SimCity BuildIt vs Hay Day: City Builder or Farm Sim?
SimCity BuildIt vs Hay Day: City Builder or Farm Sim?
SimCity BuildIt vs Hay Day is really a question about what kind of manager you want to be. SimCity BuildIt makes you a mayor: you zone residential areas, lay roads, supply power and water, and keep citizens happy with services, parks and specializations. Hay Day, by Supercell, makes you a farmer: you grow crops, raise animals, fish, and run a farm shop. Both are free-to-play mobile games with social features, and both reward regular short sessions. The difference is the fantasy — a city, or a farm.
SimCity BuildIt vs Hay Day: gameplay in one paragraph each
In SimCity BuildIt, progress comes from upgrading homes. Each upgrade asks for manufactured items, so you run factories and commercial buildings, manage storage, and keep services ahead of population growth. Your population counter and happiness face are always visible, and unhappy citizens can abandon their homes. In Hay Day, progress comes from the farm loop: plant, harvest, feed animals, make goods in production buildings, and sell them in your roadside shop or fill truck and boat orders. There is no traffic, no pollution and no fire service to worry about. Hay Day is calmer by design; SimCity BuildIt is busier by design.
Social play and pace
Both games let you play with others. SimCity BuildIt has Mayor’s Clubs for chatting, trading and Club Wars, plus the Contest of Mayors. Hay Day has neighbourhoods, a Valley, and trading with friends. Hay Day’s pace is gentle — crops grow on timers and there is little that can go wrong. SimCity BuildIt’s pace is tenser — a missed service can drop happiness, cut tax income, and stall your next upgrade. If you want a relaxing game to open for a few minutes, Hay Day fits. If you want a system to optimise, SimCity BuildIt fits.
Cost and which to choose
Both are free to download and play, with optional in-app purchases. Both can be played without spending, though progress is slower. SimCity BuildIt needs a persistent internet connection for its online features; Hay Day also needs a connection for social and trading features. Choose Hay Day if you want farming, animals and a peaceful pace. Choose SimCity BuildIt if you want roads, services, population targets and competition. If you cannot decide, try both for a week — they cost nothing to install.
FAQ
What is the main difference?
SimCity BuildIt is a city builder with services and population; Hay Day is a farm simulator with crops, animals and orders.
Which is more relaxing?
Hay Day. It has no traffic, pollution or unhappy citizens to manage.
Are both free?
Yes. Both are free to play with optional in-app purchases.
Do both have multiplayer?
Yes. SimCity BuildIt has clubs and Club Wars; Hay Day has neighbourhoods and trading.
Which should a beginner pick?
Pick Hay Day for a calm start, or SimCity BuildIt if you enjoy planning and strategy.
For more SimCity BuildIt guides, visit the SimCity BuildIt homepage and read our related comparison SimCity BuildIt vs TheoTown.