When you think of educational games, you would be imagining games where the game is purely meant or developed as a supplementary form of learning.
However, not all educational games offer knowledge as their main core element in the game. Entertainment is still the biggest factor when it comes to games, but these educational games mix in helpful information that applies to learning. Besides, learning is also fun!
With that said, this list of the best educational games on Steam will offer a wide range of games where you are put in place to gain knowledge, whether it applies to your life or not, and have a good time at the same time.
Bio Inc. Redemption
| Genre | Medical Simulation, Strategy, Indie |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | DryGin Studios |
| Release Date | March 8, 2018 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
Bio Inc. Redemption is a medical simulator that allows players to act as God or the devil to their unsuspecting patients. Developed and published by DryGin Studios, the game was released in March 2018.
Bio Inc. Redemption has a single-player campaign, and you need to go online to battle it out with other players and see who’s the better doctor or killer.
The game focuses on realism as you take on the role of being the leader of a medical team, and each mission is represented by a person’s medical case that you must solve.
Bio Inc. Redemption boasts over six hundred different medical cases, from common diseases to pathological viruses. The overall theme and graphic style focus on realism.
The medical cases are also almost true to life which gives the game a lot of educational value to it.
If you want to learn more about how to save or torment patients medically, Bio Inc. Redemption is one of the best indie games on Steam out there where you can learn a few things while you are at it.
The VR Museum of Fine Art
| Genre | Free-to-play, Casual, Simulation |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Finn Sinclair |
| Release Date | August 21, 2016 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
The VR Museum of Fine Art is Steam’s very own art gallery that allows you to visit an impressive museum filled with art and knowledge whilst being in the comfort of your home.
Developed and published by Finn Sinclair, this VR experience game was released in August 2016. The VR Museum of Fine Art requires tracked motion sensor controllers and is compatible with virtual reality headsets from Valve, HTC, and Oculus. The play area is recommended to be a room scale, and the player can either sit or stand.
The VR Museum of Fine Art showcases highly realistic and beautifully rendered sculptures and paintings based on real art pieces. The scan and recreation of each piece were done masterfully, and every exhibit showcases its own theme.
Holograph plaques are located near each piece that will give you the usual information about every display. The VR Museum of Fine Art is a casual and refreshing education experience that you should try out for free at the Steam store.
Predynastic Egypt
| Genre | Indie, Strategy, Survival |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Clarus Victoria |
| Release Date | October 10, 2016 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Predynastic Egypt is a 3D strategy game that has you battling it out and surviving historically accurate events in Egypt. Developed and published by Claurus Victoria, the game was released in October 2016.
Predynastic Egypt will engage you with forty-eight technologies and cultural achievements present in ancient Egypt and is incorporated with the campaign’s story and plot.
From the beginning of Egyptian spiritual beliefs based on the Nile to the complex lineup of their gods, the game has you battling and learning as if you were an archaeologist based in Egypt.
Predynastic Egypt is set in the period of five thousand to three thousand BC and will require you to strategize in order to survive through both climate and social changes based on real events.
There are more than a hundred different historical events tackled in the game, and all of these are well designed into the actual gameplay.
It is up to the player how to respond to each event, and fulfilling each one is an educational experience that is both fun and immersive.
Timeflow – Time & Money Sim
| Genre | Time Management, Life Simulator, Education |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Look Book Inc |
| Release Date | January 1, 2019 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes, split screen |
Timeflow – Time & Money Sim is a single-player simulator based on how to be successful in real life. Developed and published by Roman Makhmutov, the game’s early access version was released in January 2019.
Like succeeding in the real world, this game is hard and takes a lot of diligence and study. Timeflow – Time & Money Sim has you choosing your own career path, business idea, investment path, and extra education.
It is a comprehensive game/guide on how to be rich and successful through proper and well-informed choices.
Timeflow – Time & Money Sim is not all about making money; like real-life, the game requires the player to be able to balance work with the other parts of human life, such as family, hobbies, and harmful habits.
