If you know anything about me – and you probably don't, which means I'm going to tell you anyway – it's that I love RollerCoaster Tycoon. So, when RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic, a game that channels the spirit of the first two iconic titles from the series, arrived on Apple Arcade earlier this month, I figured I'd give it a spin on my iPad, having already played a lot of it on my PC. I assumed, quite naively, that trying it out on Apple's tablet wouldn't feel quite as intuitive as the PC version, but I was wrong. I was very, very wrong.
Whether you're playing on one of the best iPads, such as last year's iPad Air (M2), or a slightly older Apple tablet, RollerCoaster Tycoon feels perfectly at home on the device. The touchscreen mechanics are a big win, giving you plenty of control over your theme park and rollercoaster designs, but it's not just that. My iPad's 10.9-inch screen is the perfect size for optimal park management, offering a level of detail that you don't get when playing on an iPhone. Combine these factors, plus the Apple tablet's impressive performance, and RCT Classic feels even better on iPad than it does on PC. Considering the hours I've racked up on my laptop, that's saying something.
Given that RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic has held a spot in Apple Arcade's top ten chart since it arrived on April 3, I hope that its success reminds Atari of what fans of the series are looking for from RCT games. Without giving you a whole history lesson, which I've already written in my RollerCoaster Tycoon retrospective, it's pretty common knowledge that the series fell off in terms of quality around the time Chris Sawyer, the brains behind RCT, left. That said, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, the first game without Sawyer as lead developer, wasn't horrendous.
However, since RCT 3, we've seen a slew of Atari-published RCT mobile spin-offs that range from pretty bad to downright atrocious, none of which come within touching distance of the quality of the originals or any of the picks from our guide to the best mobile games. That is, except for RCT Classic, which is essentially a combined port of the first two games that Sawyer delivered to critical acclaim in 1999 and 2002. So, if you're listening, Atari, this is what we theme park management sim enthusiasts are looking for. More old-school mechanics and fewer microtransactions. Give us that, release it on iOS and Android, and the RCT series has a chance of returning to its former glory.
So, if you're looking for something to play on your iPad this weekend, I can't recommend RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic enough. If you're not an Apple Arcade subscriber, you can get a free one-month trial, which gives you access to a bunch more great Apple Arcade games, including Balatro and Stardew Valley. Or, if I've not managed to convince you to give Apple Arcade and RCT Classic a spin, find something completely free-to-play in our guide to the best iPad games.