Why the bizarre ‘Bus Simulator’ games are the perfect remedy for stress

When I get home from work tonight, I'm just gonna drive a bus. Yeah, I know I could fight zombies, survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, or save my princess (who didn't actually need any saving) from Bowser.

But honestly? I'd rather just drive a bus.

It's okay if you don't get where I'm coming from. For a lot of folks, spending hours rescheduling routes, shuttling around passengers, and, yes, picking up trash, sounds like a thankless bout of community service, not a video game. But Bus Simulator 18, while imperfect, sold me on a genre I didn't know I needed.

A little backstory on yours truly: You may have heard anxiety described as a hamster running on a wheel. I describe my anxiety as a hamster running on a wheel, but the wheel is on fire, the hamster is actually a scorpion, and instead of running it's just reciting old criticisms from my 5th grade Spanish teacher. (Curse you, Señora Martinez and the formal "usted.")

In an effort to get out of my head, I burn through books, podcasts, and TV shows. I occasionally turn to video games, but too often I find the content so intense that the game stresses me out more than it calms me down. (See my brief obsession with the nightmare-inducing Outlast.)

Bus Simulator 18's immersive, lengthy, and simplistic experience has been the perfect addition to my repertoire of stress-fighting go-tos. Unfortunately, its flaws make it clear the franchise has room to improve in simulations yet to come.

The pros

Bus Simulator 18 is fully immersive. You are absolutely going to feel like you're driving a bus. The various POVs, elaborate dashboard controls, and inclement weather simulations leave no stone of the public transport experience unturned. The visuals and audio pull you into the action and commit you to your new life as the face of daily commuting. While the learning curve is pretty steep, I imagine the task of maneuvering a 30,000 pound vehicle in real life is similarly daunting.

Customizing everything is everything. The name's Busing... Foreman Busing. Okay, so despite my best efforts I couldn't get my driver to look anything like Pierce Brosnan's Bond. But, overall, I had a blast personalizing my BS18 experience. After way too much work, my commuter bus turned party bus and I was painting the town a vomit-y neon green color. The developers also released an extensive modding kit for those of you who want to get real into it.

Your bus route is beautifully scenic. As a former Colorado girl, I haven't exactly loved New York City's transportation. Sure, the vermin and flooding aren't great, but more than anything I miss the nice views that come with a long drive. If you can divide your focus between not killing pedestrians and appreciating the little things, BS18 gives you a pleasant ride through your picturesque little town.

The cons

There is something wrong with these people. Most bus drivers ask, "How are you today?" I struggled to avoid asking, "What's up with your face?" While your passengers' looks shouldn't be the focus of your game, these simulated citizens do need some real work. Alternatively, BS18 could have taken a page out of Subsurface Circular's book and kept its passengers faceless.

The mechanics (and consequences) are a little extreme. This is the Dark Souls of bus simulators. Yes, seriously. The level of finesse you must have to avoid crashing your bus into light poles, cars, people, trucks, plants, curbs, stop signs, and buildings is substantial. I struggled to grasp accelerating and stopping for a huge chunk of the tutorial.

To make matters worse, crashing into stuff is insanely expensive. During my first play through, I went bankrupt faster than you can say, "Dude, watch out for that giant bus. Sir, it is going to hit you. Please move, you have children. Seriously, move! There is a sidewalk right there!" So, pretty fast.

There are a lot of kinks to be ironed out. BS18 bugs are being reported left and right on Steam. Luckily, most of these seem to be fairly quick fixes, but only time will tell when the game is going to be fully functional. If you want the smoothest playthrough possible, it may be wise to get started after a couple of updates have been released.

Is Bus Simulator 18 boring?

Obviously, simulation games aren't going to appeal to everyone. But, personally, I found BS18 very enjoyable despite its room for improvement. I was more often frustrated than bored, and am still eager to build my busing empire after a few days of play. My interest in other driving simulations, like American Truck Simulator, has also been piqued.

Finding relaxing games that don't immediately bore me to tears is pretty tough. BS18 adds depth to its gameplay while staying in its simplistic lane—which makes it the perfect remedy for anxiety. Simulations like BS18 aren't adrenaline pumping, but they are an excellent pre-bedtime ritual. Just be ready to find yourself counting passengers instead of sheep.