If they run below a certain budget deficit, they will be kicked out of the mayor's office, losing the game. They also need to balance their budget, their income coming from rent and taxes, and their expenditure from building and maintaining the city. The player then builds a city, providing it with necessary utilities and civic structures. In SimCity 2000, the player starts off with a randomly generated piece of land, which could be terraformed to their liking. Playing within (and sometimes outside) the limits of the rules and seeing what works is part of the game. Players will find that to function, cities need utilities, civic services, transport infrastructure, and a fragile balance between homes and jobs.

Given enough money, the player can use the tools in any way they want, but if their cities are not generating income, the money will soon run dry. With no real goal, the game instead directs players by consequence, being given a set of tools and set loose on a dynamic play area. With new tools in transportation, zoning, and infrastructure, as well as a isometric view and a smoother UI, SimCity 2000 gives players more freedom than the original SimCity to create cities. SimCity 2000 adds many features that were missing from the original. SimCity 2000 was also ported to many consoles, ranging from the SNES to the GBA, and is also available on PSN. A Windows playable version, SimCity 2000 Special Edition, was released in 1995. SimCity 2000 is the second game in the SimCity franchise, first released in 1993 for Mac and DOS.

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