Best Mobile Simulation Games

There's a reason many players enjoy simulation games. Whether it's due to their realistic experiences, control and creativity, relaxation and exploration, or a sense of accomplishment and progress, simulator games cover almost anything from simulating a mayor's life to a goat's everyday activities.

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These games offer an opportunity to explore new worlds, take on different roles, and experience activities that may not be accessible in real life. Mobile phone simulation games are popular because they provide accessible and portable experiences, allowing users to engage in immersive simulations anytime, anywhere.

Updated October 28, 2024 by Rie Takumi: The best mobile simulation games offer players one of three things: 1) complex mechanics served through simple gameplay, like Plague Inc. Or Real Flight Simulator; 2) juggling multiple objectives ala SimCity Buildit or Hamster Inc.; or 3) leisurely complete a list of objectives, like in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Stardew Valley.

What makes these games work is their mobile-friendly mechanics. My Time at Portia’s hotbar was made easier to access, Chinese Parents’ menus were scaled for smaller screens, and Ndemic Creations’ games can be played with one hand if necessary. Most mobile sims are also one-time purchases or are monetized in an unobtrusive manner.

1 TCG Card Shop Tycoon Simulator

Open Card Packs And Idle Manage

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because TCG Card Shop Tycoon Simulator and TCG Card Shop Simulator are the same game on different ports. The mobile port came two years earlier with mobile-adjusted functions. These features include a top-down view of the shop, ad-based bonuses, and a fee to opt out of ads.

TCG Card Shop Tycoon Simulator is not a full idle game. Players need to manage customers and sell 1,000 packs to open a pack. Other than modifying the shop for more sales, and pack-openings, players need to restock and upgrade to complete challenges and collections.

2 TV Studio Story

Run A TV Studio With Immersive TV Production Simulator

TV Studio Story simulates TV production and studio management in Kairosoft's signature, mobile-optimized simulator gameplay. Kairosoft's new offering starts players with a modest studio where they must create new shows and decide on their theme, set, and cast. Certain combinations unlock themes and genres that open the studio to new types of shows.

Aspiring producers must also build rapport with talent agencies to access stars. Stars can fire up the audience better in genres they specialize in. Building a great staff is equally important, and can make tough budget, PR, and fan engagement scenarios easier.

3 JUNO: New Origin

Build Space Rockets From Scratch To Launch Into Space

The mobile version of JUNO: New Origin was released before the Windows and Mac versions. But the result is still the same: a robust ship-building simulator that's fun to fiddle with even in beta. Updates are still being rolled out for what's formerly known as SimpleRockets 2.

JUNO: New Origin fulfills every aeronautics fan's fantasy of building rockets. Everything from a rocket's engine and fuel type, chamber pressure, gimbal range, and more can be modified for better thrust, velocity, exit and air pressure, power usage, and other stats.

4 Chinese Parents

Immersive Child Raising Simulator Despite Parody Tag

For a game that satirizes the rigid standards East Asian, specifically Chinese, parents have for their children, Chinese Parents has quite the suite of child-rearing options. The game starts at infancy and lasts until children take the Gaokao or Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges.

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By  Rie Takumi

To guide their child to success, parents actually start by playing a grid mini-game that heavily affects their children's stats and chances. Afterward, they must schedule what their children do in their free time to improve their stats while dueling with other parents for their kids' reputations. Lastly, their kids' romantic prospects must be decided, as it will be critical to continuing the player's lineage.

5 Mini Metro

Minimalistic Subway Map Simulator

Train enthusiasts, programming fans, and puzzle lovers all have something to love in Mini Metro. Players use railways, represented by lines, to connect stations in a visual map reminiscent of transit maps. As more commuters use lines, players need to reroute lines, build interchanges, tunnels, and bridges to pick up more commuters and improve their loading/unloading speed.

Fans who love the gameplay of Mini Metro can play Dinosaur Polo Club’s follow-up, Mini Motorways. The core gameplay is similar but with a timed aspect, new objectives, and special tools.

6 Hamster Inn

Reach Fever Pitch In Cute Inn Running Simulator

Hamster Inn is an adorable inn management game full of cute, pudgy little animals. As the tiny hamster manager, players tend to guests' requests, which range from simple room inquiries to saving their babies. Fulfilling guest requests rewards reputation points and attracts more furry patrons to the inn.

Aside from completing requests, players must also upgrade their inn to keep guests happy. Renovating rooms, replacing furniture, expanding hallways, and putting in new features help a lot. Finding good staff with great skills also enhances the guest experience and makes certain stats easier to boost.

7 Egg Inc.

Chicken-Only Clicker & Management Game

Egg Inc. Is a simulation game that allows players to choose from several different chicken and egg types, each with its own set of perks and disadvantages. In this simulation of a real farm, players manage their resources, strive for maximum output, and earn money by selling their eggs. Players are responsible for monitoring the chickens' well-being and making decisions on the coops' layouts and other structures.

When selling eggs, players must take into account the preferences of all of the possible customers. Everything from the animations to the graphics to the chicks is top-notch. Several simulation elements in the game provide complexity and realism, which keeps the player interested.

8 Good Pizza, Great Pizza

Old Pizza Store Simulation Game Still Great

Managing a real pie joint is tough, and although it can get challenging in-game, Good Pizza, Great Pizza makes it easy and fun. Customers have unique pizza requests that players create by decorating pizza with ingredients. Pizza gets done with simple taps, and the same goes for decorating the pizzeria.

Good Pizza, Great Pizza still gets reviews and new players today thanks to its simple gameplay and fun management tasks. Challenging tasks ramp up naturally, unlocks are timely, and decorating pizzas is a visual treat. A diverse customer roster, warm and cute art style, and seasonal updates also keep fans coming back.

9 Old Friends Dog Game

Dog Sanctuary Sim Based On Real Senior Dogs

Take care of senior dogs in their final years in Old Friends Dog Game. The adorably saggy, liverspotted dogs live together on grounds that players can decorate and expand. Pups can be groomed, dressed up, and played with, and fed by treats players can bake. Players can unlock each dog’s backstory as they spend more time with and become friends with them.

Heart-melting senior dogs aside, Old Friends Dog Game is remarkable for having dogs based on real pups. Every dog in-game is based on senior dogs from Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary.

10 tap! Dig! My museum

Curate Pixel Museum & Excavate Fossils

Rendered in fine pixel style, tap! Dig! My museum allows players to excavate dinosaur fossils, curate exhibits, and grow a museum to be proud of. Before they can open the museum, players dig for fossils by tapping on a hexagonal grid. Every tile has a different chance of having bones that build up to a whole dinosaur.

Each dig unlocks more parts of a dinosaur, and every completed dinosaur unlocks new sites to dig at. Dinos attract more guests, which gives players more money for digs, museum improvements, and skill upgrades.