With an ever-growing list of simulation games for just about anything, Gas Station Simulator stands out from the crowd. The main protagonist decides to buy an abandoned gas station out in the middle of nowhere with a loan supplied by their suspicious mafia-looking uncle. Thankfully, the story doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is where much of the charm stems from. Who would have thought that the most mundane tasks could be so fun?
What makes Gas Station Simulator so addictive comes from the literal definition of building from the ground up. Before fuelling up that first car, the character must start by picking up trash off the floor, bagging it up, and tossing it into the large bins outside. The roads are blocked by piles of sand and need to be cleared by the ol’ faithful excavator, Rudy. The walls are peeling, the doors are boarded up, and players may start to question how anything will come from this dump. Then comes that first customer!
Depending on where the customers are being served, each segment has its own minigame. When fuelling cars, there is a meter to ensure you’re fuelling up exactly to the driver’s request, and the closer you are, the better chance there is of earning a tip! When working the register, every item must be scanned and tossed into the shopping basket. Missing a mark may cause a customer to express their annoyance or dissatisfaction in your performance. Fortunately, these tasks are planned out at a decent interval so that one isn’t stuck repeating these menial tasks too often, which brings up the next topic: hiring employees.
At a certain point, the main character does not have to focus too much on fuelling vehicles or handling the register. Employees can be hired that have quite the backstory if you’re willing to read through them. They all have their own strengths, meaning more pay for certain tasks. While there are humble beginnings, it does get quite cumbersome to sweep the floors or toss out the trash every so often. Soon it’s just about keeping the shelves stocked with food, drink, newspapers, souvenir hats, and the occasional plushie.
One drawback is that the port onto Switch has caused some significant lag, with characters jittering about when leaving their vehicles or moving more robotically when at a distance. It almost seems to suit the style of the game; however, this issue does not seem to occur on Steam. One of the most intense moments comes from unlocking the bus station, which allows a unique set of characters to arrive on a “party bus”. Players may find it either hilarious or absolutely horrifying as they snap into new positions on their approach to the station.
There are also moments where vehicles tend to get stuck, blocking the roads and oncoming traffic. Cars suddenly fuse together, and the constant honking of horns will fill the air. Pleasingly, there is quite an amusing reset button to put things back into place, and it’s easy to spot with a giant UFO drawing near a giant blinking button. Although it may just be a delivery truck stuck in the distance, pressing this button resets the entire area (including customers in the shop). Admittedly, the animation that ensues does seem to make it worth an additional press or two down the line. Glitchy cars blocking the path? Summon a UFO invasion. Delivery truck suddenly fused to the ground? UFO invasion.
It is easy to get caught up playing for a few hours just to simply make it to the next upgrade. Eventually, what started off as bagging trash turns into repairing and washing cars, and even plastering funky wallpaper indoors. There is so much satisfaction in watching what was once just a boarded-up building become a bustling empire full of snacks and cigars. Other than the occasional need for a UFO invasion reset, there’s a lot of fun in managing one’s own gas station!
