With a steady stream of VR simulators readily available, it’s often the case that the choice comes down to your real-world interests. If you’ve ever wanted to build a video game, but the effort involved seems too much, then that’s where Game Dev Simulator comes in. Available now for Meta Quest and SteamVR, in 131XR#s review of Game Dev Simulator, they find the dev equivalent of Job Simulator.
Become a VR Game Dev
As you might expect, Game Dev Simulator isn’t going to teach you how to code or use Unreal Engine 5. What it does offer is a story-driven VR experience themed around being a game developer, and not a particularly good one.
Starting as a new employee at a small game development studio called Mundane Interactive, you get your own little office. Here you can test games, answer calls, send emails or scrunch up balls of paper and shoot them into the trash. With everything within arm’s reach – so no locomotion to speak of – Game Dev Simulator is all about having fun at your desk.
And while the ideas might not be very original, the entire premise works very well.
Game Dev Simulator Review
Everything is essentially interactive; you can type on the keyboard, answer the phone, pick up pens to draw all over the screen, all the things you’d expect in an office environment. You can spend ages simply tinkering away, but there is work to be done as well.
You’re a QA tester, which means there are a number of games you have to play, from the Zelda-inspired Legend Of The Elder to 3D rhythm game Gerbil Jam and arcade racer Retro Racer, to name a few. As you might expect, these mini-games aren’t designed to be stellar examples. As 131XR explains in its review of Game Dev Simulator, these are bad games inside a good game, and that’s on purpose.
And it’s this comedy aspect, in conjunction with the various nods to the industry’s history, that makes Game Dev Simulator an enjoyable title in its own right.
A Simulator For Everything
If you’ve ever wanted to sit in a virtual office all day, then Game Dev Simulator is up to the task. Or what about cutting grass, then you have Lawn Mowing Simulator VR. This year, you’ll even be able to become a police officer in Border Police VR: Contraband Simulator 2026! And these are just the tips of the simulator iceberg.
Flight sims, driving sims, cooking sims, the list is utterly endless. Which is your favourite VR simulator?
