RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

For the Complete Edition, see RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition.

RollerCoaster Tycoon
RollerCoaster Tycoon	1999
RollerCoaster Tycoon 2	2002
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3	2004
OpenRCT2 (Engine fanport)	2015
RollerCoaster Tycoon World	2016
RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic	2017
RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures	2019

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a singleplayer bird's-eye view and first-person building game in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series.

The Windows version is no longer available digitally since May 2018 after a legal dispute between Atari and Frontier Developments.^[2]^[3] Frontier Developments re-released the game in 2020 under the name RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition.

The Mac App Store version received update 3.3.5 on September 13, 2022 to add native Apple Silicon support to fix issues users could possibly encounter on Apple Silicon hardware.^[4]^[5] On Steam, this update got released only for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition owners and not for Platinum! edition users.^[6]

General information

RollerCoaster Tycoon Wiki - A wiki dedicated to everything RollerCoaster Tycoon related

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Base game: SecuROM 5 DRM. Expansions and re-releases: SecuROM 7 DRM
Amazon.com		RollerCoaster Tycoon Mega Pack
Amazon.com		Platinum Edition.
GamersGate		Platinum Edition.
		Platinum Edition.
		RollerCoaster Tycoon Mega Pack
Mac App Store		Was updated to the RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition
GOG.com (unavailable)		Platinum Edition.
Steam (unavailable)		Platinum Edition. Does not require the Steam client to run.

A free demo version is available from GameFront.

Version differences

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Gold! includes the base game and the Soaked! expansion pack fully patched.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum! (known also as the Deluxe Edition in Europe) includes the base game and both expansion packs fully patched. Digital releases are based off this version.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Gold Edition, despite the name, includes the base game and the Wild! expansion pack, but not the Soaked! expansion.

Monetization

Type	Notes
Expansion pack	The expansion packs include new scenarios, scenery, rides, mechanics and quality-of-life improvements.
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Soaked!
Wild!

Essential improvements

Patches

Installing patches for mismatched editions causes problems, be sure to get the correct update.

Base game: The latest is Update 3 for US and Update 2 for the European release. The European release can be patched to Update 3 using this method.

"Soaked!" expansion: There is only one patch for this expansion pack: US and EU. Those who own the Scholastic version of the game should pick up this patch instead.

"Wild!" expansion: There are 3 patches: Update 1, Update 2, Update 3 (mirror).

Gold!: One update (archive).

Platinum!: Comes fully pre-patched.

Full information on patches is available on the Frontier Developments forum.

Patch v1.2 Rev A is the latest patch for the OS X version.^[7]

Skip intro videos

Edit configuration file to skip intro videos^[8]

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open options.txt.
Add the following line to the file:

SkipBannerSequence 1

Save the file.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%APPDATA%\Atari\RCT3\
macOS (OS X)	~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.rct3.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum/AppData/
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2700/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

OS X location may vary depending on the version of the game you have.

Saved games can be run by RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\RCT3\
macOS (OS X)	~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.rct3.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum/
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2700/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

OS X location may vary depending on the version of the game you have.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents* folder in OneDrive on all computers.*
Steam Cloud

Video

Video settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		For unlisted resolutions see Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See Borderless fullscreen windowed. Fonts may appear altered.^{[citation needed]}
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS
120+ FPS	Limited to 100 FPS.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Edit file^[9]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `options.txt`. Edit `Resolution XXXX YYYY` line to your desired resolution. Save the file.

Input

Keyboard Remapping

Camera Controls

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion		Ride cam can be inverted
Controller
Controller support

Controller types

Audio

Audio and General Game Settings

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, GUI, and game volume controls.
Surround sound
Subtitles		No spoken dialogue.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		EAX Advanced HD^[10]

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English				Choice between metric and imperial measurements
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Brazilian Portuguese				Local retail only.
Spanish
Swedish

Issues fixed

Crash on start

In Windows Vista or Windows 7, users may experience a crash while attempting to start the game for the first time.

Modify config file^{[citation needed]}
Go to `<path-to-game>` and open `options.txt`. Locate the line `FirstRun 1`, found under the `TWEAKS` section, and change it to `FirstRun 0`. Save your changes.

Generic crash issues

Some crashes can be caused by manually setting the resolution.

Modify config file^{[citation needed]}

Go to %APPDATA%\Atari\rct\.
Open options.txt.
Find the following line (values may be different): Resolution 1600 1200
Replace the numerical values with your desired resolution. The first value is width, the second is height.
Save and close the file.

Notes

You may need to show hidden files in order to see the config file.

Administrator privileges are recommended to ensure the fix is applied to all users.

Game fails to launch, but attempts to launch repeatedly

This issue is caused by the game not being installed on the system partition.

Reinstall game on system partition^{[citation needed]}

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9

Executable	PPC	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)				Install the version 1.2 Rev A patch for Intel support. The Wild! expansion is only available in the Platinum edition of the game on OS X that was Intel-only. Support for 64-bit was added in August 2019. Native Apple Silicon support was added on September 13, 2022 only for the Mac App Store version.

