Best games
The best Maxis games
The 8 best games from Maxis, ranked from 2,747 critic and player ratings.
The best Maxis game is The Sims, with a critic score of 85/100. Updated September 2026.
- Ranked releases span 1989 to 2014.
- Average critic score across the 8 ranked games: 73/100.
- 2,747 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 2,747 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 8
01
The Sims
The Sims is a life-building simulation with emphasis on intimate details of individual characters rather than expansion of an entire society or civilization. You are in control of nearly every aspect of the lives of the individuals who make up your chosen population in the neighborhood. Characters are developed from the ground up and you infuse and mold them with personalities, looks, desires, moods, urges, living arrangements, career and personal choices, life styles, and reactions.
85
/100
02
SimCity 4
SimCity 4 is a city-building simultor. You are in the shoes of one or several mayors, and you are tasked with populating and managing your cities.When you have chosen a segment to place your city in, you will be able to chose between 3 game modes. God mode: This mode lets you shape the overall landscapes as you desire Mayor mode: In this mode you build and manage your own cities. My Sim mode: Here the player can choose his own Sims and have them move into the city, or import saved games from the game The Sims.
85
/100
03
Spore
From Single Cell to Galactic God, evolve your creature in a universe of your own creations. Play through Spore's five evolutionary stages: Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization, and Space. Each stage has its own unique style, challenges, and goals.
82
/100
The Sims
The Sims is a life-building simulation with emphasis on intimate details of individual characters rather than expansion of an entire society or civilization. You are in control of nearly every aspect of the lives of the individuals who make up your chosen population in the neighborhood. Characters are developed from the ground up and you infuse and mold them with personalities, looks, desires, moods, urges, living arrangements, career and personal choices, life styles, and reactions.
85
/100
02
SimCity 4
SimCity 4 is a city-building simultor. You are in the shoes of one or several mayors, and you are tasked with populating and managing your cities.When you have chosen a segment to place your city in, you will be able to chose between 3 game modes. God mode: This mode lets you shape the overall landscapes as you desire Mayor mode: In this mode you build and manage your own cities. My Sim mode: Here the player can choose his own Sims and have them move into the city, or import saved games from the game The Sims.
85
/100
03
Spore
From Single Cell to Galactic God, evolve your creature in a universe of your own creations. Play through Spore's five evolutionary stages: Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization, and Space. Each stage has its own unique style, challenges, and goals.
82
/100
04
The Sims 2
In The Sims 2, your Sims will be more lifelike, more responsive, and more complex than ever before. You'll be able to control your Sims over their entire lifetimes, taking them from their first steps to their golden years. Guide them through "Life's Big Moments" and build their "Life Score" with every decision you make. And since every Sim will have its own DNA, their appearance and personality will be passed down through the generations. Life in The Sims 2 will take on a whole different dimension with an entirely new 3-D engine.
71
/100
05
SimCity 2000
It has all the features, flexibility, art, animation, and power you need to create an environment of your dreams. Choose from a selection of bonus cities and scenarios to rule or ruin as you please. Build schools, libraries, hospitals, zoos, prisons, power plants, and much more... Lay down roads, railways, and highways. Explore the underground layer and build subways and utilities without compromising your aesthetics. Customize different buildings or design your own graphics sets from scratch. This is the ultimate classic Maxis city-building and management simulation. If this game were any more realistic, it'd be illegal to turn it off!
71
/100
06
The Sims 4
Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that's an expression of you! Explore and customize every detail from Sims to homes, and much more with The Sims 4. Life, and Sims, are yours to control. Customize your unique Sims, design their homes & take them on wild adventures through celebdom, romance, holidays and more.
67
/100
07
SimCity (2013)
This is a new SimCity that delivers unprecedented depth of simulation. The model-like world and detail of the simulation make this the most responsive and personal SimCity ever. This is also the most expansive city management game yet where you can control a region that delivers true multi-city scale and play a single city or up to 16 cities at once each with different specializations. Multiplayer is also a first for the series, which adds a new dimension to your game as your decisions impact both your city and your region and creates new ways to play by collaborating or competing to earn achievements.
64
/100
08
SimCity
SimCity, later renamed SimCity Classic, is a city-building simulation video game, first released on February 2, 1989, and designed by Will Wright for the Macintosh computer. SimCity was Maxis's second product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1993, SimCity 3000 in 1999, SimCity 4 in 2003, SimCity DS, SimCity Societies in 2007, and SimCity in 2013. Until the release of The Sims in 2000, the SimCity series was the best-selling line of computer games made by Maxis.
59
/100
The Sims 2
In The Sims 2, your Sims will be more lifelike, more responsive, and more complex than ever before. You'll be able to control your Sims over their entire lifetimes, taking them from their first steps to their golden years. Guide them through "Life's Big Moments" and build their "Life Score" with every decision you make. And since every Sim will have its own DNA, their appearance and personality will be passed down through the generations. Life in The Sims 2 will take on a whole different dimension with an entirely new 3-D engine.
71
/100
05
SimCity 2000
It has all the features, flexibility, art, animation, and power you need to create an environment of your dreams. Choose from a selection of bonus cities and scenarios to rule or ruin as you please. Build schools, libraries, hospitals, zoos, prisons, power plants, and much more... Lay down roads, railways, and highways. Explore the underground layer and build subways and utilities without compromising your aesthetics. Customize different buildings or design your own graphics sets from scratch. This is the ultimate classic Maxis city-building and management simulation. If this game were any more realistic, it'd be illegal to turn it off!
71
/100
06
The Sims 4
Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that's an expression of you! Explore and customize every detail from Sims to homes, and much more with The Sims 4. Life, and Sims, are yours to control. Customize your unique Sims, design their homes & take them on wild adventures through celebdom, romance, holidays and more.
67
/100
07
SimCity (2013)
This is a new SimCity that delivers unprecedented depth of simulation. The model-like world and detail of the simulation make this the most responsive and personal SimCity ever. This is also the most expansive city management game yet where you can control a region that delivers true multi-city scale and play a single city or up to 16 cities at once each with different specializations. Multiplayer is also a first for the series, which adds a new dimension to your game as your decisions impact both your city and your region and creates new ways to play by collaborating or competing to earn achievements.
64
/100
08
SimCity
SimCity, later renamed SimCity Classic, is a city-building simulation video game, first released on February 2, 1989, and designed by Will Wright for the Macintosh computer. SimCity was Maxis's second product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1993, SimCity 3000 in 1999, SimCity 4 in 2003, SimCity DS, SimCity Societies in 2007, and SimCity in 2013. Until the release of The Sims in 2000, the SimCity series was the best-selling line of computer games made by Maxis.
59
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Maxis game?
The Sims currently tops the ranking with a score of 85/100 across 511 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.