When it comes to simulations, there’s no need to strictly adhere to realism. In fact, doing so can detract from the immersive experience of diving into a video game’s universe. After all, video games serve as an escape from reality.
Simulation games come in a wide variety of forms and encompass various genres. You’ll encounter games with diverse graphics and mechanics, regardless of their level of realism. Some games even push the boundaries to offer unique and surreal experiences for artistic purposes.
10.Stardew Valley
You’ve recently inherited an old decrepit farm in a sleepy village town with barely anything else to your name. Stardew Valley starts you off with no idea of what you’re supposed to do beyond barebones farming.
Eventually, you’ll find out just how much there is to do for you beyond being the valley’s main food supply. As in-depth with its mechanics as this game is, it makes up for the setting by presenting you with a cast of charming characters and an ample amount of intriguing mystical moments.
9. Supermarket Simulator
Run your own supermarket. Stock shelves, set prices as you’d like, take payments, hire staff, expand and design your store. Online orders & delivery, shoplifters, security, local market are upcoming.
In Supermarket Simulator, every decision matters. Will you rise to the occasion, transforming a modest establishment into a retail powerhouse, all while balancing customer satisfaction, and finances?
8.Goat Simulator 3
Don’t let the name fool you. If you’ve been living under a rock for a good while now, you’re probably not familiar with what Goat Simulator 3 has to offer. Specifically, when it comes to the absolutely random sandbox-like experiences the game throws your way.
This game does not put you in the shoes of a realistic goat, since grazing on grass and being herded by an NPC wouldn’t be very riveting gameplay. Instead, you play a goat with a vendetta and goal to wreak as much havoc as possible with its herd.
7.Papers, Please
Working for a fascist regime has its ups and downs. Papers, Please make you experience what it’s like to be an immigration officer who decides other people’s fate. It ramps up the difficulty on you rather fast though, and you’re expected to be precise unless you want your family to die or suffer.
You can either be a good boy and help the regime, or you can aid the rebels who want to take over and save the country from tyranny. There are several endings you can get, some are funny yet most are rather sad. At least the art and funny dialogue make up for it.
6.Surgeon Simulator
Kooky and somewhat bizarre, this simulation about what it’s like to be a doctor with noodle arms and butterfingers will have you either cracking up or scratching your head in confusion for most of the game.
Forget everything you thought you knew about healthcare, sanitation, and human anatomy as you attempt to repair damaged human beings by shattering their entire ribcage (for the most part). Whether you’re in space, the future, or in a speeding vehicle, you won’t miss out on any fun.
5.Microsoft Flight Simulator
Tired of flying around skyboxes that barely feel immersive? Annoyed that the map looks like a collection of polygons instead of a well-detailed glorified emergency landing strip? Want more realistic cockpits with controls that mimic real life?
Microsoft Flight Simulator has you covered. Step into the shoes of a commercial airline pilot who’d ready to cruise through the world and explore the lands. This game’s focus is on providing you with a taste of what you can actually expect from being a pilot.
4 Ranch Simulator – Build, Farm, Hunt
Builder. Farmer. Hunter. Trader. Ranching certainly isn’t your average job. Think you have the skills to turn your family’s rundown homestead into the most prosperous ranch in the valley? Then it’s time to head out into the wilderness in this captivating single and multiplayer open-world simulator.
It was once your grandfather’s pride-and-joy, but your family ranch has fallen on hard times and it’s up to you to turn things around. Sitting in a remote forested valley, the dilapidated homestead will test all your abilities as you attempt to turn it into the most prosperous ranch in the region – either alone or in up to four player co-op multiplayer.
3.Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault
This war simulation features all sorts of moments from the war on the front end that you can finally play a role in.
Invade and occupy World War 2 Germany by assuming control of some of the most prolific companies to enter the fray. Lead Dog Company to victory by applying advanced strategies and relying on a smart placement.
2. Cabin Crew Simulator
Cabin Crew Life Simulator, the pioneering flight attendant simulator by SOGA Std. Dive into the glamorous world of aviation and kickstart your career by ensuring passenger satisfaction and safety. Navigate through exciting tasks on each flight, from serving gourmet meals to managing in-flight emergencies, providing an unparalleled passenger experience.
Role-playing as a beautiful flight attendant, you need to perform the duties of a professional cabin crew member, serving a variety of passengers from cheap airlines to five-star airlines.
1. Satisfactory
If there’s an alien world to conquer then you better be sure capitalism will soon follow suit. This factory building simulator takes place in space, and you’re but a humble builder mining resources and goods to later convert into products you can sell.
The best part about Satisfactory is that it’s an open-world experience with lots of interesting things to both explore and do. The main draw for this game is being able to automate everything with conveyer belts whizzing stuff about for your convenience.
The appeal of the top simulator games lies in their ability to provide players with an escape from reality. Whether you’re soaring through the skies in an airplane, managing a bustling restaurant, or even producing television shows, these games offer an array of alternate experiences to explore.
