Sometimes a good old fashioned heist makes for great entertainment, whether in movies or games. Heist Simulator is pretty clear in its goal to give you the tools and means for a variety of quirky, humorous and downright clever criminal enterprises.
Published by No More Robots and developed by SkyBagel and RogueCode, this is a game where you go through the planning and execution phase of various elaborate heists. It'll have a big focus on user content, too, with full creation and sharing tools opening up varied possibilities.

And with full level creation and level sharing tools available to all players, it's a safe bet that there'll always be new jobs to crack. Creating that perfect heist you've always dreamed of is now within your grasp.
Whether it's action-packed heists, stealthy campaigns, puzzle-based setups, narrative jobs, escape the room style ordeals... the tools available as part of Heist Simulator allow for a whole host of different types of heist to be created and shared.
There will also be a campaign when it launches first on Steam and Google Stadia later this year, which will continually expand with free updates ahead of a planned Switch release. If you have a decent machine, meanwhile, you can jump in and try the Heist Simulator Playtest on Steam right now.
Let us know what you think, as always, in the comments.
Comments 28
Imagine stealing other players' levels and share them as your own
@Flashlink99 Now that would be pretty funny lol.
I love a good heist film. This looks like a lot of fun.
Definitely interested. Looks cool.
@Flashlink99 Imagine stealing other people’s comments and share them as your own.
@BloodNinja Touche =))
@Flashlink99 I was just being silly and joking, I hope you don't think I thought you stole that comment somewhere lmfao! I thought your original comment was funny, and it made me think of people who steal YouTube videos or Mario Maker levels and claim them as their own.
@BloodNinja It's alright, I was impressed by the response. I wasn't having hard feelings or anything ))
It's hard not to make jokes about stealing in a heist game
@Flashlink99 You just stole my heart! LOL
Let's enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXRWQefGh1U&t=207s&ab_channel=DiscordMemesMemes
NINJA APPROVED (How is this related?!)
Looks fun, but a shame they had to attach 'simulator' to it instead of a creative title. That'll likely push a lot of people away. Too much trash is associated with games named blabla simulator.
@XenoShaun Such as?
Is there a multiplayer component to this (beyond sharing heists online)?
@Lyricana Games attached with Simulator in their title?
Majority are all over Steam but even the Switch has quite a few dire games.
To name a few:
Car mechanic Simulator
Driving School Simulator
Hunting Simulator
Taxi Simulator
City Bus Driving Simulator
Truck Simulator
Island Flight Simulator
Speaking Simulator
War Truck Simulator
Farm Mechanic Simulator
Just to name a few specifically on the Switch. They also have variances in titles like <insert vehicle type> simulator or <insert adjective> simulator.
Don't get me wrong this looks like one of the few that could actually be good fun (there are a handful that are a good laugh such as surgeon simulator and goat simulator), but in most instances Simulator is riddled with low effort poor money grabs which could lead people to think this one was too.
@XenoShaun : Most of them look like low budget games with very little content, but there are obviously audiences that are into these extremely niche games otherwise they wouldn't be made. There was one released a week or so ago called Shopping Mall Parking (?) Simulator which is probably the most oddly specific one yet!
The only such game I have bought was Truck and Logistics Simulator (which seemed like such a comically odd and specific concept), and when I found out that it was developed by a team of three people from Ankara, Turkey, I knew I HAD to buy it (as I am Turkish and would like to support my fellow countrymen where I can), particularly as they went through the trouble of issuing a physical release in Australia of all places.
While it's rough around the edges and not exactly bursting with content, I was quite impressed by what a team of three could do, and I was quite happy with the game overall (having clocked in a little over 5 hours, which I don't often do). I just wish that there was an in-game radio (or the option to listen to one's own music via the microSD card) as that would have gone a long way in alleviating the game's inherently monotonous design (such a low budget game wouldn't have had the budget for licensed music, but surely licensing some Turkish pop tunes wouldn't have been too costly ).
Would I clamour for more such games? Certainly not. But if the same developers produce another project in future, I'll certainly keep an eye out to show my support.
@Silly_G I think I have just been desensitized to it all by the sheer amount of 'scam' developers selling them as asset flips on Steam. Though Simulator isn't the only type of title that gets abused (candy crush style puzzle games were rampant for a while too, all the same literal game, but instead of all the levels being in one game each level was SOLD as a game. Steam was messed up back in greenlight days!).
I think a key thing here is too, even though you liked and sounds like that Turkish game is quite good, I've already almost completely discarded the thought of looking it up mainly due to the 'Simulator' addition in the title. I may be just an old fart with that, but I am pretty sure too many people have the same conclusion with those names, which in turn is a shame when the good ones don't even get given a chance.
At first glance, this seems pretty great. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.
@XenoShaun : No, I'm completely with you there. Ordinarily, I wouldn't touch any of these "simulator" games with a 10 foot pole as they look like content-starved shovelware for the most part, but as I said before, there is obviously an audience for many of these very specific experiences hence why they continue to be made, kind of like how there are many "tycoon" style games for specific industries/professions that don't always hit the mark when compared to classics such as the earlier Rollercoaster Tycoon games. SimCity, Theme Hospital etc.
