If you've not heard of Stone Simulator, you've been living under a rock rather than as one. Released in August, the Unreal Engine 5 meme game invites players to 'just be a rock' by doing nothing but sitting and watching the seasons (and eons) pass.
It can be mesmerising, calming, very funny, and sometimes just as extremely boring as your might imagine being a rock would be. And now the developer has added a twist to what could the year's most zen game: a new multiplayer mode lets us 'play' together so that being a rock doesn't get so lonely (see our pick of the best game development software and get started if you have an idea for your own simulator).
Developer STF Games says it was working on a massive story-drive RPG with epic combat when progress stalled, and it decided to make Stone Simulator instead: an idle game in which players would learn the meaning of stoicism by being an unflinching stone in an ever-changing world.
You grow moss, collect bird poop and question your existence while doing nothing. And while it might sound more like a glorified screen saver or a fictional nature cam more than a game, Stone Simulator has received almost entirely positive reviews, with some saying they found the experience of being a rock to be surprisingly thought-provoking.
Said rock does have a nice location with a view of some mountains and a little lake. And the scenery and water physics benefit from the visual capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, so it's all very nice to watch.
There was already a choice between 'events' mode, where bizarre happening like alien landings unfold around the stone, or the less eventful 'zen mode'. The new multiplayer options now turns being a rock into a communal experience for up to four people. You can either create a private lobby and invite your friends, or you can join a public one.
There's a little more action too: you can now teleport too. Players can press 'E' to change their stone's resting spot, and if you do it ten times, you earn a new achievement. This is socialising for a stone.
Stone Simulator may be the game that takes simulators to their logical extreme, but it could just be the perfect dose of calm for anyone who can't stand the earnestness of mindfulness apps: a little dose of meditative bliss in a crazy world. There's 30 per cent off on Steam until 7 November, reducing the price of the PC game to just $1.39.
Indie games like this are showing that the 3D realism of Unreal Engine 5 isn't just for open-world AAA action-adventures and horror games. For a UE5-made simulator with a little more action that Stone Simulator, make sure you check out DrainSim.
