How to Unlock the Beach in SimCity BuildIt

Nothing says summer like piers and boardwalks on the beach, and SimCity BuildIt’s latest update gives you the chance to build your very own. However, you’ll have a lot of work ahead of you to give your Sims a chance to ride carousels and visit marinas. This guide will give you the tips you need to soak up the sun in SimCity BuildIt’s beach expansion.

Getting Started

• If you’re starting from scratch you’re gonna have a little ways to go before you’re even eligible to start building out your beachfront.
• You’ll need to play until you reach level 15 for your beach advisor to become unlocked.

Once you hit the right level, start looking for the anchor icon on your beach. Upon pressing it you’ll meet your beach advisor, and pressing it again will give you a list of how many special beach-themed items you’ll have to collect to unlock the ability to place beach buildings.

Collecting the Special Unlock Items

To unlock your beach you’ll have to acquire a certain number of:

The number of items needed is random each time you play, and you won’t receive any in drops until you unlock the beach specialization. There are three ways you can collect them, and two of them have a degree of randomness, so if you go those routes you’ll just have to be diligent and hope you run into them. The three ways are:

1. Pay for the items with SimCash. This is an expensive route, and if you’re attempting to play the game totally free, this may be out of the question for you. Having said that, this is the only surefire way to get what you want.
2. Once you unlock the beach specialization at level 15 your citizens will have a chance to give you the unlock items through their thought bubbles. This is like the items needed to expand the City Storage, and the most random way to earn special beach items. There’s not really anything you can do to increase your chances.
3. Buy these items from other players on the Global Trading HQ once you’ve gained 10,000 population. This is also a bit random, as someone has to actually be selling them for you to buy them.

Buildings and Unlock Requirements

Some of this expansion’s buildings may only be unlocked in order, and some may only be opened up using Golden Keys.

Golden Keys may be acquired one of two ways: completing either Shipment or Disaster Challenges. You’ll first be introduced to Shipment Challenges when you reach 20,000 Sims and have the Cargo Ship Dock. You’ll have to fill specific orders for Sims and produce goods for them, which earns you 1 Golden Key per filled set.

Disaster Challenges require you to have Dr. Vu’s tower unlocked at 90,000 Sims and 60,000 Simoleons. It’s considered one of the quicker ways to get keys, and you’ll bring Dr. Vu specific items so that he can unleash disasters upon the world. You’ll then have to repair the damage caused by his destruction. This way you’ll earn 2 or 3 Golden Keys apiece for each building you repair.

These are the available buildings as well as their prerequisites:

• Surfer Beach: Unlock at 20,000 Simoleons. Receive 10% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Volleyball Courts: Unlock with 5 Golden Keys. Receive 10% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Lifeguard Tower: Unlock with 10 Golden Keys. Receive 10% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Crescent Shopping Mall: Unlock with 16 Golden Keys. Receive 20% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Relaxing Beach: Unlock with 12 Golden Keys. Receive 20% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Merman Statue: Unlock with 20 Golden Keys. Receive 20% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Carousel: Unlock with 7 Golden Keys. Receive 10% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Bluebeard’s Pirate Ship: Unlock with 13 Golden Keys. Receive 20% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Water Park: Unlock with 18 Golden Keys. Receive 20% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Aquarium: Unlock with 25 Golden Keys. Receive 20% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Astro-Twirl Rocket Ride: Unlock with 32 Golden Keys. Receive 30% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Lighthouse: Unlock with 15 Golden Keys. Receive 20% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Sailorman’s Pier: Unlock with 22 Golden Keys. Receive 30% boost to your population. Must be level 15.
• Luxury Boat Marina: Unlock with 50 Golden Keys. Receive 30% boost to your population. Must be level 15.

With these helpful hints, now you’ve got the tools available to you to go out there and expand a bustling beach in your game of SimCity BuildIt! Remember to stockpile Golden Keys when you can and unlock the buildings that require them and you’ll have a busy beach area in no time.

Jason Faulkner

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Jason Faulkner is the Editor at G4@Syfygames, and a contributor at Gamezebo and Playboy. He has an unabashed love for all things gaming and isn't afraid to get a little sassy to prove it. He can be found on Twitter @JasonFaulkner and you can view his other work at his portfolio.