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Whether you're looking to fly planes, crash cars, or plow fields, there's a simulation game out there for you. On top of this, there are some weird and wacky entries in the genre that might just be odd enough to pique your interest.
1 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a sequel to the 2020 game of the same name. The game promises to deliver only two highly realistic things, but it does them at an extraordinary level: planes and planet. The game features a complete rendition of our real world, and a highly realistic flight model to match. It's one of the few games where you can technically visit your own house.
The game lets you pick from an expandable roster of handcrafted aircraft, allowing you to explore our planet, which was built using satellite imagery, photogrammetry, machine learning, and many handmade landmarks. The 2024 sequel improves on existing systems by adding more aircraft types, a whole career mode, more realistic environments, and much more.
2 Euro Truck Simulator 2
Euro Truck Simulator 2 remains one of Steam's best-selling games more than twelve years after its initial launch. Step into the role of a trucker and drive licensed trucks in real locations, with tight schedules and laws to follow. Also, you can only drive for around ten hours at a time before having to make a stop to sleep.
Although it's not a live service game, the devs almost treat it as such. ETS2 has received over 90 DLC packs, some of which are full-size expansions that add entire new countries to explore. Much like Microsoft Flight Simulator, you can visit your own house... if you live in Europe (though American Truck Simulator also exists). I saw a video of my city in the latest West Balkans update and couldn't believe how well-made and detailed it was.
3 Assetto Corsa EVO
Assetto Corsa EVO is an upcoming racing simulation. The franchise is held in high regard among racing and car enthusiasts, as it has highly realistic physics and mechanics. Plus, the original game is extremely moddable. This is the third entry in the franchise, but since Assetto Corsa Competizione largely focused on GT racing, you can think of EVO as a soft reboot that puts the emphasis back on street cars.
It's the kind of game that'll make you want to set up a racing sim system. Assetto Corsa EVO is scheduled to be released on January 16, 2025.
4 BeamNG.drive
BeamNG.drive isn't your typical racing sim like Assetto Corsa. Rather, it's a sandbox vehicle simulation with a focus on soft body physics. That means extremely realistic crashes where cars warp and become unrecognizable given enough force.
BeamNG.drive allows you to drive almost anything, from regular track racing and drifting to off-roading on snowy maps. You can think of it as Garry's Mod, but with a focus on vehicles. Although the game doesn't have licensed cars, it does have an active community and loads of mods.
5 Cities: Skylines II
Cities: Skylines II is a highly realistic city-building and resource management simulation game. Your job is to plan out, build, and manage a thriving metropolis filled with realistic traffic, pedestrians, weather systems, and more.
It's worth pointing out that Cities: Skylines II had a rocky launch and still suffers from some technical and gameplay issues, so consider giving the original a try (it's often discounted on Steam, making it the better deal).
6 Landlord's Super
If you want a true 1980s UK landlord simulator, you can't get much closer than Landlord's Super. The gameplay largely centers on house building, managing finances, and dealing with tenants. While the game has a lot of technical issues that aren't likely to be fixed anytime soon, it has a charm that only true indies possess and it's one of the weirder simulators you can get your hands on.
7 Farming Simulator 25
The Farming Simulator franchise is among the most renowned in the world of simulations. It's exactly what it sounds like—you play as a farmer and have to manage all aspects of a farming operation. You plant, grow, and harvest various crops, purchase and maintain machinery, raise livestock, and so on.
Farming Simulator 25 is the latest entry that adds more content, a dynamic weather system, and more.
8 PowerWash Simulator
PowerWash Simulator is probably one of the strangest simulation games, at least at first glance. It's a game where you use a pressure washer to clean pretty much everything (even a Mars rover). However, once you start playing it, you'll realize how satisfying cleaning stuff with a pressure washer actually is.
Don't believe me? The game has an overwhelmingly positive review score on Steam, with over 41,000 reviews.
9 House Flipper 2
If you've always had a dream of making your fortunes buying and selling property, start a risk-free journey practicing with House Flipper 2. Think of it as a highly detailed house renovation simulator where the goal is to buy a house for cheap, fix it up, and sell it for maximum profit (then do it again).
10 PC Building Simulator 2
I love PC hardware. Building PCs is something I'd love to do for a living, but since it's not a viable career path, I'll just do it in PC Building Simulator 2 instead.
The game has over 1,200 components from real-life to choose from, and a bunch of extra tasks for you to do like benchmarking, changing thermal paste on the GPU, and even CPU delidding. The game provides excellent step-by-step guides that allow you to practice before you build or mod your own PC. Read our full review of PC Building Simulator 2 for more information.
11 Thief Simulator 2
Thief Simulator 2 is a simulation like no other. The primary focus is on breaking and entering, aka burglary. Your job is simple: find ways to get into a house, sneak around, steal valuable items, and escape without getting caught. I don't want to spoil too much, as it's worth experiencing the game for yourself.
12 Contraband Police
Another highly-specific simulation game, Contraband Police is a game that puts you in the shoes of a border inspector in a fictional communist state called Acaristan. Set during the 80s, your goal is to stop criminals from smuggling contraband into the country. I say "intended" because you can also be corrupt and take bribes. There are guns and occasional shootouts, but action is not the focus of this game.
13 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
This might be a controversial pick, but I told my editor that I'd only make this list if I could include Kingdom Come: Deliverance in it—and I was only half-joking. While Kingdom Come: Deliverance is technically classified as a role-playing game, I like to think of it as a medieval simulator.
The game is set in medieval Bohemia. You play as Henry, the village blacksmith's son, who goes on a quest to avenge his family. The game is notable for its high level of historical accuracy, fantastic graphics, slow and realistic combat system, and a ton of survival elements that make sure you don't forget the harsh times you're in.
Now is a great time to jump into Kingdom Come: Deliverance before its sequel arrives in 2025.
14 Command: Modern Operations
Command: Modern Operations is a real-time strategy game that focuses entirely on modern military operations. You act as a military commander who has to manage and direct all military assets (air, land, and sea) to execute successful operations in a wide variety of scenarios.
If you find military operations interesting, this is the perfect game for you.
15 Football Manager 2024
In Football Manager 2024, your job is to be the best football (soccer) manager there is and lead your team to victory. Unlike other football games where you control players (as per EA Sports FC), Football Manager 2024 strictly maintains its focus on just the managerial role.
Your focus is on tactics, player recruitment and transfers, team finances, and match-day decisions. It's a must-play for all football fans.
There are so many great simulation games out there that I wish I had time and space to mention them here. Honorable mentions go to Planet Zoo, My Summer Car, Denizen, TCG Card Shop Simulator, and Storage Hunter Simulator. With such a rich selection, you'll likely find at least a few simulations that'll capture your interest!