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Parents' Guide to

Overcrowded: Tycoon

By Erin Brereton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Pressure to spend detracts from a promising premise.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free Simulation Games
Opening screen.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Park entrance.
  • Guest measurements.
  • Game decision.
  • Attraction costs.

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

Steph W.
Steph W. Parent of 15 and 16-year-old
July 22, 2023
age 5+

Colors Addict and Spend More Money!

The game as you research it says oh yeah it throws the kids in the game building all these wonderful characters in the kids of owning a business and maintaining their status and building character… all blah blah blah but to me because what I see in the game is yes an another addiction in colors and simulation to move fast , think fast and please invite your friends for more coins but then spend your money on a game and spend your parents money really on gaming … so parents be aware how are we building them up when they spend all their allowances on gaming and not necessaries on things needed. We are building what? Teaching kids spend our money or work to game and spend money … as I see the game it’s as allot promoting coins and new things to explore and making kids feel left out or that it’s moving too slow if they don’t invite friends which get coins if others join and spend more money to get ahead. That teaches kids nothing but the value of what spend more money, get more money and caught up on a computer game (listen that’s not real) but becomes real to them Thru the addiction and years later when they stop playing the game industry would have accomplished what they what spend money !!!stop this cycle and teach kids real value of work and budget and responsibilities please!!!!!!!please!!!!!
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

Kids drag and drop rides and other items to designated places to build a theme park in OVERCROWDED: TYCOON. Statues, fountains, and other items can help control how visitors move through the park. They spend more when they're content, so kids need to make moves like upgrading seats and ride speed to reduce long waiting lines. Those changes are paid for with coins kids earn from things like park admission and ride revenue. They can use gems, earned by watching ads or directly purchasing them within the app, to also speed up construction and upgrades.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

While there's a fair amount of control over how the park is run, design and spending limitations, though, makes the experience feel less than exciting at times. Kids make numerous operational decisions in Overcrowded: Tycoon to adjust revenue and customer satisfaction. They need to keep an eye on visitors' state of mind, because some will get hungry, annoyed, or need things, which can affect their spending at the park. Waiting in long lines is a frequent point of contention. But kids also need to balance their available choices -- one of the game's admirably nuanced elements. Increasing an attraction's queue length, for instance, lets you serve more visitors, but the waiting time could increase. Adding more seats, on the other hand, can allow you to serve more people and reduce the waiting time. But the game doesn't give much guidance or prompting on operational aspects.

Players also have less autonomy over the park's layout and basic features. Structures can only be added in certain areas, and while smaller items, like trees, can be shifted, larger buildings aren't easily moved. That's frustrating since ideally, you want a layout that encourages people to stop by multiple things, which can be hard to plan when you aren't sure what the park will eventually feature. While the game doesn't force you to watch a ton of ads, there are subtler pushes to buy things, ranging from pop-up plugs for special deals to the cost of new attractions. If kids don't want to shell out for those items, their amusement park could have noticeable gaps in some places. Only one construction project can occur at a time, so kids may feel pressured to spend gems or money to speed it up. That means facing some delays while playing the game, due to building constraints and not having enough profits to fund a new attraction. Provided they're OK with waiting those instances out, though, Overcrowded: Tycoon offers some interesting -- and potentially enjoyable -- opportunities for strategizing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what elements they take under consideration when running a business in Overcrowded: Tycoon. How many tasks, such as keeping track of money and keeping customers happy, can you identify in the game? Which seem to be the most important, in regard to the park's success?

  • How does the game encourages you to pay attention to park guests' needs? Can you use that as a jumping-off point to discuss being sensitive to other people's emotions? How can you assess how people are feeling? What's a kind way to react if they're upset?

  • Does your child feel like purchasing additional attractions and abilities would make Overcrowded: Tycoon more fun? Can you collectively come up with a few things that cost no money to do that are fun?

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