15 best simulation games for Android

Simulation games are one of the most expansive and popular game genres. It’s also great for mobile gaming because the controls translate well. You’re swiping or tapping on stuff, which is perfect for phone screens. There are also several types of simulation games. Some examples include business simulators, tycoon games, city simulators, flight simulators, farming simulators, and even life simulators. We have a smattering of all of those on the list below. Here are the best simulation games for Android.

We want to give an honorable mention to Game Dev Tycoon (Google Play). It’s a top-tier simulation game. However, it hasn’t seen an update since 2020 as of this writing, and we try to suggest only games in active development.

The best simulation games for Android

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Price: Free to play

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a social simulator. It doesn’t look like it on the surface but people tend to agree that it does simulate things. Players are dropped on an island and while there, they make friends with the local wildlife, build up a camp, explore the area, craft stuff, and do more things. The Nintendo Switch variant is a lot more in-depth, but the mobile version will scratch that itch as well. The mobile version includes over 1,000 pieces of furniture, 300 articles of clothing, and over 100 animal friends. People love this one even if it’s a free-to-play game.

Egg Inc

Price: Free to play

Egg Inc. is an idle business simulator with tons and tons of chickens. Players generate chickens by clicking on the screen, and those chickens generate revenue. You use the revenue to improve the farm until you can reset it to generate better eggs. It’s a fairly typical gameplay loop for incremental idle games. However, this one adds that business tycoon feel, which makes it feel more like a simulation game than many other idle games. In any case, the animations are smooth, the graphics are bright and enjoyable, and the chickens are downright adorable. It’s a nice mix of incremental and simulation.

Fallout Shelter

Price: Free to play

Fallout Shelter dominated headlines back in 2015 when it came out. It’s lauded for its fun gameplay, classic Fallout quirkiness, and excellent freemium strategy. In this one, you build a fallout shelter and populate it with dwellers. The dwellers do various jobs to keep the vault going. They also interact with each other in a variety of interesting ways. You can even have them make some babies if you want to. The idea is to create the best vault ever, explore the wasteland, and create a thriving community of living people. This is one of the older simulation games on the list, but it’s still the best example of its particular play style within the genre so it gets to stay.

FPV Freerider

Price: $2.99

FPV Freerider is one of the drier simulation games on mobile. It doesn’t have nearly as much to do, but it’s truly great at what it does. It’s a flight simulator for drones. It supports both line of sight and first-person view while flying and it gives the game an intense feeling. Players can take off, fly around, fly through little obstacle courses, and do some fun tricks. The game also supports hardware controllers. You’ll need a more powerful phone to maintain high frame rates with high-resolution graphics, but you can always turn the graphics down to heighten the frame rates. The developer also helpfully lists controllers other players found to be useful. It runs for $2.99 with no additional in-app purchases or ads. PicaSim is another great option for RC aircraft flight sims.

Kairosoft games

Price: Free / Varies

Kairosoft is a developer on Google Play and one of the undisputed masters of the simulation genre on mobile. The developer’s portfolio is stacked with good titles, including Grand Prix Story 2 (racing sim), Dream House Days (life sim), The Ramen Sensei and Cafeteria Nipponica (cooking and restaurant sims), Game Dev Story (game developer sim), The Manga Works (publisher sim), and at least a dozen others. Most games are premium and run for around $5.99 while others may be free to play. Most of the games use the same retro-style graphics and some similar mechanics, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

Mini Metro

Price: $0.99

Mini Metro is a retro-style subway simulator. Players spend their time designing a subway map for a growing city. It would help if you overcame various obstacles to create something that runs smoothly and on time. The city you’re developing for grows randomly so each game is different. Additionally, the game includes a variety of upgrades, an endless mode just to relax and chill, and an extreme mode for some added challenges. The graphics are nothing to write home about, but this one is otherwise outstanding. It runs for $0.99 with no in-app purchases or ads so it’s also great for simulator fans on a budget. This one is also free via Google Play Pass if you use it.

Motorsport Manager Mobile 3

Price: $1.99 with in-app purchases

Motorsport Manager Mobile 3 is a racing sim. Players build a racing team, and a race car, and manage things like upgrades and improvements. You then race against the competition. This one gets fairly granular as well. Players have to plan for things like pit stops, weather changes, rule changes, and random crashes on the tracks. Your driver and crew also gain levels and are more proficient in certain things than others. It’s one of the deeper racing sims on Google Play and it’s also relatively new. It goes for $1.99 with some optional in-app purchases as well.

