Chernobyl: Simulator (2026)

Developer: Rikarin Studio
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Indie, Simulation, Early Access
Rating: 4.8 of 5, 59 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 3.1 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense, methodical simulation that places you in the hot seat of a Soviet nuclear control room, where each switch and gauge decision carries weight and the pressure is palpable.

tensesimulationmethodicalunforgivingeducationalhistoricalatmosphericstressful

What players say

Players praise the reactor panel detail but say the game is still bare, lacking turbine and pump systems. It is very hard to start without a proper tutorial, and the control room is both too dark and too shiny. Players split on whether the simulation depth already justifies the price or still needs much more content.

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.