Simulation games have always been popular with certain types of gamers — those looking for deep gameplay, along with features that mimic real-world scenarios. Space simulators, empire simulators, city simulators, and even truck simulators are all very popular. However, when it comes to ship simulators, the pickings are somewhat slim.
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There are three main types of ship simulators. Firstly, those that simply simulate piloting or sailing a single vessel, be this a large ship or a small sailing yacht. Secondly, there are those that simulate shipping in general, involving not just piloting a ship, but also trading goods. Lastly, there are military ship simulators, featuring live-action combat and generally a military campaign to complete.
Updated on September 3, 2024, by Mac Wheeler: The original list contained some great ship and boat simulation games. However, it was missing a couple of genres and lacked certain types of games that could have been covered. So it has been updated to add a few more games that bring a little more variety. This includes fleet command simulation, submarine simulation, and a cruise empire-building simulation. Combined, these add a little more breadth, and each of the new additions is a great game in its one right anyway.
10 Cruise Ship Tycoon
Build A Cruise Ship Empire
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
- Released: June 17, 2003
- Developer: Cat Daddy Games
- Genre: Business simulation game, Strategy Video Game
Cruise Ship Tycoon is a game that shares features with similar titles, such as Railroad Tycoon. Unfortunately, it has become abandonware since its release in 2003. However, the original game has been made available as a free download by the developers, Cat Daddy Games. The download is available from many of the popular abandonware websites.
In Cruise Ship Tycoon, the player starts with a very basic cruise ship and must operate profitably, reinvesting profits into upgrading and improving their ship. Eventually, the player will operate a whole fleet of cruise ships, and this adds to the logistics challenges that this game poses. Graphically, the game looks a little dated now, but if a player can overlook this, then this is a game that has a lot to offer. Overall, an old game, but a good one, and worthy of a place on this list.
9 Command: Modern Air Naval Operations
Tactical Fleet Battles
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
- Released: September 24, 2013
- Developer: Warfare Sims
- Genre: Real-time strategy
Released in 20189, Command: Modern Air Naval Operations has received very positive reviews. Based on the operation of a military fleet, this isn’t just a ship simulation game, it is a complete war simulation game. Battles involve multiple countries and take place on large, detailed maps that are geographically and historically correct.
Naval and also air warfare takes place across mission scenarios, which are tactical rather than strategic. These missions are set from just after the end of World War 2 and go forward from there. At sea, the player has control of entire fleets with a wide range of units, including submarines. Overall, this is a great warfare simulation game for players who enjoy tactical challenges.
8 Cold Waters
Detailed Submarine Simulation
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Released: July 5, 2017
- Developer: Killerfish Games
- Genre: Simulation Video Game, Indie game, Strategy
Cold Waters is one of the best submarine simulation games ever released. It is based on the old 1988 game, Red Storm Rising. It takes much of the tactical gameplay from this earlier game and extends it. The game is lauded for its realism. How real? Real-time combat can often involve waiting 30 minutes or more for a torpedo to reach its target. The focus here is on being an accurate sub simulator, rather than a game.
The game has over 40 classes of ships and submarines that the player can take command of. The gameplay is strategic, with each mission having an impact on the overall goals of the nation the player is representing. If they do well, this nation will win the war. Anyone who wants to try a challenging game that can be relaxing one minute and entirely frantic the next might like to give Cold Waters a try.
7 Ship Simulator Extremes
Old School Paradox Interactive Sim
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
- Released: 2010
- Developer: Paradox Interactive
- Genre: Ship Simulator
Before Paradox Interactive became known for quality grand strategy games such as Stellaris and the entire Victoria franchise, it developed and published a fair number of forgotten titles. One of these is Ship Simulator Extremes. This is a game that lets players take control of various sea-going craft, such as a supertanker, a whaler, and a coast guard vessel.
Released in 2010, it is somewhat dated now on the graphics front. The game includes several play modes, including the story mode, specific hand-crafted scenarios, an environmentally focused campaign, and even a multiplayer mode.
