Languages	8 supported

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q719670, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.

How was SimCity 4 received?

Players82%positive of 9,833 · Very Positive

Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.

What does it support?

Technical support
Capability	Support
Controller	Not stated
Cloud saves	No
Cross-platform play	No
Mod support	No official workshop
Online play	Single-player only
In-game purchases	No
Steam Deck	playable
Download size	Not stated
Add-on content	None listed
Age gate	None

Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.

What does it cost?

$19.99

Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.

Problems players report

We read the 300 most recent negative Steam reviews of SimCity 4 on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.

Crashes and freezes122 of 300 (41%)
Note: To any newbies attempting to play this, it's a good game but it was designed prior to multi-core CPU technology and will crash constantly unless you isolate the game to running on a single core.
Steam review, 25 April 2024 · 48 hours played · 262 readers marked it helpful
Game consistently crashed after 50 years of progression.
Steam review, 22 March 2023 · 161 hours played · 23 readers marked it helpful
Will not launch or install16 of 300 (5%)
I can no longer play many games I paid money for and just had to refund another game because EA's garbage app cannot launch any of them.
Steam review, 22 May 2023 · 4 hours played · 137 readers marked it helpful
How can you sell a game that won't run properly on modern systems?
Steam review, 10 May 2024 · 0 hours played · 13 readers marked it helpful

A further 6 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.

Games like SimCity 4

24 games overlap with SimCity 4 on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are Planet Coaster, Cities: Skylines II and House Flipper.

All 24 games like SimCity 4

Common questions about SimCity 4

What platforms is SimCity 4 on?

SimCity 4 is available on PC. It first released in 2003.

How much does SimCity 4 cost?

$19.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.

Do players recommend SimCity 4?

82% of 9,833 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Very Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.

Does SimCity 4 work on Steam Deck?

Valve rates SimCity 4 as playable on the Steam Deck, from its own testing.

Who made SimCity 4?

SimCity 4 was developed by Maxis and published by Aspyr, Electronic Arts.