Simulators have long since gone beyond the genre of "realistic reproduction of technology or professions." They have also become a platform for absurd humor, irony, and experiments with physics. The stranger the setting, the greater the chance that the game will gain popularity and spawn a bunch of memes. This selection is about games where you don't drive a car or build your own farm, but can become a piece of bread, an aggressive goat, a squirrel with a gun, or even a stone.
Baby Steps
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 5
Genre walking simulator
Year 2025
In Baby Steps, the main character named Nate discovers a world where even the simplest movement becomes a challenge. The player controls each of the character's legs separately, trying to keep his balance and somehow move forward. This is a true walking simulator, not a narrative-focused exploration game like Dear Esther, which we are used to calling it. Unsteady gait, falls and a bunch of funny situations create a unique balance between frustration and fun, turning a simple journey into a great adventure.
Bear Simulator
Platforms Windows
Genre adventure, simulator
Year 2016
Bear Simulator allows you to see the world through the eyes of a bear. The player explores the forest, eats berries, hunts and interacts with people. The game is positioned as a parody of serious simulators, and it is precisely because of its absurdity that it has gained popularity among streamers and ordinary players. Unfortunately, the game has been abandoned by the developers and no longer receives updates, but it can still give you an unusual experience.
Catalateral Damage
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch / Switch 2
Genre action/adventure, simulator
Year 2015, 2021
Another representative of the animal game subgenre in this collection, in contrast to the meditative exploration of the forest, offers a lot of action and chaos. In Catlateral Damage, you play as a cat with only one goal: to knock as many things off shelves as possible. It is a simple but ridiculously true simulator of feline behavior familiar to all furry owners. In 2021, a Remeowstered version was released with improved progression, new objects that can be dropped, new collectibles, and more.
Goat Simulator series
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Genre sandbox, simulator
Year 2014, 2024
Goat Simulator became a cult classic thanks to its chaos: you are a goat that destroys everything around you. The game is intentionally full of bugs, which turns it into a comedy of absurdities and a great meme generator. It received a sequel, Goat Simulator 3, skipping the second part. It even better emphasized the absurdity of the world and ridiculed the trends of the gaming industry, plus there was a cooperative mode. In addition, the first part was reissued as a remaster with modern graphics and all the additions.
Henry Halfhead
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Genre sandbox puzzle
Year 2025
Ever dreamed of becoming a bed? Or an apple? Or a flower? Now it's possible, because Henry Halfhead is a game about a strange character who literally consists of only half a head, but is able to transform into anything next to him. Each object has unique abilities: you can cut bread with a knife, water flowers with a watering can, and fly with a paper airplane. Completing tasks opens up new rooms and even more space for experiments. The game has over 250 objects, alternative solutions to puzzles, funny hats, and a witty plot commented on by an off-screen narrator.
In addition to the single-player mode, there is also local co-op: friends can help each other solve tasks or create chaos together. This is a game about experimentation, curiosity, and the ability to find fun in even the most mundane things.
Human: Fall Flat
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch / Switch 2
Genre platformer
Year 2016
Human: Fall Flat is a co-op game with absurd physics where you control clumsy humanoids. Each level opens up a new area to explore: from castles and ancient ruins to snow-capped mountains, nightscapes and industrial sites. The open-ended design allows for multiple paths through the levels, and the physics puzzles encourage experimentation.
Thanks to its simple yet funny gameplay, Human: Fall Flat has become a real hit among streamers and YouTubers and will soon receive a sequel (https://www.humanfallflat.com/). It's a game that works great both solo and in co-op, offering new funny stories every time.
I Am Bread
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre physics simulator
Year 2015
In I Am Bread, you are a piece of bread trying to become toast. It sounds silly, but that's the charm. The physics here are deliberately made awkward: each corner of the loaf corresponds to a separate button, so moving around the room is a real challenge. Along the way, you will cling to furniture, break things, get dirty and lose your "edibility". Weird physics, everyday obstacles and comedic presentation make this game a unique parody of the simulation genre.
I Am Fish
Platforms Windows, Xbox One / Series X|S
Genre action, simulator
Year 2021
I Am Fish is the story of four fish friends who dream of freedom and strive to escape from the aquarium to find themselves in the ocean again. Each of them has their own character and unique style of movement: the goldfish is a cheerful, brave and fast swimmer; the pufferfish is a little slow, but kind and can inflate into a ball to roll on the ground; the piranha is wild, chaotic and unpredictable, able to grab everything in its path; and the flying fish is sensitive, kind and able to soar in the air. Together they overcome kitchens, streets, sewers and rivers, trying to find their way home. This is a funny and touching adventure at the same time, where the chaos of physics is combined with a sincere story about friendship and freedom.
