Goat Simulator

Goat Simulator is not a realistic simulation of farming or animal husbandry. The physics-based sandbox from Coffee Stain Studios lets players steer a goat through walkable locations and trigger as many unpredictable chain reactions as possible. These include jumps, headbutts, licking objects and the physics that are as unstable as they are deliberately funny.

Unlike a mission game with a strict sequence, here experimenting counts: which objects can be moved, how people and vehicles react, and which absurd combinations earn points? The original came out on PC on Apr 1, 2014.

The PC version of Goat Simulator was released on Apr 1, 2014. Mobile versions for iOS and Android followed in September 2014. Xbox One and Xbox 360 got their own versions in April 2015, and the PlayStation versions for PS3 and PS4 came out on Aug 11, 2015.

Since Jan 23, 2019, Nintendo Switch has had the collection Goat Simulator: The GOATY, which includes the base game and several additional game worlds. The later Goat Simulator Remastered is a separate re-release and should not be treated as a mere update of the original platform versions.

The original is available natively for PC (including historical macOS and Linux ports), PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and on mobile for iOS and Android. The Switch version of the base game is part of Goat Simulator: The GOATY. On PC, Steam still labels Mac and Linux as beta ports with known issues.

Running the PS4 version on PS5, or the Xbox One version on Xbox Series, via backward compatibility is not a separate native PS5 or Xbox Series release. Likewise, the GOATY software released in 2019 remains a Switch title, even though Nintendo's shop lists it on Switch 2.

The core is to explore a small location and use it as a playground for the movement physics. Whoever smashes objects, crashes spectacularly or sticks the goat's tongue to an awkward spot can earn points and combo multipliers. The actions are not scored like in a serious sports game, but by their comic escalation potential.

The developers deliberately kept many harmless glitches. This creates situations where characters and objects are flung uncontrollably through the world. Crashes are not a game mechanic, but the imperfect physics are explicitly part of the design.

The originally manageable sandbox grew into a collection of self-ironic game variants. The free expansion Goat MMO Simulator parodies typical fantasy online games but remains a Goat Simulator adventure. GoatZ (May 2015) uses a zombie survival setting, PAYDAY (January 2016) moves the goat into a heist parody. With Waste of Space (May 2016) a science fiction game world was added.

These expansions change locations and game rules significantly, but should not be confused with the standalone sequel Goat Simulator 3. The Nintendo Switch edition The GOATY includes the original and all four of these additional scenarios.

The Steam page lists a dual-core processor at 2 GHz, 2 GB RAM, graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and around 2 GB of storage for Windows. Four processor cores and 4 GB RAM are recommended. The historical details also list older Windows versions; today's Steam client sets its own OS requirements.

Mac and Linux versions are also listed, but the store explicitly describes them as beta ports with possible problems.

Goat Simulator supports local multiplayer depending on the platform. Double Eleven states that the PS4 version allows up to four people on one console, while on PS3 two players can run around together. The Nintendo Switch collection allows up to two people in split screen according to the product page.

Steam lists local multiplayer, Shared/Split Screen and Remote Play Together. A particularly important-sounding expansion such as Goat MMO Simulator therefore does not automatically mean the game has become a permanently run massively multiplayer online game.

A special feature of the PC version is its openness to mods. Through the Steam Workshop and the bundled editor, you can create your own goats, levels, tasks and game modes, among other things. This takes the offering beyond the official locations without the developers having to integrate every idea themselves.

The Workshop content belongs to the Steam version's ecosystem. Identical mod support on consoles is not confirmed by their product pages. When assessing extra content, you should therefore distinguish between official expansions, updates built in by the studio and community mods.

Goat Simulator, released in 2014, is the original game. Under the name GOATY, the base game and several official expansions are sold together, for example on Nintendo Switch. The Remastered version available on Steam, however, is a newer, separate product with a different technical foundation and a reworked look.

Goat Simulator 3 is also a standalone sequel and not DLC for the first game. When comparing platform versions in particular, it is worth reading the product name carefully: a bundle or remaster does not necessarily share the same native platform history as the original.

According to the store, the Steam version offers English voice acting and on-screen text in many languages, including German. For Nintendo Switch, Nintendo also lists German game text and handheld, TV and tabletop modes. On consoles, the number of local players depends on the specific implementation.

The focus is on a freely explorable sandbox and point series. A classic extensive spoken narrative is not required for the base game. Additional content and level mods can change the experience more than the language choice.

The original version was developed by Coffee Stain Studios. Steam lists Coffee Stain Publishing as publisher and assigns the title to the Goat Simulator series. Some console ports were handled by other studios: the 2015 PlayStation launch was presented on the official PlayStation Blog by Double Eleven, which is also listed as developer and publisher of the Xbox version.

With expansions, the standalone Goat Simulator 3 and Goat Simulator Remastered, the brand grew well beyond the original joke of a physics-based goat game. The individual products, however, have their own platform and content details.