First SimCity 5 screens and details surface

SimCity 4

It turns out that SimCity 5 may exist! Scanned images of a feature in German magazine, Gamestar , seem to show lots of concept art and a few early details of a sequel.

According to the feature, picked over by NeoGaf , the next SimCity will be set 20 years after previous entries and feature organic cities that won't have to stick to America's regimented block system. There's also mention of global leaderboards to celebrate the most efficient player metropolis and a new graphics engine to power everything. It's also supposedly due out next year.

It's all unconfirmed at the moment, but the timing is good. Maxis are due to announce a new game at GDC next week. Hopefully it'll turn out to be the SimCity that fans have been waiting for.

Tom Senior

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.