Kill It with Fire series
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre action, simulator
Year 2020, 2024
Kill It With Fire offers the most radical way to fight spiders: from a book to a gun, a chainsaw or even a flamethrower. The player explores rooms, finds spiders, and each encounter turns into a small war with destroyed furniture and an almost obligatory fire. This is an extermination simulator that plays on our phobias and turns them into an absurd attraction. Due to its popularity, the game received a sequel, Kill It With Fire 2 (2024), which expands the setting and adds new ways to fight arthropods. In addition, a VR version was released, which allows you to feel arachnophobia even more acutely, when spiders literally jump before your eyes.
Mountain
Platforms Windows
Genre simulator
Year 2014
Mountain is a philosophical experiment: you watch a mountain rotate in space. The seasons change, random objects appear, and the mountain simply exists. It's more of a meditative visualization than a traditional game.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4 / Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U / Switch
Genre: action/adventure, physics simulator
Year 2014
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a story about an octopus who pretends to be a human, or rather, the father of a family. The player tries to perform everyday tasks: make breakfast, go to the store or spend time with the children. But due to absurd physics, every movement turns into a comedy of errors. Clumsy tentacles touch furniture, scatter food and create a mess, but despite the chaos, the game is unexpectedly warm: it talks about acceptance, family and the importance of being yourself, even if you are completely different.
PolyPine
Platforms Windows
Genre simulator
Year 2025
PolyPine is an experimental tree-growing and animal-friendly ecosystem simulator set in a stylized, minimalist world. There are no goals or counters here, it's all about the simple process of planting a tree and watching it grow. The landscape gradually comes to life, animals appear, and the colors and atmosphere change depending on how you interact with the environment. This is a game about contemplation and tranquility: it's designed to relax, immerse yourself in the rhythm of nature, and enjoy the slow changes that occur in your virtual world.
Rock Simulator 1 and 2
Platforms Windows
Genre simulator
Year 2019, 2023
It's literally a rock simulator. You just watch the rock exist in different conditions. It's more of a joke on the genre itself. So successful that it got a set of add-ons Rock Pass (2020) and a sequel Rock Simulator 2 (2023). This series was born from a 2010s meme and became a real game.
Surgeon Simulator series
Platforms Windows, Xbox 360
Genre simulator
Year 2013, 2021
Surgeon Simulator turns the operating room into a circus, as the player attempts to perform serious medical procedures with hands that are difficult to control. Removing a heart or transplanting an organ quickly turns into a chaotic comedy, where the patient suffers more from falling instruments and accidental blows than from the disease itself.
The success of the original spawned a whole series: a VR version (2016) appeared, which makes the absurdity even more palpable, as well as Surgeon Simulator 2 (2021) - a larger-scale sequel with co-op, the ability to build your own levels and an even larger set of absurd tasks. Although the second part did not receive the same approval from players as the original, the series still became a cult thanks to the combination of black humor, medical satire and deliberately difficult controls.
Squirrel with a Gun
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X
Genre shooter, simulator
Year 2024
Squirrel with a Gun is a game where you control a squirrel with a gun. It jumps around suburban parks, robs people, fights agents in black, and uses the recoil of its weapon as a means of transportation. The humor here is based on the contrast between the cute rodent and its dangerous arsenal, and the open world allows for both chaos and funny experiments with physics. It is a prime example of an absurd setting that became popular thanks to trailers and viral memes even before release.
Untitled Goose Game
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre action/adventure, simulator
Year 2019
Untitled Goose Game is a game where you take on the role of a pest goose terrorizing a peaceful village. Your tools are your gurgling, beak, and wings, and your main goal is to create chaos. You steal things from the villagers, disrupt their affairs, and watch the funny reactions of NPCs. The absurd tasks and the ability to act at your own discretion made the game a real internet hit: it quickly became a meme, spawned countless funny videos, and won awards for design and originality.
WHAT THE CAR?
Platforms Windows
Genre racing simulator
Year 2024
WHAT THE CAR? is a racing game where cars have legs, wings, and other strange attributes. It's the continuation of a series of experimental games from the creators of WHAT THE GOLF? that turn familiar genres into absurd jokes.
WHAT THE GOLF?
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch
Genre sports simulator
Year 2024
WHAT THE GOLF? starts as a simple game of golf, but quickly turns into a series of absurd challenges: instead of a ball, the player himself, furniture, or even houses are thrown. It is a satirical deconstruction of the genre that has gained popularity among players.
The simulation games mentioned in this selection show that a once respectable genre can become anything from a serious experiment to a complete theater of the absurd. Developers boldly play with physics, everyday trifles and our phobias, turning them into unexpected adventures. Some find them challenging, some a source of laughter or meditation, but they all prove that games can be strange, funny and magical at the same time.