4 more promising indie simulation games to keep an eye on

October 2023’s Steam NEXT event brought us many upcoming simulation games! So many, in fact, that we had to split them into two articles! Today, I’m bringing you four simulation games that I’m pretty excited about.

Today’s list offers a varied bounty with a lot of nostalgic callbacks to games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Cooking Mama. 

There are just so many simulation games out there. But, here are four more that I thought looked fun.

Chill Town

Steam tags are life sim, building, farming sim, and single-player.

Low-Hi Tech brings us the joy of Chill Town. If you ever wished that you could experience Animal Crossing: New Horizons again for the first time, then Chill Town is your chance. The art is different and you don’t have animals for neighbors, but everything else is basically the same concept.

Chill Town lets you run around your island to garden, fish, catch bugs, decorate your environment, and even cook! From the way you fish to the seaplane that brings you to and from your island, Chill Town will bring you instantly familiar gameplay in a fun, new package. 

We’ll be making a water landing, but that’s OK because this is a seaplane.

Things like how you place objects and create characters are familiar, but there are unique elements to Chill Town that bring a fresh spin to the genre. The addition of pets, taming creatures, and lo-fi music set Chill Town apart.

As someone who has loved Animal Crossing since the first game, Chill Town makes me insanely happy. I may have to fight my husband to see which one of us gets to download it to our library on Steam.

In the world of simulation games, Chill Town is the absolute top-of-the-line for me. There’s no date announced yet, unfortunately. And with no demo, we’ll just have to drool over the pictures together until more information drops. 

Add it to your wishlist over on Steam and join me in stalking Chill Town.

Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café

Steam tags are casual, cooking, trading, rhythm, and simulation.

Anaïs Salla and DevilishGames bring us Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café. Sticking with the nostalgic feel of Chill Town, Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café gives us a game with reminiscent elements of Cooking Mama blended with the rhythm game genre.

In Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café, you manage and decorate your very own cafeteria. To make recipes, you’ll do it step by step, but you’re mixing it all up to a beat! 

The atmosphere of Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café is relaxing and with adorable animal customers, you’re sure to fall in love with this charming simulation game.

If I can’t run a cafe for animals in real life, I’ll just live in this simulation game.

I’m pretty excited for this game because the art style is so charming and the idea of baking to a tune is already bringing forth that comfy vibe I’m always striving for.

There’s no set release date and no demo for Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café, but you can add the game to your Wishlist on Steam. Join me as I wait, somewhat patiently, for more information.

Horribunnies

Steam tags are simulation, casual, science, colorful, and sandbox.

Bunstack and Abiding Bridge bring us Horribunies. While Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café brings adorable animals all the time, Horribunies brings us cute bunnies… and perhaps not-so-cute bunnies.

Horribunnies tasks you with the dream job of taking care of bunnies. They’ll need daily care in being fed, groomed, petted, and cleaned. You can even breed them to get more bunnies!

Two different mentors bring two different ways to run your bunny empire. Pâquerette will lead you down a wholesome path to bunny wrangling. Ophéline, however, has some more genetically altered ideas on how to grow your bunny hoard.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how do your bunnies grow?

Whether you want to mutate your bunnies for profit or just take care of them with love and care, Horribunnies offers you the ability to play your way!

I think it’s a cute idea for a simulation game and while my heart wants to keep things soft and happy, I know my inner Mr. Hyde will come out to see just how far the genetic mutations can go in Horribunnies. 

There’s no word on when Horribunies is releasing, but there is a demo to try it out now over on Steam!

Thrift Shop

Steam tags are casual, simulation, relaxing, economy, and 2.5D.

Steve Mcilwain and Playable Design, LLC bring us Thrift Shop! While Horribunnies lets us collect bunbuns, Thrift Shop allows us to collect items that we can sell for some sweet, sweet coins. Mmm, tasty. 

Let’s be honest, Goodwill ain’t what it used to be. Luckily, Thrift Shop brings us a new way to shop in this thrifty simulation game! 

You’re a pupil under Papa PinchPenny’s tutelage and he shows you the ropes on how to buy low to sell high. In Thrift Shop, you’ll have to clean and repair some items if you want the maximum value out of them.

Thrift Shop has wares if you have coin.

In Thrift Shop, it’s not just about the thrill of the hunt, though! There are quests that you can complete to unlock more stores and skills!

Personally, as someone who got a little lost in the sauce of Dealer’s Life, a pawn shop tycoon, Thrift Shop looks like a lot of fun. I’ve got it on my wishlist and I’ll be looking forward to the release.

We know that Thrift Shop is coming out in Spring of 2024, but no hard dates have been announced. Good thing there’s a demo over on Steam that you can download to try it out for yourself until then!

If you want to see five more simulation games I’ve written about, you can see those here.