My Time in Portia

Price: $7.99

My Time in Portia is a simulator similar to Stardew Valley. Players inherit a workshop and start making things for the town. There is also a farm to tend to, workers to hire, NPCs to interact with, and even ruins to explore. Exploring the ruins adds some combat mechanics to the mix. It’s a versatile game overall with plenty of mechanics for the players. The game starts with only a few tools. Eventually, you end up with a lot of cool stuff and a lot of the game plays itself. It’s a premium game so there are no in-app purchases to get in the way. It’s one of the best simulation games in 2023 despite being a couple of years old.

Papers, Please

Price: $4.99

Papers, Please is a puzzle-simulation game. You play a clerk at an immigration office and your job is to let people into the country. You check their passports for inconsistencies along with other potential issues before letting them in. The goal is to let in as many people as possible so you can feed your family, but you also have to be meticulous because letting the wrong people in can result in death. The game is certainly frustrating and stressful but in a good way. It’s also a premium game, so there are no in-app purchases to mess things up.

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator

Price: Free to play

Love him or hate him; it’s a fact that PewDiePie usually puts his name on decent games. Tuber Simulator is no exception. Players live the life of a YouTuber, which includes coming up with video ideas, living life, upgrading their equipment, and making a living. The game includes PewDiePie-inspired mini-games like Puggle and even a meme generator that you can share with friends in real life. It’s a free-to-play game, but the in-app purchases don’t feel done. It fits right into a list like this with few flaws.

Pocket City

Price: Free / $2.99

Pocket City is a city builder sim similar to Sim City. Try saying that one three times quickly. It has most of the mechanics of a city builder. That includes the actual construction of a city, the careful mixing and matching of various types of buildings, and the ability to unlock new land as you go. This one also includes fun, random events like block parties and also things like weather disasters. It’s playable in portrait or landscape mode, and it’s also playable offline.

The free version is the base game with advertisements. The premium version goes for $2.99 and contains extra features, a sandbox mode, and it removes the ads. This is easily among the best city-building simulation games on mobile. Those looking for something more classic can try SimCity BuildIt, but we think Pocket City is a better SimCity on mobile.

RFS – Real Flight Simulator

Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases

RFS is a pretty good flight simulator on Android. It’s also one of the most in-depth with tons and tons of things for players to simulate. Some of the features include weather changes, a day and night cycle, the ability to create complex flight plans, a relatively advanced and realistic HUD, and some other elements. The pro version is expensive but that’s where things get interesting. It adds in multiplayer support (with a chat). However, it also lets you drop into actual flights happening right now all around the world and simulate the path to their destination. We thought that was a cool feature.

Rebel Inc

Price: Free to play

Rebel Inc. is one of the newer simulation games. It’s by the same developers of the insanely popular Plague Inc. and we recommend either one. Rebel Inc. puts you into an area with a ton of unrest. Your goal is to squash the rebels, bring peace to the region, and help the region grow and prosper. There are seven regions to stabilize and the game simulates all kinds of insurgent tactics for you to deal with. Those who prefer not to deal with terrorists can also try Plague Inc where you try to infect the entire planet with a virus.

Stardew Valley

Price: $4.99

Stardew Valley is a mixture of various genres, including RPG, life sim, farming sim, and social sim. The player is dropped into a dilapidated farm they must restore throughout the game. There is a nearby village where you can court would-be significant others and many mini-games and quests to keep things interesting. It’s not quite as realistic as Giants Software’s Farming Simulator 20, but we think it’s more well-rounded overall. The game runs for $4.99 with no in-app purchases and you can play it for free if you use Google Play Pass.

Star Traders: Frontiers

Price: $6.99

Star Traders: Frontiers is technically a strategy game. However, we included it here because it has a lot of simulation elements. You are essentially simulating the career of a space inhabitant. You’ll explore new planets and new sectors while you form alliances with various factions or go at it as an independent contractor. The game is very deep and allows you to play in a variety of ways. You can be a pirate, a military combatant, or even just trade stuff if you want to. It’s wide open and a really fun world to be a part of. The game costs $6.99 but has no other in-app purchases or ads.

If we missed any of the best simulation games for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest app and game lists.