Games Like Game Dev Tycoon

Start your own game development studio in 1976. Build your own offices, production facilities and server rooms. Develop the games of your dreams and produce the next next-gen console. Rise from a small garage company to a huge corporation.

Why similar: Management 51%, Economy 19.4%, Simulation 16.9%, Strategy 7.1%, Sandbox 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: It expands the same game-studio formula with deeper staff management, hardware development, market analysis, and a richer climb through gaming history.

Manage a game studio from the dawn of the gaming industry in 1976. Your journey starts with small indie titles and grows into a gaming empire. Develop, design, and conquer the industry. From humble beginnings to gaming legend, it’s your story, your studio, your legacy!

Why similar: Management 37%, Economy 15.6%, Simulation 14.6%, Moddable 12.1% ★, Strategy 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: This is another highly focused game-company sim where you research tech, make games, manage teams, and compete across changing eras of the industry.

Form your own game studio set in the early 1980s in a small garage. Develop your own game ideas, create a team and develop megahit video games. Research new technologies, train your staff and upgrade your office space, going from a lowly garage to a huge building. Expand your business and dominate the world market for video games!

Why similar: Management 50.1%, Simulation 16.2%, Economy 14.8%, Strategy 6.9%, Sandbox 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: Like Game Dev Tycoon, it revolves around building a game studio, choosing projects, researching features, and growing with the industry over time.

Welcome to your own Game Dev Studio! How will you run your own offices and ascend to greatness in the gaming industry?

Why similar: Management 32.7%, Simulation 21.8%, Economy 9.9%, Strategy 8.9%, Addictive 7.3% ★

Why You'll Like It: It closely mirrors the core loop of designing games, hiring talent, researching improvements, and steadily scaling your studio.

Manage your Game Studio, earn big bucks, impress the critics, beat rival studios and clean up at the awards!

Why similar: Management 53.6%, Simulation 16.5%, Economy 15.3%, Strategy 3.9%, Indie 3%

Why You'll Like It: This offers a similarly streamlined and charming take on running a game studio, balancing staff, projects, and office growth.

Construct and design buildings for optimal working conditions. Hire people to design and release software, so you can defeat the simulated competition and take over their businesses. Manage and educate your employees to make sure they are skilled and satisfied with their job.

Why similar: Management 41.1%, Economy 17.1%, Simulation 15.6%, Moddable 12.3% ★, Strategy 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: Although broader than games alone, it nails the same satisfaction of building a software company through design choices, employee management, and tech progression.

Startup Company is a business simulation sandbox game where you’re the CEO of a new company. Your job is to build your very own website and compete against the largest tech giants on the planet!

Why similar: Management 50.9%, Simulation 18.1%, Economy 14.8%, Strategy 5.9%, Moddable 3.2% ★

Why You'll Like It: It shifts from games to web startups but keeps the same hook of building a company, improving products, hiring specialists, and optimizing growth.

Work hard and you may reach the top of the video game industry!

Why similar: Management 60.4%, Simulation 17.9%, Strategy 10.3%, Casual 4.6%, 2D 3%

Why You'll Like It: Kairosoft's classic delivers the same addictive pick-a-genre, train-your-team, and chase-hit-releases rhythm in a lighter format.

In GamersGoMakers, you found a little company creating the first video games in history. Create your first game with only basic sound and simple graphics available in the year 1980. You´re one of the pioneers entering the rising global market for computer games.

Why similar: Management 45.4%, Simulation 29.1%, Strategy 10.1%, Economy 6%, Indie 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: It follows the same fantasy of starting small in the game industry and growing by hiring staff, researching, and releasing better games.

Computer Tycoon is a highly complex Business Grand Strategy game about Computer Evolution. Start in the 70s, invent until 2034, create the best computer systems, upgrade your infrastructure, lead a team, and alter computer history! It is time to "Think Different"

Why similar: Management 40.8%, Economy 20%, Simulation 17.4%, Strategy 8%, Sandbox 6%

Why You'll Like It: Its decades-spanning tech-company progression and product-strategy focus echo the historical market climb that makes Game Dev Tycoon so compelling.

