Simulation games

A simulation takes something from the real world, or close to it, and hands you the controls: a business to grow, a vehicle to drive, a patient to treat. The category counts about 240 games. Some 105 carry the general simulation tag, and the next groups are fairly even, with idle, farming, cooking and surgery games at 14 to 17 each, followed by time management, planes, restaurants and a few tycoon games.

Bus Driver Simulator 3D is simulation in the literal sense: several kinds of bus, city traffic and snowy roads, in a racing campaign or a free mode. Cauldron Counter is a shop game in which you serve potions to goblins and adventurers, stir fast for bigger tips and hire apprentices as trade picks up. Drill to the Core is an idle game where you dig down layer by layer, upgrade the drill and hire managers to keep it working.

Idle games are the easiest to dip in and out of, because production carries on with little input from you. Time management and restaurant games are the busiest, asking you to serve orders before customers lose patience. Driving and flight simulators usually play better with a keyboard on a wide screen. Everything runs free in the browser, so you can try a farm, a kitchen and a bus route in one sitting and return to whichever you liked.