Free Simulation Games on Steam
Steam currently has 48,324 Simulation games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best free games ranked by popularity and ratings. Data for this list is calculated from reviews and player counts reported directly by Steam and will be updated in real-time. Free Simulation game rankings were last updated on 3/18/2026.
Looking for more Simulation games? Take a look at the best Simulation games on Steam.
1. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS holds the #1 spot for "best free Simulation game on Steam" with a Player Score of 60. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,689,173 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,618,584 positive reviews and 1,070,589 negative reviews — making it "Mixed" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS on the Steam Deck.
2. Dota 2
Dota 2 has achieved a Player Score of 81, placing it in the #2 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,681,273 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,174,292 positive reviews and 506,981 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Dota 2 on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
3. Bongo Cat
Bongo Cat has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #3 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 94,338 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 91,176 positive reviews and 3,162 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
4. War Thunder
War Thunder has achieved a Player Score of 72, placing it in the #4 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 727,184 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 529,672 positive reviews and 197,512 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
5. VRChat
VRChat has achieved a Player Score of 75, placing it in the #5 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 258,709 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 194,917 positive reviews and 63,792 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
6. Heartopia
Heartopia has achieved a Player Score of 67, placing it in the #6 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 11,519 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 7,838 positive reviews and 3,681 negative reviews — making it "Mixed" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Heartopia on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
7. The Sims™ 4
The Sims™ 4 has achieved a Player Score of 86, placing it in the #7 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 191,054 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 165,694 positive reviews and 25,360 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play The Sims™ 4 on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
8. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has achieved a Player Score of 72, placing it in the #8 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 97,000 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 70,191 positive reviews and 26,809 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
9. Russian Fishing 4
Russian Fishing 4 has achieved a Player Score of 58, placing it in the #9 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 83,902 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 48,966 positive reviews and 34,936 negative reviews — making it "Mixed" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Russian Fishing 4 on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
10. IdleOn
IdleOn has achieved a Player Score of 78, placing it in the #10 spot for the best free Simulation games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 27,997 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 22,078 positive reviews and 5,919 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play IdleOn on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
More Free Simulation Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best free Simulation games available on Steam.
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Player counts and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 18). Steam Store. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 18). PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/578080
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 17). Dota 2 on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/570
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). Bongo Cat on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3419430
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). War Thunder on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/236390
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). VRChat on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/438100
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 21). Heartopia on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4025700
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 21). The Sims™ 4 on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222670
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 19). Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1449850
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 12). Russian Fishing 4 on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/766570
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 18). IdleOn on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1476970