Simulators are one of the earliest PC game genres, and remain compelling experiences to this day, even if they’re not as popular as they used to be.
I like all kinds of combat flight sims; the MS Combat Flight Simulator from 1998 was something special, and I’ve had some similar fun in IL-2 Sturmovik. The newest civil air sims are pretty great too, I’ll pop on a podcast and make a flight. They’re particularly cool in VR.
I’ve also found the MechWarrior games to be fun, but I’ve only played 2 and 5. I got to play a bit of Steel Battalion with the full crazy controller at a con a few years back, and that’s got to be a lot of fun once you really know what you’re doing.
So what’s your favorite sim?
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Elite Dangerous and i also love old school mechwarrior 2
DCS (Digital Combat Simulator)
Tons of well-simulated combat aircraft. IL-2 is probably the closest simulator to it.
DCS is what I play most of the time - particularly the Viper. I help run the unit I play with as well.
Elite Dangerous is the only other sim I play.
Look into falcon BMS
Falcon BMS is pretty nice. It’s like 5$ and the latest version just got out.
Elite Dangerous
X-Wing was the reason I jumped from Atari ST to DOS/Windows.
A-10 Attack and A-10 Cuba. Still the crispiest and most enjoyable flight sims I’ve ever played.
OMG I had so much fun with A-10 Cuba on classic macOS. It’s still one of my favorite games.
A-10 Tank Killer was the bomb.
This has to be roller coaster. Period.
Like the og Roller coaster tycoon 2 for example.
Is that a simulator game? I thought “tycoon” was a different category.
If it fits, I’m on board with it as the GOAT.
Yes roller coaster games are simulators. They are park simulators.
Assetto Corsa
Amazing game, could have more varied maps in free access servers, but the game is old so it’s ok
It’s my favorite racing sim. Good pick.
I spent a lot of hours in F-19 Stealth Fighter on the Atari ST as a kid. The manual for that thing was unbelievably in-depth. I’m utterly convinced I could fly real combat missions in that (fictional) plane.
YES! I PLAYED THE SHIT OUT OF THAT GAME!!!
I can’t believe no-one’s mentioned BeamNG.drive. The stuff that game simulates is off the charts. It’s been in ‘early access’ forever, but if you’re even remotely interested in driving simulators, it’s the gold standard for a realistic driving experience. Crashing in VR in this game is the most visceral thing ever. It’ll change you.
Here’s a clip of me driving a RHD Piccolina around one of my local roads a kindly modder added to the sim until I crash catastrophically.
I have spent a lot of money on iRacing and Elite Dangerous. I kind of miss it but also feel that i was way too deep into it to be having fun. It was a struggle to always make things better and i was not really enjoying my self
I like OpenTTD. Based off the old Transport Tycoon game
It was Aces High II
Carmageddon. It taught me everything I needed to know about the role of pedestrians while driving.
I think this is the first time I’ve EVER seen carmageddon mentioned. Great game
Dwarf Fortress, aka drunken dwarf simulator.
I bought that game just because I watched the Noclip documentary series on the developers. I haven’t played it yet, and I’m not sure I ever will, but goddammit I love those two men.
It’s not a simulator, it’s a parallel world.
For me, my favorites are:
RAH-66 Comanche for flying sim.
Wolfpack (from Brøderbund) for submarine sim. I believe it is also free on archive.org. (Added link: https://archive.org/details/msdos_WolfPack_1990)
Euro Truck Simulator 2 for trucking sim.
F1 2019 for racing sim. But it pretty much requires a wheel and pedals if you want to get really good, which does add to the cost.
EDIT: added link
