PC Building Simulator is a single-player simulation game which lets you play the role of a computer repair technician. You will be working in your own office, where you will need to complete various computer-related tasks like cleaning the computer from viruses or replacing the damaged components. The game was developed by Claudiu Kiss and The Irregular Corporation, and published by the latter in 2019, though it was already made available in 2018 as an early access title. It is available on PC (Windows).
Gameplay and game modes
PC Building Simulator is played from a first-person perspective. The core of the gameplay lies in the Career mode, where you open your own computer service. You will need to fix various computer-related issues in order to earn money needed to pay the bills. In your office, you will find your computer which is used to browse the emails from clients. This is where you can accept new tasks – each mail has a short description of what needs to be done and how much you will earn for completing the job.
Jobs can be very different and range from a simple virus scans with the use of dedicated software to the careful planning of what components to use to meet the client’s expectations and not going bankrupt in the process. Not all of the jobs are profitable, and it’s up to you if you want to complete them. For example, you may encounter unsatisfied clients demanding a free service, blaming your bad service for the issues their computers are currently having.
Usually, the job will reward you with some money upon successful completion. You will need it not only to pay the bills, but also to buy upgrades for your office, like an additional desk, which will allow you to work with more computers simultaneously. Additionally, the money is needed to purchase the replacement computer parts from the in-game online store. And there are tons of these, split into categories, like motherboards, CPU cooling systems, graphics cards, memory sticks, cases, and more. The interesting fact is that these parts are the licensed products known from the real world – you will see Nvidia, Intel, Zotac, MSI, among the many other familiar brands.
Besides the money, jobs will also reward you with experience points. Earning enough to reach a higher level will unlock more advanced parts in the shop.
PC Building Sim also features the Free Play mode, where players are free to build whatever computer they want. All the parts are unlocked by default and the money is unlimited, making it possible to play around with different configurations and to test their effectiveness using professional 3DMark benchmarking software.
Reception
PC Builder Simulator received very positive reviews, mainly because the title was a very refreshing addition to the excessively popular simulation genre. Reviewers praised the fact that the game is very realistic which helps to learn the basics of how the real computers are built and serviced. At the same time, they appreciated the simplicity, which makes building a virtual rig a much more enjoyable experience than it may be in real life.
