The player starts out as the assistant manager of a theme park, hired by the president of the company to take over his position.

The objective of the game is to become the new boss of Theme park Inc by accruing a majority stake in the company and several park awards (e.g., the highest or fastest roller coaster, the fastest go kart, the longest log flume ride, the best security, the best decoration and the best staff training).

The game requires more effort be put into finer aspects such as staff management, park layout, and guests' needs, as not doing so can make it more difficult to complete challenges and objectives.

[12] However, Ron Dulin of GameSpot criticized the game's complicated nature, and said that the goals interfere with its enjoyment.

[10] Eric Bratcher of NextGen said, "Like cotton candy dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with peanuts, SimCoaster takes an established good thing and adds needed substance, though the ingredients don't blend perfectly.