Simulation games are always extremely popular on Steam as they often scratch the proverbial itch of completing simple but satisfying tasks. While they certainly each get their time in the spotlight, they rarely see levels of success greater than most AAA releases which is why it’s surprising thatGas Station Simulatoris currently outsellingDeathloopon Steam.
BothGas Station SimulatorandDeathloopwere released last week and, while the latter is certainly popular, it isn’t outpacing sales forGas Station Simulator. Currently,Gas Station Simulator’s peak concurrent player count for the last 24 hours is at 11,058, just barely overDeathloop’s 10,936 according to SteamDB.
RELATED:Deathloop is Being Review Bombed on PC For its DRM
WhileDeathloopmight have more all-time players with over 20,000 compared toGas Station Simulator’s 12,000, it’s interesting to see such a niche game reach such a wide audience. Simulation games have had several great releases this year includingPowerwash Simulatorand last month’sLawn Mowing Simulator,so it makes sense why there might beso many fans of the genre interested inGas Station Simulatoras it has a lot more content than other, more traditional simulation titles.
Deathloophas certainly had its time in the spotlight this week as it’s released to nearly universal praise. However, the game’s PC edition seems to be running into plenty of problems causing players to wait on diving deeper into the game until it’s fixed.The problems withDeathloop’s PC versionare so abundant that it’s being review bombed by users on both Steam and Metacritic. These performance issues due to Arkane’s implementation of DRM might be another factor as to why it’s being outsold by a much smaller, more niche title.
Gas Station Simulatorcertainly has its own merits and deserves to be selling well. It seems to really appeal to those looking for a more relaxing experience as opposed toDeathloop’s tense stealth-action gameplay asGas Station Simulatorrevolves around the player operating a cozy rural gas station. This can serve as a nice escape from the many stresses and anxieties caused by the outside world today and has a similar appeal asAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsdid when it launched in March 2020.
BothDeathloopandGas Station Simulatorhave sold well and are in the top 100best-selling games on Steamas of this writing. Both titles seem to be trending upwards in terms of concurrent players, so it’s likely that they’ll both see more popularity in the coming weeks.
Gas Station Simulatoris available on PC.Deathloopis available on PC and PS5.
