19 published games carry Steam's Simulation genre tag; 19 of them also carry the “Indie” tag.
Steam's "Simulation" genre collects farming and factory games, survival crafting, vehicle and sports sims, and physics sandboxes under one word. How demanding the systems are varies from game to game, and the label does not distinguish them.
The games listed here are the published entries whose Steam genre field contains "Simulation". The developer or publisher chooses that field; this site does not add or remove labels.
Counts on this page are computed at build time from the published data; the genre field itself is copied from Steam. See how this site is made.
by Panic Ensues Software
Crash Dive 2 is a tactical submarine simulation set in the WWII South Pacific, developed by Panic Ensues Software. It places you in command of a US submarine managing torpedo attacks, depth-charge evasion, and crew assignments across procedurally generated patrol missions. The game is single-developer and targets players who want simulation depth without the complexity of full sim titles like Silent Hunter.
ActionIndieSimulation
by Door 407
Diplomacy is Not an Option is a medieval fantasy RTS where you command a town against endless waves of enemies — thousands of units attacking simultaneously in battles that escalate toward the absurd. You build defenses, raise armies, and manage resources between assaults. The Steam Workshop enables custom maps and scenarios. Developer Door 407 targets players who enjoy being overwhelmed by escalating scale.
ActionAdventureCasualIndieSimulationStrategy
by Klei Entertainment
Don't Starve is Klei Entertainment's single-player survival game with a dark, Tim Burton-esque art style, where Wilson (or alternate characters) must gather resources, craft tools, and survive hunger, monsters, and sanity loss in a procedurally generated world. Death resets progress, though some unlocks persist. No objectives are given — survival itself is the goal.
AdventureIndieSimulation
by Klei Entertainment
Don't Starve Together is the standalone multiplayer expansion of Don't Starve, letting up to 6 players share a survival world. The cooperative survival loop remains — gathering resources, building a base, surviving seasons and boss events — but coordination adds social complexity to the resource management. The game receives ongoing free content updates including new biomes and characters.
ActionAdventureIndieRPGSimulationStrategy
by Somnolent Team
Encoded War is a $5.99 indie simulation where you play a Morse code operator in WWII, receiving and transmitting coded messages under time pressure across a 5-year contract narrative. It tests Morse code fluency while embedding the mechanic in a story about family and wartime duty. From Somnolent Team, it is a niche title for players interested in the Morse code skill as a gameplay element.
CasualIndieSimulation
by Wube Software LTD.
Factorio is a factory-building automation game where you crash-land on an alien planet and must build automated production lines from raw materials, eventually launching a rocket. Every production step can be automated — mining, smelting, assembling, and researching. The factory scales from a handful of machines to a sprawling network of thousands. Online and LAN co-op supports collaborative factory building.
CasualIndieSimulationStrategy
by Freejam
Gamecraft is a free block-based game creation tool by Freejam that lets players build vehicle simulators, shooters, and other game types using blocks, then publish them for others to play. No coding is required — game logic is built through block placement and the Steam Workshop hosts community creations. It is Early Access with development status uncertain.
IndieSimulationEarly Access
by Empyrean · published by Frozen District, PlayWay S.A.
House Flipper is a first-person renovation simulation where you complete tasks (cleaning, painting, demolition, installation) in run-down properties, then sell them for profit or customize them to orders. The game is relaxed by design — no failure states, just a satisfying loop of restoring spaces. DLC packs add thematic property types (farm, luxury, garden, HGTV-branded content).
IndieSimulation
by No Brakes Games · published by Curve Games
Human Fall Flat is a physics-based platformer where you control a wobbly human with ragdoll physics, solving puzzles by manipulating objects, climbing, and leveraging the unpredictable physics engine. Levels are dreamlike floating environments with open-ended puzzle solutions. Online and couch co-op with up to 8 players makes it a party game context as much as a puzzle platformer.
AdventureCasualIndieSimulation
by PantyParrot · published by Mango Party, PantyParrot, Mango Party News
Kaiju Princess is a casual idle/simulation RPG from solo developer PantyParrot about living with an extraterrestrial kaiju-controller. Gameplay involves resource collection and kaiju strategy with a focus on the relationship between the protagonist and the alien visitor. At $10.99 it is a small-scale indie with a niche premise.
CasualIndieRPGSimulationStrategy
by Squad · published by Private Division
Kerbal Space Program tasks players with designing functional spacecraft governed by real orbital mechanics, atmospheric drag, and fuel staging. Physics accurately models gravity assists and Hohmann transfers, making it a practical introduction to actual rocketry principles. Missions range from reaching orbit to constructing interplanetary vessels and orbital stations.
IndieSimulation
by intiny
Love Is All Around is an indie life simulation and strategy hybrid where players navigate romance, friendship, and community management in a cozy village setting. It blends RPG character progression with simulation mechanics like resource management and building relationships over multiple in-game seasons. The game emphasizes personal choices and their downstream effects on community dynamics.
AdventureIndieRPGSimulationStrategy
by The Indie Stone
Project Zomboid is a top-down isometric zombie survival simulation with detailed modeling of hunger, thirst, injury treatment, depression, and skill degradation, where death is permanent by default. Players scavenge, build bases, and manage increasingly complex character states while the zombie population never regenerates. Multiplayer supports dedicated servers with extensive admin configuration for cooperative campaigns.
IndieRPGSimulationEarly Access
by Redbeet Interactive · published by Axolot Games
Raft starts players on a small wooden platform in an infinite ocean, tasking them with hooking floating debris, expanding the raft, and surviving shark attacks while following narrative clues toward island destinations. Resource collection and crafting escalate from basic survival toward engine-powered vessel construction and story island exploration. Multiplayer supports cooperative raft-building with up to 8 players.
AdventureIndieSimulation
by Ludeon Studios
RimWorld is a colony management simulation where an AI storyteller dynamically generates events tailored to the player's current strengths and vulnerabilities, producing emergent narratives of survival, tragedy, and occasional absurd triumph. Colonists have individual personality traits and mental states that influence behavior and relationships. The base game is extensively moddable, with the Steam Workshop hosting thousands of community add-ons.
IndieSimulationStrategy
by Coffee Stain Studios · published by Coffee Stain Publishing
Satisfactory is a first-person factory automation game on an alien planet where players build increasingly complex conveyor belt and production line networks to extract, process, and synthesize resources. Unlike top-down factory games, its first-person perspective makes industrial scale viscerally tangible as production networks stretch across kilometers of terrain. Co-op multiplayer supports up to 4 players building shared factories.
AdventureIndieSimulationStrategy
by Nezon Production
Shieldwall is an indie tactical strategy game simulating the collision of historical shield wall formations in medieval-style battles. Players position and maneuver infantry units before engagements resolve through formation physics and unit morale systems. The casual classification reflects accessibility over deep wargame simulation.
ActionCasualIndieSimulationStrategy
by ConcernedApe
Stardew Valley is a farming and life simulation RPG where players inherit a neglected farm and gradually restore it while building relationships with the town's residents, exploring procedurally seeded mines, and participating in seasonal events. All content updates since launch have been free, with developer ConcernedApe continuously adding areas, characters, and systems over several years. Co-op supports farming with up to 4 players.
IndieRPGSimulation
by Endnight Games Ltd
A first-person open-world survival horror game where a plane crash survivor must build shelters and fight cannibal mutants. The combination of crafting, exploration, and enemy AI creates emergent tension, especially in co-op. VR support is included.
ActionAdventureIndieSimulation