You wouldn't think that a game about making games would be particularly popular. Or perhaps you would, and you're one of the many people who bought and enjoyed Game Dev Tycoon. The game was hailed as a success for gameplay full of dopamine-releasing mechanics, its parodic sense of humor, and insightful takes on the gaming industry.
Once you are finished with Game Dev Tycoon (if anyone can truly be finished with Game Dev Tycoon), you may want something similar. Well luckily for you, many games can scratch that itch whether you're looking for more simulation, business management, or some laughs.
Updated March 31, 2022 by Ryan Bamsey: Managing a business is definitely more fun if you can turn it off at any time, but the games on this list are compelling enough to keep you playing. We've added some more of our favorites!
12 ༺ Winkeltje: The Little Shop
- Platform: PC
- Release date: February 19, 2019
If you like the idea of running a shop in an RPG instead of playing the hero, Winkeltje might be the game for you. It's a pretty extensive economic simulation, where you decide the items you sell, the layout of your shop, and even what you grow in your garden.
The game has a charming style and relaxing tone that makes it the perfect way to wind down after a stressful day of work - and a game that makes retail fun is a sight to behoཧld.
11 🌠 Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator 🔥
- Platform: PC
- Release date: February 10, 2022
Kardboard Kings has you running a card shop and serving a host of geeky clientele. You'll collect cards, interact with online marketplaces, and even deal with a mysterious thief. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Managing your repu👍tation and hosting tournaments are important features of the game, making the game fಞeel quite realistic as a simulator.
The game has a fun, relaxing vibe that may be a little change in pace to the rushed nature of Game Dev Tycoon, but it's worth trying if you like economic management.
10 💜 Airport CEO
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: March 4, 2021
Airport CEO puts you in control of an entire airport. Like many𒈔 games of its ilk, you are tasked not only with managing the business of running an airline but also with building the airport itself. You must construct the buildings, sign contracts, and make sure you take care of your customers.
The game has clean, cartoony graphics that make it a visual delight and its top-down viewpoint makes it easy to see if your airport's flow is working correctly.
9 🌱 Two Poinꦚt Hospital
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One, Series S & X
- Release date: August 30, 2021
Taking its influence (and some of the developers) from the fantastic Theme Hospital, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Two Point Hospital is a game about tackling humorous ailments, managing grumpy staff, and building as efficiently a hospital as possible. This game has a challenging difficulty curve that makes it especially satisfying when you manage to fully complete any individual level but isn't hard enough to ward any would-be players away.
Two Point Studios has gone from strength to strength lately, with the success of their DLCs and the upcoming Two Point☂ Campus has fans excited to take on the world of academia.
8 PC Buღilding Simulator
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: January 29, 2019
There is something oddly soothing about the process of building a PC whilst playing on a PC, rather like a game about making games. PC Building Simulator dives into the world of computer hardware as you are tasked with diagnosing and repairing the♏ PCs of clients, as well as making the setup of your dreams.
Interestingly, PC Building Simulator has a full stock of real-world parts available for you to purchase, meaning that you could conceivably test-run your dream PC before making it in real life. The deep level of research that went into making this game makes it worthy of any PC gamer's attention.
7 ෴ 💃 Prison Architect
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Series S & X
- Release date: October 6, 2015
Prison Architect is one of those special games t🧜hat lets you dive into a world that would (hopefully) be inaccessible to most: prison. Taking the role of the warden, you are tasked with building and running a prison and all the problems that may arise as a result.
Despite its rather simplistic graphical style, Prison Architect has 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a lot of depth and complexity 📖about it that makes it a very enjoyable experience. Tackling prison riots while thinking about how to structure the layout of your next ward is as engaging as it sounds, and the game offers practically endless fun with various settings to fiddle with.
6 RPG Ma🐓ker MV 🐓
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
- Release date: October 23, 2015
While not really a game per se, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:RPG Maker MV is the perfect vehicle for scratching an itch to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:try and make games yourself. If Game Dev Tycoon inspired you to give it a go yourself, this is the perfect place to start. The tool advertises itself as "Simple enough for a child" and "Powerful enough for a developer" and it does a good job 🍬of keeping these promises.
The RPG Maker franchise has led to the creation of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:many successful games, including successful commercial titles like To the Moon and Corpse Party, and cult classics like 🔯OFF and Ib.
5 Factorio
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: August 14, 2020
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Factorio is rather renowned for two things: being as moreish as caffeine and being consistently one of the best-rated games on Steam. As of wr🏅iting, Factorio is the on Steam with 98.77% positive reviews. It certainly deserves this score༒.
Factorio is a game about building factories and finding out how to automate them efficiently. Like many games in the genre, it involves collecting resources and processing them, but the game's focus on automation and a huge amount of content keep players coming back to the highly enjoyable title.
4 ♑ The Tenants ♑
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: March 25, 2021
While still in Early Access on Steam, The Tenants has made an impressive debut as a landlord simulator that evokes the gameplay of The Sims. In this game, you have to renovate old apartments, react to tenant wish꧅es, and seek to make the biggest profit possible.
The game has a quirky and compelling art style that meshes really well with the interior design aspect at the forefront of gameplay. This game will appeal especially to fans of The Sims whose artistic itch wasn't scratched by 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Sims 4 Dream Home Decorator.
3 Game D🤪ev Story 🌠
- Platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: October 9, 2010
Possibly the first game about game development to hit any semblance of popularity, Game Dev Story was created by Kairosoft, a company known for its many simulator games. This is as clo🍒se to Game Dev Tycoon as you can get, with almost identical gameplay but in a pixel-perfect presentation.
The simplicity of Game Dev Story is one of its strengths -- it has a relaxing difficulty curve and some humor thrown in that make it an enjoyable experience. While it lacks some of the expansive options of Game Dev Tycoon, it is still a great 𒉰game to have available on the go.