MMORPG Tycoon 2 is a single-player world-builder game about creating the greatest MMORPG of all time – yours.

Why similar: Management 47%, Economy 19.5%, Simulation 18.2%, Sandbox 6.6%, Indie 3.5%

Why You'll Like It: It leans more sandbox, but the idea of creating, balancing, and expanding your own game product makes it a natural fit for game-dev-sim fans.

Tech Corp. is a game where you try to become the biggest tech company in the world . Your goal is to become the next big shot in the tech industry. The game also takes place through history. Starting in the early 90's and going to present time.

Why similar: Management 40.3%, Simulation 23.7%, Economy 12.9%, Strategy 11.4%, Indie 3.8%

Why You'll Like It: This focuses on running a tech business with product development, office management, and R&D in a way that feels adjacent to software studio sims.

Welcome to the Game Industry!The year is 1982. Three young entrepreneurs discover the computer and potential to strike it rich in the Games Industry! Their love for computer games is a common bond that they all share but they are also in fierce competition with one another in a race to build a successful Games Development House…They...

Why similar: Simulation 45.2%, Management 35.4%, Strategy 12.8%, Economy 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: Despite its age, it's still a direct game-development tycoon about managing projects, technology, and market success.

Empire TV Tycoon is a game in which you manage a TV channel and fight for audiences taking decisions that will project your channel to fame and fortune.You will decide the content of your channel, select advertisers, hire workers, make your own productions, hire actors, and engage in much more activities!

Why similar: Management 49.6%, Economy 17.9%, Simulation 13.2%, Strategy 7.4%, Funny 2.5%

Why You'll Like It: It trades video games for television, but the loop of creating entertainment products for audiences and managing a studio is closely related.

Become the most successful youtuber on the planet! Create videos, get subscribers, attend events, interact with your fans… and grow your channel. Live a youtuber’s life!

Why similar: Management 53.5%, Simulation 20.9%, Casual 5.2%, Strategy 5.2%, Indie 5.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its creator-career management is more personal and casual, but it shares the same appeal of building an entertainment business from humble beginnings.

Make your dream cars a reality with Automation’s unparalleled car and engine design tools. Gain a competitive edge through smart engineering and business decisions to help you build an automotive empire. Will you become an industry leader, or just a footnote in automotive history?

Why similar: Management 48.5%, Simulation 20.6%, Economy 9.2%, Moddable 8.5% ★, Strategy 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: If you love combining product design with market strategy and long-term business growth, this scratches a very similar strategic itch.

Ever dreamed of making your own movies? Build up your own movie studio, scout for upcoming stars, and produce cutting-edge films and TV shows. Try to stay ahead of your competition throughout the history of cinematography.

Why similar: Management 38.7%, Simulation 18.5%, Economy 16.2%, Moddable 15.3% ★, Sandbox 6%

Why You'll Like It: Managing a creative studio, assembling talent, and turning productions into hits gives it a very similar business-meets-creativity appeal.

Do you find tycoon games too simplistic? GearCity is a complex and in-depth business simulator. It focuses on a realistic economic simulation of the global automobile industry. The game takes several hours to grasp and hundreds of hours to master. Can you succeed where many other CEOs have failed?

Why similar: Management 47.1%, Simulation 18.6%, Economy 16.4%, Strategy 8.6%, Addictive 4.8% ★

Why You'll Like It: Designing products, reading the market, and guiding a company through decades of industry change makes it a strong thematic match despite the auto focus.

Welcome to the big show! Ready the camera, unleash your creativity and and pile up the profits! Grow your operation with your razor-sharp business sense and usher in a new era for filmmakers worldwide.

Why similar: Management 29.7%, Simulation 25.1%, Economy 14.4%, Strategy 12.1%, Sandbox 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: This captures the same feel of running a creative company, picking projects, growing staff, and chasing audience success in another entertainment industry.

Develop your newspaper and become New York’s new media mogul! In this tycoon, build and manage your newspaper from printer to toilet. Create your editorial line and lead your journalists through unique 1930's stories and dig out the latest scoops!

Why similar: Management 49.4%, Simulation 16.9%, Economy 13.5%, Strategy 7.7%, Sandbox 5%

Why You'll Like It: Building a media company around staff, content, and expansion taps into a similar creative-business progression loop.

