SimCity 3000
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 21 city builder games
Fans praise its aesthetics, soundtrack and advisor system; some report speed problems on newer PCs.
Fans praise its aesthetics, soundtrack and advisor system; some report speed problems on newer PCs.
25 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 23
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 23 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 12 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Nostalgia and fond childhood memories
“This was one of my favourite games. City simulators took up an enormous amount of my childhood”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” “So many hours, this was my SimCity experience and I still can hear the jazz.”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” “Loved SimCity growing up.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” Praised soundtrack and aesthetics
“So many hours, this was my SimCity experience and I still can hear the jazz.”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” “My favorite SimCity game by far. The aesthetics are flawless.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” “the soundtrack was amazing. game was kinda lowkey hard”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” Holds up; ranked among best games
“It still holds up better than most new games.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” “it's in my top 5 best games ever made”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” Cohesive, warm and pleasant feel
“they were less-realistic, yes, but is so pleasant how everything ties together”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” “masterfully executed advisor system that felt both classy and warm”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Performance issues on newer PCs
“Every time I played the game on any XP or newer PC I get speed limited in Cheetah mode”
Comment from 20 May 2026 in “DOS Zone” “I haven't been able to get some performance issues ironed out.”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k”
Other city builder games people recommend
The four most recommended other city builder games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SimCity 3000This page | 23 | 2 | 92% | 5 | — | Approved |
| SimCity 2000 | 20 | 7 | 74% | 11 | — | Approved |
| SimCity | 20 | 12 | 63% | 9 | — | — |
| Cities: Skylines | 20 | 18 | 53% | 9 | — | — |
| Microlandia | 20 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
22 of the 27 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I remember in SimCity 3k that if land values were low, you would end up with shabby looking buildings”
“I haven't been able to get some performance issues ironed out.”
“This sounds super interesting, but I'd buy it on GOG”
“went off on a tangent trying to design their own ultimate totally general purpose virtual reality”
“So many hours, this was my SimCity experience and I still can hear the jazz.”
“This is fabulous and I'm going to buy a copy to play on my SteamDeck”
“they were less-realistic, yes, but is so pleasant how everything ties together”
“Unlimited is sad because data-mining shows that it was almost multiplayer”
“My favorite SimCity game by far. The aesthetics are flawless.”
“the soundtrack was amazing. game was kinda lowkey hard”
“Loved SimCity growing up.”
“it's in my top 5 best games ever made”
“it worked flawlessly with proton”
“Sim City 3k is my least played Sim City game”
“Same.. I'd rather have it 2x scaling at half-resolution. Vision issues.”
“This was one of my favourite games. City simulators took up an enormous amount of my childhood”
“masterfully executed advisor system that felt both classy and warm”
“It still holds up better than most new games.”
“I must also admit to preferring Sim City 3000 over 4.”
“Every time I played the game on any XP or newer PC I get speed limited in Cheetah mode”
“Sim City 3000 added minimal functionality, but required not just a Pentium processor, but a fast one.”
“One thing that was fun in SimCity 3000”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.