Best games
Best Simulation games of 2016
The 11 best Simulation games released in 2016, ranked from 3,408 critic and player ratings.
The best Simulation game of 2016 is Pony Island, with a critic score of 86/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 2016.
- 11 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,408 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 11
01
Pony Island
Pony Island is a suspense puzzle game in disguise. You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by the devil himself. It is not a game about ponies.
86
/100
02
ABZU
83
/100
03
Overcooked!
Overcooked! is a co-op cooking game for 1-4 players. Working as a team, you and your fellow chefs must prepare, cook and serve up a variety of tasty orders before the baying customers storm out. Take part in an epic journey across the Onion Kingdom and tackle an increasingly challenging and bizarre gauntlet of kitchens which will push your skills of co-operation and co-ordination to the very limits.
82
/100
Pony Island
Pony Island is a suspense puzzle game in disguise. You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by the devil himself. It is not a game about ponies.
86
/100
02
ABZU
83
/100
03
Overcooked!
Overcooked! is a co-op cooking game for 1-4 players. Working as a team, you and your fellow chefs must prepare, cook and serve up a variety of tasty orders before the baying customers storm out. Take part in an epic journey across the Onion Kingdom and tackle an increasingly challenging and bizarre gauntlet of kitchens which will push your skills of co-operation and co-ordination to the very limits.
82
/100
04
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
81
/100
05
Batman: Arkham VR
Your quest to clean up Gotham has only just begun – and now it’s even more terrifying than it’s ever been. Exclusive to PlayStation VR, Batman: Arkham VR lets you become the Dark Knight in a virtual reality recreation of the DC’s hero’s more iconic locations. Become the world’s greatest detective and explore places such as Wayne Manor and the Batcave as you battle in a brand new and personal story set in Rocksteady’s classic Arkham universe.
74
/100
06
The Flame in the Flood
A rogue-lite river journey through the backwaters of a forgotten post-societal America. Forage, craft, evade predators. Travel by foot and by raft down a procedurally-generated river as you scrounge for resources, craft tools, remedy afflictions, evade the vicious wildlife, and most importantly, stay ahead of the coming rains.
73
/100
07
SHENZHEN I/O
"BUILD CIRCUITS. WRITE CODE. RTFM. - Build circuits using a variety of components from different manufacturers, like microcontrollers, memory, and logic gates. - Write code in a compact and powerful assembly language where every instruction can be conditionally executed. - Read the included manual, which includes over 30 pages of original datasheets, reference guides, and technical diagrams. - Get to know the colorful cast of characters at your new employer, 深圳龙腾科技有限公司 (Shenzhen Longteng Electronics Co., Ltd.), located in the electronics capital of the world. - Get creative! Design and test your own games and devices in the sandbox. - Engineering is hard! Take a break and play a brand-new twist on solitaire."
71
/100
08
Who's Your Daddy
Who's Your Daddy is a casual 1 on 1 video game featuring a clueless father attempting to prevent his infant son from certain death.
71
/100
09
Job Simulator
Robots cook, clean, service, and rule organize the world with precision and speed. Human occupations are now memories of the past; long gone are the blue collar jobs that ran the old world. Humans raised in our perfect automated society must not forget their useless ancient ancestors and history. This is why JobBot was born. JobBot created Job Simulator to teach humans what it is 'to job'. All praise to JobBot, for he is the keeper of human history. VR launch title for HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, and PlayStation VR. A tongue-in-cheek virtual reality experience for motion controlled VR platforms. In a world where robots have replaced all human jobs, step into the "Job Simulator" to learn what it was like 'to job'.
68
/100
10
Manual Samuel
Manual Samuel is about the rich daddy’s boy Samuel, who hasn’t worked a day in his life. After an unfortunate encounter with a septic tank truck and Death, Sam is forced to live manually for 24 hours to be able to go on with his life. Breathe, blink, walk and simply exist for Samuel as he experiences the worst day of his life. QWOP meets Monkey Island in this hilarious narrative adventure game for the whole family (minus grandma and the kids).
61
/100
11
My Name is Mayo
61
/100
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
81
/100
05
Batman: Arkham VR
Your quest to clean up Gotham has only just begun – and now it’s even more terrifying than it’s ever been. Exclusive to PlayStation VR, Batman: Arkham VR lets you become the Dark Knight in a virtual reality recreation of the DC’s hero’s more iconic locations. Become the world’s greatest detective and explore places such as Wayne Manor and the Batcave as you battle in a brand new and personal story set in Rocksteady’s classic Arkham universe.
74
/100
06
The Flame in the Flood
A rogue-lite river journey through the backwaters of a forgotten post-societal America. Forage, craft, evade predators. Travel by foot and by raft down a procedurally-generated river as you scrounge for resources, craft tools, remedy afflictions, evade the vicious wildlife, and most importantly, stay ahead of the coming rains.
73
/100
07
SHENZHEN I/O
"BUILD CIRCUITS. WRITE CODE. RTFM. - Build circuits using a variety of components from different manufacturers, like microcontrollers, memory, and logic gates. - Write code in a compact and powerful assembly language where every instruction can be conditionally executed. - Read the included manual, which includes over 30 pages of original datasheets, reference guides, and technical diagrams. - Get to know the colorful cast of characters at your new employer, 深圳龙腾科技有限公司 (Shenzhen Longteng Electronics Co., Ltd.), located in the electronics capital of the world. - Get creative! Design and test your own games and devices in the sandbox. - Engineering is hard! Take a break and play a brand-new twist on solitaire."
71
/100
08
Who's Your Daddy
Who's Your Daddy is a casual 1 on 1 video game featuring a clueless father attempting to prevent his infant son from certain death.
71
/100
09
Job Simulator
Robots cook, clean, service, and rule organize the world with precision and speed. Human occupations are now memories of the past; long gone are the blue collar jobs that ran the old world. Humans raised in our perfect automated society must not forget their useless ancient ancestors and history. This is why JobBot was born. JobBot created Job Simulator to teach humans what it is 'to job'. All praise to JobBot, for he is the keeper of human history. VR launch title for HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, and PlayStation VR. A tongue-in-cheek virtual reality experience for motion controlled VR platforms. In a world where robots have replaced all human jobs, step into the "Job Simulator" to learn what it was like 'to job'.
68
/100
10
Manual Samuel
Manual Samuel is about the rich daddy’s boy Samuel, who hasn’t worked a day in his life. After an unfortunate encounter with a septic tank truck and Death, Sam is forced to live manually for 24 hours to be able to go on with his life. Breathe, blink, walk and simply exist for Samuel as he experiences the worst day of his life. QWOP meets Monkey Island in this hilarious narrative adventure game for the whole family (minus grandma and the kids).
61
/100
11
My Name is Mayo
61
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Simulation game of 2016?
Pony Island currently tops the ranking with a score of 86/100 across 345 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.