Action adventure games aren’t for everyone, and sometimes you might be in the mood to relax rather than fight hordes of enemies. This is where simulation games come in that let you play as the unsung heroes of both medieval and fantasy times, Innkeepers.
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Owning a tavern or being an innkeeper might not be the first thing you think of when deciding to play a fantasy game. That has changed over the years as simulation games grew in popularity. While it might not seem like the most glamorous job, it might be one of the most rewarding. These games not only gave charm to owning a tavern or inn but also provided great visuals and gameplay.
10Tavern Tycoon - Dragon’s Hangover
When it comes to running a tavern, Tavern Tycoon delivers. The dream of running a tavern is something you only imagined NPCs doing, but this tycoon game helped change all that.
Tavern Tycoon takes a lot of inspiration fromTwo Point Hospitaland allows you to customize the layout and decoration of your tavern. You not only determine how your tavern looks, but you get to manage your staff and work on upgrading your tavern. This combines the thrill of running a tavern while also being a building management simulator.
9Oi, Innkeep!
Oi, Innkeep still doesn’t have a release date, but the details and videos that have been released make this an up-and-coming game. This might just be the game to get you into wanting to run your own tavern.
Oi, Innkeep revolves around you running your uncle’s rundown tavern. This game offers key featuressuch as growing crops, cleaning the tavern, customizing furniture, and changing your food menu. Getting to know customers, dealing with drunk guests, and even cleaning vomit off the floor makes Oi, Innkeep a game worth keeping your eye out for.
8The Guild 2: Renaissance
There are a few entries into The Guild series, but The Guild 2: Renaissance takes the cake for being the best by far. This game not only recaptured the love for the first Guild game but also saw the addition of new professions, including being a Pubkeeper.
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Set in the 14th Century, this life simulator game lets you pick between different classes, including a Patron. Picking this class allows your character to own a farm, bakery, or tavern. This is the easiest class in the game, but it lets you experience it firsthand. It’s a solid start, and if you’re not looking for something too heavy on combat, this is a perfect choice.
7Innchanted
Sometimes running a tavern or inn doesn’t always mean a peaceful setting. You may have to get your hands dirty if an evil wizard landlord decides to steal your family’s inn. This is exactly the premise of Innchanted.
Innchanted takes the charm of games likeOvercookedand PlateUp and turns them into a fantasy setting where youcomplete different challengesto prove you’re a better innkeeper than the evil wizard. There are different challenges, foods, and enemies, including a food critic, that you can take on by yourself or in a co-op mode with up to four friends.
6Orcish Inn
Thehuman race in fantasy gamesisn’t the only one that wants to live a quiet life as a tavern owner. What would happen if an orc decided to run its own tavern?
This is where Orcish Inn shows off what it would be like as an orc with a tavern. In this game, you play as an orc starting out in their new tavern. You farm your hops to craft drinks for your tavern and can even farm crops to make food. You interact with different orc clans, construct and decorate your tavern as you like, and can even explore the surrounding lands.
5Ravenous Devils
If you have ever watched Sweeney Todd and thought about what running a tavern or pub like that might be like, then you might just be in luck. Ravenous Devils delivers the twisted story of both Penny Dreadful and Tim Burton and turns it into a game.
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In this horror cooking simulator, you play as a tailor who lures in customers, kills them, steals their clothes, and sends them down to the kitchen, where you then make them into meals. From there, you create different dishes and upgrade your shop and pub to keep your customers happy, all while trying to manage your resources.
4Crossroads Inn: Anniversary Edition
Crossroads Inn is a micromanagement tavern simulator with a campaign and sandbox mode. In the campaign, you can influence the kingdom, go on quests, fight enemies, and achieve twelve different endings.
The sandbox modeis where the real hardcore tavern management begins. You get to build your own tavern while focusing on your menu and satisfying your customers. You can also hire staff, expand your business, and even complete standalone challenges. There is also a good amount of DLC that adds to both game modes with different features, decorations, and crops.
3Traveller’s Rest
If you are looking for something more along the lines ofStardew Valleymeets tavern simulator, then this might be your go-to game. Traveller’s Rest is completely dedicated to being a tavern management game set in a fantasy world.
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In this game, you are a tavern owner who loves to farm, brew beer, and build relationships with customers. You have technology trees that assist with your skills in crafting and brewing, which lets you unlock different items. This allows for better equipment, cosmetics, furniture, and entertainment to fully encapsulate that tavern feel. There are even events where royalty is set to visit your tavern, or you have to change your menu based on the season or customer’s needs.
2Graveyard Keeper (Stranger Sins DLC)
When you think of tavern games,Graveyard Keeperdoesn’t immediately come to mind. You might know this game for its quirky take on being an “inaccurate cemetery sim,” but the Stranger Sins DLC added to that.
The release of this DLC saw added more to the storyline, NPCs, quests, and of course,owning your own tavern. While this mainly adds to the main story, you get to build a tavern and sell food and drinks there. You even get the chance to create an automated alcohol production chain and create events for the townsfolk.
1Tavern Master
When it comes to being a game solely focused on tavern management Tavern Master hits that mark. This game doesn’t add all the extra combat or storylines, which allows you to work on starting your own tavern and building it up to a wealthy establishment.
The entire goal of this game is to start off your small tavern and attract customers to bring in more business. The better your tavern does, the more you may upgrade your furniture, build guest rooms, add a kitchen, and hire staff. The better you optimize your layout, the easier it is when you start growing your tavern. Other factors can help your tavern succeed, like organizing special events and having musicians entertain your customers.
