Summary
In many faiths throughout time, it is said that a god or the gods created humanity in their own image. Well, the modern miracle of video games has come, and humans have returned the favor by birthing virtual universes ruled over by gods of every stripe, from the benevolent to the downright evil, depending on who holds the controller or moves the mouse.
For players who wish to have the power of the divines at their fingertips,god sim gamesare likely the closest they will get to true omnipotence. While there are plenty of games that allow the player to step intothe shoes of a god-like protagonist, only a handful give the player a people to lead, a cosmos to shape, and heretics to miraculously evaporate into fine, brimstone-scented mist.
Updated on July 22, 2025, by Mark Smith: Many believe that the golden age of god simulators is now far in the past, but a recent pantheon of game studios have descended to the mortal plane to remind gamers that performing miracles for worshipers punishing nonbelievers and playing with omnipotent power can be a heavenly time. Some of the best god games have been modern titles, such asWorldBox,Deisim, andThe Universim, which might be enough to restore the faith of those who feel that their favorite genre has abandoned them.
Who ever said that being a god was easy?Rise To Ruinsoffers a challenging, top-down village management experience in which the deity of the village (the player) must protect their people from a malevolent cosmic entity known as “The Corruption.” Not only do villagers have to fight against the elements, but also undead monsters that rise again each night.
The game has a pretty pixel presentation that looks deceptively simple. The game itself can be tricky to learn, and a few hours in, management can become intricately challenging. However,Rise To Ruinsoffers a high level of replayability, thanks to some ingenious emergent gameplay loops, especially for fans of the tower defense genre.
This self-styled “indirect” god sim game is niche and may not be for everyone, but it does scratch a particular itch that some gamers might have when thinking about the possibilities afforded to them by godhood. This experimental title addresses the contradiction running at the center of the genre: god games are about bestowing ultimate power on players, but deities in most (if not all) cultures and religions indicate that while there are sometimes miracles, divine power is rarely felt indirectly but is instead intuited.
Players experience faith from the other side inCrest, as the only way to influence the world is by sending followers vague and limited commandments that are ripe for misinterpretation. As followers are not the brightest bunch, this will happen often and can sometimes lead to catastrophic misunderstandings. Seeing unintended consequences play out can be frustrating to some players, but watching commandments get warped and misunderstood is all part of the fun and accurately reflects what divine communication might be like in the real world.
Godsims can often feel a little impersonal, with the player hanging miles above the heads of their followers.The Simsseries offers a more intimate relationship. Players aren’t omnipotent and can’t perform miracles (without using cheat codes, at least), but they can peek into their sims' minds, knowing their wishes and fears with the click of a mouse. InThe Sims 3, thanks to its open-world design, they can fly high above the entire world or, at least, the neighborhood.
TheSims 3also offers the most customizability, allowing players to shade, shade, and color the world (decor, clothes, and sims themselves) exactly as they see fit. Sims live, prosper, or die according to players' whims and will even throw their arms up and look to the sky in despair when things really get bad. While there is no “afterlife neighborhood,” it’s up to the player to decide whether to make their sims' lives heavenly or like Hell or Earth.
This one is strictly for evil deities.War For The Overworldis the spiritual sequel to Bullfrog’s legendaryDungeon Keeper 2and puts the player omnipotently in charge of their own vile lair deep beneath the earth, at least in the beginning. As the Overseer, the player is tasked with commanding minions, expanding their influence throughout the underworld, defeating rivals, and raking in massive hoards of gold.
Rather than the “sit back and watch” approach that many god simulator games take to gameplay,War For The Overworldrequires hands-on work, including keeping vicious minions happy with entertainment, teaching dark magic to magic users, and digging out the shape of the lair. Thedark, irreverent sense of humorreturns from the classicKeepergames, thanks in great part to the dulcet tones of Richard Ridings' excellent delivery.
If being a god sounds like there will be too many complicated variables to mess with,Reussimplifies human management with its clean, minimal UI and beautiful 2D worlds. That’s not to say that the game is simple. Later stages can become increasingly complex, but the game does an excellent job of easing players in at the start.
Since humanity has in-game free will, divine intervention is a touch more indirect, as the player controls nature via elemental giants that shape humanity’s environmenteither with small tweaks or broad strokes. It’s up to the player to help or hurt humans, who can be rewarded or punished depending on their behavior (or the player’s whim).
From the building blocks of creation to the final frontier,Sporegives players a chance to watch their weird little lifeforms go from stem cells to the interstellar empire. Players can shape their traits and appearances in intimate detail as a player’s creature evolves and progresses through various states of survival, sentience, and then civics.
Rather than watching from the clouds, players take direct control of one faction of the life forms at each stage in a journey of “guided evolution.” While each stage is a more simplistic take on other game genres (adventure, RTS, civilization builder, grand strategy), the sheer breadth of the experience makes it more than just the sum of its parts.
Those lucky enough to own a VR headset will likely be familiar withDeisim, the ultimate VR god simulator. For those who aren’t,Deisimfocuses on tile-dropping, creation, and miracle weaving. The player uses mana to fuel their creations, a resource that is gathered from a growing population of faithful believers. Heretics will try to turn the population away from their god, which in turn reduces faith.
Thankfully, the player has some “Old Testament” style tools to help deal with them. Scientists (who appear in the mid-to-late game) also reduce faith but are key to working towards the modern era, which brings prosperity to the population.Deisimcan be played deeply or casually, but whether a session lasts seven minutes, seven hours, or seven days, it will no doubt be a relaxing VR experience.
With an invisible UI, a unique spell-casting mechanic, a memorable pet management system, and unlimited power,Black & Whiteis probably the game that most players will think of upon hearing the word “god sim.” The title says it all, as the player is able to decide what kind of deity they want to be as they rule over the people who inadvertently created them.
Of course, in typical Lionhead fashion (the studio responsible for essentially creating the genre), the game hardly takes a “holier-than-thou” approach to humor, as the many islands are filled with crude characters and weird British humor. Sadly, due to a split between distribution rights and IP ownership,Black & Whiteand its sequel are not available to buy anywhere online and will likely become another example ofa great game lost to time, at least once the last computer with a CD drive breaks.
God sims tend to keep their players' heads in or slightly below cloud level. This is probably to keep the player focused on humanity, ostensibly the player’s main point of interest. However, to really get the “divine destruction” experience far beyond the stratosphere and out in the heavens, it may be worth checking outUniverse Sandbox, which puts players in control of their very own (realistic) cosmic playground.
While there aren’t any people to biblically bully around, watching the Earth slowly getting eaten by a black hole or witnessing the inevitable collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda is something godly to behold, especially on a super widescreen monitor, or even better (for those blessed enough to own a headset) in full-sensory VR.
When it comes to being able to do (pretty much) everything, this game ticks all the boxes.The Universimtakes humanity from small warring tribes to a modern-day society (if the player lets them, that is).The Universimisn’t just about global follower manipulation, as players can answer prayers for love, wealth, or vindictiveness if they so choose.
However, the gods of these miniature worlds are also able to sculpt cities, redirect planetary resources, perform spectacular miracles, and inspire wars whenever they see fit. SinceThe Universimtakes place across a cosmic span, it doesend up feeling a little long-winded, but hey, that’s just part and parcel of the immortality package.
