One of the goals of video games has been to bring experiences together so that players can experience them vicariously. This goal is best achieved in simulation games. Simulations are games that simulate a real-life event or task. As technology improved, some careers, such as pilots and astronauts, even started using simulators to help with training.
Outside of their roots, however, simulation games have a dedicated following within the gaming community. Over time, the genre of simulation games used for entertainment has grown and developed, and some games have had more influence on this development than others.
ten The Sims: The Original Family Name in Simulators
When gamers think of simulators, The Sims is often among the first to appear due to its name and reputation. The last part of the series, The Sims 4, has dozens of expansion packs and hundreds of ways to play. The objective of The Sims has always been to provide as detailed and creative a life simulation as possible.
Gamers have happily run with the concept, creating a unique fan culture around gaming and pushing its boundaries to create beautiful homes, weird families, and quirky worlds for their Sims to participate in.
9 Kerbal Space Program: the right combination of realism and hilarity
Kerbal Space Program has been taking players to the stars, or their fiery demise, since 2011. Despite this game’s goofy mascots, it takes its physics very seriously. Therefore, Kerbal Space Program received praise for its realistic mechanics.
However Kerbal Space Program is not a perfect replica of reality, it applies physical reactions and consequences in a way that mirrors the real world. Although the goal is to get the Kerbals into space, many players have enjoyed designing abyssal spacecraft and witnessing the dramatic fallout when they fail to launch.
8 Stardew Valley: The Revival of the Farming Simulator
As its popularity has grown over the years, Stardew Valley has rejuvenated the world of farming simulators. While not striving for photorealism, this indie darling focuses on detail and the authentic experience. Players must carefully balance their short-term and long-term goals with the amount of energy and time they have each day, just as they would in real-world endeavors.
Stardew Valley promotes a wholesome and heartfelt journey for players to enjoy as they farm, mine, fish, and cook their way into the hearts of the valley dwellers.
seven PowerWash simulator: satisfaction and secrets
When PowerWash Simulator arriving on the scene in 2021, it seemed like just another cleaning simulator. However, when gamers started playing it, the game proved to be a satisfying chore with just enough clues about its weird world to further appeal to story-driven gamers.
Although very few text messages and strange clues hidden throughout the levels, they provide an intriguing backdrop for the task of upgrading your tools and blasting grime from every available surface in town until everything shimmers and shines.
6 Euro Truck Simulator 2: an unexpected fan favorite
A simulation game about driving delivery trucks across Europe was the last thing gamers expected to see among the most popular games on Steam. However, the euro Truck Simulator 2 that’s exactly it. Streamers and casual gamers alike love this driving simulator for its gorgeous scenery, great physics, and abundance of customizable features.
Although this may seem like the simplest task a game can provide, Euro Truck Simulator 2 understands its fair share of challenges, such as parallel parking and navigating complex European traffic flows.
5 Totally Accurate Combat Simulator: Parody at its Finest
Combat simulators have been an integral part of the gaming world for generations. Totally accurate combat simulator decided to ask what if these war games were absolutely hilarious. TABS, as it is sometimes called, applied primary colors, a cartoonish style and extremely sensitive ragdoll physics to create this beloved parody of battle and war simulation games.
Players can swing their armies through different parameters and grant them different powers to see which of the tottering masses will be victorious. There is also an online multiplayer mode so players can see how their forces stack up against their friends.
4 Goat Simulator: Absolute Simulation Hilarity
Although this is just a fun prototype, goat simulator carved its way into the hearts of gamers from the first glimpses of the alpha state. This brilliant addition to the simulator genre lets players take on the role of a mischievous goat determined to do as much damage as possible.
The more chaos players create, the more points they earn. A handful of intentional glitches and bugs give goat simulator its outlandish charm, encouraging players not to take the game too seriously and enjoy it for its ridiculous adventure.
3 Viscera Cleansing Detail: Gory, But Soothing
Detail of the cleaning of the viscera is the mundane simulation on the other side of every gory sci-fi horror game. Once the enemy aliens have been defeated and the space station has been cleared of threats, someone has to clean up all the mess left behind. This is where players Detail of the cleaning of the viscera enter. They go around the station and weed out all the gore and horror that happened earlier, getting rid of it properly.
Many players have described Detail of the cleaning of the viscera also “eerily soothing” as the repetitive tasks involved in cleaning replace the terrifying circumstances that made it so in the first place.
2 Papers, Please: Bringing Intrigue and Depth to the Genre
While simulation games are most often task-oriented rather than story-driven, there’s no reason they can’t be both. papers please puts players in the shoes of a border agent in a dystopian country caught in serious political tension with its neighbors.
Every choice the player makes when evaluating who can and cannot enter their country affects what happens next. They can be part of a secret revolution, take bribes to let certain people through, or try to get by doing the bare minimum and hope their country doesn’t turn against them next.
1 Job Simulator: approximation of human life
It is common for people to wonder how human life will be remembered in the distant future. work simulator takes this question to a comic conclusion. In this fun VR simulation, the player is a human being taken over by the robots that have taken over society. Since the robots don’t want their departments to be bored or under-stimulated, they have created virtual simulations of various jobs that humans used to do, such as chef, convenience store clerk, mechanic, or office worker.
Although the bots do their best to recreate what those careers looked like, some things are a little off, creating some hilarious shenanigans.
