Transport Fever 2. 32 best tycoon and economic video games in 2023

Transport Fever 2 is an extremely extensive transport infrastructure simulator for true genre enthusiasts.

Transport Fever 2 is one of the more recent games in our ranking. Originally, at the end of 2019, a version for PC was released. Four years later, which is this year, versions for both previous and latest generation consoles debuted, except the Switch.

As the title suggests, the game focuses on transportation infrastructure. The developers didn't limit themselves to one type of communication. Among the means of transportation weren't only cars and trains but also airplanes and ships. So the player has his hands full. Creating a diverse network of connections is quite a challenge. For the developers at Urban Games Studio, realism is of utmost importance, which is why logistical challenges are present.

Transport Fever 2 features both historical and modern means of transportation. In total, there are 200 of them. You can learn about them through three campaigns. This one, which tells the story of the oldest times, begins in 1850. There is also the possibility to play in free play mode.

Each era needs to be approached slightly differently - what works for horse-powered vehicles won't necessarily be appropriate in the times of internal combustion engine cars. Therefore, you need to plan ahead to have the opportunity to develop the infrastructure or even rebuild it when more and more modern means of transport hit the streets. Over time, there will also be a need to take care of the environment by reducing the amount of pollution and noise. This title should appeal to people who like to dig into statistics and charts. Data presented in this way often proves helpful in making subsequent actions.

The visuals are quite good. Full of detail aren't only metropolises but also less populated areas. The fauna and flora in particular may appeal on the latter. It's also impossible to complain about the lighting system. The system requirements are low - among those minimums listed, there is a 2 GB GeForce GTX 560 graphic card and an Intel Core i5-2300 processor.

1. Official website of the game
2. The game's page on Steam
3. Game's page on the GOG.com
4. Game's page on Epic Games Store

Airline Tycoon

One of the reasons behind Airline Tycoon's success was the fact that the game presented a rather ironic approach to the gameplay.

As in every genre, there are games among popular tycoons which haven't become world bestsellers, but have gained a community of devoted fans. This is what happened with Airline Tycoon, developed by the team of Spellbound Entertainment, which received high acclaim, especially in Central Europe.

In the game, we play as one of the four competing airline owners, and your job is to win the first place in each of nine challenges that await you. Challenges consist in performing various tasks like transportation of a certain number of passengers or even building a space shuttle. This is achieved by hiring staff, buying new aircrafts, determining the best air traffic routes and executing difficult travel agency orders.

Interestingly, we also have a few more controversial methods at our disposal. If, for example, we can't afford a new plane, we can go shopping to a... museum. The whole was accompanied by a large dose of humor, extremely colorful cartoon graphics, and fantastic dialogues. Probably all of these aforementioned factors determined the overwhelming success of the game in Central Europe.

In 2002, Airline Tycoon received expansions - Evolution, and a year later, a Deluxe version. After a decade of wait, in 2011, Airline Tycoon 2 was released, offering much better visuals, and unfortunately overly simplified gameplay mechanics which haven't fallen to liking by many players. Both parts of the series are still available in digital distribution and at quite attractive prices. If you want to give Airline Tycoon a try, you may buy it there of re-purchase a used copy of the game for even a lower price.

Unfortunately, the second part of the series did not repeat the success of its predecessor...

1. The game's page on Steam
2. Game's page on the GOG.com