Now, while I did have nice things to say about Truck and Logistics Simulator, it is by no means a great game. It's a very low budget game that does what it sets out to do, and has a fair number of vehicles to choose from (all of which handle differently), but it also has its share of bugs, low draw distance, and is quite minimalistic (e.g. no HD rumble or music outside of the main menu screen). I kept my expectations low, however, and was satisfied overall, and I was happy to pay full price to show my support to the developers. Would I recommend it to others? Not particularly, but those who think that they would enjoy an experience like this may too find themselves pleasantly surprised. After all, these sorts of games aren't made to win awards or attract critical acclaim, but to appease enthusiasts with specific interests, and so long as they aren't outright awful, they have their place.
@XenoShaun @Silly_G I specifically had meant ones that were definitely examples of the trash you mentioned, Shaun. I agree with Silly that while a lot of them are lower budget (they're indie games after all), there are audiences for a lot of them. I've seen quite a few decent, popular Simulator games. Played a few (but not many) that were fun. I guess I didn't realize there was a stigma attached to it. It makes me think niche, not bad.
@Silly_G Indeed so. It is a shame as back in the 90s and early 2000s we use to have some real bangers as you mentioned, rollercoaster Tycoon, etc. It's nice we have a few callbacks like with Two Point Hospital and those Planet Coaster / Zoo games.
@Lyricana Yeah there is some stigma. But maybe I hang out in a different part of the rail tracks haha. It's mainly the stuff you find from the old Steam greenlight days or nowadays poor mobile games that somehow get ports. I won't deny there are some decent ones in there.
I have found too many that are just store bought assets, reskins or straight up the same game being sold again under a different title. I'm quite bitter when it comes to that kind of stuff I guess.
@XenoShaun : Two Point Hospital is developed and/or produced by some of the Theme Hospital team from back in the day, so it's definitely one of the better contemporaries in its genre. I loved playing it on Switch (and the many callbacks/similarities to Theme Hospital), but the plethora of DLC has definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as the Jumbo Edition reissue STILL doesn't give us the complete game in physical form (an unfortunate sign of the times). Furthermore, the latest updates have incorporated "in-game purchases" (with expansion levels showing up on the map with "Requires DLC to unlock" messages) which is among the most contemptible of modern industry practices.
I will consider double-dipping if they ever do release a complete physical edition, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed TPH, I will probably wait for Two Point Campus to be released in "complete" form (which probably won't happen until 2025 ) before taking the plunge, as I am absolutely fed up with the practice of paid DLC, and owning incomplete "physical" releases that serve as glorified boot disks.
If, however, such games are released without DRM on platforms such as GOG for PC, then I absolutely wouldn't mind coughing up the goods (and for their associated expansion packs). I am not confident that this will happen any time soon for TPH as it's published by SEGA (which has almost no presence on GOG).
@BloodNinja making the perfect heist?
Level creation? Sharing levels?
If this performs well on switch, this indeed is NINJA APPROVED
@anoyonmus Hahaha, I love it! Hoping it's good!
@Silly_G Really? There isn't much of an excuse when they did a new re-release. That is disappointing to hear. And yeah the slight consistant nudge to purchase the DLC is annoying (could be much worse.. could be mtx or lootbox nudging eugh).
Even more pathetic I just looked at the file size of the game on my SD with all the DLC and updates. It's 3.6gb, they could of fit it on a 4gb card. I would be bit more understanding if it was pushing towards or over 16gb, but then they have a giant publisher like Sega backing them.
Edit: Yeah more games need to get the GoG treatment. That place is my go-to for most PC purchases (mind you limited due to my naff hardware specs). Least on there you can just play the original Theme Hospital in all its nerdy 90s glory.
@XenoShaun : The Jumbo Edition included all of the DLC available for the console versions at the time of its release, but the developers are yet to release at least two more DLC expansions (being 'A Stitch in Time' and 'Culture Shock', which have already been released on PC, and are not included in the Jumbo release).
@Silly_G Ah so it's becoming more like the recent news of the Streets of Rage 4 physical re release? Just a matter of launching something again too soon rather than waiting for it all to be in in one place.
@XenoShaun : Pretty much, yes. Is it the case that even the SoR4 re-release won't in fact include all of the DLC?
Void Bastards was also the first game I had ever refunded on Switch as it didn't include the DLC on the cartridge (they supplied a code instead) which was particularly maddening as the data for the DLC content is included in the software update itself (which was likely included on the cartridge as the physical version was released several months after its eShop debut), which makes it one of the stupidest physical releases that I have ever encountered.
@Silly_G That sounds extremely dumb. Why can't we just buy the game and we get the game? It really shouldn't be that hard of a concept.
I'm not fully sure on Streets of Rage. The little bit I had been reading into it, the re release should have everything coming out up to that point, but apparently more DLC is planned to release after it. Sounds very much the same with how Two Point is being treated, though Streets of Rage has a smaller publisher backing it I think? Definitely compared to Sega. (Which incidentally you would of thought Sega would be publishing also.. Sega IPs are handled weirdly of late).
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