{"slug": "openrct2", "name": "OpenRCT2", "category": "media", "category_name": "Media and creative", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 7, "warners": 1, "score": 1.885, "rising": -0.98, "first": "2025-12-03", "latest": "2026-05-30", "why": "it looks like the devs beat me to it with a JS/TS plugin system", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 4, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "it looks like the devs beat me to it with a JS/TS plugin system", "kind": "game", "icon": true, "domain": "openrct2.org", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://openrct2.org", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["OpenRCT2"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 749791712, "item_id": 46861982, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46861982", "by": "snovymgodym", "date": "2026-02-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'd much rather someone drop https://openrct2.io/ into emscripten with open-source graphics.", "excerpt": "Feels like a vibe coded RCT clone. Cool project, but lacks the polish that makes games actually fun to play. I'd much rather someone drop https://openrct2.io/ into emscripten with open-source graphics.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "IsoCoaster \u2013 Theme Park Builder"}, {"id": 746555840, "item_id": 46659740, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46659740", "by": "equinumerous", "date": "2026-01-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it looks like the devs beat me to it with a JS/TS plugin system", "excerpt": "As far as a scripting API, it looks like the devs beat me to it with a JS/TS plugin system: https://github.com/OpenRCT2/OpenRCT2/blob/develop/distribution/scripting.md", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "We Put Claude Code in Rollercoaster Tycoon"}, {"id": 738103440, "item_id": 46131465, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46131465", "by": "deanc", "date": "2025-12-03", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The spirit of this game lives on now in OpenRCT2", "excerpt": "This game _is_ my childhood. Spent countless hours one summer doing every scenario, learning all the little easter eggs (Michael Schumacher on the Go karts anyone?). The spirit of this game lives on now in OpenRCT2 [1] - which brings the game into the modern age and is backwards compatible with all the scenarios from the original. It even features multiplayer park building. [1] https://openrct2.io/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Interview with RollerCoaster Tycoon's Creator, Chris Sawyer (2024)"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 738112320, "item_id": 46132020, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132020", "by": "deanc", "date": "2025-12-03", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "it is both unethical and unlawful", "excerpt": "The are no direct statements but one from his agency [1] > The project has no blessing or support from Chris Sawyer and our view, it is both unethical and unlawful, involving infringements that may in some territories be criminal as well as a violation of Chris Sawyer's rights and those of his licensees - all of which remain reserved. > RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic, distributed by Atari, contains RCT and RCT2 rebuilt", "context": "", "use_case": "Open-source RCT2 rebuild", "switched_from": "", "story": "Interview with RollerCoaster Tycoon's Creator, Chris Sawyer (2024)"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["game", "open-source rct2 rebuild", "open-source rollercoaster tycoon engine"], "compared": [], "makers": [{"id": 746583153, "item_id": 46661447, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46661447", "by": "Jaysobel", "date": "2026-01-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "OpenRCT2!!", "excerpt": "Author here - some bonus links! Session transcript using Simon Willison's claude-code-transcripts https://htmlpreview.github.io/?https://gist.githubusercontent.com/jaysobel/dfeed9a65ce7209274acf9ada0eaa65e/raw/claude_code_rollercoaster_tycoon_transcript.html Reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1q9fen5/claude_code_in_rollercoaster_tycoon/ OpenRCT2!! https://github.com/jaysobel/OpenRCT2 Project repo ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "We Put Claude Code in Rollercoaster Tycoon"}], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130335", "title": "Interview with RollerCoaster Tycoon's Creator, Chris Sawyer (2024)", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46588972", "title": "We Put Claude Code in Rollercoaster Tycoon", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48333096", "title": "OpenRCT2 v0.5.1 \"Swamp Castle\" released Last version to support Windows 7", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47480886", "title": "The gold standard of optimization: A look under the hood of RollerCoaster Tycoon", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46826991", "title": "IsoCoaster \u2013 Theme Park Builder", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 2}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 773357520, "item_id": 48334845, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48334845", "by": "gcr", "date": "2026-05-30", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "", "excerpt": "On the website, their joke has some formatting: \u201cwe recommend you upgrade <strikethrough>to play OpenRCT2</strikethrough> for security reasons!