5 Strange Simulator Games You Need to Try

Simulator games scratch a niche itch that arcs between being as realistic or outlandish as [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Simulator games scratch a niche itch that arcs between being as realistic or outlandish as possible, though the latter often provides a more memorable experience by putting you in control of something you'd never think to play as.

One of the most popular ones out there, if not in terms of player count than certainly by name, is Goat Simulator. The game does exactly as the name suggests and lets players take on the form of a goat as they go about their way in an everyday world while hopping around and consuming whatever's in their path.

It's a game that's spawned sequels and spin-offs, though other simulators stay in their corner of Steam or whatever platform you're on just waiting to be stumbled across. We've got some of the strangest ones here, and while these aren't all some obscure simulators that you've never heard of, they're certainly ones that are worth trying out.

Surgeon Simulator

A game with an announcement that inspired this list of oddball simulators, Surgeon Simulator puts unqualified players in delicate medical situations. Controlling a shaky-handed surgeon named Nigel Burke, you have to operate on a variety of lifeforms both of this world and beyond it.

The game came out years ago in 2013, but it's making headlines again because it looks as though it's coming to the Nintendo Switch. Bossa Studios shared a trailer that appeared to preview the game's release on Nintendo's latest console, though an official confirmation hasn't been shared just yet. It's hard to imagine what else it could mean though, so it looks like Switch owners will soon be able to operate on Donald Trump and many more patients in need.

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I am Bread

With games like Surgeon Simulator and the 2015 baking escapade I am Bread, Bossa Studios has a hold on the simulator market. Just as the name suggests, you play as a piece of bread in this game, and it's your job to get from Point A to Point B while still remaining sanitary enough to eat.

"Embark on an epic journey to become toast!" the game's story mode description reads. "Take on all hazards to deliciousness as you embark on your adventure throughout the home of an unsuspecting owner: from the kitchen, through the house, to the lounge, and then venture outside into the garden and beyond."

And that's just the story mode. Different game modes and characters from Goat Simulator and Team Fortress 2 inhabit the game as well. Life as bread isn't easy though, and you'll soon find that this game can be quite difficult.

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Hand Simulator

A game that's all about hands and what they can do, Hand Simulator lets you control your very own hands to perform different actions. While that might not be too exciting in everyday life, this game puts you in scenarios like handling weapons, milking cows, dueling, or even performing mundane activities that get much harder when you're trying to control a virtual version of your appendages.

It's got different levels and multiplayer as well, as described by the game's Steam listing.

Features

  • A lot of different levels. The game is developed every day; players' most interesting ideas are inevitably realized.
  • For online games fans there are many levels implemented in Hand Simulator; there you can have fun with your friends.
  • Detailed mechanics of weapons. In order to make at least one shot, you will have to work hard.
  • In each level, both online and offline, there are tasks in the performance of which, you will receive achievements.
  • Collectible cards.
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Robot Vacuum Simulator 2013

Boasting itself as "the most realistic robot vacuum simulator ever," Robot Vacuum Simulator 2013 looks like it has a pretty firm grip on that tile.

Controlling a robot vacuum with a perspective that puts you directly behind it, players have to traverse an open world to clean up all the debris that humans have left behind. The game was released back in 2013 by Stolidus Simulations, but you won't be finding this one on any Steam listing. Instead, you can head here to download the game for either the PC or Mac platforms as you embark on either a single-player or multiplayer experience that features both "fantastic music" and "a main menu."

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Octodad: Dadliest Catch

It's not a simulator in the strictest sense of what the genre offers, but that's part of what makes Octodad: Dadliest Catch such a fantastic game. The developers Young Horses describe the game as a "floundering father simulator" as well on the title's design site, which is more than enough justification for me to close the list out with this game.

Octodad is one that's right up there with Goat Simulator in terms of popularity, but it's actually multiple simulators in one. You're playing as an octopus who's doing his best to play as a human while managing to simulate the difficult role of being a father. As goofy as it looks, it's also packed with adventure and plenty of drama as well in the game's story mode. You'll come for the fun of suctioning around the world and knocking things over, but you'll stay for all the feels you're catching with those eight orange appendages.

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