best simulator games you can play right now

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The Sims 4 

The brainchild of Will Wright was bound to show up on here at some point, and as the most updated iteration in the decades old franchise, it’s The Sims 4 that currently remains the game to beat when it comes to suburban simulation. 

Dressed up with rich colour and brilliant animation, The Sims 4 provides an exceptional wealth of options for self-expression, customization and, yes, simulation, and the extent of this variety only continues to grow with the regular rollout of bespoke expansion packs. The Sims 4 turns the American dream into a virtual reality, and proves that the franchise’s niche USP still has legs in an increasingly crowded market. 

Farming Simulator 17

The promise of “over 250 farming vehicles and equipment from over 75 manufacturers” might not be the most exciting tagline for many of us, but it at least speaks to the extent that Giants Software are willing to go to provide the most authentic farming simulator out there.

The latest edition in the series is easily the best, with the updated visuals and controls effectively capturing the serene tranquillity and satisfying fulfilment of real-life farming without any of the physical toil. That’s not to say that there isn’t any mechanical depth to the proceedings, those crops aren’t going to grow themselves after all, but Farming Simulator 2017 - if nothing else - works as a therapeutic break from the stress and intensity of its genre contemporaries.  

Play it on: PC, Xbox One, and PS4 

Project Cars 

Perhaps more of a ‘simulation-lite’ than full-blown racing sim, Project Cars is nevertheless a fantastic entry point into the world of simulator games. With a focus on user-friendliness above all else, Slightly Mad Studios' original IP keeps things relatively simple by letting players race around the world’s most famous tracks in a variety of real life supercars. 

That said, Project Cars’ depth derives from its flexibility, as almost every aspect of the experience can be tweaked to suit the needs and desires of the player. Needless to say, it’s also a stunner of a game, confidently one-upping the majority of sim games when it comes to graphical horsepower and visual flair. 

Play it on: PC, Xbox One, and PS4

Cities: Skylines 

After the much fêted but flawed SimCity reboot, Cities: Skylines thankfully came along in 2015 to restore the city-sim genre to its former glory. By offering contemporary reworkings of Maxis’ original formula, Skylines feels like a modern city-sim in every sense of the word, and watching your metropolis expand and thrive in real time has never looked so good. 

It’s one of the few simulator games that’s also available on console, too, and Cities: Skyline’s sleek user interface turns the comfort of a controller into a totally viable and enjoyable option for those less inclined to the mouse and keyboard. 

Play it on: PC, Xbox One, and PS4