Good Company is an in-depth management sim about building a trail-blazing tech corporation. Assemble complex production lines, manage employee logistics, and sell high-quality products on the market to become the best company in the whole county!

Why similar: Management 44.2%, Economy 19.6%, Simulation 17.7%, Strategy 8.9%, Sandbox 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: Its approachable corporate-building loop of hiring, organizing workflows, and expanding a tech business overlaps nicely with Game Dev Tycoon's management appeal.

Idol Manager is a business sim about conquering the entertainment industry using any means you deem necessary.

Why similar: Management 44.6%, Economy 19.3%, Simulation 13.9%, Moddable 8.4% ★, Strategy 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: Running a talent agency and balancing creative output, staff, and money gives it a familiar blend of management and entertainment-industry strategy.

Start out as comic artist in small room and draw best comic you can and show off your work, replay the history of the comic industry., your decisions will make or break your studio. Create bestselling comics and become immortal with your stories.

Why similar: Simulation 29.1%, Management 22.7%, Strategy 14.8%, Addictive 8.2% ★, Indie 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: This is another niche creative-industry management sim where you build a company by producing and improving marketable entertainment products.

Build and grow your very own computer repair enterprise as you learn to diagnose, fix and build PCs. With real-world licensed components and comprehensive hardware and software simulation, you can plan and bring your ultimate PC to life.

Why similar: Management 45.4%, Simulation 36.9%, Sandbox 5.8%, Casual 4%, Indie 3.2%

Why You'll Like It: It is more hands-on and less tycoon-driven, but fans of the tech-business theme may enjoy its steady upgrade-and-expand progression.

Big Ambitions is a revolutionary role-playing business sim. Go from nothing to the biggest entrepreneur in New York by opening small businesses or slowly building huge corporations any way you like.

Why similar: Management 58.3%, Economy 20.5%, Simulation 16%, Sandbox 3.4%, Singleplayer 1.2%

Why You'll Like It: While it is more open-ended and less focused on a single creative industry, it still delivers the fantasy of building a business empire from scratch.

Quit your job and build an exciting startup! Survive the tech bubble, compete with rival CEOs and expand your office from bedroom programmer up to the heights of global corporate sabotage! As long as you don't get hacked... or kidnapped...

Why similar: Management 42%, Economy 18.5%, Simulation 17.7%, Strategy 8.4%, Casual 4.1%

Why You'll Like It: This is a lighter, more narrative startup-management take that still emphasizes product direction, staffing, and business growth.

Production line is the new car factory management/simulation/tycoon game that pushes your organisational and entrepreneurship skills to the limit. Can you build the ultimate optimised, free-flowing car production line whilst beating the competition and still turn a profit?

Why similar: Management 46.4%, Simulation 15.5%, Economy 14.5%, Strategy 6.7%, Moddable 5.8% ★

Why You'll Like It: Its emphasis on optimizing production, scaling operations, and running a product-based business overlaps with the management side of Game Dev Tycoon.

Make history with manga! Turn your work into anime, drama, and even movies!

Why similar: Management 48.8%, Economy 19.6%, Simulation 13.7%, Strategy 8.8%, Casual 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: Creating hit manga through staff development and project choices delivers a smaller-scale but very familiar creator-management loop.

Help your community grow through the power of the press in this magazine sim! A small local magazine can make a big difference! Do you have what it takes to become a magazine mogul?

Why similar: Management 40.2%, Simulation 19.5%, Economy 17.4%, Strategy 9.6%, Casual 4.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its focus on producing content, growing a publication, and improving output quality feels like a close cousin to game-studio management.

Shape the history of the Hollywood movie industry in this sandbox business simulation game. Create the movies you've always wanted to see, hire the best team, research cutting-edge technologies, and dominate the Box Office. Can you rise from a small studio to a Hollywood giant?

Why similar: Management 39.6%, Simulation 14.5%, Economy 13.9%, Moddable 9.4% ★, Strategy 6.3%

Welcome, eager young investor, to AdVenture Capitalist! Arguably the world's greatest Capitalism simulator!

