If the first RollerCoaster Tycoon was good, the second is even better. Both Steam and GOG offer builds updated that run without major issues, but if you have access to the original files and want a more complete experience with HD support and hardware acceleration, you should give OpenRCT2 a chance, an open source launcher that not only optimizes RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 and fixes its most serious bugs, but also extends its support to Linux, macOS, and Android.
Critics saw RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 as a rerelease of the first game with minimal improvements, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Players responded positively to the “more of the same” approach, and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 easily became one of the best-selling titles of 2002.
Twenty years later, fans of park building haven't gone anywhere. In fact, they doubled down with scenarios, mods, hacks, cheats, and the best part: OpenRCT2, an open source launcher that lets us play RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 on modern computers like never before.
OpenRCT2: Play RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 on Modern PCs
The project started in 2014, and since then it has incorporated many optimizations, but the most notable can be summarized in five points: native compatibility for Linux and macOS, HD resolutions with scaling options (so the interface doesn't become too small), increases in classic limits for guests, attractions, and objects in a park, substantial improvements in the pathfinding of the AI, and multiplayer support.
Added to this are technical details like multithreading and OpenGL rendering, an early victory mode (that is, finishing the level if you achieve the objectives ahead of time), automatic opening of shops once they are built, progressive unlocking of levels, interface themes, and the possibility of importing scenarios from RollerCoaster Tycoon 1.
Now, OpenRCT2 is not a total replacement like the open source version of Prince of Persia. In practice, it behaves similarly to Chocolate Doom, so you will need the original game files already decompressed and copied to your computer. The classic RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 installer works well on Windows 10 and 11 (the problem is its execution, since it requests DirectPlay and other dependencies), and as an alternative, Steam has it on sale.
Official website and downloads: Click here
