How to Increase Storage in SimCity BuildIt

How to Increase Storage in SimCity BuildIt

Storage is the first wall every mayor hits in SimCity BuildIt, and knowing how to increase storage in SimCity BuildIt keeps your city growing. Every item you make — raw materials, crafted goods, expansion parts, repair items — goes into City Storage. When it is full, factories stop, shops stop, and you cannot collect anything new. Upgrading storage early is one of the most recommended moves in the game, and it is worth doing before you spend Simoleons on anything decorative.

How City Storage works

City Storage starts with 30 capacity, according to the game wiki, and rises to 40 after you build the City Storage building. Each upgrade increases capacity by 5. Community guides report that storage can be upgraded to 1,000 with storage items, and to a maximum of 1,100 with Regional City Storage added — each Regional City Storage adds a reported 20 capacity once a region reaches 5,000 regional population. Treat the 1,100 figure as a community-reported maximum; the exact cap can change with updates.

The three storage items

City Storage is upgraded with three special items: Storage Camera, Storage Lock and Storage Bar. Each upgrade needs the same amount of each item, and the amount required rises as your capacity grows — community guides list 1 of each for the earliest upgrades, rising to 25 of each for the highest ones. You can earn these items by tapping opinion bubbles over homes, from gifts and offers, from events, by finding them in the Global Trade HQ, and by buying them with SimCash. In the game, open City Storage and tap the green Increase Capacity button to see exactly which items and how many you need for your next upgrade.

Where to find storage items

Opinion bubbles are the free, everyday source. Tap every bubble over a home — some contain storage items. The Global Trade HQ is the second source: search for the item you are short of and buy it from another mayor. Events and Mayor’s Pass tiers also include storage items. Do not buy storage items with SimCash unless you are one item short of an upgrade that unblocks your whole city; SimCash is scarce and bubbles plus trading usually fill the gap within a day or two.

Freeing space without upgrading

Before you upgrade, free space by using what you have. Use stored materials to upgrade homes and build services. Sell genuine surplus in the Trade Depot — but never sell storage or land-expansion items you still need. Keep a simple rule from experienced players: protect rare expansion parts, hold a moderate stock of fast materials, and sell only what you can remake quickly. A newer Material Storage feature, announced by the official game account, gives factory raw materials their own space, freeing City Storage for crafted items — check whether it is live in your version of the game, as rollout has varied.

Temporary storage boosts

Temporary Storage Boosts increase capacity for a limited time, usually as event or Mayor’s Pass rewards. Community guides report 10 Temporary Storage for reaching Tier 6 with the Premium Pass, and a further 40 for Premium+ purchase. Treat those figures as community-reported and check the current season in the game. Temporary boosts help during a big upgrade push, but they expire, so do not rely on them as permanent capacity.

FAQ

How do I upgrade City Storage?

Open City Storage, tap Increase Capacity, collect the Storage Camera, Lock and Bar items shown, then tap Confirm.

What items do I need to increase storage?

Storage Camera, Storage Lock and Storage Bar. Each upgrade needs the same amount of each.

What is the maximum storage in SimCity BuildIt?

Community guides report 1,000 with storage items and 1,100 with all Regional City Storage built. The cap may change with updates.

How do I get storage items for free?

Tap opinion bubbles, check the Global Trade HQ, and collect them from events and Mayor’s Pass rewards.

Should I spend SimCash on storage items?

Only if you are one item short of an upgrade. Otherwise, earn them from bubbles and trading.

Start at our homepage — and see our production chain guide next, because storage and production have to grow together.