20 Best Free Simulation Games On Steam - The first knowledge sharing application in Vietnam

Some games aren’t about fantasy or sci-fi but recreating a playground that’s akin to real-life events, establishments, or activities. That’s why simulation games exist. Some players simply want a pressure-free game time that they can enjoy at their own pace, and that’s what most simulation games fulfill.

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Other simulation games thrust their players straight into the heart of a digital re-enactment of a conflict, complete with physics and physiological rules that are as close to reality as possible. That’s the beauty of simulation games. There are a lot of things to simulate in real life, hence the variety in this genre. Consequently, there are so many of them that some are bound to be free on Steam. These games make the best examples.

Updated February 28, 2023, by Sid Natividad: It appears the simulation games for PC aren’t about to slow down. Since there are now stronger and more impressive titles left and right at the start of 2023. The best part is that even the free simulation games are great despite the price tag.

Free simulator games on PC have always provided some kind of immersive respite, especially with the plethora of other games in heavier genres. But before players get excited with all the free best simulator games on Steam, it’s worth knowing first which ones are worth their time. After all, these still take up internet bandwidth and some precious storage space.

The Sims 4

Release year: 2014
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 86%
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The Sims 4 has always been one of the strongest simulation games to exist and it’s practically a genre flagbearer. Fans will be pleased to know that the base game is now free on Steam and rightfully so since it has nearly been a decade since its original release date.

Players need to be warned, however, that there’s a laundry list of updates, expansions, and DLCs that greatly enhance the gameplay experience and even add some mouthwatering additions to the regular sim household.

My Singing Monsters

Release year: 2012
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 94%
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My Singing Monsters has been out for a while now and it only made its way to Steam as a free game back in 2021. It’s practically a Tamagotchi game where players breed, feed, and train their monsters to sing in a beautiful menagerie of odd pets with beautiful voices.

Each monster prefers a different genre of music though if all of them are corralled on one island, they add up to a symphony unlike any other. Their charm and appearance alone will incentivize players to collect and protect more monsters for their choir.

Aperture Desk Job

Release year: 2022
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 95%
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Aperture Desk Job is a short and free playable game for the Steam Deck where players assume the role of an entry-level employee who just started work at Aperture Science, Portal universe’s notorious tech and science corporation. It’s mostly a flex from Valve with how pretty a game their Steam Deck can handle.

However, the short job simulation game also has its own charms from the wacky and absurdist humor to the lovely visuals. The game is currently one of the highest-rated free games on Steam though players ought to be warned that it requires a controller.

RaceRoom Racing Experience

Release year: 2013
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 73%
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A lot of the most popular racing games these days are either arcades or aren’t free. After all, good simulation racing games need to pay licensing fees for the brands and car manufacturers. Thankfully, RaceRoom Racing Experience offers what it promises on the title for free.

Granted, the game has been out for a decade now, so the free price tag is understandable. Still, it comes with full VR support for those who want to feel the rush and the adrenaline without going to race venues in real life. The graphics and physics also surprisingly held up well.

World Of Warplanes

Release year: 2013
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 74%
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Since Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 isn’t free, here’s likely the next best thing in the priceless category. World of Warplanes, similar to its other war brothers, World of Tanks, and World of Warships, is a somewhat precise vehicular playground that lets players fight with their favorite war machines.

In this game’s case, it spans decades of military and warfare history, bringing to the table dozens of different warplane models typically ranging from the diesel dogfighters of WW2. The game is also primarily an MMO so expect some heavy grind and progression systems.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Release year: 2022
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 77%
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Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel touts itself as the definitive edition of the collectible card game, and it looks to be Konami’s answer to the ever-growing and evolving digital CCGs. It’s about as lively and energetic as the actual tabletop CCG except this is more convenient since the math is automatically calculated and there are fewer disputes about the rules.

Of course, that’s only alright if players prefer their cards intangible and digital. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel can also be seen as an improvement over Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links as it has better and more updated graphics and a smoother UI. Overall, it’s one of the best ways to learn Yu-Gi-Oh! for newbies and also one of the best ways to play online for veterans.

OpenTTD

Release year: 2004
Steam All Reviews rating: Overwhelmingly Positive, 96%
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Ever wanted to be a transport system businessman? Then OpenTTD lets players try out that dream to see if they have what it takes and how much success they could accumulate. It’s an old game from 2004, so the graphics are rightfully outdated, but the game is kept well-running thanks to its community.

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OpenTTD is open-source, meaning anyone with programming acumen can add their own improvements to the game. It’s similar to city-builders except the game gives more focus on transportation infrastructure as players scramble to optimize the bloodline of cities while earning profits.

Crusader Kings 2

Release year: 2012
Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive, 90%
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Those who argue that Crusader Kings 2 is more of a grand strategy game than a simulator really need to play the game more. Because after a long while and some ample amounts of boredom, one can easily turn this medieval kingdom management game into a royal inbred gene mapping simulator.

Oh, and there are also plenty of aspects of kingdom management that can easily count as simulation, of course. The depth and scope of the actions one can do in Crusader Kings 2 are quite vast, as is evident in being able to force relatives to marry one another. Other stuff that can be done includes appointing a horse as a sovereign and compelling noblemen to cannibalize one another.

Pinball FX3

Release year: 2017
Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive, 88%
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It’s pinball, who doesn’t love that? It was everyone’s favorite game back in the Windows XP days especially after the modem craps out, and the internet gets abruptly cut. This time around though, the game everyone runs to when everything else is unavailable has gotten a 3D update.

