Cultural buidings such as this Pro Stadium can attract lots of out of towners, increasing your revenue.
Lucky Shores, a city specializing in Gambling. Features a lot of Casinos.

Create large business ventures to lead your city into a particular industry. These businesses create a large number of jobs and can mean a lot of Simoleons for your city. You can of course dabble in all five of the business types, but focusing on one or two in particular gives your city more of an identity. Talk with your neighbors via the Region Wall to see which industries they are planning on pursuing. Then, use that information to work together to create a balanced region, or beat them at their own game and build up that business first.

Click on the city’s crest to view a list of achievements for the seven types of city specializations: Metals, Petroleum, Gambling, Electronics, Trade, Culture, and Education. Select any of the specializations, and then click GUIDE ME to focus on that one industry. You can also click your city’s current name to enter a new one.

Cultural[edit]

Cultural buildings like an Expo Center or Pro Stadium draw in a lot of out-of-towners. This can mean big money for your city. Just be sure that your mass transit systems are ready for the influx of Sims coming in for a large conference or the big game.

Cultural Stats[edit]

View key information about your cultural buildings in the Cultural tab of the City Specialization menu. The data displays your buildings’ maximum capacities, the cost and payout of your buildings, and the number of cultural buildings and their patrons. You can also view how many Simoleons per hour these buildings are costing.

Cultural Map[edit]

While on the Cultural tab of the City Specialization menu, click the Data Maps tab to view the Stadiums Map and see where your stadiums are located.

Landmarks[edit]

The crowning jewel of your city, a landmark can serve as an aesthetically appealing icon and draw a huge number of tourists from all wealth levels. You can build up to three landmarks per city, and landmarks are open 24 hours.

Landmarks Stats[edit]

Key stats are displayed in the Info tab of the Landmark section in the City Specialization menu. View the number of tourists in your city, how many tourists have been served and how many are remaining, and the attraction’s capacity. You can also see how many Simoleons your landmark is costing per hour.

Landmarks Maps[edit]

While on the Landmarks tab of the City Specialization menu, use the Data Maps tab on the right to switch between different data layers. Tourism View where tourists are located and where they tend to gather.

Tourism Attraction[edit]

Locate your tourist attraction buildings.

Hotel[edit]

Find where your hotels are located.

Stadium[edit]

View where your stadiums are located.

Metals[edit]

Extract coal and ore to become a mining master. These resources are in high demand for cities that use coal for their power plant and ore for manufacturing. Store large quantities in your Trade Depot to use for your own power, or trade with others.

Metals Stats[edit]

On the Info tab of the Metals section in the City Specialization menu, you can view your overall availability of coal and ore. You can also see how many Simoleons per day your industry is costing.

Metals Maps[edit]

While on the Metals tab of the City Specializations menu, use the Data Maps tab to switch between different data layers.

Coal[edit]

View where coal deposits are located in your city.

Ore[edit]

View where ore deposits are located in your city.

Petroleum[edit]

Pump oil from the wells in the ground. This is a precious resource for cities that use oil to fuel their power plants. Store large quantities in your Trade Depot to use for your own power or to trade with others.

Petroleum Stats[edit]

View key stats in the Info tab of the Petroleum section of the City Specialization menu. See how much oil you have in production, how much oil you have pumped, how much oil is in reserves, and the number of oil barrels in storage. You can also see how many Simoleons your production is costing per hour.

Petroleum Map[edit]

While on the Petroleum tab of the City Specialization menu, you can select the Data Maps tab to open the Oil Map and view where oil deposits are located.

Trade[edit]

Import, export, and store resources you've gathered. Cities that select Metals, Petroleum, or Electronics industries would be wise to also develop trade.

Trade Depot[edit]

If you are using power that relies on a fossil fuel, you can import any needed resources directly from the Global Market. However, building a Trade Depot allows you to store even more raw resources. Before building the depot, you can select the plant to manage your resources. Once a Trade Depot is available, enter the building’s Edit Mode to use your own resources, import resources, or export resources. Using your own resources is always cheaper than importing, which is at the mercy of the Global Market prices. If you chose to export stored up resources, you can earn quite a pretty Simoleon.

Trade Stats[edit]

The Info tab in the Trade section of the City Specialization menu displays the number of imports and exports per hour. You can also see how many Simoleons your trade industry is costing per hour.

Trade Map[edit]

While on the Trade tab of the City Specialization menu, you can select the Data Maps tab to open the Import/Export Map and view where you are importing and exporting resources.

Gambling[edit]

Build large Casinos and gambling halls to bring in lots of tourists and increase revenue. These buildings can greatly generate traffic in your city, so make sure your mass transit is up to par. Gambling also leads to an increase in crime; ensure you have a police force large enough to combat it.

Gambling Stats[edit]

There is key information in the Info tab of the Gambling section in the City Specialization menu. View the number of tourists visiting your city, how many tourists have been served and how many remain, attraction capacity, and how many Simoleons your business is costing per hour.

Gambling Maps[edit]

While on the Gambling tab of the City Specialization menu, use the Data Maps tab to switch between different data layers.

Tourism View[edit]

where tourists are located and where they tend to gather.

Tourism Attraction[edit]

Locate your tourist attraction buildings.

Hotel[edit]

Find where your hotels are located.

Commercial System[edit]

View what areas of your city are most desirable for Commercial development and determine which wealth classes would shop there.

Electronics[edit]

Become a high-tech hub and build up your Electronics industry. Create processors, computers, and TVs for export. The production of electronics requires alloy and plastic, which can either be collected via recycling or imported.

Electronics Stats[edit]

Important information is located on the Info tab of the Electronics section in the City Specialization menu. View the number of processors, computers, and TVs produced per day; your supply of alloy, plastic, and chips; and how many Simoleons your business costs per hour.

Electronic Maps[edit]

While on the Electronic tab of the City Specialization menu, you can select the Data Maps tab to open the Electronics Map and view where your electronics are being made.