6 Ports Of Call
An Excellent But Ancient Shipping Simulator
- Platforms: Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Amiga, DOS, AmigaOS
- Released: 1987
- Developer: Dipl. Ing. Rolf-Dieter Klein
- Genre: Ship Simulator
Ports of Call is a very old game, originally released for the Commodore Amiga home computer. It combines text and graphics-based game progression with live-action footage. Rather than purely simulating the piloting of a ship, it simulates a trading empire based around a single tramp steamer.
Gamers might be put off by the fact that this game is almost 40 years old at the time of writing. However, there is a reason it was ported to Microsoft Windows and is still available for sale on Steam. And this reason is that it is simply a great game. Sure, it is a throwback to the days when games were simpler, but this is part of its charm.
5 European Ship Simulator
Cruising The Sea Ports Of Europe
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Released: 2016
- Developer: Excalibur
- Genre: Ship Simulator
This is a ship simulation game that offers quite a lot. There are over eighty different vessels that can be controlled by the player. The behavior of each ship is carefully modeled. Small ships will struggle on high seas, while larger ships will simply bully their way through even the largest waves.
European Ship Simulator comes complete with its own mission editor, which the player can use to extend the gameplay in ways that are only limited by their imagination. However, only 6 European ports are included in the game, which is a little bit of a shame, as it means the navigable area is quite limited.
4 Task Force 1942
Naval Action In The South Pacific
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, DOS
- Released: 1992
- Developer: Microprose
- Genre: Military Ship Simulator
The first military ship simulator on this list, Task Force 1942, is an older Microprose title. It pits the U.S. Navy against Japanese forces in the South Pacific during World War 2. This is a vast game, with hundreds of different combat vessels fully modeled and simulated.
There are two game modes in Task Force 1942. Firstly, there is the campaign mode, and the player can choose to represent either America or Japan. This is a fantastic recreation of the war in the South Pacific. Secondly, there are many scripted scenarios based on famous battles of the era that players can try. Overall, this game deserves a place on this list simply because of its huge scope and historical accuracy.
3 Carrier Command 2
Full Naval Battle Simulator
- Platforms: GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Released: 2021
- Developer: Microprose
- Genre: Military Ship Simulator
The second Microprose military ship simulator on this list, Carrier Command 2 is something of a spiritual successor to the aforementioned Task Force 1942. And while this game does enable the player to take control of a massive aircraft carrier, it offers so much more. Every boat and aircraft launched from the carrier can be player-controlled — or left to operate under AI control.
As military strategy games go, very few demonstrate as many accurate details as Carrier Command 2. Although the player is free to play the game from the scenario viewpoint, where this game really shines is in the team-based multiplayer mode. Opposing teams take control of their own carrier, and team members fly missions from its deck with an impressive range of planes and other military hardware.
2 Sailaway: The Sailing Simulator
In-Depth Sailing Simulation
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows and macOS
- Released: 2017
- Developer: Orbcreation
- Genre: Sailing Simulator
Accuracy is the premise of Sailaway: The Sailing Simulator. Even the Steam page warns that this is not a game in the truest sense, but a detailed sailing simulator that is backed by a huge community of real-world sailing aficionados.
The simulation takes place in the South Pacific, with accurately recreated coastlines, including all the islands, each of which can be visited by the player. Gameplay takes place in a persistent world; this is not an offline game. This means that before a player goes offline, they will need to ensure that they have set their autopilot, and the boat is operating at optimal levels. This game earns a place on this list due to its incredible attention to detail.
1 Sinking Simulator
A Different Take On Ship Simulation
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows and macOS
- Released: 2013
- Developer: Wicpar
- Genre: Ship Simulator
This game would have earned a place on this list simply for having such a great premise. However, it deserves the number one place because, despite its tongue-in-cheek nature, it is actually an incredibly fun game to play. Even though it was released over a decade ago, it is noted as having one of the best soft-body physics engines ever made.
Gameplay involves taking one of the many included ships, including certain historic ones, and well, trying to sink them. This isn’t as easy to achieve as it may sound, though. These ships are simulated accurately and were originally designed not to sink, even when damaged catastrophically. The player can set certain conditions, such as the type of damage received and where, and then watch how the ship performs. Will it sink or won’t it?
