There are times recently when I’m scrolling through the PlayStation Store and one of those weird simulator games catches my eyes and makes me audibly wonder, “who comes up with this shit?” I mean seriously, do you remember when simulator games were just normal experiences that maybe had you building theme parks or test your flight skills.
Now, ever since virtual reality and PC gaming have grown, we’ve gotten some of the strangest simulation experiences that makes the Sims look more and more normal. Games like Surgeon Simulator and Goat Simulator were such a big hit that the flood gates opened for others to come with some truly “out there” concepts. We’re even at the point where there’s actually a new Farming Simulator every year that’s labeled like a new Madden or something.
As each day passes, even stranger simulators get made, so it’s worth looking at the top five strange simulators out there. Now, this list won’t be ranking these games solely based on their quality and level of fun, but also on the strangeness of their concept. Also, if you haven’t played Surgeon Simulator yet, it might not be on this list, but it’s definitely worth your time.
5. Maneater (Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows)
Although not considered a full-on simulator game given its RPG mechanics and design, Maneater is the biggest and greatest shark simulator to date. In Maneater, players become a terror of land and sea as a mutated shark on the hunt for vengeance against a terrifying hunter that killed its mother. The game gives off great Feeding Frenzy vibes with how players start as a young shark in a toxic looking lake and chomp their way through the food chain towards becoming a true terror of the ocean. There are also some awesome mutations that players can give to their sharks to give them an electric bite and cut through the water with force.
Maneater lets your Jaws fantasies come to life and go further than ever imagined. There are plenty of horrific creatures in the dark depths of the sea for players to take on to claim the title as the deadliest predator as well as a hit list of human hunters to have a deadly reputation on land. The story is also just plain incredible with the intense fun it offers, and the game has such a memorable personality that makes it endlessly thrilling, entertaining, and epic. The pure chaos one shark can cause by swallowing up one isolated swimmer is a truly sight to behold.
4. Bee Simulator (Available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One)
Did you ever think about playing a game and just wanting to be a honeybee? Well, whether you did or not, Bee Simulator exists and it’s exactly what you picture and somehow more. As a small honeybee, players will have to collect pollen and nectar to please the Queen Bee while also fighting against evil hornets to protect the hive and fly around the vast landscape inspired by Central Park. The game really immerses you into a honeybee’s view by making everything feel giant and creating a wide-open world for players to explore. You can even use Beevision to get a trippy, but greater insight of the world.
The game also comes with some delightful charm through some solid voice-acting, cutscenes that are ripped right from a modern children’s storybook, and a nice, wholesome tone. When you’re not fighting to protect your hive or gathering necessary supplies, there’s just something relaxing about flying through the nicely designed world created by the game’s developers – Varsav Game Studio. You don’t even have to have this Bee experience alone as there’s co-op and PvP – yes, you read that second mode correctly. Just watching Bee Simulator in action feels like a fever dream you need to get your hands on and gives players an experience that too enticing and strange to pass up.
3. Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (Available on Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS)
Have you ever debated with your friends about who could create the better army? Well, you can settle your debate with Landfall Games’ Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS). Landfall offers a variety of googly eyed warriors, known as wobblers, for players to create their army and takes on friends in a fight to the last wobbler standing. TABS offers non-stop fun and a diverse set of warriors you and your friends can bring to the battlefield. There are club-swinging foot soldiers, sword-swinging samurais, fist-swinging boxers, gigantic giants, wooly mammoths, dastardly wizards, tanks, Thor, and plenty of other fighters across different fantasy worlds and time periods.
There’s nothing more hilarious than watching these wacky wobbler soldiers trekking the battlefield and ragdolling all over the place. The addition of a camera that players can control to make the battle cinematic as hell makes everything better and TABS is probably the most gruesomely goofy game out there and lets some of your strangest and far off battle fantasies come to life. No wonder this game had survival horror and battle royale spin-offs.
2. Goat Simulator (Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, iOS, macOS)
I don’t even know where to start with Goat Simulator. Unlike other animal-based simulators that immerse players into lives of its central animals, Goat Simulator sticks players smack-dab in the middle of strange locations as a goat that can do it all. It can do crazy tricks to score points, traverse seemingly impossible heights, and cause absolute destruction with some hard hitting headbutts. There are even other goats you can unlock including a robot goat, angel goat, demonic goat, a goat wearing the head of electronic DJ deadmau5, a goat that has a jetpack, and so many others. Players can even end up finding a TV that plays a goat version of Flappy Bird that’s hard as hell.
Goat Simulator is an experience of its own simply because it tries to be everything while also being nothing. As much as it can be a fun, quest filled adventure with a weird and wild goat leading the charge, Goat Simulator can also just be a chaotic, ragdoll experience with the weirdest goat ever seen. Goat Simulator is undoubtedly a classic when it comes to strange simulators and still remains one of the strangest of the subgenre.
1. I Am Bread (Available on PlayStation 4, Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS, macOS, Xbox One)
How could a game where you play as bread not be number one on this list? From the same developers of Surgeon Simulator, Bossa Studios, comes a simulator where players play as a slice of bread on a journey to be toasted. The sheer visual of watching anyone, let alone yourself, try to control this piece of bread while making your way across the kitchen to the toaster is constantly hilarious and real challenge. The life of bread isn’t easy after all as falling onto the floor or running into ants makes you less and less edible.
Ever since I Am Bread’s launch back in 2015, Bossa has only made the game stranger by adding in new breads to play as, including a baguette that loves to break anything in its path and a bagel that races around the room. Players can even play as a lonely cracker trying to find a slice of cheese before it cracks apart. It’s a game that fully leans into its strangeness every step, flip, and flop of the way and is more of a challenge when you bring a friend along. I Am Bread easily takes the cake when it comes to being strange as it is the tried-and-true piece of bread simulator.
