Life Simulation games have been known to be great titles for players hoping to escape the real world to experience a different path in life. These life sim games therefore allow players to experience different jobs or activities without the possible dangers they may face while doing them.
While many claim to be quite therapeutic to play allowing players to relax with a cozy title such as Unpacked. Other life sim games have gone in the completely opposite direction that has left players with a stressful challenge and therefore even the real struggles of life. These games are by far the most stressful to play.
8 The Sims 4
Although many players would argue that The Sims 4 is far from a stressful experience, the game can be made stressful for players if they bite off more than they can chew. For example, surviving in a house with several toddlers and only one adult to look after them can cause The Sims 4 to quickly become a challenge instead of a relaxing experience.
The long-running franchise has always had its stressful moments, though commonly the more sims a player has to manage the more stressful the game becomes, especially if the player is having to balance needs constantly.
7 Game Dev Story
Becoming the CEO of a game development company may sound exciting, and Game Dev Story does make this an enjoyable experience for its players. Though this doesn't mean that the game is entirely stress-free either as running a company is not as simple as it may first seem.
Between the creativity given to players when selecting the genre and names of their games, they must also make sure to keep their company afloat as money may dwindle if the games players are developing don't become popular. It only gets harder as the company expands.
6 They Don't Sleep
Life Simulators come in all shapes and sizes; with They Don't Sleep focusing on the possibility of a zombie apocalypse. Fans of zombie titles already know of the stresses of trying to find enough resources to survive against the roaming undead. They Don't Sleep takes this one step further as players aren't only looking after themselves, but also their baby.
Making sure that there is now enough food for themselves as well as their child, while also defending their settlement from the undead can make this simple pixel art life sim into a nerve-wracking experience.
5 Mr. Prepper
With nuclear warfare on the horizon, or so Mr Prepper believes, it is up to the player to prepare their home for when the nuclear bombs finally hit. As the name suggests this life simulator focuses on the idea of being prepared, even if that means being overly prepared for the worse and therefore stressing yourself out.
There are so many things to get done and so little time to do them. Players must complete a variety of tasks such as building their bunker, making connections, and hoarding resources, all while avoiding the constant visits of the secret police.
4 CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience
Being able to present reality in a life simulator is quite the achievement, especially if it can cause an emotional reaction to those that play it. CHANGE reveals to players what it's like to be homeless where they must beg for their next meal.
This award-winning game causes players to stress heavily due to their own helplessness as they need to rely on the kindness of others if they hope to level up their perks and escape this way of living. Each homeless character has their own story and therefore struggles for the player to face and explore in this randomly generated city.
3 I Was A Teenage Exocolonist
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Growing up can have many stresses but combining this with growing up on a completely different planet, while there is also the danger of this same planet falling into destruction. The player that is just trying to experience their life must grow up quickly in a hope to save the rest of their colony.
Thankfully, players have the power to see the future in order to avoid dangers, but this doesn't stop the game from having its stressful moments as every choice makes a difference to the story. The game's other mechanic of deck building can also have its moments as players may not be sure what the best cards are to use.
2 My Child Lebensborn
Based on the events from after World War 2. The player is tasked with looking after their adopted child Karin or Klaus giving them the best life they can be a child that has been traumatized by the war. Parenting can be stressful as it is, but in this heart-wrenching story, players face other issues in their child's life that will be incredibly distressing.
Learning to balance time can be one of the most stressful elements of the game. Players must decide if they spend more time with their child or work overtime to afford better food for them instead, each action will have its own consequences.
1 Not Tonight
Similarly to Papers Please, Not Tonight tasks the player with taking on the role of a bouncer; a person who must stand outside of buildings and only allow certain individuals inside. At the beginning of the game this task is rather easy as a gamer will only need to look out for certain things being wrong on a character's ID.
However, as the game continues and the political commentary worsens in the UK, players must be stricter with whom they let in while facing moral dilemmas that they may not agree with. Not to mention that the player must also make sure a certain number of individuals make it inside each night.