Summary
For those who want a relaxing “other life” experience,real-life simulation gamesare an outlet for low-stakes relaxation. While other games focus on saving the realm, world, or galaxy, simulation games focus on the ordinary experience. From farms to suburban life, the options are vast and plentiful, but not every one of these games is a serene and high-quality experience.
With an endless amount of simulation games available, with new additions popping up, it can be hard to know what to play. Thankfully, some of thebest real-life simulation gamesaround that fans can check out for themselves are rated highly by fans and critics alike. These titles feature compelling gameplay loops that instill a sense of responsibility without making things too boring, which is a balance that good simulation games must nail to entice the masses.
Updated on May 22, 2025, by Megan Smith:Life simulation games have increased in popularity in recent years with players wanting simulation titles that mimic real life but allow them to escape from reality for a couple of hours. Games like TCG Card Shop Simulator or Euro Truck Simulator 2 are both some of the best life simulation games due to them replicating real-life jobs while allowing players to get some sort of entertainment about it. There are various interesting jobs to try out in these simulation games that a player may have never been able to experience otherwise. Therefore, these are some of the best life simulation games available.
One of the best life simulation games that players commonly play, especially on PC, isEuro Truck Simulator 2. Some players may be surprised by how addictive it is to simply hit the road in one of many trucks as they deliver various goods across Europe.
There are plenty of truck simulator titles to enjoy, with many others still to be mentioned, butEuro Truck Simulator 2is one of the greatest for those who wish to travel across the roads of Europe. There are plenty of cities to visit, with players likely losing countless hours playingEuro Truck Simulator 2without the worry of actually traveling away from their homes.
Card collecting has become incredibly popular in recent years, with fans ofPokemon,Magic the Gathering, and so forth buying countless packs of cards in the hopes of getting certain pulls. However, players who no longer wish to buy dozens of packs of cards may instead wish to become the sellers of these booster packs inTCG Card Shop Simulator.
As the name suggests,TCG Card Shop Simulatorallows the player to create their own local card shop like the various shops a player may have visited in real life. It is up to the player to buy various boxes of cards, sell rare finds, and set up various tables so that customers can even play within the store. A player is likely to find themselves hooked toTCG Card Shop Simulator, as even in early access,TCGis proving to be a great life simulation game that focuses on running a shop.
A crime scene cleaner is an actual job that some people have in real life, though few of them work for the mob and instead clean up after a crime once all evidence has been collected by the police. In Crime Scene Cleaner the game, the player finds themselves cleaning up after the dirty work of the mob to stop them being caught by the police.
This means cleaning up some pretty gruesome crime scenes, though some players may find this to be quite therapeutic as they zone out scrubbing away the blood and erasing any other evidence. This simulation title also has a story to it as the player isn’t just cleaning for money, they are doing it to keep their daughter fed and happy, even if that means doing the dirty work.
One of the simplest ways to simulate real life is by allowing a player to experience a work environment like building their own PC empire. InPC Building Simulator,it is up to the player to set up their own PC building and repair shop that NPC clients will call upon to help sort out all their computer problems.
Players may first start out by fixing simple issues like cleaning fans or replacing various parts to make sure a PC turns on before they start building computers that they can then sell for a profit.
Many players are likely to have worked some sort of retail job during their lives. However, players can become their own bosses inSupermarket Simulator,where they are able to not only build their own supermarket, but they can also decide what produce to sell and serve their customers themselves if they so wish.
Although a real job is simulated, many players have foundSupermarket Simulatorto be quite a relaxing experience as it allows the player to complete a mundane task, while also challenging themselves to make an incredible shop.
From the unique mind of Swery, the developer behind titles likeDeadly Premonition, comes a uniquelife simulation gamethat features a main plot while also tasking players with living out their lives in a small town. This is preciselywhatThe Good Lifebrings to the table, and it’s easy to see why the game is so eccentric given the history of its director.
The gameplay systems of this title can be pretty awkward to work around, and the story itself isn’t all that riveting. However, this game brings a unique flavor to the mix that makes it worth checking out for fans oflife simulation games. Players should be ready for some baffling game design choices and uninteresting gameplay, but there’s still a lot of heart inThe Good Lifethat isn’t really all that apparent early on.
Flipping houses is a concept that most people have surface-level knowledge about, with most people working in real estate going out of their way to purchase run-down properties before selling them for a profit after restoring them. This task can be pretty arduous and take a long time in real life, so fans are glad to see that these restrictions are done away with inHouse Flipper, a title that gamifies this concept in an entertaining manner.
The simple act of restoring run-down houses and decorating them as players see fit makes for a surprisingly engaging time. The gameplay is simple, relaxing, and something players can use to unwind as they take their sweet time decorating the house of their dreams over and over again.
AlthoughShadows of Doubtis set in a cyberpunk-themed future, the game itself still simulates a real-life world and a job for the player to be a part of. Those gamers who have always wanted to solve crimes should look no further thanShadows of Doubt.
The player relies on solving various murders and other cases that the police don’t want to look into in the hopes of making enough cash to get by. With some cases being harder than others, and an assortment of suspects to sort through,Shadows of Doubtalways has something in store.
The Sims 4had the rockiest launch in the series, with the game being almost completely devoid of meaningful content while also featuring several problems of its own that bogged down the entire experience. Many fans considered the game to be inferior toThe Sims 3in every way, which spoke volumes when it came to just how disappointing this release was.
Over time, the release of many patches, content packs, and expansions has madeThe Sims 4a lot more enjoyable, but that still won’t fix the damage from its disastrous launch. It may not have an impressive rating, but people who love the gameplay loop oflife simulation gameswill findThe Sims 4to be one of the best titles to check out in this regard.
At a glance, the idea of washing down dirty surfaces and the like sounds like the most boring thing in the world. It’s as simple as can be, so some people can’t understand whyPowerWash Simulatorhas become such a huge indie game. However, people who have tried this game out for themselves know firsthand why this game has attracted such a wide audience.
Washing surfaces and ensuring that no speck of dirt is left on a dirty surface makes for a surprisingly compelling gameplay loop. It’s a simple, zen game that players can use to relax as they wash down a wealth of surfaces using their power washing tool to wash off all the grime they can find in every stage in a low-stakes, comforting game that is pretty simple to get into and hard to stop playing once players get into the groove of things.
