If you are looking for the best simulation games available today, you have come to the right place. After all, who hasn’t wanted to feel the thrill of driving a train, piloting an airplane, or even fixing a car, all from the comfort of their chair? Lucky for you, the selection of simulation stocks in the market has never been greater.
In a world of high octane shooters, battle royales and fantastic RPGs, simulation games remain universally beloved. They can offer an unparalleled level of detail and immersion, and there is nothing more soul-calming than starting a podcast and going on an epic road trip across Europe.
And the best part? What was once a very PC-centric genre is now really open to everyone. So whether you are playing on PC, PS4, or Xbox One, there is a simulation game for you.
Ready to immerse yourself? Let’s dive into our list of the best simulation games available right now.
Train Sim World
Train Sim World is perfect for those looking for a relaxing and engaging simulation experience – as well as train enthusiasts.
Released in 2018 by Dovetail Games, the creators of the long-running Train Simulator series for PC, Train Sim World is a train driving simulation that is very accommodating for beginners, but can be made more difficult for veteran players.
Add to that additional content added over time, as well as a free roaming mode where you can explore the routes on foot and take AI-controlled trains as a passenger, and Train Sim World is quickly becoming one. charming and evocative experience that you can easily gobble up hours of playing time.
Oh, and watch for the sequel due out in August, featuring the Bakerloo Line in London. All the fun of the metro without the overcrowding? Sign us up.
X-Plane 11
Driving trains is one thing, but how about piloting planes? Walk over here and get ready for take off.
The original X-Plane came out in 1995 and was a very advanced tool to help train pilots before they took to the skies for real. This is the level of realism we are dealing with in X-Plane 11, released in 2017 on PC. Using an aerodynamic model based on blade element theory, this game features some of the most realistic flight physics and aerodynamics ever seen in games.
With huge swathes of the world modeled in the game, as well as a huge roster of planes to take control, X-Plane 11 is the perfect reason to dust off your joystick and have lots of fun.
Farming Simulator 19
Yes really. A game revolving around harvesting crops and running your farm is one of the most popular simulation games out there – and rightly so.
Turns out, there’s nothing better for relieving stress – and giving you immense levels of satisfaction – than hanging around the fields of your farm in your combine, literally harvesting what you want. sow. This game is also both management and simulation – your farm has to make a profit, after all! – and there is a huge selection of tractors, vehicles and equipment to acquire as your agricultural empire expands. And of course there are cattle to look after, including cows, sheep and even horses.
And you don’t even have to get your fingers dirty in the process. The dream!
Assetto Corsa
Since its release in 2014, Assetto Corsa has combined an excellent base game engine, ultra-realistic driving physics, a wide variety of content, and a modding community capable of adding everything from lawn mower races to Tokyo freeway roaming maps. .
The best way to see Assetto Corsa is like a blank canvas with unlimited potential. Fancy a super immersive racing experience? AC has that. Highway cruise? Mods can provide it easily. Thanks to a strong community, AC is possibly the most realistic and in-depth drift simulation on the market today.
For hardcore simulation pilots, AC continues to be the benchmark.
Gran Turismo Sport
For those looking for a fun and realistic driving experience accessible to all skill levels, look no further than Gran Turismo Sport.
Polyphony Digital’s legendary franchise took a very different direction with GT Sport when it was first released in 2017, seeking to combine online matchmaking and realistic driving physics of more hardcore sims with an accessible platform for all skill levels. of competence. The game is super fun to play on a controller as well as a wheel, and constant support and free content updates have kept the game always fresh.
No other simulation racing title has the pick-up-and-play factor of GT Sport; unlike a title like AC, you don’t need a fancy racing simulation rig to have fun. Simply grab a controller and dive straight into a race against human or AI opponents in minutes.
And typically for a Gran Turismo game, it looks quite stunning. What more could you want?
BeamNG.Drive
What if you just wanted to drive vehicles rather than pilot them? Well, dear reader, here is your answer: BeamNG.Drive.
First released in 2015, BeamNG.Drive features a revolutionary physics engine for flexible bodies, enabling hyper-realistic levels of manipulation and damage. In fact, these physics are so realistic that BeamNG.Drive would have been used in the movie industry to test action sequences and stunts before actually doing them on set. Now this is a serious endorsement.
Additionally, a recent partnership with Automation allows players to design and build their own cars in Automation, then export them to BeamNG.Drive to actually drive them in this game – isn’t that cool?
For the ultra-realistic driving simulation you never thought you needed, BeamNG.Drive is for you.
Auto Mechanic Simulator 2018
Again, what if you don’t really want to drive a car, but rather get under the hood and tinker with it? This is where Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 comes in.
The Red Dot Games spanner-them-up was first released in 2017, and revolves around running your own auto repair shop. From humble beginnings and evolving your workshop into an auto maintenance giant, the main appeal of Car Mechanic Simulator is its incredible levels of detail to the inner workings of a car. Take apart and rebuild engines, swap wheels, change brakes and transmissions, fix rusty bodywork, you name it, this game has it.
The player can also acquire Project Cars from the Barn Find and Junkyard Mods, for those true Gas Monkey Garage vibes. The satisfaction of turning that bucket of rust you found in a shed into a nasty machine is absolutely unmatched.
And the best part? 100% less fat and less manual labor than doing it for real. Win-win.
Kerbal Space Program
Because when the world is not enough, there is the Kerbal Space Program.
First launched into orbit in 2015, Kerbal Space Program is a space flight simulator like no other. Don’t be fooled by the adorable Kerbals you control; The spaceships you build and operate are all as ultra-realistic as it gets, and run in an orbital physics engine that simulates interplanetary travel at overwhelming levels of depth. This is a game where you can really tell that yes it is in fact is rocket science.
And don’t take our word for it; the game has received the attention and praise of some of the world’s leading scientists and space exploration organizations, including NASA, the European Space Agency, and SpaceX.
Be warned, the learning curve is almost as steep as the trajectory of your rocket when it launches into space. But that makes any success, from launching into orbit to landing on another planet, all the more rewarding.
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Driving through Europe in a truck for hours on end to deliver a variety of goods? Where’s the fun in that? Ready to be surprised.
We all love an epic roadtrip, right? Turn on the radio and let the hours roll by as you roam the open roads and travel to new places. Euro Truck Simulator 2 provides all of this, while adding the tension of delivering your goods on time and in one piece, and managing your haulage business and HQ delivery contracts. There’s just enough of it to keep you focused on the road, while still letting you relax and catch up with the podcasts you wanted to listen to. And with a map covering huge parts of Europe, there will be long journeys to be covered.
And did we mention that there is also an American Truck Simulator? Yeah, it’s about time you got in your truck and hit the road.
