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Automobile Sim hidden gems on Steam
Every game here is tagged Automobile Sim on Steam, sits between 1,000 and 5,000 reviews, is rated at least 80% positive, and carries a catch drawn from its own negative reviews. All 32 of them. How these pages are made.
F1 201686% positive from 4,515 reviews2016Deck Playable
Racing simulation game. Career mode with car development and agent/engineer interaction.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a foundational F1 experience, a cherished entry despite its age and being superseded by newer iterations.
The catchWheels and controllers often refuse to work properly and the steering feels wrong.
Games like F1 2016 →
F1 2012™93% positive from 4,227 reviewsDeck Playable
This is a Formula 1 racing simulation game. Its core loop involves racing on official tracks with dynamic weather.
The catchSteering wheels frequently will not work, and keyboard controls are awkward to remap.
Games like F1 2012™ →
This is a vehicle mechanic simulator featuring drag and circuit racing. It offers extensive car customization and a deep career mode.
What players likedPlayers say it's the best tuner game, comparable to Xbox 360 titles, praised for its accessibility on various computers.
The catchConstant crashes, ground clipping and corrupted saves wipe out hours of progress.
Games like Street Legal Racing: Redline v2.3.1 →
My Garage91% positive from 4,115 reviews2026Deck Playable
This is a realistic car repair simulation game. Players fix, maintain, and manage cars in their own garage.
What players likedPlayers praise "My Garage" as a janky but satisfying mechanic/life sim, often compared to "My Summer Car" and "Mechanic Simulator."
The catchConstant crashes and bugs wipe out progress, forcing saves every few minutes.
Games like My Garage →
This is an arcade combat racing game featuring vehicular destruction and customization. Players race and battle in arenas, earning money to upgrade vehicles and unlock new content.
The catchController support is broken, with no preset bindings and menus that ignore the pad.
Games like Gas Guzzlers Extreme →
TRAIL OUT80% positive from 3,836 reviews202243% finish itDeck Unsupported
TRAIL OUT is an arcade racing game featuring destructive demolition derbies and stunt challenges. Players race through varied tracks, aiming to win the festival cup by defeating bosses and upgrading cars.
What players likedPlayers praise "TRAIL OUT" as an amazing, fun arcade racer, often compared to FlatOut, Wreckfest, and Burnout, for its diverse game modes and destruction physics.
The catchCars feel weightless with unsatisfying driving physics
Games like TRAIL OUT →
This is an online street racing simulator featuring 90s JDM cars, extensive tuning, and high-speed police chases. Players compete in various race modes and engage in drifting and car meets.
What players likedPlayers enjoy the high-speed traffic surfing and drifting on dedicated tracks, finding it a relaxing way to unwind.
The catchAbandoned by its developers with barely any content, one street and little to do.
Games like Kanjozoku Game レーサー Online Street Racing & Drift →
This is a Formula 1 team management simulation game. Players manage all aspects of an F1 team, making strategic decisions to achieve success.
The catchTire rules punish the player but not AI
Games like F1® Manager 2023 →
Absolute Drift88% positive from 3,177 reviews20153% finish itDeck Verified
This is a car drifting simulation game. Players master sliding mechanics through various challenges and free-roam areas.
What players likedPlayers praise its satisfying drifting mechanics and minimalist art style, comparing it to a chill, challenging, yet short experience.
The catchThe drift controls are punishing and barely explained, so the game never feels relaxing.
Games like Absolute Drift →
F1 201484% positive from 2,933 reviews2014Deck Unsupported
This is a racing simulation game. It features realistic F1 cars, tracks, and drivers with adjustable difficulty for accessibility.
The catchReads as the weakest entry in the series, with later releases doing it all better.
Games like F1 2014 →
Railroader97% positive from 2,927 reviews2023Deck Playable
Operations-focused railroad simulator. Manage freight and passenger deliveries with vintage locomotives in a scenic mountain setting.
What players likedPlayers praise its detailed operations, physics, and management, balancing realism and casual play like Trainz, Run 8, and Derail Valley.
The catchPerformance is poor, with frame rates dropping badly even on high end hardware.
Games like Railroader →
City Bus Manager is a simulation game where players build and manage a bus company. The core loop involves designing routes, managing a depot, and serving passengers.
What players likedPlayers praise the fun of managing their own bus company in an open world with extensive bus, staff, and passenger management.
The catchDaily bus and staff micromanagement gets repetitive fast and the loop stays shallow.
Games like City Bus Manager →
RACE 0786% positive from 2,740 reviews2007Deck Playable
This is a realistic racing simulator featuring WTCC and open-wheel cars. Its core loop involves competing in detailed races with realistic damage and multiple track variations.
What players likedPlayers praise Race 07's superior controls compared to Assetto Corsa, its fun gameplay, and its accurate physics for various racing classes.
The catchTwitchy, oversensitive handling punishes newcomers and casual players
Games like RACE 07 →
This is a post-apocalyptic truck combat and delivery game. Players drive armed trucks, fighting enemies to deliver supplies in a dangerous world.
The catchIt crashes constantly on modern Windows and saves often corrupt or refuse to load.
Games like Hard Truck Apocalypse / Ex Machina →
Circuit Superstars is a top-down arcade racer with tactile handling and strategic pit stops. It features multi-disciplinary motorsport with a high skill ceiling for dedicated players.
What players likedPlayers praise this arcade racer's exceptional physics, diverse disciplines, and track selection, making it an unexpectedly fun experience.
The catchThe fixed top down camera never rotates with the car, making corners hard to read.
Games like Circuit Superstars →
Automobilista90% positive from 2,576 reviews20161% finish itDeck Unsupported
A diverse motorsports simulator featuring Brazilian series and varied vehicles. It offers realistic racing across historical and modern disciplines.
