If you’ve ever had the pleasure of playing Thief Simulator or Drug Dealer Simulator, you’ll have a real idea of what Crime Simulator is aiming for: petty theft, sneaky break-ins, dodging the police, and even the occasional high-stakes sprint through a random stranger’s backyard with a bag marked “swag” and a microwave under your arm. It’s chaotic, a little janky and often ridiculous but also kind of fun.

Crime 101

You play as a recently released ex con who owes a lot of money to the kind of people you wouldn’t like to owe a lot of money to. Of course, in situations like this we know there is only one solution – to rob warehouses, dodge security and hope beyond all hopes that you can scrape enough cash together before your next payment is due.

The gameplay is mostly what you’d expect from a game called Crime Simulator: sneaking around while distracting guards, looting anything in sight and then high-tailing it back to your car to make a hasty getaway. There’s a sizeable selection of tools at your such as lockpicks, EMPs, gas grenades and even cool gadgets that interfere with security cameras. It’s not overly deep but it does hand you enough variety to feel a sense of accomplishment when a job goes smoothly.

Crime Simulator also offers up the option of teaming up with up to four friends in online co-op, which makes for a far more enjoyable experience. Sadly, the co-op feature doesn’t have matchmaking yet, but teaming up with friends elevates the fun factor considerably.

Crime Simulator is Surprisingly Addictive

There’s a solid loop to Crime Simulator. Jobs give you cash, which you use to adorn your inventory with better tools of the trade (and, indeed, skills). The better equipped you are, the bigger the heists you’re able to take on. It’s somewhat satisfying watching your character go from a lowly house breaker to someone that can clean out an office building before fixing his morning eggs.

Crime Simulator eases you into the life of crime gently, but missions do get trickier and quickly. More cameras, tougher guards and tighter time limits will mean you’ll probably not succeed on your first attempts but hell, those screw-ups are all part of the fun, especially when playing with friends.

What Lets Crime Simulator Down

All cards on the table – Crime Simulator isn’t the most polished game furnishing the Steam Store. The AI is hit-or-miss, with guards sometimes walking right past you while you’re crouching in the middle of a well-lit hallway; other times, however, they will spot you from a mile away and through a couple of solid brick walls.

There are also a few bugs that crop up here and there – from objects clipping through things and getting stuck on scenery to weird animation hiccups. They are by no means game-breaking but they do break the immersion when they do arise.

Summary

While Crime Simulator is far from perfect, it is the kind of game you’ll find yourself still playing at the crack of dawn while telling yourself that age-old lie: “just one more mission”. There’s something oddly compelling about its blend of stealth, strategy and chaos (especially in co-op).

It’s a little rough around the edges and the repetition might start to wear on you after a while, but for what it is, it’s a fun title. With a few updates, Crime Simulator could turn into something great. As it stands, it’s still a fun crime sim game that is more than worth your time.

Crime Simulator is available now on the Steam Store. For those that like to try before they buy, there’s a demo available that gives great insight into the full product.