Steam’s long been host to a wide range of titles appealing to all kinds of different audiences. It’s a place where AAA first-person shooters rub elbows withniche indie simulation games. Drago Entertainment’sGas Station Simulatordefinitely falls into the latter category.
Operating a gas station in the desert might not seem like the most exciting pitch for a hit game. However,Gas Station Simulatoroffers exactly that experience and appears to be doing quite well for itself on Steam.
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The game launched on September 15 and rapidly reached an initial peak of 5,619 concurrent players before rocketing up to a new height of 7,380 at the time of writing. Now, that doesn’t sound like much compared to the over 140,000 players that recently jumped intoAmazon’sNew WorldBetaon opening day. However, it’s an impressive launch for an indie simulation game with no real marketing push.
Gas Station Simulatoropens with players buying the run-down “Dust Bowl” gas station in the desert. It’s their job to fix it up and turn the derelict shack into a thriving business. After cleaning and repairing the building and getting everything in working order, players settle into the task of helping customers and expanding their business. This includes offering new services and buying improvements for their tool shop and convenience store. But it’s not all flashy business decisions, as the game also simulates the more mundane aspects of gas station operation. This includes everything from restocking fuel and merchandise to sweeping up at the end of the day.
Gas Station Simulatoris Drago Entertainment’s second full release, the first beingTreasure Hunter Simulatorfrom 2018. The older game sent players to exotic locales in search of ancient artifacts. Based on Steam reviews, it’s an excellent game for people who enjoy metal detecting in real life butdidn’t seem to deliver on the kind of sim experience many players were looking for. However,Gas Station Simulatordoesn’t appear to have that problem, receiving a “Very Positive” user review rating on Steam. The developers also seem to have found their niche, with upcoming titles likeRoad Diner SimulatorandFood Truck Simulator, among others.
As forGas Station Simulator, the game has both afree-to-play demo and prologuefor players to try before they buy. The prologue,Gas Station Simulator: Early Days, focuses on repairing and reopening the derelict Dust Bowl gas station. The demo, meanwhile, skips ahead to let players experience the day-to-day activities of running a fully functional Dust Bowl. The full game is also 10% off until September 22, giving prospective players another incentive to check it out.
Gas Station Simulatoris out now for PC via Steam.
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