Why similar: Management 45.6%, Economy 20.6%, Simulation 18.4%, Casual 4.6%, Funny 3.4%

Create and control the business empire of your dreams. This in-depth strategy game covers almost every aspect of business that could be encountered in the real world.

Why similar: Management 42.4%, Economy 25%, Simulation 21.2%, Strategy 8.9%, Indie 2.4%

Why You'll Like It: This is a broader and more systemic business sim, but it matches the entrepreneurial satisfaction of growing a company through smart strategy.

In Game Builder Tycoon, begin as an indie game developer. Personalize your character, craft hit games, manage marketing, research stuff and manage a skilled team. Overcome competition to guide your game development studio to global recognition and dominate the gaming industry.

Why similar: Management 41.1%, Simulation 19.3%, Economy 18.8%, Strategy 7.5%, Sandbox 4.3%

Start your life as a simple gamer in the year 2000. Find popular games to stream or compete in 8 different Esports. Who will you be? Play your career and story. Can you become the most famous broadcaster or the best progamer in the world?

Why similar: Management 34.1%, Simulation 28.1%, Economy 13.6%, Casual 7.3%, Indie 6.9%

«Smartphone Tycoon» — unique business simulator. Create your own company for the production of smartphones! Your main goal will be to achieve worldwide recognition and take the company to the temple of fame of the global market.

Why similar: Management 49.6%, Simulation 29.6%, Strategy 13.4%, Indie 6.3%, Singleplayer 1.2%

Only the world’s most ruthless Warden can contain the world’s most ruthless inmates. Design and develop your personalized penitentiary in Prison Architect.

Why similar: Management 39.2%, Simulation 18.6%, Economy 11%, Moddable 9.1% ★, Strategy 8.2%

Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.

Why similar: Simulation 40%, Addictive 18.9% ★, Indie 15.3%, Strategy 6.4%, Point & Click 4.8%

The only game of its kind where you can feel like a real internet celebrity! Record videos, interact with your subscribers, buy better equipment and gain fame!

Why similar: Management 44.2%, Simulation 27.9%, Strategy 13.2%, Casual 6.6%, Indie 6.2%

Plague Inc: Evolved is a unique mix of high strategy and terrifyingly realistic simulation. Your pathogen has just infected 'Patient Zero' - now you must bring about the end of human history by evolving a deadly, global Plague whilst adapting against everything humanity can do to defend itself.

Why similar: Simulation 43%, Strategy 27.2%, Addictive 12.3% ★, Indie 6.8%, Casual 3.7%

One of the best games from acclaimed Tycoon series, with well designed gameplay mechanics, appealing graphics, and really high re-playability value. There’s no limit to what you can create so design and build the most thrilling roller coaster the world has ever seen!

Why similar: Management 56%, Simulation 26.8%, Strategy 7.4%, Sandbox 5.2%, Singleplayer 1.7%

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum combines the excitement of rollercoasters with the fun of a great strategy simulation. RCT3 Platinum combines the roller coaster theme park fun of the Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 with included expansion packs Soaked! and Wild! Now enjoy more options than ever.

Why similar: Management 51.3%, Simulation 23.8%, Economy 7.5%, Strategy 5.6%, Sandbox 5.5%

Have you got what it takes to become the manager of a high-performance motorsport team? Motorsport Manager is a highly detailed, best-in-class management game for fans of motorsport. You’ll hire the drivers, build the cars and embed yourself in the dynamic world of racing.

Why similar: Management 68.1%, Simulation 20.4%, Strategy 9.1%, Economy 1%, Singleplayer 1%

In Startup Freak you take the role of a budding entrepreneur, and grow your very own software startup from humble beginnings to a multi-million dollar company. Along the way you will have to overcome countless challenges. But the ultimate question you must answer: are you a Startup Freak?

Why similar: Management 39.1%, Simulation 26.9%, Strategy 12.9%, Economy 10.9%, Indie 6.4%

Design stunning hospitals, cure peculiar illnesses and manage troublesome staff as you spread your budding healthcare organisation across Two Point County.