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Windows Media Foundation	Music only.

Import track designs from previous games

Track designs can be imported from RollerCoaster Tycoon and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2.

Instructions^[11]

Copy all the desired files with either a .TD6 or .TD4 extension into %USERPROFILE%\Documents\RCT3\Coasters\.
Run the game and start a new game (sandbox or any scenario).
Click on the button immediately below the rides button (it looks like a wrench and hammer).
When you click the button, a list of all the .TD6 and .TD4 files currently in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\RCT3\Coasters\ will appear.
Click on the desired track from the list to import it.

Notes

These instructions are for the Windows versions of the game.

Due to differences in how RollerCoaster Tycoon and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 handle track designs, not all tracks will be compatible.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum^[12]^[13]	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98, ME, 2000	XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 733 MHz AMD Athlon 800 MHz	Intel Pentium 4 1.2 GHz AMD Athlon XP 1400+
System memory (RAM)	128 MB (256 MB for XP and higher)	256 MB (384 MB for XP and higher)
Hard disk drive (HDD)	600 MB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon Nvidia GeForce 2 32 MB of VRAM	ATI Radeon SDR Nvidia GeForce2 Pro 64 MB of VRAM

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.3.9
Processor (CPU)	G4 1 GHz	G4 1.2 GHz
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	2 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon 9000 Nvidia GeForce FX5200 32 MB of VRAM

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (2700) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ COBRA Development Technology & Tools - Frontier Developments
↑ Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 mysteriously delisted from Steam & GOG - last accessed on 2022-08-14
↑ Atari Pulls Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 From Steam After Lawsuit - last accessed on 2022-08-14
↑ M1 Compatibility Updates - last accessed on 2022-08-14
↑ RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Version History - Mac App Store - last accessed on 2022-09-15
"RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 is now optimized for Mac with Apple Silicon."
↑ RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum! - SteamDB - last accessed on 2022-09-15
↑ Aspyr Support Center - last accessed on 2011-06-04
↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-08-10
↑ Verified by User:Silent on 2017-02-04
Tested with 1080p
↑ RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 - SoundBlaster.com
↑ RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 - FAQ - last accessed on 2016/07/18
"Q: How do I convert tracks from RCT or RCT2 into RCT3?
A: Simply drop the TD6 or TD4 files in the My Documents\RCT3\Coasters folder; then when you run the game a new button will appear at the bottom of the rides button (it looks like a wrench and hammer). When you hover your pointer over new button, the tool tip reads "Import Track Designs From Previous RollerCoaster Tycoon(r) Games." When you click the button, a list of all the TD6 and TD4 files in the My Documents\RCT3\Coasters folder will be appear. The issue with some rides not importing is that the clearances are different in RCT1 and RCT2 so not all old coasters work. The game may have issues if you import an old coaster and the tracks run into each other. Hopefully most of the coasters import ok."
↑ RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3: Platinum - Steam Store Page
↑ RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 - Wikipedia

[Proton_path_note-9] 1.0 ^1.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (2700) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[2] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[3] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[4] The app ID (2700) may differ in some cases.

[5] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[6] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[1] COBRA Development Technology & Tools - Frontier Developments

[2] Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 mysteriously delisted from Steam & GOG - last accessed on 2022-08-14

[3] Atari Pulls Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 From Steam After Lawsuit - last accessed on 2022-08-14

[4] M1 Compatibility Updates - last accessed on 2022-08-14

[5] RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Version History - Mac App Store - last accessed on 2022-09-15
"RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 is now optimized for Mac with Apple Silicon."

[6] RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum! - SteamDB - last accessed on 2022-09-15

[7] Aspyr Support Center - last accessed on 2011-06-04

[8] Verified by User:Plok on 2022-08-10

[10] Verified by User:Silent on 2017-02-04
Tested with 1080p

[11] RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 - SoundBlaster.com

[12] RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 - FAQ - last accessed on 2016/07/18
"Q: How do I convert tracks from RCT or RCT2 into RCT3?
A: Simply drop the TD6 or TD4 files in the My Documents\RCT3\Coasters folder; then when you run the game a new button will appear at the bottom of the rides button (it looks like a wrench and hammer). When you hover your pointer over new button, the tool tip reads "Import Track Designs From Previous RollerCoaster Tycoon(r) Games." When you click the button, a list of all the TD6 and TD4 files in the My Documents\RCT3\Coasters folder will be appear. The issue with some rides not importing is that the clearances are different in RCT1 and RCT2 so not all old coasters work. The game may have issues if you import an old coaster and the tracks run into each other. Hopefully most of the coasters import ok."

[steam-13] RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3: Platinum - Steam Store Page

[14] RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 - Wikipedia

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[Note 1]

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Developers

	Frontier Developments
macOS (OS X)	Aspyr Media
Publishers
	Atari
OS X	Aspyr Media
Engines
	Cobra^[1]
Release dates
Windows	November 2, 2004
macOS (OS X)	November 25, 2005
Reception
Metacritic	81
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Bird's-eye view, First-person
Controls	Point and select
Genres	Building
Themes	Amusement park
Series	RollerCoaster Tycoon