Not every game needs to feature intense combat, rich storytelling, or defeating big monsters. Some games can bring as much fun as the popular game genres without bringing too much stress. Store Simulation is one of the genres that will keep you hooked up for hours and will drive out your creativity.
These games basically allow you to manage a store where you keep things under your management to run them successfully. Tasks like selling items, managing inventory, curating shelves, and fulfilling customers’ needs are the core of these games. Each game has its unique gameplay style, and you will learn how a store works in real life.
If you love this genre, then here are the top 7 store simulator games where the customer is king and the success of your store rests on your shoulders.
Shoppe Keep 2
Steam User Rating: 59%
Link: Steam
| Developer | Strange Fire |
| Release Date | 2019 |
| Modes | Singleplayer, Online Co-op/PvP |
Shoppe Keep 2 features an open-world fantasy business management system where you develop yourself into a trusty town merchant. You won’t be just buying stuff and selling to customers but you will be also engaging in hunting, fishing, and cooling. As you start your journey into developing a multi-story emporium, more and more customers will flock in for the latest clothing, weaponry, and sustenance items.
The game was released in 2019 and allows solo gameplay as well as cooperating with others in a group of 2 to 4 friends to speed up your business. The colorful visuals, cheerful soundtracks, and fighting against huge spiders and wolves add a twist to the core gameplay.
Moonlighter
Steam User Rating: 82%
Link: Steam
| Developer | Digital Sun |
| Release Date | 2018 |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
If you are a Roguelike lover, then Moonlighter won’t let you get bored ever. With randomized stages each time, you are going to witness new patterns in each level. This classic roguelike title brings several other genres into one place in the pixelated environment which you must explore for collecting resources. The game tasks you to sell items, manage gold reserves, and recruit multiple assistants to help you grow your shop.
As you venture through your struggle-filled journey, you will encounter various enemies and bosses. Keep them away using your weapons and understand their fighting patterns. Remember that establishing relations with your neighbors is crucial to maintaining your business and keep crafting armor and weapons.
Game Store Simulator
Steam User Rating: 72%
Link: Steam
| Developer | Pex Entertainment |
| Release Date | 2023 |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
We believe that if you love to play video games, you will also love to operate a game store of your own. This latest store simulator was released in November 2023 by Pex Entertainment. The amount of work you have to manage will make you feel like running a game store in real life. Drive the car to the market, buy the games, and put them on your store shelves for the customers.
It’s all about buying and selling video games for the profit. Not it’s important to indulge in basic trading but it’s also crucial to expand your store through various upgrades. It’s all about satisfying your customers even if takes you hiring a worker to help you manage your store.
Winkeltje: The Little Shop
Steam User Rating: 90%
Link: Steam
| Developer | Sassybot |
| Release Date | 2022 |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
Farm, expand, buy for less and sell for a higher price, decorate, and manage employees. Winkeltje is one of the top-rated store simulators that is not only available on PC but on various consoles including PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. This is the game where your fantasy store will come to life and you will be able to create or sell a variety of products including, nails, apples, swords, and love potions.
The medieval theme of the game is particularly compelling as not only you are trading the historic items, but you are running a medieval-style store and can customize your outfits from that era.
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
Steam User Rating: 96%
Link: Steam
| Developer | EasyGameStation |
| Release Date | 2010 |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
Despite being more than a decade old, Recettar remains one of the top store simulators of all time. This anime-style RPG features multiple genres to spice up the game. Players take the role of Recette Lemongrass who has to pay back the loan of her father through running an item shop. It will take skillful management of the shop, exploring the dungeons, and searching the wild for goods to generate that amount of money.
Travellers Rest
Steam User Rating: 91%
Link: Steam
| Developer | Isolated Games |
| Release Date | 2020 |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
Developed by Isolated Games and released in 2020, Travellers Rest is a compelling Pixel Graphics RPG title that puts you in the position of an innkeeper embarking on a journey to build good relationships with his customers. The simple drag-and-drop controls make building a tavern fairly easy but there are several other tasks to execute including brewing, cooking, farming, and crafting.
All of these together will result in an ideal social space for your customers where they would love to hang out and buy your products. However, building trust is crucial which can only be done through honesty, good customer service, and fulfilling customers’ orders timely.
King of Retail
Steam User Rating: 90%
Link: Steam
| Developer | Freaking Games |
| Release Date | 2022 |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
The game allows operating an actual modern retail store that doesn’t stop at buying and selling items on profit but rather expands to managing the business to turn the company into a giant brand. Plan carefully, run multiple shops, create a franchise, decorate your stores, hire brand ambassadors, and build trust to keep the customers coming.
So, whether you think you excel in marketing t-shirts or gaming monitors, the choice is yours. Create stunning marketing materials to catch customers’ attention and make them your permanent customers.