What players likedPlayers praise Automobilista's good physics and diverse car selection, especially the Formula V10s, on unique tracks.
The catchController and wheel support is a mess, with bindings that need constant remapping.
Games like Automobilista →
Snakeybus94% positive from 2,547 reviews201974% finish itDeck Playable
Snakeybus is a casual arcade game where players grow a bus by picking up and dropping off passengers, requiring careful navigation to avoid self-collision. It features single-player maps, multiplayer, and unlockable content.
The catchThe novelty wears off in minutes, leaving thin content for the asking price.
Games like Snakeybus →
RIDE80% positive from 2,468 reviews20159% finish itDeck Playable
This is a motorcycle racing simulation game. Players compete in races across various tracks and modes, customizing bikes to climb rankings.
What players likedThere is not enough information to answer the question. The provided review only mentions graphics and handling, not comparisons to other games or what players praise most.
The catchSave files corrupt and wipe out bikes, credits and career progress.
Games like RIDE →
Bus Driver83% positive from 2,375 reviews2014Deck Playable
Bus Driver is a realistic simulation game focused on adhering to schedules and traffic laws while transporting passengers. Its core loop involves navigating diverse city environments with various bus types and conditions.
The catchControllers and wheels often refuse to work and controls cannot be remapped.
Games like Bus Driver →
Neon Drive83% positive from 2,177 reviews201629% finish itDeck Verified
Neon Drive is a retro-futuristic arcade racer with a focus on dodging obstacles. It features smooth graphics, synthwave music, and challenging gameplay.
The catchLevels demand memorising obstacle patterns through repeated failure rather than reacting.
Games like Neon Drive →
This is a music-powered racing game where players race on tracks generated from their own music. The core loop involves syncing actions to audio cues to score points and beat ghost data.
The catchOfficial servers are dead, so custom track generation no longer works without fan fixes.
Games like Riff Racer - Race Your Music! →
Wrench85% positive from 2,012 reviews2018Deck Playable
Wrench is a detailed motorsports mechanic simulation featuring hands-on tool interaction and part management. Players disassemble and repair cars in a sandbox environment with co-op multiplayer.
What players likedPlayers praise "Wrench" as the most detailed car simulator, offering intricate engine work with zero guidance, similar to solving a complex problem.
The catchDevelopment has stalled with no meaningful updates, leaving little to actually do.
Games like Wrench →
This is a truck driving simulation game focused on realistic maneuvering challenges and competitive events. Players experience precise driving in various scenarios, from obstacle courses to difficult routes.
What players likedPlayers praise it as one of the best driving simulators, offering fun and challenging big rig driving.
The catchRacing wheels and pedals often go unrecognised, forcing keyboard-only play.
Games like Scania Truck Driving Simulator →
Apex Point86% positive from 1,948 reviews2023Deck Playable
Open world racing simulator with deep car customization for drag, drift, and track racing. Players experience realistic physics and dynamic environments in Japan.
The catchUpdates stopped over a year ago and the promised engine rebuild has not appeared.
Games like Apex Point →
This is a fast-paced arcade racing game focused on player-created tracks and stunts. It offers intuitive controls and extensive customization for a thrilling, community-driven experience.
What players likedPlayers praise its arcade racing, comparing it to mastering impossible tracks with pure momentum and precision.
The catchThe mandatory ManiaPlanet account and launcher lock buyers out of the game entirely.
Games like TrackMania² Canyon →
Arcade racing game with destruction and track editing. Features multiplayer modes like Wrecking Match and Stunt Show.
The catchThe physics and car handling feel broken, leaving cars hard to control.
Games like Crashday Redline Edition →
NASCAR Heat 481% positive from 1,743 reviews20194% finish itDeck Unsupported
This is a NASCAR racing simulation game. It features drafting, competitive AI, and a career mode.
What players likedPlayers praise its fantastic control, realism, and continuous flow, making it a very nice game.
The catchCars pivot on a central axis rather than turn at the wheels, so physics feel wrong.
Games like NASCAR Heat 4 →
Desert Bus VR87% positive from 1,723 reviews20172% finish itDeck Playable
This is a VR driving simulation game where players drive a bus for eight hours. Its core loop involves a slow, realistic journey with minimal interaction.
The catchThe VR mode often refuses to launch or crashes on modern headsets.
Games like Desert Bus VR →
Driving and shooting game with dual time periods and customizable vehicles. Core loop involves car chases, combat, and revenge missions.
What players likedPlayers praise its fun GTA 3/VC/Mafia 1-like gameplay, car collection, and customization, holding up well for its age.
The catchThe PC port crashes and needs community patches before it runs properly.
Games like Driver® Parallel Lines →
GearCity90% positive from 1,491 reviews20220% finish itDeck Playable
GearCity is a deep, realistic economic simulation game. Players manage a car company, designing vehicles and overseeing production and business operations.
What players likedIt's a deep, complex management simulator praised for its intricate economic and business mechanics.
The catchThe clunky, dated interface buries the deep simulation under endless menus and clicks.
Games like GearCity →
NASCAR racing simulation. Experience high-speed competition with career and multiplayer modes.
The catchThe PC port is unstable and frequently fails to recognise wheels or controllers.
Games like NASCAR '15 Victory Edition →
Physics-based off-road simulator with soft-body tire and drivetrain simulation. Explore maps and complete trails with extensive visual and mechanical customization.
What players likedPlayers praise its realism, comparing it favorably to other crawler games.
The catchTraction is infinite so nothing challenges you, and the trails run out within hours.
Games like Pure Rock Crawling →
