Games like Steam Engine Simulator

Steam reviews

What players say

Players who enjoy tinkering with mechanics find this free simulator educational and satisfying, though many say the achievements turn into long idling sessions.

Most reviewers recommend the game, and Steam's totals are overwhelmingly positive. Many players enjoy working out the controls, learning how a steam engine and its boiler, pressure and governor interact, and getting the engine to run at high speed. Some say the free base game is a small, simple toy and that the paid power generation expansion adds the real challenge and a story mode. The most common complaints are the achievements, which many players say require tens of hours of idling, and the constant messages in the power generation expansion. A few reviewers with low-end hardware report crashes or a missing CPU feature requirement, and some negative reviews concern the official Discord's moderation rather than the game itself.

Who it suits

Suited to players who like mechanical simulations, tinkering with controls and learning how machines work, and who are happy to leave a game running.

Who should skip it

Players who want story, variety or quick progression, or who dislike long idling for achievements, should skip it.

Short vs. long playtime: Players with under 20 hours mostly praise the learning and tinkering, while those with 20 to 200 hours more often focus on achievement idling and limited content.

Summarised by AI from 80 Steam reviews (English, helpful and recent), as of Oct 28, 2026.