Be Your Own Boss: The Best Tycoon Games for Business Mogul Gamers

Different types of video games appeal to people for various reasons. Cozy or hardcore gamers want specific experiences, but they aren’t the only people who look for fun ways to spend their free time. If you loved SimCity or Cake Mania, you should check out the best tycoon games for people who love running virtual worlds. You’ll find new ways to achieve entrepreneurial success whether you play on a desktop or a mobile device.

What Is a Tycoon Game?

A tycoon game is a video game that lets players run their own world or business to achieve financial success. Sometimes, players pass through levels by earning specific amounts of money. Other times, a game will level you up according to stats like how many people live in your city or how many customers you serve.

What Is the Genre of Tycoon Games?

The tycoon game market is also known as the simulation game industry. This particular genre will reach an estimated value of $17.43 billion by 2027 because people love indulging their entrepreneurial curiosities without starting a business in real life. They’re also popular alternatives for people who don’t prefer games centered around violence, relationships or complicated storylines.

Best Tycoon Games of 2024

Whether you prefer playing video games on a desktop or mobile device, you’ll love the best tycoon games below. People can’t stop raving about them because they take new perspectives on the classic gaming genre while opening worlds you couldn’t explore otherwise.

1. Tropico 6

SimCity lovers, this one’s for you. Tropico 6 is a city-building tycoon game that elects you as mayor whenever you start a new game file. You’ll have to construct buildings and terraform the land while attracting immigrants to your city, exploiting resources and creating tourist attractions to raise city funding.

Unlike previous Tropico games, the latest version allows players to engage in international politics. It’s great for anyone who wants to manage a city while feeling like they’re part of a bigger world. You can influence global relations or even become a dictator, although every choice changes how your constituents view you at home.

As other game studios shut down faster each year, the Tropico brand seems to be here for many more editions to come. Its innovative additions make each update a unique experience that people can’t stop raving about.

2. Let’s Build a Zoo

You don’t have to abandon your love of cozy games to explore the best tycoon games of the year. Let’s Build a Zoo uses adorable pixel art to create a world aesthetically similar to Stardew Valley. Open your zoon by creating animal exhibits, restaurants, lounge areas and more. Once you have enough staff members to keep the place running, you’ll be off to a great start.

Notably, this tycoon game stands out because there’s a mortality factor involved. Your zoo animals can reproduce and die, so watch them closely. It’s easy to get distracted with the DNA-splicing feature that lets you create things like a duck merged with an elephant to attract more visitors and reach higher levels of success.

3. Two Point Hospital

If you’re ready to take a break from idle games that farm resources without you, like Fallout Shelter, the fast-paced Two Point Hospital might be your next favorite tycoon game. It reenvisions the classic Theme Hospital with more dramatic animations and a college campus with enough room to build a sprawling hospital that treats thousands of daily patients.

Keep up with the emergency situations happening in each wing of your hospital. Some people might arrive with broken bones while others walk through your doors with diseases your doctors have never seen before. While you try to help them all, you’ll have to battle the health care system’s complications and ensure your hospital has enough money to keep the lights on.

4. Planet Coaster

RollerCoaster Tycoon lovers rejoice — your next favorite game is here. Planet Coaster takes everything people loved about RollerCoaster Tycoon into outer space. The Sims-like graphics make it easy to experience your park alongside your guests. You’ll feel right at home whether you enjoy the career or free-play modes. 

Create your various theme park rides and make them the next big attraction tourists must see with decorations and special events. You’ll have to keep things fresh with constant updates, unlike previous coaster tycoons where guests stay relatively happy as long as you don’t take any rides away.

5. Prison Architect

Take control of the prison system while learning more about how private incarceration facilities work in the real world with Prison Architect. You’ll build your prison and keep the world’s most dangerous criminals behind bars while managing a growing team of staff members. Depending on your preferences, you could also make your prison a rehabilitation center with features like educational classes and recreational clubs.

Don’t worry, the business side of the game will keep you busy. You’ll need to reserve some of your time for getting grants and federal money. You can also turn your prison into a for-profit system if you’re willing to risk keeping prisoners in line while they work various jobs. While this isn’t one of the games that works on underpowered graphics cards, it’s worth a try if you have a Steam account and want to explore the best tycoon games of the year.

6. RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch

Looking for something to play on your phone when you’re bored? RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch has your back. It takes what everyone loves about the game’s original version and puts it on Android and Apple devices. Download the game to build a theme park with customizable rides. It will continue making money when you need to put your phone away, so it’s fun to check in throughout the day and see how much money you can reinvest in your park.

Build Your Digital Empire

The best tycoon games are always changing because it’s such a popular video game genre. Try these options to see what everyone’s raving about. Whether you create a zoo, run a prison or open a theme park, you’ll launch a virtual business that challenges your problem-solving skills and engages your entrepreneurial spirit.