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Help me find a game for my Sim loving wife

So my wife has recently returned to gaming and I'm trying to find some games she would like. She's a pretty big fan of sim games like roller coaster tycon, prison architect, sim city. Anything where there's tons of systems to manage and optimize. She seems to gravitate toward more real life genres so no space sims or medieval sims. The main platforms would probably be Steam and our Switch, so I'm currently looking at Stardew Valley. Any recommendations?
 
Dare I suggest Minecraft?

Our nieces tried to get us into it and she just wasn't really down. She's a tough cookie.

Alternately, she got really into Fortnite Battlegrounds, so if there's a similar style game that's single player she might be into that, but it has to focus on scavenging, I'd say.
 
Our nieces tried to get us into it and she just wasn't really down. She's a tough cookie.

Alternately, she got really into Fortnite Battlegrounds, so if there's a similar style game that's single player she might be into that, but it has to focus on scavenging, I'd say.

I'm a bit stumped then, I'm more of a third person action/RPG type guy with a bit of indie and first person thrown in.

Do a search on Google or YouTube "games similar to" or see if Steam has some demos to try out :)
 

DryvBy

Member
Stardew Valley is amazing. It's not really a simulation as much as a weird, relaxing JRPG of sorts.

If you don't mind some old stuff, she should check out Theme Hospital. One of my favorite sims and I still play it yearly.
 

meerak

Member
Hmm she should give Factorio & Banished a look if she hasn’t already, though technically one is sci fi and the other... medieval? ... they aren’t really genre-pieces in that way.

There are many “extreme” simulators (car mechanic, train, city transit, sports) that are more logic systemy than the games you mentioned.

An old classic I like is The Movies, a very weird combo of studio managment and actual simple movie making. May not have aged well, but soft spot in my heart.

I noticed that two very obvious franchises are missing from your op..

Civilization
The Sims

Already tried them? Civ is the gateway drug to more tactical experiences (did you say she likes managing many systems!?) but that is a diff question altogether..
 

WaterAstro

Member
There are a lot of stuff in Early Access like Oxygen not Included and Rimworld.

Outside Early Access, ummm I enjoyed playing Project Highrise, which is a 2D building sim. If you want to go way back, try Game Dev Story or any of Kairosoft's games. They're all pretty fun thought gets pretty samey after the third game.
 

Ragnaroz

Member
If she likes Prison Architect, she will definitely love Rimworld. In case you're worried about Early Access, the latest patch switched the game to Beta which means that most of the features are in now and the rest of development will be spent on minor features and bug fixes. Ergo, the game is perfectly playable right now(and it was for a long time, IMHO).
 

MC Safety

Member
So my wife has recently returned to gaming and I'm trying to find some games she would like. She's a pretty big fan of sim games like roller coaster tycon, prison architect, sim city. Anything where there's tons of systems to manage and optimize. She seems to gravitate toward more real life genres so no space sims or medieval sims. The main platforms would probably be Steam and our Switch, so I'm currently looking at Stardew Valley. Any recommendations?

Try Oxygen Not Included.

It's a world-building simulator with these cute little characters who die horribly if you don't manage heat/water/oxygen/sanitation/food/etc.
 
I see a distinct lack of the sims. Get the sims 2 ultimate if you don't want to fiddle with the game so it works properly (but it is delisted). 3 if you don't mind mods to increase the stability of the game (buy on sale). 4 is a work in progress and I don't think its on steam.

Sims 3 is the easiest to buy for you.
 

Maximus P

Member
My Wife and daughter love the sims games. They also enjoy....

Viva Piniata
The Movies
Planet Coaster
Minecraft
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
My wife loves the Sims and she introduced me to Neighbors from Hell. It's an older game, but it recently came out for smart phones. It's also on GOG. You can try it on your phone for free.
 

Malio

Member
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Simple, addictive, and she can marvel in wonder at all the pretty gem colors.
 
Update: I showed her trailers for Rimworld, Oxygen Not Included, Stardew, and a few more. She's most interested in Rimworld so I'll probably grab that one on Steam Christmas Sale. Thanks for all the input.
 
Banished is hardcore. Northgard is easier to get into if you need something rewarding and accessible. It reminds me of Banished + Warcraft 3.
 
Check out Offworld Trading Company. IT's somewhere between sim and RTS, but its completely awesome and simulates a stock market where you're buying, selling, and building to make your company the most valuable.
 

Stiler

Member
Just wondering, has she tried adventure games?

See if she likes some of the best ones, like The Longest Journey, Syberia, etc.
 
Just wondering, has she tried adventure games?

See if she likes some of the best ones, like The Longest Journey, Syberia, etc.

No, I'm pretty sure she would hate them. Especially the ones where the puzzles are very obtuse. She doesn't play games for story. She's more into procedural management type of stuff where you can mindlessly click buttons to make numbers go up while she has the TV on. Oh, and don't say Starcraft =P.
 

Garuda1One

Member
Try Parkitect.

Its early access right now on Steam but its very stable with a lot of workshop content. They will have campaign on full release. Its the closest thing to RCT, and i enjoy Parkitect more than Planet Coaster.
 

ubiblu

Member
Stardew Valley is probably the best answer as the Switch was made for this genre, but personally my wife and I find it to be really slow and unfulfilling with lots of artificial gating. My wife much prefers Animal Crossing: New Leaf on 3DS.
 

Sorcerer

Member
Actraiser (lol)

actraiser2.jpg
 

Dunki

Member
No, I'm pretty sure she would hate them. Especially the ones where the puzzles are very obtuse. She doesn't play games for story. She's more into procedural management type of stuff where you can mindlessly click buttons to make numbers go up while she has the TV on. Oh, and don't say Starcraft =P.

This sounds like a clicker game XD
 
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