5 Best Business Simulation Games Like Two Point Campus

Two Point Campus is a business simulation game that combines the world of education with a traditional sandbox gameplay style. Like its first chapter, Two Point Hospital, the goal is to establish a state-of-the-art institution, using a variety of tools and managerial skills to craft innovative ideas that will undoubtedly allow the organization to prosper and the cogs to churn on their own accord.

Of course, this isn't the only type of game that allows for players to unlock their inner creative by laying out an extensive range of tools to experiment with. In fact, business simulation games predate some of today's most popular genres, meaning there's still a great deal of interest orbiting around them even today. But next to Two Point Campus, what else is actually worth checking out? Well, here are the five best business simulation games we'd recommend adding to your library.

5. Cities: Skylines

City-building games aren't a new thing by any means, but they are forever expanding into new territories and molding a new generation of business simulators. And as much as we'd love to say SimCity has every right to claim the throne as its rightful heir, we do have to give credit to Cities: Skylines for breathing fresh air into a somewhat dated concept.

Let it be said that this is still a city simulation game at heart, complete with all the classic bells and whistles you'd find in most sandbox-type titles. However, it does improve on a lot of features, and it definitely broadens the creative suite by leaps and bounds by introducing a vast array of administrative tasks and responsibilities. It is, in short, a comprehensive package that refuses to shackle players' creativity. Just what the doctor ordered.

4. Tropico 6

There's drawing up blueprints for a first-class educational facility, and then there's governing an entire island fit to outlast a nationwide rebellion. The one thing these two roles have in common, of course, is that only the most eagle-eyed pioneers on the block can turn a pittance into gold, as well as capitalize on opportunities the naked eye wouldn't usually see.

Tropico 6, like other island builders, blends a smooth layer of city-building with a rich and immersive business management suite. As the acting governor of a network of tropical islands, you must draw up plans to capitalize on the products you distribute and the loyal folk who develop them. As per the usual business simulation scheme, you must also keep a lid on the financial side of things, for if one thing falls out of line, then the would-be paradise crumbles into leftover change and shattered dreams.

3. Planet Coaster

Theme park management simulators are among some of the most popular games on the market, as they have been for a little over two decades now. Ever since the founding of the RollerCoaster Tycoon series back in 1999, developers from all over the globe have channeled their creativity into maximizing the genre's potential. This eventually reached its crescendo sometime around 2016, shortly after Frontier Developments released Planet Coaster.

Like other business simulation games that revolve around theme parks, Planet Coaster asks that you build the park of your wildest dreams. With an infinite number of tools at your disposal, fantasy can be fueled into reality, giving you full creative control over every nook and cranny on display. With a nexus of themed add-ons to boot, Planet Coaster secures its place as one of the best business simulation games on the market, period.

2. Two Point Hospital

Of course, the closest you can get to rekindling the Campus flame is with Two Point Studios' debut chapter, Two Point Hospital. Although sharing a great deal of similarities with its successor, the medical-themed original did bring a number of unique elements to the business simulation blueprint, which, of course, went a lot deeper than the setting itself.

As the hospital administrator, you must not only learn how to keep the cogs churning, but how to develop and maintain the economic infrastructure of an award-winning medical center. With that, you can expect a whole lot more than a few molehills and curveballs. Because if there's one thing we know, having already played it, it's that running a hospital isn't the walk in the park you'd expect it to be.

1. Anno 1800

Anno has been a key player on the city-building and economic simulation front for quite a few years now, with its latest release, Anno 1800, coming out in 2019. However, rather than following a linear structure like other series of its kind, each and every chapter is set during a unique time period. Anno 1800, for example, is set during the height of the Industrial Revolution, a time when hand production methods were being made redundant, and the advancement of machinery shaped a new and unchartered world of unorthodox innovations.

Taking on the role of the city's founder, you must learn to evolve with the times as the Industrial age opens up to new and exciting opportunities. As well as working to erect the foundations of a thriving metropolis, you must also tweak and tailor the economic infrastructure to help maximize revenue and growth. Of course, it's a full-time job in itself, and one that only the most level-headed players will be able to comprehend. And yet, if mastered in a timely fashion, its perks can most definitely outweigh the relatively bitter learning curve it holds dear. It's understanding how the cogs turn that's the tough part.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.