SimTower
SimTower is a 1994 simulation game developed by OpenBook, originally released in Japan as The Tower and published in the West in partnership with Maxis. Players design and manage a skyscraper from the ground up, adding offices, condominiums, shops, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, and elevators while keeping tenants satisfied enough to grow the building toward a coveted five-star rating and, eventually, a cathedral at its summit.
The game turned building management into an absorbing puzzle centered on the vertical flow of people: players had to route elevators and escalators carefully to prevent frustrating congestion, since unhappy tenants would move out and stall the tower's growth. Balancing construction costs, rent income, and services such as security and cleaning gave it real depth, and its focus on people moving up and down set it apart within the wider family of Sim titles.
SimTower's design lived on through later tower-management games, and its blend of construction and logistics still appeals to fans of the simulation genre.
Where can you play SimTower today?
Device by device, which of the 4 alternatives below you can play on it.
- PC
- Two Point Campus (€ 29,99), Project Highrise (€ 19,99) and Mad Tower Tycoon (€ 19,99).
- Mac
- Two Point Campus (€ 29,99) and Project Highrise (€ 19,99).
- Linux
- Two Point Campus (€ 29,99) and Project Highrise (€ 19,99).
- iPhone
- Tiny Tower (Free + in-app purchases).
- iPad
- Tiny Tower (Free + in-app purchases).
- Android phone
- Tiny Tower (Free + in-app purchases).
- Android tablet
- Tiny Tower (Free + in-app purchases).
- PlayStation
- Two Point Campus (€ 29,99).
- Xbox
- Two Point Campus (€ 29,99).
- Switch
- Two Point Campus (€ 29,99).
- Steam Deck
- Two Point Campus (€ 29,99), Project Highrise (€ 19,99) and Mad Tower Tycoon (€ 19,99). All 3 on Steam Deck
Games like SimTower
Modern alternatives to SimTower, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
Two Point Campus
€ 29,99Building management with room placement and people flow, the closest modern relative in feel.
Two Point Campus runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Tiny Tower
Free + in-app purchasesA pixel-art tower builder for phones: stack floors, staff them and keep the lifts moving.
Tiny Tower runs on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. Not available on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Steam Deck.
Project Highrise Indie
€ 19,99An indie skyscraper management sim directly in the SimTower tradition.
Project Highrise runs on PC, Mac, Linux. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
Mad Tower Tycoon Indie
€ 19,99An indie tower-building management sim inspired by SimTower.
Mad Tower Tycoon runs on PC. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
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More simulation & management classics
Other classic games in the same category as SimTower.
