15 Most Realistic Game Simulations You Should Try

Whether you want to fly planes, crash cars or plow fields, there is a simulation game for you. Plus, there are some weird and wacky entries in the genre that might just be strange enough to pique your interest.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a sequel to the 2020 game of the same name. The game only promises to deliver two very realistic things, but does them at an extraordinary level: airplanes and a planet. The game offers a full representation of our real world and a very realistic flying model to match. It’s one of the few games where you can technically visit your own house.

In the game you can choose from an expandable range of handcrafted aircraft, allowing you to explore our planet, which was built using satellite imagery, photogrammetry, machine learning and many handcrafted landmarks. The 2024 sequel improves on existing systems by adding more aircraft types, an entire career mode, more realistic environments, and much more.

Euro truck simulator 2

Euro truck simulator 2 remains one of Steam’s best-selling games, more than twelve years after its initial launch. Take on the role of a truck driver and drive licensed trucks in real locations, with tight schedules and laws to follow. Additionally, you may only drive for about ten hours at a time before having to stop for sleep.

Even if it isn’t live service gamethe developers almost treat it as such. ETS2 has received over 90 DLC packs, some of which are full-size expansions that add whole new lands to explore. Very much Microsoft Flight Simulatoryou can visit your own home… if you live in Europe (although American truck simulator also exists). I recently saw a video of my city Western Balkans update and couldn’t believe how well made and detailed it was.

Assetto Corsa EVO

Assetto Corsa EVO is an upcoming one racing simulation. The franchise is highly regarded among racing and car enthusiasts as it has very realistic physics and mechanics. Besides, the original game is extremely fashionable. This is the third entry in the franchise, but since Assetto Corsa Competizione focused largely on GT racing, you can think of EVO as one soft restart that puts the emphasis back on road cars.

It’s the kind of game you want to play setting up a racing sim system. Assetto Corsa EVO is scheduled for release on January 16, 2025.

BeamNG.drive

BeamNG.drive isn’t your typical racing sim-ish Assetto Corsa. Rather, it is a sandbox vehicle simulation with an emphasis on soft body physics. This means extremely realistic crashes where cars warp and become unrecognizable with enough force.

BeamNG.drive It allows you to drive almost anything, from regular circuit racing and drifting to off-road driving on snowy maps. You can think of it as Gary’s Mod, but with a focus on vehicles. While the game doesn’t have any licensed cars, it does have an active community and lots of mods.

Cities: Skylines II

Cities: Skylines II is a highly realistic city building and resource management simulation game. Your job is to plan, build and manage a thriving metropolis full of realistic traffic, pedestrians, weather systems and more.

It’s worth pointing that out Cities: Skylines II had a rough launch and still suffers from some technical and gameplay issues, so consider giving the original a try (it’s often discounted on Steammaking it the better deal).

Landlord Super

If you want a real 80s British landlord simulator, you can’t get much closer Landlord Super. The gameplay largely revolves around building houses, managing finances and dealing with tenants. While the game has a lot of technical issues that aren’t likely to be resolved anytime soon, it has a charm that only true indies possess and is one of the strangest simulators you can get your hands on.

Farming simulator 25

The Farming simulator franchise is among the most renowned in the world of simulations. It’s exactly what it sounds like when you play as a farmer and have to manage all aspects of a farming business. You plant, grow and harvest different crops, buy and maintain machines, keep livestock, and so on.

Farming simulator 25 is the latest entry that adds more content, a dynamic weather system and more.

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 anything (even a Mars rover). However, once you start playing it, you will realize how satisfying it is to clean stuff with a pressure washer.

Don’t you believe me? The game has an overwhelmingly positive review score on Steam, with over 41,000 reviews.

House flipper 2

If you’ve always dreamed of making a fortune buying and selling real estate, embark on a risk-free journey with practice House flipper 2. Think of it as a highly detailed home renovation simulator where the goal is to buy a house cheaply, fix it up, and sell it for maximum profit (then do it again).

PC construction simulator 2

I love PC hardware. Building PCs is something I’d really like to do for a living, but since it’s not a viable career path I’ll just do it in PC construction simulator 2 instead of.

The game has over 1200 real-life components to choose from, and a bunch of extra tasks you can do, such as benchmarking, replacing the thermal paste on the GPUand even CPU delidding. The game provides excellent step-by-step guides to help you practice before building or customizing your own PC. Read our full review of PC Building Simulator 2 for more information.

Thief simulator 2

Thief simulator 2 is a simulation like no other. The primary focus is on burglary, also known as burglary. Your job is simple: find ways to break into a house, sneak around, steal valuables and escape without getting caught. I don’t want to reveal too much, because it’s worth experiencing the game for yourself.

Contraband police

Another very 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 in 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 the occasional shootout, but action is not the focus of this game.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

This may be a controversial choice, but I told my editor that I would only make this list if I could include it Kingdom Come: Deliverance in it, and I was just kidding. While Kingdom Come: Deliverance is technically classified as a role playI like to think of it as a medieval simulator.

The game takes place in medieval Bohemia. You play as Henry, the son of the village blacksmith, who goes on a quest to avenge his family. The game is notable for its high level of historical accuracy, fantastic graphicsslow and realistic combat system and a lot of survival elements that won’t let you forget the tough times you’re in.

Now is a good time to jump in Kingdom Come: Deliverance before the sequel arrives in 2025.

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 must manage and direct all military assets (air, land and sea) to conduct successful operations in a wide variety of scenarios.

If you find military operations interesting, this is the perfect game for you.

Football manager 2024

In Football manager 2024your job is to be the best football manager there is and lead your team to victory. Unlike other football games where you control players (according to EA Sports FC), Football manager 2024 continues to focus strictly on the leadership role only.

Your focus is on tactics, player recruitment and transfers, team finances and matchday decisions. It is a must-play for all football fans.

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There are so many great simulation games out there that I wish I had the time and space to mention them here. Honorable mentions go to Planet Zoo, My summer car, Resident, TCG card shop simulatorAnd Storage hunter simulator. With such a rich selection, you’re likely to find at least a few simulations that will pique your interest!