Updated September 2026
This is the ranking of the best Simulation Games, sorted by NextGameLike Score: a 0-100 metric blending Steam reviews, IGDB ratings (community and critic), Metacritic, OpenCritic and the NextGameLike community votes into a single number. Unlike opinion-based editorial lists, this order is computed from real data and applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment so games with few reviews can't inflate the top of the chart. Forza Horizon 4, Papers, Please - The Short Film and Papers, Please lead the chart — the highest-rated titles in the genre according to our data. The top-25 average NextGameLike Score is 87/100, out of 155 games catalogued. The ranking updates continuously as new reviews and votes come in.
Top 3
Top of “The 20 Best Simulation Games (2026)”: Forza Horizon 4 (89.7/100). Close behind: Papers, Please - The Short Film and Papers, Please.
Ranked by NextGameLike Score · 155 games catalogued
Forza Horizon 4 is one of the few Simulation Games where players and critics say the same thing. It holds the best critic score on the whole list, 92/100. That is why it tops the ranking.
Papers, Please - The Short Film is one of the few Simulation Games where players and critics say the same thing. That puts it at number 2.
Papers, Please is one of the few Simulation Games where players and critics say the same thing. That puts it at number 3.
Players and critics agree on Forza Horizon 5, which is rarer than it sounds in Simulation Games. Number 4, inside the top 10.
No argument here: Euro Truck Simulator 2 wins over players and critics alike. It is the most reviewed of the 20: 917,854 Steam reviews. That gets it into the top 10, at number 5.
No argument here: There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension wins over players and critics alike. No other entry of the 20 has a higher share of positive reviews: 98%. That gets it into the top 10, at number 6.
BeamNG.drive is carried by its players more than by its reviews. That gets it into the top 10, at number 7.
American Truck Simulator - Oregon is here because of its players — they are who it won over. Number 8, inside the top 10.
No argument here: Overcooked! 2 wins over players and critics alike. Number 9, inside the top 10.
American Truck Simulator is carried by its players more than by its reviews. That gets it into the top 10, at number 10.
F1® 2020 is one of the few Simulation Games where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 11 of 20.
Critics were lukewarm on Game Dev Tycoon; players were not. It sits at 12 of 20.
No argument here: DiRT Rally wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 13 of 20.
No argument here: Motorsport Manager wins over players and critics alike. It sits at 14 of 20.
Landfall Archives is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It is the newest on the list (2023), and has already earned its place. It lands at 15 of 20.
No argument here: GT Legends wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 16 of 20.
Critics were lukewarm on Farmer Against Potatoes Idle; players were not. It lands at 17 of 20.
Critics were lukewarm on FlatOut; players were not. It is the oldest game in the ranking (2004) and still here. It sits at 18 of 20.
Players and critics agree on Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, which is rarer than it sounds in Simulation Games. It sits at 19 of 20.
No argument here: Football Manager 2020 wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 20 of 20.