GameSpot's Alan Dunkin called it "another fun management simulation from the mind of Chris Sawyer."
Gary Eng Walk of Entertainment Weekly, who graded the game an A, called it "Quite literally, the thrill ride of the summer",[REF] and in 2003, the magazine ranked RollerCoaster Tycoon number 68 on their list of the "100 greatest videogames" [REF].