Since people don't know what the PC Gaming Wiki is, here are 3 essential files you need to download and apply to the game to get the best experience out of SimCity 4 on modern operating systems:

Large Address Hardware - improves the games performance by removing the 2gb limit on how much RAM SimCity 4 is allowed to use:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/large-address-aware.112556/

SC4Fix - a .dll file that fixes bugs unpatched by Maxis, crash issues and the infamous "prop pox" glitch, which in general gradually removes props from the player's city, breaking the game:
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/30883-sc4fix-third-party-patches-for-sc4/

SimCity 4 Launcher - a launcher for the game that includes options for autosave, choices between 3 renderers, CPU improvements, widescreen resolutions, borderless or not borderless windows, a mod manager, a tick to disable intro movies and an improvement that forces the game to render as the player scrolls (primarily for AMD users):
https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/54082-simcity-4-launcher-updated-100915-154b-r12/

Install all three files (directions included in each link) and you'll be good to play SimCity 4 without any issues.

EDIT: Almost forgot - if the game refuses to launch, set SimCity3.exe's compatibility to Windows XP and run as administrator.

Doesn't require a constant internet connection
Doesn't randomly wipe cities
Doesn't prevent you from using mods
Doesn't restrict control over regions
Doesn't confine you to a 10x10 city grid

It does however put a game that is 10 years newer to shame. If you want SimCity, look no further.

I played this game a lot when i was 12 or 13 or whatever which explains why i didn't have a girlfriend for a long time but I played it recently and it's still a hell of a lot of fun. I built a city with two motorways going out of the city but also a toll road and then a subway system and this gave me a hell of a lot of money and so i spent it on health and education and i felt really good about myself for 5 or 10 minutes. i still don't have a girlfriend though

If modded this game even though its ten years old, in my opinion its much better than the new version. I bought this one again after finding out how bad the new one was. You should mod this game for sure though, with larger regions, the NAM and CAM and whatever else you want on the great modding sites for this game.

Currently im playing on a very detailed sat. map of the US with over 500 of the largest city tiles in one single region. Just one of my city tiles from what i heard is four times bigger than a city tile on the new version and i have over 500 of them, all are connected to and interact with each other. Building the entire country with things so spread out leaves tons of open land adding to the realism that the region system in this game creates.

HANDS DOWN THE BEST CITY SIM IN THE WORLD AND THIS GAME IS OVER 10 YEARS OLD!!!!! C,MON EA??? WHAT HAPPENED?!?!

Here are some videos showing my current region :) Its much higher quality on youtube itself though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbl0jRrCEk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Men_A_D_azY

You can also check out my region journal here.
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16817.0

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOW YOU CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEMS WITH CRASHING!

Open SimCity 4
Open your Task-Manager

Go to Details
Search Simcity4.exe (or something like this)
Right Click --> Set affiliation

Disable All CPUs "with the ecxeption of" CPU 0

Now you can play the Game without any crashes.
Hope I could help you.

Remember:
You habe to do this any time you wanna play.
The Seetings will be removed after closing the Game.

Cheers.

Everyone is right, it really is still the best city building game, even now in 2023 there's nothing better. It still has a huge community over at https://community.simtropolis.com/ This game has more mods then you could ever have the time to try.

It does need some tweaking to run well on modern pc's. This is what was recommended to me to add to the game's Steam Launch Options command line which help optimize the game:

-intro:off -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32 -CPUCount:1 -CPUPriority:high -Cursors:fullcolor

Just copy and paste the whole line into the Launch Options, where it says -r1920x1080x32 you can just change to your monitor's resolution size so you can play full screen.

Another helpful tweak is using the 4GB Patch tool here https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371 It allows old 32 bit games to use more memory to run. Run the 4GB_Patch.exe file, it will open Windows Explorer. Navigate to the game's install folder "...SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps" and choose the file called SimCity 4.exe, It will replace the file and make a backup of it.

Also make sure in the game's graphics options to set the Rendering Mode to Software, not Hardware. Doing these steps allows the game to run smooth. There's other tweaks you can learn as well that may help.

Nog steeds erg leuk, het crasht alleen wel soms dus geregeld opslaan is een must.

Looking for City Building Fun? Look no further!

Pros
- Not Sim City 2013
- Looks very good for a game from 2004
- Gritty, Realistic, Approach to City Design
- Large Selection of Terrains
- Easily Adjustable Settings
- Amazing Soundtrack
- Modding Kit makes for a longer game

Cons
- Terrible System Optimization for Newer PCs
- Borderline Broken Demands on Easy and Medium Difficulties without Mods

I have been playing this game for years, picked it up on Steam last Summer. I have to say, the biggest issue I have with it now is Optimization on my PC. You cannot run the game past 1600x1080 without massive screen tearing and Region View Issues and Terrain Glitches (Purely Cosmetic.) Overall I would say the only other noticable issue, after 10 years (10 year old game better than a game made in 2013, who the ♥♥♥♥ knew?!) is the broken system demands on Easy and Medium. Both difficulties will eventually go in complete negative demand, with no possible way to recover, unless you install mods, which leads to my next point. Even after all these years the modding community is still huge, so much effort goes into so many mods. Honestly I see no reason not to buy this game.

9/10 - Great game if you like City Planning and Building games.

THE city simulator. It's old but it's the best one out there if you ask me. Even though the graphics aren't full 3D they are still surprisingly high definition and it is fun to zoom in close just to look at the buildings. The graphics really do still hold up. I was honestly surprised.

The gameplay is fantastic if you're into this genre although there are a few problems. Some of those can be fixed with mods, which there are plenty of. There's nothing that would ruin the experience, just some nit-picky things that would make a couple of things easier in the long run. The modding community is great and popular mods are totally worth getting even if some of them change the game mechanics quite a bit. If you new to the genre I would recommend you first play a city or two without mods to get the vanilla experience. For the fans of the genre: mod to your hearts content. You can pull a lot of extra depth out of the game with the right mods.

Depending on how you play once you reach that final stage with your city where everything runs like a finely oiled machine it might feel like you've reached the end. Some may continue to micromanage every little aspect for days to come but I recommend starting a new city. I personally prefer going for a visually impressive city rather than the most efficient one. Sim City becomes more of an information management/puzzle game if you aim for the most productive city. It is more enjoyable to create something visually pleasing.

You will waste days managing your city once you get sucked in. Prepare your calendar accordingly. This among my favorite games of all time.

(I have probably played SimCity a hundred hours back in the day. I still have the disc!)

----[Rating weighted based on the genre]----

Story: -/5 (There isn't one.)
Gameplay: 5/5
Challenge: 3.5/5 (Depends on individual styles of play.)
Discovery: 1.5/5
Replayability: 5/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Visuals: 4/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Music: 5/5

Prachtig spel! De graphics zijn misschien niet meer van deze tijd, maar de diepgang kom je in geen enkel ander spel meer tegen. Zelfs niet in de nieuwere versies van SimCity.