Game Dev Tycoon is a business simulation game by Greenheart Games, where one is in charge of a video game developer company. Inspired by the game Game Dev Story by Kairosoft, Game Dev Tycoon allows you to replay the history of the gaming industry, starting in the 80s in an attempt to put your mark on the video game world.

Throughout the 35 or so years of in the game’s time, you’ll grow your company with the gaming industry, researching the latest consoles and genres while creating best-selling (or so you hope) games.

And I’m obsessed with the game again.

It was through a YouTube playthrough of the Steam version of the game that I discovered Game Dev Tycoon. While Game Dev Tycoon was initially released on Steam in 2013, it was brought over to Android devices in 2017, and finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch console in October 2020.

Back then — five years ago now! — Rachel received a code for the Switch version of the game as a contributor for Pure Nintendo, a digital magazine dedicated to reviews and articles about — you guessed it — Nintendo video games.

And, while it was my sister who received the code, it has been me who had commandeered our shared Nintendo Switch to play Game Dev Tycoon.

Game Dev Tycoon has simple gameplay — you pick a combination of a genre and topic for your game, use sliding scales for what mechanics and elements are put into said game, and hope your combinations work out well enough to receive high scores from the critics — but it is addicting.

As the game progresses, you unlock more consoles, more topics, more mechanics and elements for your game, as well as staff members to help create your games. While the in-game time default is 35 years, the time flies by. You’ll suddenly find yourself in the last year and rushing to cram in one more amazing game for your score before Game Dev Tycoon starts to crunch the numbers.

A playthrough of the game itself isn’t very long — perhaps about 8 or so hours, depending on the game speed you choose — but it gives you that challenge of creating a thriving video game company on the time limit. Adapting to new consoles, training your employees, opening software and hardware labs, and ultimately creating AAA games within the default 35 years are major feats.

And if you don’t manage to do everything you want in that timeframe? The game allows you to continue after your score is totaled. While there are no more story elements — unless one has the appropriate Steam mods — a player can continue their own video game developer story past the credit roll.

Want an extra challenge? See how long you last in the Pirate Mode. Game Dev Tycoon has this unique mode showcasing the importance of supporting creators by buying legitimate versions of video games rather than pirating them. The strategy is completely different in Pirate Mode, where one needs to patiently bolster and save their funds due to pirating issues. Bankruptcy is common.

I was hooked on this game on Steam as soon as I bought it, and when it became available on Android I took the plunge and bought it there too. If my sister hadn’t received a code back then for the Nintendo Switch version of the game, I have no doubt I would have spent money on Game Dev Tycoon for the third time.

Business simulation games such as Game Dev Tycoon allow a different way for us to create. This game has a linear story but allows your personal touches on the games that you create, on the way you train your staff, on the way you respond to your fans and publishers.

It’s rather refreshing to play a simple game dedicated to creating than destroying.