Immersive Sim is a genre of video games that you definitely should play. It’s not something you get to see all the time, floating around like the other popular video games. Most importantly, everyone has pretty much wrong assumptions about what immersive sim games actually are.
Immersive sims utilize various popular genre conventions such as RPGs and first-person games. It offers players a gameplay system that allows for intuitive gameplay freedom. If that still sounds convoluted, then let us take a look at some immersive sims below.
Immersive Sim Games To Play
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is one of the few games that immediately come to mind when talking about immersive sim games. Created by Ion Storm in the 2000s, it has become one of the most prominent video games of the era.
The game was pretty much responsible for influencing sci-fi immersive sim elements that we see today in other video games. Deus Ex follows the story of agent JC Denton in a dystopian future.
Deus Ex was released at a time when FPS games were limited in scope of storytelling, being dwarfed by Valve’s Half-Life. It set an example of how evolution can occur in the video game medium by blending in shooters with RPG elements.
System Shock
System Shock is another game that combined FPS and RPG-like decision-making in Sci-fi dungeons back in 1994. It was developed by Looking Glass Technologies and comes from an era where narratives about rogue AI were abundant.
It’s funny because the game just recently got a remake in 2023 by Nightdive Studios. In an age where online debates surrounding the harm of advancing AI are getting more and more popular. If there was a right time for you to play the game, then it is right now.
As an immersive sim, System Shock has you, the player character, navigating through mazes of cyberbunk architecture. You have one goal, and that is to fend off the rogue AI Shodan before it can succeed in its plans.
Dishonored
If there is an immersive sim title that really made its mark in the modern decade of video games, then it is the Dishonored franchise. Along with harboring a compelling tale of vengeance, Dishonored is a stellar video game that you should play right now.
It is developed by Arkane Studios and published by the famous Bethesda Studios. You play as Crovo Attano, a bodyguard for the Empress of the Isles. But soon you find yourself amidst a murder conspiracy that has pinned the blame solely on you.
As a disnonored guard, you are on the run, seeking revenge on those who put you in that position. Dishonored was celebrated as one of the best games when it came out, and since gotten sequels which are equally fun experiences.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
We don’t think that there are many video games out there that have ever been able to do justice to vampires. Except maybe the Castlevania series, but that’s not an immersive sim, so we are going to talk about a different game.
Vampire: The Masquerade is a game that was conceived out of the really popular tabletop RPG. Developed by Torika Games in 2004 and published by Capcom, this was a title that really did not have the best development cycle.
But thanks to the fans for patching the game over the years, it has become an extremely entertaining experience. The game follows you, the player, as a newly formed vampire learning the ways and rules of living in the darkness. If you are up for a really good immersive sim with vampires that you should check it out right now.
Thief: The Dark Project
Aside from being one of the best Stealth game series from the late 90s, Thief: The Dark Project is also an immersive sim. It may look like a game set in medieval times, but the setting of Thief surrounds a dark steampunk world.
Players step into the shoes of Garrett, who has been trained to be a master thief. But while in the act, his fate becomes intertwined with a sinister plot that he must stop. Thief masterfully utilizes sound and light mechanics for stealth and immersion.
It may not have several RPG elements that we see in other immersive sims, but it still fits the bill. This is because it set many precedents for mechanics that eventually became the norm for games like these. So you should definitely play Thief and check out the rest of the franchise.
BioShock
2K is not really a company known for publishing video games in genres other than sports. But the few non-sports games they do release tend to be really good. BioShock is exactly that kind of experience that you should be playing right now.
The first game was published back in 2007 for all the popular platforms. You play a character who stumbles upon an underwater city that was built by mankind as a utopia. But that ‘utopia’ is just a facade, as you have to claw your way out of the city.
There have been sequels and several games that have been released after the first one. All of them have been hit games that need to be explored if you are a fan of immersive sims.
Prey
We should clarify beforehand that we are not talking about Prey, which was released in 2006. That was a very fun first-person shooter title published by 2K Games. The title we are going to talk about is Prey (2017), and this was developed by Arkane Studios.
These are the same developers who were responsible for the Dishonored series. So you bet we were in for another amazing immersive sim ride. The setting of Prey is very different when compared to other titles in the genre by Arkane Studios.
Prey is a horror title set in a space station orbiting the moon. What’s worse? It has been invaded by horrifying alien life forms. The player seems to be the sole survivor and now must uncover what’s to come of his fate.
