Simulacrascapes are intentionally modeled on foreign or historical prototypes and represent a global phenomenon whose evolution reflects shifting cultural currents, aesthetic movements, and power dynamics. This paper first traces their historical development from BC 3rd to the 21st century and classification, and then adopts a rigorous literature search methodology that combines snowball tracing from key sources, multi‑database keyword retrieval, and expert validation to build a multidimensional critical analysis framework. Our review shows that: (1) The evolution of simulacrascapes is shaped at the community scale residential simulacrascapes serve as symbols through which the aspiring middle class constructs identity; at the urban scale simulacrascapes function as growth machines of modernization and global branding, produced through alliances among governments, developers, new media, and consumers; and at the national scale themed simulacrascapes act as vehicles for dominant ideologies and arenas for power negotiation. (3) From a theoretical perspective, there is an overemphasis on formal reproduction at the expense of local meaning-making; the persistence of colonial narratives, consumerist discourses, and cultural displacement that undermine indigenous identity; and the commodification and staging of simulacrascapes that challenge claims to cultural authenticity. Finally, we outline directions for future research, including how simulacrascapes reshape and govern urban social space, the mechanisms of their spatial production, the interplay between local practices and meanings, the implications of a replication-and-hybridization continuum, and the advancement of theory through place-based case studies.