Why similar: Management 57%, Simulation 27.3%, Strategy 4.7%, Sandbox 3.1%, Indie 2.1%

Start with one tiny office and a big idea, and grow it into a global computer company. Design your own CPUs, GPUs and laptops, launch your own OS, and outsmart your rivals. A laid-back tycoon that's easy to get into and hard to put down — made by one indie dev.

Why similar: Management 43.1%, Economy 25.1%, Simulation 13.2%, Strategy 8.4%, Sandbox 7%

An idle game about making cookies! Originally released in 2013 on the web, and actively developed since then. This is the official version for Steam.

Why similar: Management 42.8%, Economy 18.4%, Simulation 12.6%, Strategy 6.8%, Indie 5.8%

Create, manage, and guide your very own band to success!

Why similar: Management 61%, Simulation 25.1%, Casual 7.6%, Indie 6.2%

In Game Tycoon 2 you find yourself in the middle of the big players. Get into the act and experience the fascination of the game development. Reach your goal and become the Game Tycoon!

Why similar: Management 46.8%, Simulation 20.8%, Economy 15.8%, Strategy 10.1%, Indie 5.1%

CoffeeBiz tycoon is a mix of entrepreneurship fun and complicated business simulation. Start your first coffee kiosk, brew, expand, hire, deal with competitors, build a well-known brand, risk, and do everything else needed to build prosperous and profitable business.

Why similar: Management 44.1%, Simulation 23.2%, Economy 13%, Strategy 10.2%, Indie 5%

Drill for oil like it's 1899! Turmoil offers players a visually charming, tongue-in-cheek take on the simulation genre inspired by the 19th century oil rush in North America.

Why similar: Management 50.3%, Economy 17%, Simulation 15%, Strategy 10%, Indie 2.8%

Compete for stardom in this Esport management tycoon.

Why similar: Management 49.7%, Simulation 32.3%, Indie 6.3%, Strategy 6%, Casual 5.7%

Build your own dungeon and attract heroes from all over the realm! Grow your business by exploiting every facet of your visitors' dungeon exploration experience. Will you be able to keep your evil dungeon business going?

Why similar: Management 47.3%, Economy 19.2%, Simulation 17.2%, Strategy 9%, Sandbox 5.4%

Market Tycoon is a Tycoon game where you Grow your Market from a small Mini Market all the way up to a Hyper Market. Manage, create, and customize your market from wall paint to placing cashiers, shelves, and fridges.

Why similar: Management 48.9%, Simulation 25%, Strategy 10.9%, Indie 5.9%, Casual 5.3%

«Smartphone Tycoon - Lite» — unique business simulator. Create your own company for the production of smartphones! Your main goal will be to achieve worldwide recognition and take the company to the temple of fame of the global market.

Why similar: Simulation 43.8%, Strategy 22%, Management 14.9%, Indie 11.2%, Addictive 7.4% ★

Project Highrise is a skyscraper construction and management sim...

Why similar: Management 53.7%, Simulation 21.8%, Strategy 9%, Economy 7.3%, Sandbox 2.8%

Planet Coaster® - the future of coaster park simulation games has arrived! Surprise, delight and thrill incredible crowds as you build your coaster park empire - let your imagination run wild, and share your success with the world.

Why similar: Management 44.8%, Simulation 23.7%, Economy 12.5%, Strategy 5.9%, Sandbox 5.8%

Cities: Skylines is a modern take on the classic city simulation. The game introduces new game play elements to realize the thrill and hardships of creating and maintaining a real city whilst expanding on some well-established tropes of the city building experience.

Why similar: Management 38.6%, Simulation 22.6%, Economy 12.3%, Moddable 10.6% ★, Strategy 7.4%

Have you ever wanted to be president? or prime-minister? Convinced you could do a better job of running the country? Let's face it, you could hardly do a worse job than our current political leaders.

Why similar: Simulation 34.2%, Management 24.4%, Strategy 13.4%, Economy 12.2%, Moddable 5.3% ★

Disco Simulator is a tycoon type game based on club management. Your task will be to set up the club from scratch, put up walls, arrange furniture, hire staff, plan events, invite artists, put on concerts. Create your own club!

Why similar: Management 41.4%, Simulation 18.1%, Economy 15.7%, Strategy 6.9%, Casual 4.1%