The simulation genre is a vibrant one. Developers have come up with all kinds of twists on simulation, from the richly detailed Farm Simulator family of games to the infamously wacky Goat Simulator. Games like these thrive on Steam; simulation is fairly popular with indie developers, and it's easy for them to upload their work to Valve's storefront. Gas Station Simulator is a particularly good example of how simulators can make it big. Although it was once virtually unknown, Gas Station Simulator is now one of Steam's latest big hits, drawing in thousands of fans interested in owning and operating their own gas station.
As is the case with many simulation games, Gas Station Simulator does exactly what it says on the tin. The player character arrives at a run-down gas station on a dusty stretch of Route 66, buys it, and sets about renovating the place. The player cooperates with their uncle, who praises them for taking up the family business. Players have to be wary, though, because their uncle has high expectations for the player's performance, and there's consequences for not making enough money. Gas Station Simulator is an odd bird, and its appeal is hard to explain, but it does seem to scratch a variety of itches for fans.
The Core Gameplay of Gas Station Simulator
The player character in Gas Station Simulator is solely responsible for operating the entire business. They put gas in customers' cars, but they also clean up the gas station, run the cash register, make vehicle repairs, and more. Customers are demanding, so fans have to learn to move through their tasks quickly but skillfully to appease everyone and make a profit. In some of its Steam reviews, Gas Station Simulator fans agree that the game does well to simulate the stress of working in retail, and yet it's also very cathartic to master Gas Station Simulator's tasks.
Gas Station Simulator isn't all stress and frantic chores. It comes with a range of minigames, like a basketball court and online leaderboards to raise players' competitive spirits. The gas station is also highly customizable, allowing players to repaint the whole building and decide how the interior is arranged. There's also some memorable characters to interact with, such as the troublemaker Dennis who is ever determined to vandalize the gas station. Even among other simulator games, it's hard to find an experience that's the same as chasing off Dennis by throwing trash at him.
Gas Station Simulator's Curious Appeal
Gas Station Simulator players do describe the game as suffering from a few different bugs, but suggest many of the bugs enhance the frantic, wacky experience of the game. The notoriously chaotic Goat Simulator held a little bit of the same appeal, sometimes presenting itself as janky on purpose to get a laugh out of fans. In a way, bugs do have a different impact on the simulator genre. When a game is supposed to be pretty grounded and realistic, an absurd physics glitch can provide a surprising and delightful moment of levity.
It's hard to say why exactly Gas Station Simulator is one of the new stars of Steam. Maybe it draws in fans for embodying the dream of starting up one's own business from nothing and building that business up into a huge success. Maybe it speaks to retail workers who enjoy the fantasy of wreaking a little havoc when the job gets stressful. It seems to appeal to simulator fans on a lot of different levels. Gas Station Simulator is the work of a young indie simulation studio called Drago Entertainment, but if this game's surge of popularity means anything for Drago's future, the studio likely won't just be a one-hit wonder.
Gas Station Simulator is available now for PC.