Importing SimCity Classic (*.CTY) files

Learn the step-by-step process to import your old SimCity Classic (*.CTY) files into SimCity 2000, including potential issues and how to fix them.

Hey there! So you've found some old SimCity Classic (*.CTY) files and want to bring them into SimCity 2000? It's a bit of a process, and honestly, the direct methods you might read about don't always work. Don't worry, though – I've got the reliable way to do it, but you'll need both SimCity Classic (SCC) and SimCity 2000 (SC2K) installed.

Here’s the method that actually works:

1. First, open up your SimCity Classic game and load the *.CTY file you want to convert.
2. Go to the File menu and select Save City as....
3. Now, here's the key part: change the file extension from *.CTY to *.SC2. Save this new file, then close SCC.
4. Next, open up SimCity 2000 and choose Load Saved City.
5. Navigate to where you saved that new *.SC2 file and select it. You'll probably see an error message pop up – just click OK.
6. SC2K will then ask if you want to convert this SimCity “1.0” file. Definitely select Yes!

And voilà! Your *.CTY city should now be in *.SC2 format. Make sure to save a new copy in your main SC2K save folder.

Things to Watch Out For After Conversion

Now, this conversion isn't perfect, so there are a few things you'll need to adjust:

• Terrain: Your converted city will be completely flat. SCC didn't have mountains or valleys, so you'll need to sculpt the terrain yourself to make it look how you want.
• Water: All the water will be a uniform 100 ft deep, except right at the map edges. You'll need to fix this to make sure your city has a proper water system.
• Railroads: In SCC, you could have rail lines without stations, but SC2K requires them. You'll need to add train stations to any existing rail lines.
• Map Size & Zoning: SCC cities are smaller than SC2K cities, so you'll notice blank land around the edges. Also, if you used the SCC trick of