Dream City: play online in your browser
City-building simulation inspired by SimCity 2000: zone land, lay power, water and roads, balance the budget and save your city from disasters.
Free, no download, no install. Works on Windows, Mac and Linux in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.
About the game
Dream City is a game for people who love to build. You are the mayor: you zone residential, commercial and industrial areas, place power plants and pumps, lay roads and pipes, and buildings grow on their own when the city has power, water, roads and jobs. A village becomes a town and the town becomes a megalopolis.
If you played SimCity 2000, it will all feel familiar: an isometric map with hills and rivers, the R, C, I demand bars, an underground view for pipes, a budget with taxes and departments, ordinances, bonds, a newspaper every January and disasters from fire to a monster. Numbers and rules come from descriptions of the classic and the open Micropolis.
The graphics are our own, made in Blender in the same isometric spirit. Play solo or with friends: several mayors build one city with a shared treasury.
Screenshots
How to play
- Press Play: the New City window opens, choose difficulty, founding year and terrain.
- Place a coal power plant and run power lines to your future districts.
- Lay a road: a residential zone on one side, an industrial zone on the other, and some commercial.
- Buildings larger than 1×1 grow only with water: a pump by the river and pipes in the underground view.
- Watch the R, C, I demand bars at the bottom of the panel and the budget in the Windows menu.
- Space pauses, 1–3 set the speed, the mouse wheel zooms.
Mechanics and rules
Zones and growth
- Six zone types: residential, commercial and industrial, light and dense.
- Buildings grow and empty according to demand and land value; dense zones merge from 1×1 up to 3×3.
- City ranks from village to megalopolis and population rewards: mayor's house, city hall, arcologies.
Power, water and transport
- Nine power plants with years of invention: coal, gas, oil, hydro, wind, solar, nuclear, microwave and fusion.
- Pumps, water towers, treatment plants and desalination; pipes underground.
- A road must be within three tiles of a building; rail and buses reduce traffic.
Money and disasters
- Taxes for residential, commercial and industrial, funding for five departments, 20 ordinances.
- $10,000 bonds with interest based on the city's rating; two years in the red and the mayor resigns.
- Fire, flood, tornado, earthquake, riots, nuclear meltdown, hurricane and a monster.
Questions and answers
Do I need to download anything to play Dream City?
No. The game runs right in your browser: press Play and the match starts in a few seconds. Nothing to install.
Is it free?
Yes, it is free to play, with no subscriptions and no in-game purchases.
Does it work on a Mac?
Yes. The game runs in the browser on Mac, Windows and Linux: in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox. You need a computer with a mouse or a trackpad.
Can I play with a friend online?
Yes. Sign up (only a nickname and a password), add your friend and create a room in the lobby. You can play against the computer without signing up.
What happens if I refresh the page or lose my connection?
Your match is not lost. A game against the computer is saved automatically in your browser and continues from the same spot. In an online match you have time to come back.
Is this the original SimCity 2000?
No. Dream City is our own game, made from scratch and inspired by SimCity 2000: similar rules and a familiar world, but our own graphics, names and code.
Can I build one city together with friends?
Yes. Create a Dream City room in the lobby for 2 or up to 4 mayors: everyone builds one city and shares one treasury.
Can I turn disasters off?
Yes, the Disasters menu turns them off or lets you trigger any of them.
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Dream City is an independent game by Ancient LAN, inspired by classic games. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the owners of SimCity 2000. SimCity 2000 is a trademark of its owner; the name is used for comparison only.