Tycoon Games

Are you somebody who loves tycoon games? If so, you are in the right place! We have tycoon games for all! From the greenest street vendor to the savviest magnate, we have a tycoon game that you will love, whether you want to get serious or silly. We have tycoon games that will have you obsessing over every detail of your growing empire and the best way to squeeze every last drop of efficiency out of it. We have just as many tycoon games that are quick and simple titles that you can ignore much of the time. What type of tycoon game you play and how you play it is your choice alone!

Everybody’s Turning a Little Bit Tycoon

Tycoon games first became popular in the 1970s and were there at the very beginning of video games. Modern graphics make the tycoon games of today feel like fully-formed worlds of rich detail, but the heart of tycoon gameplay is nothing more than the calculation of numbers, as it always was. The reason tycoon games were there so early on in the history of video games is because tycoon games are basically just calculators. That made them easy to model even on the limited computers of the late seventies.

One of the earliest clearly recognizable tycoon games was Lemonade Stand. Released for mainframe computers in 1973, it was a decision-based game where players moved through a series of levels, making decisions on their stock, prices and advertising, with profits measured after twelve rounds. The game was highly successful because it included enough variables to challenge players, while still providing an easy-to-grasp introduction to running a business.

Tycoon Not Builder!

Lemonade Stand also introduced a key feature of tycoon games that makes them distinct from construction and management simulation games like Theme Park — the lack of construction! As with everything else in video games, the boundaries have blurred a little as the industry has hit maturity but traditionally, tycoon games didn’t include building elements. These days, many of the biggest tycoon games are games like “railway tycoon”, which place an emphasis on construction so you could say that tycoon games are really just a flavor of management and construction simulation game.

A Tycoon By Any Other Name

The confusion around the definition of tycoon games suits the word “tycoon” itself. “Tycoon” is a great Americanization of a Japanese word meaning “big boss” and took on the meaning of “business leader” in the 19^th century. That’s probably why, when you hear the word “tycoon”, you might think of the industries of American industrialization — rail, steel, cars. It’s for that reason that we have so many tycoon games that are really construction and management sims!

Too Many Tycoons!

Over the years, many developers built on the success of Lemonade Stand, launching popular titles like the SimCity franchise, the Zoo Tycoon series, the RollerCoaster Tycoon series and Prison Architect, where players were put in charge of their own customized prison, including all the budgets.

Each game simulates a real-world event and players choose exactly how to spend their money to get the biggest profit. You can be a high roller and risk it all, or limit your risk to protect your investments. With so many industries, you can learn how to master every business type on the planet, earning a fortune to rival even the world’s richest businessmen.

Idle Tycoons

A recent development in the tycoon game genre is the idle tycoon game. It’s a little surprising to see such a type of game — After all, laziness is an unusual quality to encourage in a tycoon! In fact tycoon games are a great fit for the idle game model, as you can accrue in-game points or currency while you wait, and then check in with the game whenever you get a moment to spend it.

Tycoon Games Here on GamePix

If you think you have what it takes to run a business from behind the scenes, then our tycoon games are perfect for you. At Gamepix, all our tycoon games are completely free-to-play. That’s right — they are available to you at a unit cost of zero dollars, zero cents. You don’t need to be a financial analyst to see that it’s a great deal. Unbeatable, in fact!

Like all of our free online browser games, our tycoon games work straight from your browser on any device, with no need to download, install or update anything. You can play anywhere and anytime — all you need is a device with a screen and an internet connection.

All of our tycoon games are also quick and easy to learn, so you can start building your business empire in no time, without having to learn complex control systems, upgrade trees or character classes.

So whether you’re looking to make a few cents on a glass of lemonade or crush all smaller firms that dared to compete with you to dust, we have the perfect tycoon game for you. Choose one and steel yourself for the ruthlessness you’ll need for total domination! The (business) world is yours!

FAQs

What defines a tycoon game?

“Tycoon game” is another term for a business simulation game or an economic simulation game and it means any game where the focus of the gameplay is on some simulation of running a business. The business could be anything at all and many tycoon games certainly seem to deliberately choose strange businesses to simulate. Whatever the kind of business, the principles will be the same — you’ll be trying to balance the risks and rewards that your business is facing, as well as trying to turn a profit. In-game events will force you to change your strategies and be adaptable if you want to keep growing and succeeding.

Where can I play free tycoon games?

Right here! Here in the tycoon games section of the GamePix site we’ve collected an outstanding selection of tycoon games for you to choose from and, like all of our browser games, our tycoon games are totally free-to-play. Better yet, they will work on any device and through any browser, without you needing to get involved in annoying downloads, installs or updates. They just work. Give one a go! Give ten a go! No budding tycoon says no to free materials!