Here are the finest simulator games to dive into when you’re seeking a break from the mundane, regardless of your preferred gaming platform.
We’ve recently refreshed our list of the best simulation games to ensure accuracy and relevance.
15. Railway Empire
Platforms: PC, Xbox One and PS4
Set during the American golden age of railway, between 1830 and 1930, you are the proud owner of an ambitious young railway company. Plan your railway lines and run a glorious range of over 40 historically authentic trains along them. But remember- although a direct line might be more profitable in the long term, it might also bankrupt your company to build! In addition to rolling out your great iron roads across the country, the game affords you a large degree of customization, letting you hire your own employees, each with individual personality types, and even what carriages your engines will pull.
And for those gamers who would rather build their railway closer to home, the game also has a wide range of DLC, giving you the chance to expand your business to parts of Europe, South America and Canada.
14. Thief Simulator
Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch
The door to your robber’s career is waiting! Just crowbar the lock off and force your way through the threshold. Learn skills, collect tools and become a master of the thieving trade!
Gain levels and unlock new possibilities. Get useful tools. Together with newly acquired skills, they will pave the way to expensive items, which you can then sell on the black market. The tools of your trade include a crowbar and binoculars, as well as advanced equipment that becomes available as you progress, such as a laptop for hacking through security systems.
Scout out the neighborhood for houses to hit, and spy on their occupants to work out their daily routines. Then it’s time to go in with your janky black van and your diverse set of thieving tools and nick everything that’s not nailed down. Pick locks, rejig security systems, and cut holes in windows to become the best bad guy on the block. Just make sure you don’t get caught!
13. Cabin Crew Simulator
Platforms: PC
Welcome to Cabin Crew Simulator, the pioneering flight attendant simulator by SOGA Std. Dive into the glamorous world of aviation and kickstart your career by ensuring passenger satisfaction and safety. Navigate through exciting tasks on each flight, from serving gourmet meals to managing in-flight emergencies, providing an unparalleled passenger experience.
Role-playing as a beautiful flight attendant, you need to perform the duties of a professional cabin crew member, serving a variety of passengers from cheap airlines to five-star airlines. Watch as passengers embark on your plane, tucking away their luggage for the journey ahead. Once everyone’s settled, take the helm at your aircraft’s control panel, located at the forefront of the cabin, where you can survey your upcoming tasks.
12. Two Point Hospital
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch
Design stunning hospitals, cure peculiar illnesses and manage troublesome staff as you spread your budding healthcare organisation across Two Point County.
Build up a hospital from nothing to a masterpiece as you design the most beautiful – or functional – healthcare operation in the whole of Two Point County.
Optimise your hospital design to increase patient (and cash) flow, arranging corridors, rooms and waiting areas to your exact specifications. Expand your hospital to multiple buildings as you look to get as many patients through the door as possible.
Place decorative and functional items around your hospital to improve its prestige, lower patient boredom, increase happiness and keep those end of year awards flowing in.
11. Chef Life: A Restau
rant Simulator
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, PC, Nintendo Switch
Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator gives you all the control – from the look of your restaurant all the way down to the placement of individual peas on a plate. There’s a lot of do when you’re running a restaurant, so beyond learning how to make and subsequently plate each dish, you’ll also have to manage your suppliers to ensure you’ve got enough ingredients and organize your team’s shifts. Create and manage your dream restaurant! Menus, purchasing, décor, staff, equipment, customers… and don’t forget the actual cooking! Experience the daily life of a restaurateur and earn your awards from the Michelin Guide.
10. Not for Broadcast
Platforms: PC
It’s time for the National Nightly News. A nation tunes in, and you get to decide what’s fit for broadcast. Pick the most exciting (or scandalous) camera angles, bleep the swears and determine which ads to run to keep the sponsors happy. No pressure, right? I mean, who pays attention to the news anyway?
.The National Nightly News is live and you’re the brains behind the scenes. Beep the swears, keep the cameras on the celebs and keep the audience hooked in this darkly comedic game of televised chaos.
9. Farming Simulator 22
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Take on the role of a modern farmer! Agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry offer a huge variety of farming activities while you face the challenges of the four seasons, especially when winter sets in. Creatively build your own farm and extend your farming operations with production chains – forming an agricultural empire! Even run your farm together with friends and enjoy crossplatform multiplayer together.
Farming Simulator 22 brings a multitude of new gameplay features and offers more content and player freedom than ever before, including new ground working features like mulching or stone picking, an improved build-mode adding greenhouses and beehives, as well as a new character creator to bring your own, individual farmer to life.
A large variety of free community-created modifications, officially tested by the developer GIANTS Software, will extend your farming experience many times over. Rise to the challenges of becoming a successful farmer, start farming and let the good times grow!
8. Planet Coaster
Surprise, delight and thrill crowds as you build the theme park of your dreams. Build and design incredible coaster parks with unparalleled attention to detail and manage your park in a truly living world.
