American Simulator
Edition 1: Route 66 — A satirical road trip game inspired by the Oregon Trail.
Survive the Mother Road
Face crises ripped straight from American headlines as you travel Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica.
Every choice you make shifts a hidden ideology score — and determines the fate of America itself. Will you fight for the collective good or look out only for yourself?
Beta Available: The first edition is live and playable on the web now!
The Journey & Pace
Choose your speed and travel across 7 iconic stops on Route 66.
7 Stops
Less exposure to random crises, but you have no time to recover between events.
10 Stops
A balanced risk. Enough stops to pace yourself, but a solid challenge to survive.
15 Stops
More events, higher exposure, and far more chances to run completely out of money.
Route 66 Stops
Chicago, IL
The starting point of the historical Mother Road. Prepare your supplies and set off.
St. Louis, MO
Crossing the Mississippi. Face your first trials under the gateway to the West.
Catoosa, OK
Home of the Blue Whale. The road gets dustier, and the choices get harder.
Cadillac Ranch, TX
Art in the desert. A momentary pause before the mid-trip crises arrive.
Blue Swallow Motel, NM
Rest your companions under the neon glow, if you can afford it.
Painted Desert, AZ
Beautiful vistas masking harsh, unforgiving environmental crises.
Santa Monica, CA
The end of the line. Your decisions will now decide the destiny of the nation.
Your Companions
You don't travel alone. Each companion has their own Health (0–100) and Mood. Random road events can hurt or heal them. Keep an eye on their status—if all of your companions die, your road trip ends immediately in tragedy.
Supplies & Crises
Buy supplies before departure to unlock better survival choices during emergencies.
Gas Can
Bypass dynamic price gouging and out-of-gas emergencies.
Food
Feed your companions during SNAP benefits cuts, surge pricing, and heat waves.
Coffee
Pull all-nighters to research and find student loan loopholes.
Tools
Fix flat tires yourself instead of waiting for towing and paying dynamic fees.
Camping Gear
Shelter safely from sudden wildfire smoke and COVID spikes.
Insurance
The only shield that makes a drunk driver collision problem disappear.
American Crisis Events
A sample of the headline-ripped disasters you'll face. Cyan buttons indicate choices unlocked by supplies:
Rent Increase
SNAP Benefits Cut
Unexpected Medical Expense
AI Replaces Your Job
Dynamic Surge Pricing
ICE Detains Your Spouse
Out of Gas
Flat Tire
COVID Strikes
Police Stop
Gas Price Gouging
Wildfire Smoke
Student Loan Due
Drunk Driver
Heat Wave
The Fate of America
Your choice-by-choice actions shift your hidden ideology score. Your ending depends on it.
Trump's America
Things go very, very wrong. Individualism dominates, and the social fabric fractures completely.
Blue State Status Quo
Not great, not terrible... just America. The cycle continues with minor tweaks but no real systemic changes.
Socialist America
The people rise up! Collective cooperation takes hold, building a supportive, fair society.
Fight for the Collective Good
Every response you make nudges a hidden score from 0 to 100. Cooperating and supporting the community pushes it higher; looking out solely for yourself pulls it lower. You won't see the exact number during the trip, but America will absolutely feel the results when you reach the coast.
Ready to hit Route 66?
Play the beta right now in your web browser. Free, no download required.
Launch American Simulator