Atari Announces RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks at Gamescom
Atari has announced a new entry in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, titled RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks, during the pre-show for Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026. The game is being developed by Springloaded, the studio behind the creature-collecting management game Let's Build a Zoo (GameSpot).
RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks will launch first on Steam Early Access — a release model where players buy an unfinished game and receive updates as the developers add features — with Atari planning to keep it there for roughly a year. The Early Access version will ship with two parks: Hollow Creek and Forest Frontiers. The full 1.0 release will expand that to six parks and add a classic builder mode that will not be available at the Early Access launch, according to the game's Steam store page.
At Early Access launch, players will have access to core gameplay and simulation mechanics: coaster building, ride management, guest needs and wants, staff management, stats and heat maps, and terraforming. Unlocking all available content at that stage is estimated to take around six hours of gameplay. The 1.0 release will bring additional features including water and water rides, weather effects, and a broader meta-game progression system with a true ending.
Pricing will be lower during Early Access and move to the full retail price when the 1.0 version ships. Atari has positioned Wonderworks as continuing the legacy of Chris Sawyer's original RollerCoaster Tycoon, which first released in 1999.
Gamescom Opening Night Live, the annual showcase that kicks off the Cologne-based games convention, is scheduled to begin at 10:00 p.m. on August 25, 2026, with the Wonderworks reveal arriving during its pre-show segment.
For a franchise that has seen several entries and spin-offs since Sawyer's original, Wonderworks signals Atari's continued investment in the theme-park builder genre — a niche that has proven durable, with competitors like Frontier Developments' Planet Coaster and the Two Point series keeping the management-sim space active. Springloaded's involvement brings a studio with a track record in charming, accessible management games, which may appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers drawn in by the franchise name.
