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 are the best examples.

Updated June 18, 2024 by Rie Takumi: The best simulation games, especially free simulation games on Steam, blend fun experiences with premium features to keep players hooked. Some free-to-play projects may have freemium purchases available for players who want developers to continue their work. Others are completely free to share their passion or entice gamers to follow their work.

With so many free-to-play options on Steam, these simulation games need a good hook to keep players on. However, even short games that last for an hour or so leave a mark.

26 Doronko Wanko

Simulate The Experience Of Having A Mischevious Pomeranian

Historical Pomeranians used to be bigger and have a dignified aura, but in their current form, they’re often inoffensive purse dogs. But as a cute Pomeranian in Doronko Wanko, players can embody its furry little rage and mess up a perfectly clean home.

Controls are simple and dogs have a variety of ways to mess up their family’s new home. Wanko can splash the mud on their fur and roll in mud again to reload. They can jump to splash dirt across rooms, rub mud on furniture, and knock furnishings over with their adorable paws.

25 Palia

Multiplayer Cozy Farming Sim

Palia is the dream game for every farming and life sim enthusiast who always wanted to play with more than four friends at a time. As a free-to-play MMORPG, players can create their characters and join their friends immediately via friend list. Once on the list, players can invite their friends to the same server and party up.

It’s arguably easier to grind away at activities with friends, as parties can share loot while mining, logging, bug catching, cooking, and fishing. Hunting also gives shared loot save if one party member one shots their prey.

24 Shop Titans

Mostly Positive (14,667 reviews)

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.

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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.

23 RaceRoom Racing Experience

Mostly Positive (20,035 reviews)

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.

22 Cell To Singularity - Evolution Never Ends

Create And Evolve Life From Simple Cells To Sci-Fi Races

Released in 2021 after nearly three years in Early Access, Cell to Singularity - Evolution Never Ends remains a fun and educational clicker game. Cell to Singularity is also surprisingly loaded with content, as expected of a game that aims to simulate life from a simple cell to the 22nd century.

Players tap the screen to earn points that enable them to evolve and upgrade their current form. More currencies and evolutionary paths unlock and, eventually, resetting the simulation will unlock higher levels within a time period. If players progress enough, they can reach The Beyond or the stage where they can explore galaxies beyond the Sol system.

21 One-armed Cook

Hilarious Cooking Game With Steep Difficulty Curve

One-armed Cook’s multiplayer mode says four hands split between four players. As expected, coordination is key to preparing, cooking, and serving food in online co-op, as well as the miscellany of running a resto with an arm apiece.

Single players don’t have to worry about coordinating with others, but they do have to worry about having only one hand to cook anything more complicated than an omelet. And if they ever grow bored of the base game and its dozens of DLCs, they have One-armed Robber from the same developer to tide them over.

20 Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator

Cute Free-To-Play Pixel Horror Simulator

A free-to-play entry in the Five Nights At Freddy’s mega franchise, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator allows players to run the eponymous pizzeria. Players can design their own pizza by adding various toppings, and then deliver the pizza to customers.

But, as a Five Nights At Freddy’s title, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s something wrong. Players are transported to the real game where they’re forced to run a fake pizzeria between the usual vent-horror gameplay. For a free game and teaser for the next proper FNAF title, Pizzeria Simulator had a ton of mini games and shock to keep players hooked.

19 Russian Fishing 4

Mostly Positive (37,305 reviews)

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.

18 Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Mostly Positive (67,436 reviews)

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.

17 World Of Warships

Mostly Positive (132,967 reviews)

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.

16 VRChat

Mostly Positive (207,640 reviews)

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.

15 War Thunder

Mostly Positive (432,622 reviews)

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.

14 FPV SkyDive: FPV Drone Simulator

Very Positive (1,095 reviews)

Drone simulators have gotten advanced thanks to more enthusiasts craving the experience. With simulators, fans can get a feel for drone racing without investing heavily in equipment. Racers can even use simulators to approximate flight conditions or get a feel for the controls.

FPV SkyDive: FPV Drone Simulator is a free-to-play drone racing simulator with neat features. Players can practice flying through different terrains and elevations. When they feel their skills are up to par, they can queue up and compete with other players through global contests.

13 Pinball FX3

Very Positive (4,667 reviews)

Who doesn't love pinball? It was everyone's favorite game back in the Windows XP days, with or without internet access, and was the go-to game for gamers when their modem gave out. 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, an updated sound design, and 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.

12 One-Armed Cook

Very Positive (18,393 reviews)

Overcooked and Cook, Serve, Delicious! blew up in popularity due to fast-paced, culinary chaos. Time pressure and specific steps whip up lobbies into a frenzy that players must work through. One-Armed Cook delivers the same adrenaline-pumping gameplay for free.

What’s more, One-Armed Cook’s goofy premise and physics engine raise the stakes on delivering steaks and other meals. Up to 4 players can work as a team or sabotage each other’s efforts. It’s up to players how they prep, cook, serve, bartend, and wash dishes in this physics-based multiplayer game.

11 Aperture Desk Job

Very Positive (20,759 reviews)

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.

10 DCS World Steam Edition

Very Positive (30,386 reviews)

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.

9 My Singing Monsters

Very Positive (33,225 reviews)

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.

8 Fishing Planet

Very Positive (50,394 reviews)

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.

7 Rec Room

Very Positive (58,471 reviews)

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.

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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.