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Pinball FX3 has some stunning visuals and as expected, a heavily-customizable pinball machine. The best part about this free game is that it’s backward compatible with the Pinball FX2 saves, meaning players can import their progress and rewards from that game.

theHunter Classic

Release year: 2014
Steam All Reviews rating: Mixed, 53%
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Don’t be put off by the mixed review score, theHunter Classic seems to be in a state of recovery as its recent reviews on Steam are in an upward trend. As for the gameplay, theHunter Classic is a free version of the popular Hunter games where people snipe game animals as would hunters in the modern world.

The game can be quite tranquil and meditative especially since the developers put great care into making the nature setting seem realistic or beautiful. theHunter Classic also offers several different locales and the most prominent endemic wildlife within them.

Rec Room

Release year: 2016
Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive, 91%
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Rec Room is VRChat’s smaller cousin since, like that application, it’s also a digital VR-ready space for people who want to hang out and make new friends. The difference is that it consists of player-made custom rooms where players can come and go as they please, provided they’re welcome.

Of course, players also get their own avatar here though it does offer less freedom compared to the pandemonium that is VRChat. The best part is that it’s cross-platform, and Steam players can share the same space with mobile or console players.

Russian Fishing 4

Release year: 2021
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 75%
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Something good and relaxing managed to come out in 2021. Russian Fishing 4 remains strong as the fourth entry in the series. It introduces better graphics and more of the same titular activity, which isn’t really that bad considering lots of people can’t go out to their real-world fishing spots.

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In any case, this free fishing game’s main bait for players is its stunning countryside visuals. One can almost breathe in the gnats and the scent of morning dew as they wrestle with their fishing after several long moments of calm before the storm.

Fishing Planet

Release year: 2015
Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive, 83%
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If fishing players prefer something a little more western past the Atlantic ocean, then Fishing Planet offers a swampy American landscape. It features bogs, swamps, and densely vegetated riverbanks — the perfect spot for fishing for some river monsters.

Oh, and Fishing Planet is also a multiplayer game with online competitive and co-op elements in case one wants to show off their catch to their digital fishing buddies. To make things more varied and intricate, there are several combinations of baits, rods, and tons of other fishing equipment which makes each fisherman player unique.

VRChat

Release year: 2017
Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive, 90%
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For some, VRChat can be considered more of a community than a fully-fledged game because of how it’s structured. That is, there’s typically no structure here. Players create their own avatar whether with VR equipment or without and then they’re let loose to the world to troll, pester, and generally have fun with others.

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This is the nest that provided a breeding ground for many memes, including the legendary Ugandan Knuckles which fizzled out too fast. One thing to note is that while it’s free, VRChat is still in its early access stage, meaning there’s plenty of room for changes and instability.

Shop Titans

Release year: 2020
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 78%
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Fancy running a shop? Shop Titans is the free game for that. It’s a cute game where players are given a small business to run in a medieval fantasy town. The catch is that the shop’s machinery and supply lines are somewhat nonexistent, meaning the players have to do everything.

That means dungeoneering is also on the to-do list if players want something novel or unique to sell. Once they’re back in the safety of their establishments, it’s all about business smarts as they try to control the economy and invent resourceful and creative ways to grow their shop.

DCS World Steam Edition

Release year: 2018
Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive, 83%
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DCS stands for Digital Combat Simulator, and that’s what DCS World Steam Edition is all about. It’s a simulation game for war, though it’s mostly a bunch of machines and vehicles going at one another. This means that the gore is somewhat minimized, assuming one stops imagining what happens to the pilots.

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DCS World Steam Edition is also not just about aircraft combat, but also all vehicles of modern warfare such as tanks and ships. Coupled with impressive graphics for a free-to-play war simulation, it’s heaven for any war history fan looking to re-enact the most engaging battles in modern-age combat.

Conqueror’s Blade

Release year: 2020
Steam All Reviews rating: Mixed 67%
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Conqueror’s Blade is also about war and it’s as ambitious as it can get — perhaps even more so compared to modern war simulators. That’s because Conqueror’s Blade is set in the Middle Ages. Players get to participate in large-scale medieval battles consisting of both bots and other players.

In fact, the total participant count for every battle comes in at 1,000 per faction. This usually results in a 2,000-man melee team deathmatch, where tactics and carnage ensue. To that end, Conqueror’s Blade is a simulator that’s not for the faint of heart, especially if one’s used to the quietude of fishing or socializing.

World Of Warships

Release year: 2017
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive, 79%
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World of Warships is a title similar to DCS, except it has a slightly smaller scale and theater of war. It only incorporates naval warfare but makes up for the lack of scene variety by having more complex and deeper combat mechanics.

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Any fan of naval history will find delight in the meticulously detailed warships that perform as close as possible to their historical counterparts. The graphics and sounds are also stunning, and it doesn’t take much for players to feel like they’re part of a huge Hollywood war epic.

World Of Tanks Blitz

Release year: 2016
Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive, 80%
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World of Tanks Blitz is World of Tanks’ smaller brother, developed with mobile devices in mind. Players can still opt to use their PCs for it, hence the Steam availability. In any case, it plays out similarly to World of Tanks with the exception of noticeably bigger but slower battles.

World of Tanks Blitz sees two player factions participating in large-scale tank battles, where they can pick and customize their war vehicle of choice. Being also a mobile game, it has some energetic events that are usually not present in the original World of Tanks, making it generally more fun and accessible.

War Thunder

Release year: 2013
Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive – 79%
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War Thunder is like DCS, but older and more established in its war theater genre. It has heavier RPG mechanics where players progress their ranks and also get to unlock new war vehicles ranging from tanks, planes, and ships. Again, each vehicle here is made as close to its real counterpart as possible.

What makes War Thunder more ambitious is the fact that it also has support for VR. There are thousands of vehicles to choose from and several eras of modern warfare made available with a balancing system that’s mostly fair for new and experienced players.

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