When the weather turns cold, the gates close for winter, and your favourite roller coasters go into hibernation, there’s only one way to satisfy the craving for drops, loops, and park vibes: theme park video games. Whether you love designing intricate layouts, managing finances, or simply watching guests sprint toward your wildest creations, these games are the perfect way to fill the off-season void.
Below are the best theme park and roller coaster video games to keep you entertained until opening day arrives.
1. Planet Coaster – The Gold Standard for Modern Park Builders
Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation
Best For: Creative players, coaster designers, park themers
Frontier’s Planet Coaster is widely considered the king of modern theme-park simulations — and for good reason. Its coaster-building tools are incredibly flexible, letting you craft anything from gentle family coasters to extreme physics-defying monsters. With detailed terrain editing, custom scenery, and Steam Workshop integration, the game offers nearly infinite creativity.
Why it’s great in the off-season:
You can recreate your favourite real-world parks (Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Disney parks, and more) or design the park of your dreams. It’s the perfect outlet when you’re missing the sound of lift hills and screaming guests.
2. RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 – A Nostalgic Masterpiece That Still Holds Up
Platforms: PC
Best For: Classic tycoon fans, players who prefer grid-based building
Despite being over 20 years old, RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 remains an absolute classic and still has a huge community. Its charm lies in Chris Sawyer’s tight economic balancing, satisfying objectives, and timeless pixel-style visuals.
With modern mods like OpenRCT2, the game runs smoothly on modern systems and offers multiplayer, fast-forwarding, improved UI, and tonnes of community-made scenarios.
Why it’s great in the off-season:
It nails the feel of old-school park design — and few things are as comforting as watching tiny guests queue for your perfectly engineered coaster.
3. Parkitect – The Perfect Blend of Classic and Modern
Platforms: PC
Best For: Players who love RCT-style gameplay but want deeper management systems
If Planet Coaster is all about creative freedom and RCT is full retro charm, Parkitect sits beautifully in the middle. Its art style pays homage to classic Tycoon games, but its management depth is far more advanced, particularly the behind-the-scenes systems like staff paths, supply routes, and guest behaviour.
Why it’s great in the off-season:
Parkitect’s campaign mode is addictive, challenging, and full of satisfying goals — perfect for sinking hours into on cold evenings.
4. Theme Park World (Theme Park World / Sim Theme Park) – A 90s Gem
Platforms: PC, PlayStation (retro)
Best For: Nostalgia hunters
If you grew up in the late ’90s or early 2000s, you might remember Sim Theme Park (also known as Theme Park World). With quirky animations, silly guest reactions, and cartoony rides, this classic delivers pure nostalgia.
While it’s older and much simpler than modern titles, its charm and personality make it a cosy off-season choice.
Why it’s great in the off-season:
It’s a cheerful, low-stress reminder of why you fell in love with theme parks in the first place.
5. Thrillville: Off the Rails – Light-hearted Fun for All Ages
Platforms: PC (older), Xbox 360, PS2, PSP
Best For: Casual players and families
Part management sim, part mini-game party, Thrillville: Off the Rails puts less emphasis on deep building and more on having fun inside your park. You run around as your avatar, talk to guests, play arcade-like mini-games, and build over-the-top coaster layouts.
Why it’s great in the off-season:
It’s the most “playable” and character-driven of all theme park games — ideal if you don’t want to spend hours tweaking coaster banking or budget spreadsheets.
6. Park Beyond – For Fans of Impossible Coasters
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Best For: Players who want creativity without realism limits
Released more recently, Park Beyond embraces the concept of impossification — essentially letting you build rides and coasters that defy the laws of physics. Want coasters that launch trains between floating platforms? Done. Want a carousel that splits into flying segments? Also done.
It’s not the most realistic game, but it’s incredibly fun.
Why it’s great in the off-season:
If you’re missing that sense of theme park magic and spectacle, its wild ride concepts scratch that itch perfectly.
7. RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic – The Definitive Mobile Park Builder
Platforms: Mobile (iOS, Android), PC
Best For: Park building on the go
RCT Classic combines the best of RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 and 2 into one mobile-friendly package. No microtransactions, no fluff — just pure, old-school park-building joy.
Why it’s great in the off-season:
Build your dream park while commuting, travelling, or curled up on the sofa.
Off-season doesn’t have to mean boredom. With these theme park video games, you can keep the excitement alive year-round — whether you’re carefully crafting hyper-realistic coasters or unleashing pure creative chaos.
