driving (not racing) simulator?

April 23, 2016 7:24 AM

I'm looking for a driving simulator that isn't racing, or at least in which racing is optional. Do these exist?

All I'm able to find are track racing games. Looking for something that's more like a flight simulator in just being an open world.

As for racing games that allow this, Vette is the kind of thing I'm thinking of: while ostensibly it's a race, you can just drive around and do whatever you want.

Other requirements: mac support, support for wheel and pedal controllers. And if it were available on Steam, that would be amazing.

Thanks

posted by colin_l to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (12 answers total)

Grand theft auto? Outside of a few races here and there, you're pretty much free to do what you want. All the cars have automatic transmission IIRC, so it's not very deep as far as 'simulation' goes (compared to your average flight simulator)
posted by sexyrobot at 8:00 AM on April 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Caveat: I haven't actually played this game, but I have heard positive things from friends and from the description it might fit what you're looking for: Euro Truck Simulator 2.
posted by snowleopard at 8:04 AM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I was going to say American Truck Simulator, which is the same game as Euro Truck Simulator (I mean, except for the obviousness of being based in America). Watch some let's plays and see if that's the sort of thing you're looking for?
posted by brainmouse at 9:13 AM on April 23, 2016

I think you can find a web based version of Desert Bus. It's one of the more realistic driving games ever.
posted by bondcliff at 9:43 AM on April 23, 2016 [4 favorites]

Just happened across Jalopy over on Jalopnik, and sort of in the same vein, there's the amazing My Summer Car, though I am not sure it's actually ready.
posted by smcameron at 9:53 AM on April 23, 2016

Microsoft used to have a PC game called Midtown Madness that let you drive all kinds of vehicles around town. I had fun driving a double decker bus around London like a lunatic.
posted by w0mbat at 10:19 AM on April 23, 2016

Response by poster: Jalopy looks great, but it's only for windows. I'm a big fan of the ETS and ATS games, played both quite a bit. Those might be good enough (this is for small kids, not myself - they just want to drive around), but I was hoping I could find something a little less clunky than a big truck cab. I could find no-damage mods and huge cash mods, I'm sure.

I'll poke at that a bit
posted by colin_l at 10:39 AM on April 23, 2016

OMSI
posted by humboldt32 at 11:15 AM on April 23, 2016

Forza Horizon? There's a racing component, but also a big open world.
posted by hwyengr at 12:19 PM on April 23, 2016

Whoops, missed Mac support, but if you've got an Xbox, still my suggestion.
posted by hwyengr at 12:20 PM on April 23, 2016

Try BeamNG, which is on Steam and I think can be run on Mac. It's a work in progress, with a host of user-created content, and has incredible damage and suspension modelling. The downside is that the environments aren't very extensive yet.
posted by srednivashtar at 1:50 PM on April 23, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks all. It looks like ATS/ETS with no-cops-no-damage mods is the easiest way to go
posted by colin_l at 3:20 PM on April 23, 2016