OpenRCT2

Returning to RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 with new tools. 

- Daniella Lucas

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 may have been taken down on Steam, but the superior second entry in the series is still there to grab, and by downloading the open source OpenRCT2 Project alongside it, you’ll be able to unlock the game’s true potential. The project adds a load of new features, such as being able to fast forward your scenario and adding multiplayer, as well as fixing many old bugs and raising a lot of the game’s limits so you can create the park of your dreams.

It may come as a surprise to see the RCT community continuing to flourish 20 years on from the first game, and despite the fact that more recent entries in the series by Atari have been awful. Instead of diving into new games in the genre, such as the excellent Planet Coaster and Parkitect, players continue to be drawn back to the simple isometric charms of RollerCoaster Tycoon, creating masterpieces in the process.

Filled with nostalgia and the overconfidence that I too can become a master designer, I’ve decided to put OpenRCT2 through its paces and will hopefully manage to build some semi-decent rides in the process. I’ve picked Forest Frontiers and Dynamite Dunes as my starter scenarios (you can also access the original RCT tracks in RCT2) to ease myself in while trying to add a few flourishes along the way.