The underlying goal is to attain financial freedom. The choices you can make are all based on learnings from the best financial education literature and simulations like Monopoly and books from Robert Kiyosaki and Steven Covey.
Playing Timeflow – Time & Money Sim is a great method of preparing for your own life while having fun, and this makes it a must-try educational game.
Learn Japanese To Survive! Hiragana Battle
| Genre | Educational, JRPG, Indie |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Sleepy Duck |
| Release Date | February 17, 2016 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Learn Japanese To Survive! Hiragana Battle is a game designed around teaching the player how to learn the Japanese language. Developed by Sleepy Duck, the game was released with very positive reviews when it was released in February 2016.
It is a single-player RPG game that incorporates the campaign with lessons that are designed to introduce the player to Hiragana, or the syllabic writing used in the Japanese language.
Learn Japanese To Survive! Hiragana Battle employs a simple yet effective chibi-styled art for its characters and takes nothing away from its main purpose of teaching Japanese to new people.
The game masterfully uses visual animation to teach how to write the Japanese characters while adding audio speeches for pronunciation lessons.
The playable characters in the story will learn with you as you finish quests, collect items, and fight them out in both combat and quiz form. Simple and effective, Learn Japanese To Survive! Hiragana Battle should be the standard on how to learn Japanese.
You can also consider this game as one of the best JRPG games on Steam if you factor in its educational purposes.
It’s Spring Again
| Genre | Casual, Indie, Educational |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Baba Yaga Games |
| Release Date | February 3, 2016 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
It’s Spring Again is a colorful and fun education game designed for kids aged two and up. Developed by Baba Yaga Games, the game was released in February 2016.
Simple and engaging, the game is all about teaching young kids about how the seasons change in life. In order to do this, It’s Spring Again uses visual, audio, and integrated gameplay to teach the lesson.
The game is actually based on a famous Russian show wherein actors used artful puppets and taught kids about the changes in their environment as seasons change from spring, summer, fall, and winter.
It’s Spring Again is casual and light as what educational games designed for kids should be, yet despite this, the art is beautiful and would even appeal to adults.
Both game graphics and sound are employed to let kids experience the magic of seasonal changes. It’s Spring Again, by default, is interactive and will respond to the player’s prompts, but it can also be set to play automatically like a video.
It’s Spring Again is a light game, especially on the wallet, and is a must-buy for parents who want to include fun in children’s education.
OVERVIEW (A Walk Through The Universe)
| Genre | Education, Casual, Exploration |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Orbital Views |
| Release Date | March 1, 2018 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
OVERVIEW (A Walk Through The Universe) is an immersive virtual reality experience of a game that will have players exploring planets in space whilst sitting comfortably on their own couch.
Developed and published by Orbital Views, the game was released in March 2018. Unfortunately, you cannot play the game without a VR system. Aside from Tracked Motion Collectors, it requires you to have headsets from Valve, HTC, Oculus, or Windows to play the game.
OVERVIEW (A Walk Through The Universe) is a science-based cinematic experience where players can interact and see and learn more about the vast universe we live in.
It boasts more than thirty minutes of narration as you travel from Earth to the cosmic expanse that surrounds us.
Players are immersed in realistic images through their VR lenses as they can explore all the different planets and natural satellites that are accurately depicted in-game.
OVERVIEW (A Walk Through The Universe) is a must-buy for gamers who want to improve their cosmic knowledge.
Odyssey – The Story of Science
| Genre | Adventure, Indie, Puzzle, Physics |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | The Young Socratics |
| Release Date | April 19, 2017 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Odyssey – The Story of Science is a captivating 3D experience of a game that blends adventure and science knowledge very well. Developed and published by The Young Socratics, the game was released in April 2017.
The game follows the story of a 13-year-old girl named Kai who is trapped in an archipelago with her family. You must employ the right decisions based on specific scientific principles to solve puzzles while uncovering the mystery of Kai and her family.
Odyssey – The Story of Science arranges its puzzle in an order that replicates the natural succession of ideas of astronomy and mechanics.
The game is divided into six chapters. The starting area deals with the origin of science and will progressively end in the last part, which tackles the birth of physics.