Simulation Evolved: The deepest park simulation in gaming history rewards your skills and makes management fun. Control every aspect of your guests’ experience and watch as Planet Coaster’s world reacts to your choices in an instant.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Surprise, delight and thrill crowds as you build the theme park of your dreams. Build and design incredible coaster parks with unparalleled attention to detail and manage your park in a truly living world.
7. Cooking Simulator
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Ever wanted to be the lone member of a professional kitchen? The correct answer is ‘YES CHEF!’ and Cooking Simulator is here to test your skills in a sprawling realistic kitchen. If your only experience of chef sims is Cooking Mama, consider this as a trip from the frying pan into the fire. Your diners are demanding, and not only that but cooking is no mere matter of waving a wooden spoon in the general of a pan. Instead you need to perfectly measure every ingredient, slice and dice your meats and veg and perfectly cook each item in the correct saucepan. Thankfully if you’re more in the mood for mindless destruction, that’s also possible here – and how a lot of our first meals went – with developer Big Cheese giving you the ability to start fires, break plates and blow up the microwave. Oops.
6. Two Point Campus
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, Xbox One, PC
Ready to go back to school? Don’t worry, you don’t have to go that far back. Two Point Campus is all about building the ultimate university and, if you’ve played Two Point Hospital, you’ll be familiar with the humorous tone of this in depth management sim. Build the university of your dreams with Two Point Campus, the sim with a twist from the makers of Two Point Hospital. Build, hire staff and run an academic institution packed with wild courses.It’s time to spin academia on its head! Got a yearning for learning? Or just keen to build an educational masterpiece? Campus is jam-packed with new creative tools to help you build the university of your dreams.
5. PC Building Simulator
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Build and grow your very own computer repair enterprise as you learn to diagnose, fix and build PCs. With real-world licensed components and comprehensive hardware and software simulation, you can plan and bring your ultimate PC to life.Build your very own PC empire, from simple diagnosis and repairs to bespoke, boutique creations that would be the envy of any enthusiast. With an ever-expanding marketplace full of real-world components you can finally stop dreaming of that ultimate PC and get out there, build it and see how it benchmarks in 3DMark!
4. The Sims 4
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X, PS5
Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that’s an expression of you. Download for free, and customize every detail from Sims to homes and much more. Choose how Sims look, act, and dress, then decide how they’ll live out each day. Design and build incredible homes for every family, then decorate with your favorite furnishings and décor. Travel to different neighborhoods where you can meet other Sims and learn about their lives. Discover beautiful locations with distinctive environments and go on spontaneous adventures. Manage the ups and downs of Sims’ everyday lives, and see what happens when you play out scenarios from your own real life. Tell your stories your way while developing relationships, pursuing careers and life aspirations, and immersing yourself in this extraordinary game, where the possibilities are endless.
3. Microsoft Flight Simulator
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X
From light planes to wide body jets to gliders and helicopters, fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition. The world is at your fingertips.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition features 37 airplanes, gliders, and helicopters with unique flight models, 25 handcrafted airports, 4 classic commercial airports, 14 heliports and 15 glider airports.
Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
Living World – The Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which includes live traffic, real-time weather, and animals.
2. Cities: Skylines
Platforms: PS4, Xbox, PC, Switch
Cities: Skylines came along in 2015 to restore the city-sim genre to its former glory, offering a contemporary reworking of Maxis’ original SimCity formula. Skylines feels like a modern city-sim in every sense of the word, and watching your metropolis expand and thrive in real-time has never looked so good. But don’t worry, not too much has changed. Your city dwellers still REALLY don’t like it if they live too close to the sewage plant, or don’t have clean water. Fussy. Cities: Skylines is also one of the growing number of simulator games that’s available on console, too, and the sleek user interface turns the comfort of a controller into a totally viable, not to mention enjoyable, option for those less au fait with a mouse and keyboard.
1. PowerWash Simulator
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
The best simulation games serve us something that should be a chore and turn it into something dangerously compelling. PowerWash Simulator just shouldn’t work and yet, when faced with endless miles of dirt and grime, all we want to do is grab our machine with its variety of nozzles and get down to filthy business. Wash away your worries with the soothing sounds of high-pressure water. Fire up your power washer and blast away every speck of dirt and grime you can find. Build your own power-washing business and unlock new tools, upgrades and more – all with the simple satisfaction of power-washing to a sparkling finish.
Relax, unwind in single player, or play with friends in Online Co-Op; either way, have good, clean fun. No dirt is too tough for your range of washers, nozzles, cleaners, and extensions. From casual, clean freaks to players looking to get into the nitty-gritty, everyone can pick up and play to feel immersed. Absorb the relaxing atmosphere and stress-free pace as you strip dirt from patios, pavements, vehicles, and public parks. Get creative and make art. Your nozzles are your brushes; the neighbourhood is your canvas. Sit back, relax, and wash your worries down the drain.