5 Simulators That Will Really Test Your Knowledge

There's a reason why we're drawn to games like Lawn Mower Simulator, and it's mostly down to the fact that you don't need the slightest shred of experience to know how to to operate one. The same applies to games like Goat Simulator, in the sense that you don't need to be a goat to know how to play a goat. These are but two simulators that anyone can jump right into and learn on the go — unlike others of its kind, which only target a specific demographic of industry professionals and what have you.

It's no secret that a genre that lets you be and do just about anything without limits has a supply of tough-as-nails simulators in its pocket. Question is, which of them have been a little too hard to understand to the average Joe or Jane?

5. PC Building Simulator 2

If you're a dab hand at building PCs, and just so happen to know every popular brand and all the components needed to construct a state-of-the-art machine, then you'll feel right at home with PC Building Simulator. But it you struggle to wrap your head around the basics, like CPU and RAM, then Spiral House's in-depth simulator will confuse the living daylights out of you.

PC Building Simulator 2 is exactly what it says on the tin: a simulator, in which you build a series of high-powered PCs for walk-in customers. What starts out as a gentle slog of installing antivirus software, though, eventually spirals into something a little more complex, hence the need to have a certain level of knowledge stowed away under your belt. Cleaning out the keys of an old mechanical keyboard is one thing — but sourcing the components needed to make a fully functioning PC is another story, and one that, quite frankly, a lot of gamers simply won't get.

4. Car Mechanic Simulator 2021

If you're the type of person who kicks the wheel after forking out $800 for car repairs, then you're also likely to be the type of person who hasn't got the slightest clue what's stashed under the hood, either. And that's okay, because not everybody is built to understand the nooks and crannies of a car, let alone the tools needed to repair one. But for those who thrive on tweaking old bangers in their spare time, Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 will make you feel right at home.

Similar to PC Building Simulator 2, your goal is to repair customers' broken things. In this case, though, it's less scrubbing keyboards of grime and unwanted clutter, and more hitting bits of carbon with a socket wrench until the lightbulb above your head goes pop. If you are like me, however, then you'll probably struggle to identify the socket wrench, to begin with.

3. Farming Simulator

You'd think that with the amount of experience we've obtained from picking weeds in games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, we'd know a thing or two about farming. Turns out, though, unless you're a farmer, born and raised, you won't know anywhere near enough to build a genuinely likable and profitable business. And milking cows? Now that's a whole other mountain, and quite frankly the least of your worries when it comes to Farming Simulator.

Farming Simulator slaps you right into the thick of it, right between a few thousand acres of malnourished farmland and a megaplex of starving animals that long for a quality meal. And unless you, the rosy-cheeked farmhand, can comprehend what it takes to keep the place afloat, then you'll eventually find yourself sludged in cowpat and critical failure. Tutorials are a must for this one, unless, of course, you know your farming malarkey, in which case this'll be a doddle.

2. Microsoft Flight Simulator

It's annoying, knowing what wonders Microsoft Flight Simulator boasts in its ridiculously impressive life-size planet. It's annoying because, well, unless you're a dab hand at piloting a Boeing 737, you won't get to see the majority of it. Like me, you'll be stuck trying to make heads or tails of how to not only fly a plane — but get it off the actual runway without colliding with a hedge maze.

Of course, you could invest a whole lot of time to learning the fundamentals, but that alone takes a few hours. And even then, you'll only really have enough knowledge to make a short journey from one city to another. But to fully immerse yourself in the realm of aviation, you will need to have some level or previous experience, if only from playing earlier games in the series. Either that, or a lifelong interest in cockpit schematics.

1. Tech Support: Error Unknown

If you can approach a box of old components and mechanical gizmos and somehow turn them into a high-powered gaming PC, then you're sure to know a thing or two about solving its meta issues once booted up, no? If you just so happen to be an IT tech by trade, then you'll feel right at home with Tech Support: Error Unknown, an all-in-one computer-based simulator that sees you knuckling down on tickets and working to overthrow a hacktivist group.

Answering in-house queries isn't all that demanding. That is, providing you know your way around a desktop PC and can openly decipher various errors. But there's a lot more to Tech Support: Error Unknown than meets the eye, and it's an absolute nightmare trying to understand any of it whatsoever when your only on-hand solution is to turn it off, and back on again. Perhaps you, a sprightly IT tech, will have better luck, though.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five simulators? Are there any tough-as-nails simulators you'd suggest for this list? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.