Whee!! RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is building towards a December 5th Nintendo Switch drop

RollerCoaster Tycoon is one of those strategy game experience that has withstood the test of time quite nicely, and now Nintendo Switch owners will get a chance to test their amusement park design skills with the release of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic on December 5th.

Based on the 1999 original, the Switch title includes features and content from both RollerCoaster Tycoon and the sequel, along with some Switch specific controls that should work nicely with the platform’s touchscreen and physical controls.  And as you can see in the media below, the game thankfully retains much of its retro pixel graphics and animations.  There was actually a more modern RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures for the platform several years ago, which we actually reviewed here and loved.

Check RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic out on the Switch in 2 weeks, and read on for the game details, the announcement trailer and screens.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic – Coming to Nintendo Switch!

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic screens:

Today, Atari is delighted to announce that RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic will be available on Nintendo Switch on December 5, bringing the fan-favorite theme park sim to current gen consoles for the first time.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic combines the best features from two of the original games in the series: RollerCoaster Tycoon and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2. Packed with content, players have enjoyed designing and building roller coasters and rides, landscaping and managing their parks since the first game was first introduced in 1999.

“Fans of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic have been hoping for a Switch version and we are excited to bring it to the platform,” said Ethan Stearns, VP of Games Publishing at Atari. “Our partners at Graphite Lab did an amazing job translating RCT Classic’s detailed keyboard-based controls to controller input.”

The release of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic on Switch is the cherry on top of a busy year for the franchise. Atari kicked off a year-long celebration of the RollerCoaster Tycoon in March 2024 to honor the 25th Anniversary of Chris Sawyer’s visionary creation. Since that kick-off Atari has released a number of RollerCoaster Tycoon merchandize and apparel collabs, re-launched RCT Classic on Android, introduced major expansions to the mobile game RCT Touch, and acquired RCT 3 from Frontier to re-unite an important game with the franchise catalog.

“Bringing RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic to the Switch, with its massive install base, is an opportunity to re-engage lapsed players, provide active players with another great hardware platform, and reach a new generation of players who will now discover the franchise on the Switch.”