Over the years, simulation games have gotten totally out of hand. Prankster game developers have created simulation games almost ironically, having players carrying out mundane tasks that they don’t even like doing in real life.
But there are others that are well researched, bizarrely fascinated with the subject, and genuinely made with love. Between operating a heart transplant on Donald Trump and pollinating flowers as a bee, there’s no end to what simulation game developers will come up with.
The Farming Simulator Series
Farming Simulator is exactly as the title suggests, as players have to oversee the inner workings of a small farm and make it grow into a giant, multi-crop operation. But the game delves much deeper than anybody would expect, as there’s a surprisingly deep amount of customization abilities.
Not only do players select their ideal crop dusters and other farming vehicles and tools, but they can design their farms and even create their own characters too. What’s amazing is that the Farming Simulator series is so successful that it gets an annual release, but it has its own niche market and it actually works as a great educational game.
Airplane Mode (2020)
Surely, Airplane Mode is the very last possible idea for a simulation game, as it has players simulate the most boring moments of their lives, sitting on an airplane and waiting to land. The game promises to give players the most realistic flight experience ever, with random spouts of turbulence, bad wifi connection, and delays — as if those things aren’t annoying in real life.
It’s a wonder who exactly this game was made for and who would want to play it, but there’s a novelty to loading it up during an actual flight. And at least the game has the decency to give players the window seat.
Street Cleaning Simulator (2011)
Astragon has become known for their in-depth simulation games with franchises like Farming Simulator, but they were scraping the bottom of the simulator barrel when they thought up Street Cleaning Simulator. The game has players literally sweeping the streets in different trucks, and it’s as simple as they come.
It’s similar to Lawn Mowing, one of the best minigames in Rockstar’s Bully, where players have to mow as much of the lawn within a certain time limit, but it’s nowhere near as fun. The areas in which players clean are so weirdly designed too, as the city looks completely wartorn. However, there are moments of sheer randomness when cars crash out of nowhere.
Surgeon Simulator (2013)
Surgeon Simulator is essentially like playing a digital version of the board game Operation. In fact, it’s exactly like playing Operation, as each direction on the DualShock controls the movement of the playable character’s hand, and players must successfully remove the internal organs of the patients.
The core game gets even weirder with its downloadable content. One piece of DLC has players performing surgery on an alien, and another DLC has players performing a heart transplant on Donald Trump. The game was surprisingly successful enough to get a sequel, as Surgeon Simulator 2 was released in 2020.
The Bus (2021)
There’s something about driving giant, clunky pieces of metal with gloopy handling around Germany, as Street Cleaning Simulator is set in the industrial European city too. The Bus sees players having to pick up and drop off German civilians, and it includes stopping at red lights and waiting in traffic.
Players aren’t exactly going to encounter Razor Fist and simulate one of Shang-Chi’s best action sequences. However, the sound of the tick-tocking indicators and the rain hitting the windshield is oddly therapeutic. And there must be somewhat of a demand for public transport simulation games, as Astragon also released Bus Simulator 21 this year as well.
Bee Simulator (2019)
Though there is a video game tie-in to the raunchy Jerry Seinfeld-led Bee Movie, Bee Simulator is much less cartoonish and sadly doesn’t feature any talking insects. But unlike many of the other simulation games, Bee Simulator is incredibly fun and has features that feel more like a “game” than just carrying out routine tasks.
The aim of the game is to essentially collect pollen from flowers, and though it can sometimes be a little too fiddly, flying through the environments is so much fun. There are other educational-like minigames too, including battling with wasps.
Urbz: Sims In The City (2004)
On the face of it, there’s nothing weird about Urbz: Sims in the City and it just seems like another spin-off of The Sims series, but the whole game is made up of weird occurrences. Clearly attempting to appeal to a specific age group, the game is all about players dying their Sims’ hair purple, getting tribal tattoos, and building their socialite reputation.
Everything about Urbz is such a strange attempt at being cool, and while the Sims games have realistic outcomes to the player’s actions, Urbz is almost fantastical by comparison. Even in the first level, players can’t get into a club because their character can’t dance, but is then helped out by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.
Goat Simulator (2004)
Goat Simulator is only really a simulation game by name, and the only thing that makes the game a simulator is the semi-realistic way that the goat moves and rams into things. The gameplay sees players causing destruction in a surprisingly dense open world, and it’s full of secrets and easter eggs.
Players can rack up points with each ridiculous act, and it’s more comparable to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series than it is to simulation games. Goat Simulator is ludicrous fun, and it’s mentioned in the same breath as the likes of The Simpsons: Hit & Run and South Park: The Stick of Truth as one of the funniest comedy games.
Desperate Housewives: The Game (2006)
Of all of the TV shows to have video game tie-ins, Desperate Housewives is by far the most surprising. It has a brand new script not seen in the TV series, as it follows an unknown family who moves to Wysteria Lane. Players control the housewife, who just happens to have amnesia.
The game is in the same style as The Sims, as players must keep up a healthy lifestyle and tend to household chores. There are some emotional deaths in Desperate Housewives, and the video game could have benefitted from some of them, as it doesn’t have quite the same depth as the show.
Toilet Tycoon (2000)
Toilet Tycoon might be the last simulator anybody would ever want to play. Even avid simulation fanatics would find it hard getting any enjoyment out of the 2000 game, as it forces players to oversee sanitarian installations of an entire city.
Rollercoaster Tycoon was a huge hit and so much fun to invest in theme parks, but the same can’t be said for Toilet Tycoon, as players invest in golden bowls and silk toilet paper. However, regardless of the quality or the contents of the game, it’s an ingenious metaphor for capitalism.
