Job simulation game
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Job simulation game, also known as job simulator or job sim, is a genre of simulation video game centered on performing tasks associated with particular occupations, such as farming, driving and delivering packages. It is distinguished from business simulation games, which generally place greater emphasis on management and higher-level decision-making. Examples of job simulation games predate the 2020s, while the genre became more visible during the late 2010s and 2020s. The 2019 post-apocalyptic delivery game Death Stranding was a AAA example, while numerous indie games in the genre were released during the 2020s, some of which overlap with cozy games. Players may use job simulators to experience aspects of occupations they do not perform themselves or variations on jobs with which they are already familiar.[1]
Examples
[edit]House Flipper, released in 2018, focuses on the real estate practice of house flipping. SnowRunner, released in 2020, is an off-road delivery simulator.[2] In 2022, Hardspace: Shipbreaker, in which the player works as a starship shipbreaker for the corporation Lynx, and PowerWash Simulator, which centres on pressure washing, were released.[3] In 2025, Cabin Crew Life Simulator earned its developers more than US$100,000.[4] In 2026, Cozy Lives released Dressmaker, in which the player works as a dressmaker.[5]
Delivery games are a related type of job simulation in which players transport objects or packages between locations. Examples include American Truck Simulator (2016), Lake (2021), and the Death Stranding games.[6]
Job-simulation mechanics have also been added to other games through mods. A mod for the open-world third-person shooter Red Dead Redemption 2 allows protagonist Arthur Morgan to take work from a job board,[7] while Oblivion Remastered received a mod adding similar job mechanics.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Piantini, Michael (2025-08-25). "Why Do We Like Games That Make Us Work?". GameSpot. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Stuart, Keith (2020-05-25). "'Transcendentally boring': the joy of job simulation games". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Potter, Aaron (2022-12-20). "Job simulators: games that find magic in the mundane". Film Stories. Archived from the original on 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Wood, Austin (2025-03-13). ""Success beyond expectations, earning over $100,000": This weird job sim made in a year would be torture for me, but it's changed its developer's life after "bitter failure"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Almogabar, Stephanie (2026-09-23). "This Simulation Game Lets You Cut and Sew Your Own Dresses". 80 Level. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ Wald, Heather (2025-07-15). "I'm entering my mailman era with these 5 delivery games, and Death Stranding 2 is entirely to blame". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Cryer, Hirun (2023-07-04). "Red Dead Redemption 2 turns into a chill job sim thanks to this mod". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Koselke, Anna (2026-02-03). "This Oblivion Remastered mod adds actual jobs to Bethesda's revamped RPG, just in case you're not already sick of working your 9-5 in real life". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
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