Odyssey – The Story of Science is educational entertainment done right and is one of the best to get from the Steam store in its genre.
Bee Simulator
| Genre | Flight, Adventure, Arcade |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | VARSAV Game Studios |
| Release Date | November 17, 2020 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes, split screen |
Bee Simulator is an exciting 3D adventure game that lets the player live life as a bee. Developed by VARSAV Game Studios, the game was released in November 2020.
The game can be played in single-player mode with a story that follows a single bee that is tasked to do whatever it takes to save the hive. Multiplayer can be through online or local mode, but it would require an additional controller.
Bee Simulator sets the player in a large world based on New York’s Central Park. You will be playing from a small bee’s perspective; the map is vast as you fly and buzz around doing things that bees do in order to keep the balance of this isolated biosphere.
Much like in real life, in-game bees must pollinate flowers and defend themselves from vicious wasps.
Every moment spent in Bee Simulator is an educative experience about one of the world’s most important animals. Learning about these tiny pollinators while having fun makes this game very much worth buying.
Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed®: Ancient Egypt
| Genre | Adventure, RPG, Action, Education |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Release Date | February 21, 2018 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed®: Ancient Egypt is an immersive and educational mode set in the Assasin’s Creed universe.
Developed and published by Ubisoft, the game was released in February 2018. Discovery Tour is a single-player game that is very much like how Assassin’s Creed plays, except there is no combat, and you are left with the freedom to explore and learn more about ancient Egypt.
Discovery Tour is a visual learning adventure that has you free-running across the sacred tombs of Pharaohs with freedom and no ulterior objective.
The game also has over seventy-five historical tours where you can learn more about the history on your own, but you can also enlist the help of guides who can narrate and give more information on the tours.
Discovery Tour is a living virtual museum that you can explore normally or acrobatically. Blending the joy of Assasin’s Creed’s mobility with historical lessons makes this a great educational game that can be bought from the Steam store.
If you are interested in narratives that fit this game, you might as well play Assassin’s Creed as it is one of the best story-rich games on Steam.
Engage
| Genre | Education, Software Training, Utilities, VR |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | ENGAGE XR Ltd. |
| Release Date | March 15, 2016 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Engage is an impressive VR tool that allows players to communicate, organize and educate other players across different parts of the world whilst to enjoy the comfort of their own homes.
Developed and published by ENGAGE XR Ltd., the “game” was released in March 2016. Engage allows input from different sources like the traditional Keyboard/Mouse, a gamepad, or Tracked Motion Controllers. The game is compatible with most virtual reality headsets from Valve, HTC, Oculus, and Windows.
Engage is a testament to the current digital revolution of the world as it has become a platform for virtual meetings, events, and training that are not bound by physical location.
Presentations and videos can be streamed in this virtual area, and Engage supports content from Google Drive, Youtube, Dropbox, and others. Using a content creation editor in the game allows anyone to organize or create their own virtual seminars or test/quiz sessions.
With the option to edit your own avatar, Engage is a complete virtual experience that blends VR gaming and knowledge sharing seamlessly.
Tyto Ecology
| Genre | Simulation, Indie, Strategy, Casual |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Immersed Games |
| Release Date | April 14, 2016 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Tyto Ecology is an engaging single-player simulation of creating your own ecosystem isolated in “biodomes.”
Developed and published by Immersed Games, the game was released in April 2016. It will allow players to play God and experiment with their own scientific experiment in the form of a biological dome.
Tyto Ecology gives you the freedom to add different kinds of plants and animals that can usually be found in three different ecosystems in real life.
Tyto Ecology was designed to contain scientific knowledge and content about biology and process for high-school-level gamers.
The fun and creative method of imparting these concepts to the player will cater to even adults because it will not be easy to create your own ecosystem that can sustain itself. With over seventy plants and animals usable, you must learn which combinations can lead to paradise or ruin.
Tyto Ecology has succeeded in making learning about Ecology and life to be satisfying and fun. This places the game high among the great educational games available on Steam.
