Open Source Games Like SimCity (Series) Great City Building Games & Simulation Games like SimCity (Series)

The best open source alternative to SimCity is Explorable Explanations. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to SimCity and eight of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to SimCity are Cytopia, Citybound, Micropolis and CSM - Cities: Skylines Multiplayer.

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SimCity alternatives are mainly City Building Games but may also be Simulation Gamess or Sandbox Games.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of SimCity.
SimCity iconSimCity
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SimCity is a series of city-building simulation games, where you are given the task of founding and developing a city, while maintaining the happiness of the citizens and keeping a stable budget.

More about SimCity
SimCity alternatives page was last updated Nov 23, 2024
  1. Explorable Explanations icon
     5 likes

    Welcome to Explorable Explanations, a hub for learning through play! We’re a disorganized “movement” of artists, coders & educators who want to reunite play and learning.

    5 Explorable Explanations alternatives
    Explorable Explanations screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online

    Explorable Explanations Features

    1.  Ad-free
    Explorable Explanations iconSimCity Icon

    Explorable Explanations VS SimCity

    Is this a good alternative to SimCity?
     
    • Explorable Explanations is the most popular Web-based alternative to SimCity.

    • Explorable Explanations is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to SimCity.

    • Explorable Explanations is Free and Open SourceSimCity is Paid and Proprietary
  2. Cytopia icon
     3 likes

    Cytopia is a free, open source retro pixel-art city building game with a big focus on mods. It utilizes a custom isometric rendering engine based on SDL2.

    29 Cytopia alternatives
    Cytopia screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Cytopia Features

    1.  Endless gameplay
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  Building game
    Cytopia iconSimCity Icon

    Cytopia VS SimCity

    Is Cytopia a good alternative to SimCity?
     
  3. Citybound icon
     7 likes

    Citybound is a city building game with a focus on realism, collaborative planning and simulation of microscopic details.

    36 Citybound alternatives
    Citybound screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Citybound Features

    1.  Multiplayer
    2.  Building game
    Citybound iconSimCity Icon

    Citybound VS SimCity

    Is Citybound a good alternative to SimCity?
     
    Comments about Citybound as an Alternative to SimCity
     
    DGMurdockIII

    it still in develpment but open source and if it live up to what dev have set up to do will be very very good game

    Positive commentJun 22, 2019
    2
    SimCity Icon
    Citybound icon
    • Citybound is Free and Open SourceSimCity is Paid and Proprietary
    • Citybound is MultiplayerSimCity is not according to our users
  4. Micropolis icon
     8 likes

    Micropolis is a open city-building simulator game and is based on the original source code of SimCity , which was donated to the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project by Electronic Arts as free and open source software under the terms of the...

    39 Micropolis alternatives
    Micropolis screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    Discontinued

    The online version and theFacebook app are unavailable. The source code and the Java version are available from Google Code.

    Micropolis iconSimCity Icon

    Micropolis VS SimCity

    Is Micropolis a good alternative to SimCity?
     
    Comments about Micropolis as an Alternative to SimCity
     
    Guest

    It is the original source code ported into Java.

    Positive commentDec 11, 2015
    1
    SimCity Icon
    Micropolis icon
    • Micropolis is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to SimCity.

    • Micropolis is Free and Open SourceSimCity is Paid and Proprietary
  5. CSM - Cities: Skylines Multiplayer icon
     3 likes

    CSM is a multiplayer mod for Cities: Skylines. This mod aims to provide a simple client-server experience where users can play and build together in a single game. Initially, resources such as money, costs demand will be synced between clients.

    26 CSM - Cities: Skylines Multiplayer alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cities: Skylines

    CSM - Cities: Skylines Multiplayer Features

    1.  Multiplayer
    2.  Mods
    CSM - Cities: Skylines Multiplayer iconSimCity Icon

    CSM - Cities: Skylines Multiplayer VS SimCity

    Is this a good alternative to SimCity?
     
  6. OpenCity icon
     1 like

    OpenCity is a free open source 3D city-building game. In the game, the player builds a city by marking land as commercial, industrial or residential zones. Those zones depend on each other to grow. The player is also required to supply the city with power and connect the...

    18 OpenCity alternatives
    OpenCity screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux

    OpenCity Features

    1.  OPENGL
    2.  Workshops
    Discontinued

    The prroject seems to be abandoned. There are no more news since 2011.

    OpenCity iconSimCity Icon

    OpenCity VS SimCity

    Is OpenCity a good alternative to SimCity?
     
  7. 3d.city icon
     1 like

    3d city builder game.

    16 3d.city alternatives
    3d.city screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Three.js

    3d.city Features

    1.  Building game
    3d.city iconSimCity Icon

    3d.city VS SimCity

    Is 3d.city a good alternative to SimCity?
     
  8. TerraTactician Expandoria icon
     Like this app
    TerraTactician Expandoria screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Windows
    • Android
    • Online
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak

    TerraTactician Expandoria Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Building game
    TerraTactician Expandoria iconSimCity Icon

    TerraTactician Expandoria VS SimCity

    Is this a good alternative to SimCity?
     
8 of 8 SimCity alternatives