Everyone loves to play (don’t even make excuses). Textbooks, courses and problem solving are an integral part of the learning process. But sometimes you want to diversify it and make it a little more interesting. We have collected for you a selection of various simulators and games – they will not only help you to master programming skills in different languages, but also to have a rest from difficult studies not to the detriment of it.
CPU-Chef
Become a real chief! Well, almost real. In CPU-Chef simulator you need to make steaks of different degrees of frying by increasing the CPU temperature. To do this, you will run various games and open 100 tabs in the browser. The main thing is not to bring “cooking” to the blue screen. Users note extremely realistic sounds of CPU overclocking and meat frying (you can close your eyes and imagine a brazier).
The game will help you understand how the iron works – what makes the processor heat up and how it affects the computer. Everything in an understandable and maximally lamplike form.
Retro Gadgets
Another lamp simulator, but already for software engineers – and rather for experienced ones. Retro Gadgets has quite simple pixel graphics and even plays pleasant music, but the tasks are far from easy. You will have to create gadgets: solder, assemble microchips and even write code in Lua. Devices can be of all shapes and sizes – anything you can think of, from a calculator to a gamepad in the shape of a blob fish.
By the way, the game has a workshop-like environment where users can show off their creations. But you can’t “steal” them – the game doesn’t allow copying or modifying them, you can only check how they work.
SQL Murder History
There’s been a murder in SQL City! And only a SQL detective will be able to solve it. SQL Murder History is a game for those who dreamed of becoming Sherlock as a child, but became SQL-programmers. It is suitable for both beginners and experienced users – it has a detailed manual and various hints. You will start databases and tables and write queries to find out who-dunnit.
Joy of Programming
A fresh game in which you have to develop software. It features 3D graphics and challenging puzzles. Joy of Programming will suit enthusiasts rather than beginners, because the tasks are not easy: automation and control of machines, drones and jobs, navigation, logistics and even machine learning to predict the quality of products.
The game has real Python code. Perhaps, if you get through this tooth-grinding strategy, the working moments will seem like a fairy tale. It costs only 650 roubles on Steam.
Check.IO
This is one of the basic games for learning Python and TypeScript. It is even used by many teachers to practice the skills they have learnt with their students. Check.IO has islands with challenges and puzzles on them. You will have to solve them to jump from one territory to another. The game is suitable for both beginners and experienced programmers. In the beginning there will be a lot of hints, but the higher the level, the less they will be.
By the way, after passing each level, the game will give you the cleanest and most creative solution. This will help you to look at your code from a different angle. Another plus of the platform is that experienced developers can share their knowledge with other users and give them marks for solved tasks, and some companies are even looking for performers for one-time or permanent work.
Screeps
Another popular desktop game for strategy lovers. In Screeps you need to create colonies in the open world. From the name it is clear that the game is based on scripts: you will write algorithms for units to extract resources, trade with other colonies and even fight with them. In essence, it is a familiar Clash of Clans, but you need to write it yourself – with JavaScript. You can even use the Node.js framework to divide the scripts into modules.
The main task is to write an optimal algorithm, otherwise other players will write a script better than you and destroy your colony. By the way, the code will work even if you quit the game. And the game also allows you to contribute to the development of the engine, so fans can rewrite the actions of objects.
The training variant is free on the site, but more features, including a competitive mode, are unlocked after purchasing on Steam for $7.
Knights of the Flexbox Table
CSS developers, there’s an important mission for you: help Sir Frederick Flexbox and his friends find treasure in the dungeon. Knights of the Flexbox Table has 18 levels of varying difficulty – various traps and challenging routes are waiting for you. The main thing is to reach the treasure chest by the cells. And to do it with the help of CSS frameworks Flexbox and Tailwind.
Swift Playgrounds
Yes, there’s a game for iOS developers, too. Swift Playgrounds is an app for iPad and Mac that will help you learn to program and create programmes in Swift. In general, you will learn to make toys for the AppStore, from which you downloaded this toy.
The application has a very nice and clear interactive interface, and every line of code you write is beautifully visualised – this is very useful, because you will immediately see the result and understand exactly what you have done. At the beginning, you will learn small programmes called Playgrounds – they will give you a base (you can say that you will learn Swift from the sandbox). Then you will go on to more complex tasks – you will code with the SwiftUI framework.
Swift Playgrounds lets you create your own projects, share them with friends, and even submit your app to App Store Connect. On the downside, there is no Russian language (as in many other games), but this should not be a problem for programmers.
CodeCombat
Another popular game that many teachers use in the teaching process. The idea is that you need to travel through different worlds and solve problems (from simple to complex) using code. CodeCombat defaults to Python, but JavaScript is also available in the free version. For C++ and Java you will have to pay – $3.99 per month or $39.6 per year.
while True: learn()
The cutest game on algorithms. The main pluses are cats in funny outfits. while True: learn() is available on iOS, Android and PC. According to the story you are an ML-specialist, but it turns out that your cat is a much better developer. Now you need to solve problems and delve into machine learning to write a feline translator.
The game is paid – $4.00 for Android, $4.50 for iOS, $3.00 for PC. But, trust me, it’s worth it.
Craftomation 101
A new game from the developers of while True: learn(). There are no SEALs here, but there are robots. In the story, you have arrived on an icy planet with a mechanical friend. The task is to collect and combine resources to create and improve new robots. You need to programme them to do all the dirty work for you using visual programming. At the end, the bots will become a huge workforce capable of “terraforming” the planet.
You can try the free version of Craftomation 101 in your browser, and you can find the full game on Steam for $4.00. By the way, you can buy it in a bundle with while True: learn().
Else Heart.Break()
We loved the name. And the insides even more so. In Else Heart.Break() you’ll play as Sebastian, who has to find himself and love in the distant city of Dorisburg. According to the developers, this is a true reimagining of the adventure game, with the story unfolding in a fully dynamic and interactive world. You will not solve complex puzzles, but will rewrite reality and change the course of the game with the help of the fictional language Sprak. The game is accompanied by a lamplight soundtrack.
The game is available on PC for $9.00 on Steam.
Untrusted
It is a multiplayer online game in which the action is based on hacking and deduction. In Untrusted you play as Dr Eval, whose reality is to be altered through a machine continuum. Using JavaScript code, you need to hack into the server and finally gain your freedom. To do this, you’ll have to be a bit of a mafia and outwit the secret agents who will prevent you from getting out of the closed space.
The download is available on Steam for $2.00.
Exapunks
Another game with an extremely entertaining story and cyberpunk atmosphere. In Exapunks you will play as a hacker who has been infected with strange bacteria. To survive, you need to hack into systems and write viruses – one hack, one dose of medicine. To do this, you will have to write robots in assembly language.
Search on Steam for $7.00.
Patrick’s Parabox
The game is not written specifically for programmers, but it will be very useful in mastering recursion and developing logical thinking. In Patrick’s Parabox you will have to manipulate boxes inside boxes inside boxes inside boxes – move them, use the power of infinity and place them inside each other.
Available to download on Steam for $7.00.