\u201d", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenRCT2 v0.5.1 \"Swamp Castle\" released Last version to support Windows 7"}, {"id": 759872129, "item_id": 47492008, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47492008", "by": "TheGRS", "date": "2026-03-23", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I will need to give OpenRCT a try some time", "excerpt": "This is a fun read, its one of my favorite games growing up by far, countless hours sunk into it. I didn't need this write-up to know that Chris Sawyer was god among men and that the open source version is a huge labor of love, but its a good reminder :) I will need to give OpenRCT a try some time, I've tried a little OpenTTD and really enjoy it, but RCT was always my jam. For the lesson here, I think re-contextualiz", "context": "", "use_case": "game", "switched_from": "", "story": "The gold standard of optimization: A look under the hood of RollerCoaster Tycoon"}, {"id": 749791712, "item_id": 46861982, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46861982", "by": "snovymgodym", "date": "2026-02-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'd much rather someone drop https://openrct2.io/ into emscripten with open-source graphics.", "excerpt": "Feels like a vibe coded RCT clone. Cool project, but lacks the polish that makes games actually fun to play. I'd much rather someone drop https://openrct2.io/ into emscripten with open-source graphics.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "IsoCoaster \u2013 Theme Park Builder"}, {"id": 746555840, "item_id": 46659740, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46659740", "by": "equinumerous", "date": "2026-01-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it looks like the devs beat me to it with a JS/TS plugin system", "excerpt": "As far as a scripting API, it looks like the devs beat me to it with a JS/TS plugin system: https://github.com/OpenRCT2/OpenRCT2/blob/develop/distribution/scripting.md", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "We Put Claude Code in Rollercoaster Tycoon"}, {"id": 738152624, "item_id": 46134539, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46134539", "by": "Starlevel004", "date": "2025-12-03", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OpenRCT2 was a direct derivative of RCT2 at first", "excerpt": "OpenRCT2 was a direct derivative of RCT2 at first, to the point it would just directly call into the game executable everywhere. See e.g: https://github.com/OpenRCT2/OpenRCT2/commit/643db7ae017e04d13980031b449d747e3bf89c22", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Interview with RollerCoaster Tycoon's Creator, Chris Sawyer (2024)"}, {"id": 738112320, "item_id": 46132020, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132020", "by": "deanc", "date": "2025-12-03", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "it is both unethical and unlawful", "excerpt": "The are no direct statements but one from his agency [1] > The project has no blessing or support from Chris Sawyer and our view, it is both unethical and unlawful, involving infringements that may in some territories be criminal as well as a violation of Chris Sawyer's rights and those of his licensees - all of which remain reserved. > RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic, distributed by Atari, contains RCT and RCT2 rebuilt", "context": "", "use_case": "Open-source RCT2 rebuild", "switched_from": "", "story": "Interview with RollerCoaster Tycoon's Creator, Chris Sawyer (2024)"}, {"id": 738110384, "item_id": 46131899, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46131899", "by": "reddalo", "date": "2025-12-03", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Beware that you still need a copy of the original RCT2 game in order to play OpenRCT2.", "excerpt": "Beware that you still need a copy of the original RCT2 game in order to play OpenRCT2. You can still buy it on GOG [1] though. [1] https://www.gog.com/en/game/rollercoaster_tycoon_2", "context": "", "use_case": "Open-source RollerCoaster Tycoon engine", "switched_from": "", "story": "Interview with RollerCoaster Tycoon's Creator, Chris Sawyer (2024)"}, {"id": 738103440, "item_id": 46131465, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46131465", "by": "deanc", "date": "2025-12-03", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The spirit of this game lives on now in OpenRCT2", "excerpt": "This game _is_ my childhood. Spent countless hours one summer doing every scenario, learning all the little easter eggs (Michael Schumacher on the Go karts anyone?). The spirit of this game lives on now in OpenRCT2 [1] - which brings the game into the modern age and is backwards compatible with all the scenarios from the original. It even features multiplayer park building. [1] https://openrct2.io/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Interview with RollerCoaster Tycoon's Creator, Chris Sawyer (2024)"}]}