Gas Station Simulator

- Reviewed on Switch -

Gas Station Simulator released on September 15th, 2021. 

Developed by Drago Entertainment, this oddball sim title surprised me in the best way.

I wasn’t expecting much going in — the eShop screenshots looked kind of janky, and I figured it’d be another bland, budget simulator. But man, I was wrong.

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Let me start by saying: this is my kind of simulator. 

You’re dropped into a dusty, middle-of-nowhere desert, given a rundown gas station, and slowly (and I mean slowly) turn it into a full-blown empire.

I’m talking gas pumps, restrooms, a garage workshop, a car wash, parking spaces, snack shelves, outdoor furniture, arcade machines, an airfield (?!), and even a basketball hoop. 

I was blown away by how much content was packed in here.

The story is surprisingly subtle for a game that’s mainly about managing gas pumps and fixing cars. 

You start as a small-time entrepreneur trying to rebuild the station your grandfather left behind. 

Along the way, you meet a cast of quirky locals and deal with small-town drama, vandalism from the annoying punk Dennis, and some shady business dealings that slowly unfold through story missions. 

It’s not a deep narrative by any means, but it gives a nice sense of progression and reason behind all the hustle.

The world design is easily one of the highlights. 

It’s not flashy, but it nails the atmosphere. There’s something really fun about being stuck out in the desert and turning your little corner of nowhere into a booming roadside business.

Each area of your gas station has its own minigames — fueling up cars, ringing people up at the register, spraying off filthy vans, and my personal favorite: the car workshop. 

I did not expect to love changing tires and fixing broken mirrors, but here we are. Forget the fuel — give me busted engines and rusted brake pads all day.

One minigame I couldn’t stand? Painting the walls. 

At first, it’s fine, but quickly it becomes tedious and mind-numbing. 

Painting wall after wall feels like a chore and drags on much longer than it should, seriously killing the momentum. 

To make matters worse, every time you upgrade your station (or any building), the paint resets back to the default color, forcing you to repaint all over again. That got old fast.

You’re not doing it alone either. Once your business grows, you can hire employees to handle tasks like cleaning, refueling, or working the register. 

They have stamina, cooldowns, wages — and yes, they can mess up if you don’t manage them properly. Micromanaging became part of the fun.

The tool wheel is another cool feature. You’ve got access to things like a broom, lockpicks, trash bags, paint rollers, and even a wrench. 

Whether you're repainting the walls, digging through dumpsters, or cracking open abandoned cars for loot, there’s always something to do.

Voice acting was a nice surprise. It’s not deep or award-winning, but having characters actually speak in a budget sim like this? Totally unexpected, and it adds a ton of charm.

And let’s not forget how well it runs on Switch, in portable mode no less. 

Yes, the graphics are a bit rough, and character models repeat a lot (especially customer NPCs), but the fact it’s all functioning smoothly on handheld is honestly impressive.

...Well, mostly functioning.

Let’s talk issues, because yeah — they’re there.

First, I had a few game crashes while playing on Switch, and that’s never fun. The framerate can tank when things get busy (especially with lots of customers and vehicles), and some of the text in handheld mode is tiny. 

Like, squint-at-the-screen tiny. That needs a fix.

Another gripe? The Dennis vandalism mechanic. 

I get that they were going for quirky and chaotic, but every time this punk kid tagged up my station, I just got annoyed. It felt like busywork, not actual gameplay.

Speaking of busywork: trash cans fill up way too quickly. 

Like, how are these customers generating so much garbage? It’s wild. I was spending more time dragging bags to the dumpster than actually running my station.

And as much as I loved expanding my business, the Airport DLC didn’t hit for me. I only used it because the story made me — otherwise, it felt undercooked and kind of forgettable.

But despite all that? I still had a blast.

There’s something addicting about checking off tasks, improving your station, and watching it come alive — even if the framerate is chugging along with it.

Pros: 

    - Tons of content and gameplay variety

    - Surprisingly satisfying job minigames

    - The car workshop rules

    - Great customization & decoration options

    - Voice acting adds charm

    - Switch version runs surprisingly well in handheld

Cons:

    - Game Crashes

    - Airport DLC isn’t very fun

    - Dennis mechanic is annoying and pointless

My Rating for Gas Station Simulator (on Switch):

5 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.