PPG Game Of The Year 2024 - 28 - Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?

Simulators have been all the rage for a long time, but the specificity with which they micro target an often mundane idea and draw the fun out of it is a fascinating one. While there is often many bottom of the barrel asset flips in the space, this group of sims are the cream of the crop, compelling and oftentimes zen in equal measure. It’s proof that even asset flips can be great, if the design behind them is thoughtful and built from a place of wanting to evoke joy.

Supermarket Simulator (EA)
Grounded Small Business Ownership
I think the reason this one hit big vs many of the others of this type is because it sets a kind of ideal in a produce customer service idea of the role - a smaller store where you see a tangible effect on the people involved with this store. There's a good tactility to this as well - building your store layout, placing the items, manually managing the cash. It's an engaging ideal.

Denizen (EA)
Open Ended Sim
Pretty open ended life sim where you just exist in a space and can decide what you want to do and how to make a living for yourself. Still plenty to add yet, but already neat to just be in.

City Bus Manager
Run A Full Fledged Bus Depot
Build your own public transport company by scratch, with drivers, routes, time management and more. The coolest feature to this is the fact that the setting can be a real life town or city from all around the world with real map data. Think you can devise a better system than currently exists in your town or city? This is probably a good way to test your theory!

Train Yard Builder
Model Train Lovers Paradise
The dedication to emulating the ideal of a real life model train setup is bordering absurd. Exquisite detail is found in building out model train yards in a lovingly rendered virtual garage, with a deep suite of tools to build and customize for hours on end.

Finnish Cottage Simulator
Escape To The Woods
A paired down life sim about hanging and relaxing. Get drunk and play games with other people, hang out in the sauna, go fishing, grill your catch.

And The Best Life Simulator Game Of 2024 Is…

TCG Card Shop Simulator (EA)
Business Owner Sim
Run your own trading card store. Is very mundane, but addicting. Get down in the minutiae of selling cards, packs of cards and boxes of cards, set up play tables and build a business from scratch. It’s a really clever mash up, all things considered - TCGs have been the fever pitch of the zeitgeist for several years now, and this game smartly lets you not only sell the packs and run the store, but lets you open the packs yourself as well, lest you find some rare cards and be able to sell them at a higher price. The fact that you also need to go around and spray smelly nerds with deodorant is both hilarious and makes it evident that the devs know this niche.