The Parenting Simulator
This is a story where you do something more terrifying than entering a haunted house, more dangerous than assaulting an alien horde, and more important than ruling a fantasy kingdom. You, and you alone, must turn your newborn baby into a functional adult. Will you be a tiger mom or a helicopter dad? Can you raise a child through eighteen years of humor and heartache with nothing on your side except a little patience and a lot of love? It’s a fun and unique experience designed for potential parents of all ages!
The Parenting Simulator is a lighthearted 189,000 word interactive slice-of-life novel by Matt Simpson, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
- Experience over 60 scenes designed to touch on events both major and minor in your digital offspring’s life.
- Overcome potty training, bullies, and the dreaded driving test!
- Live the wild emotional rollercoaster of raising a child as you go from birth to high school graduation.
- Be the main role model in their life, as every little thing you do can have consequences that reverberate through the years.
- Maintain relationships with friends and family or burn your bridges to spare you and your little one further heartache.
- Watch your child grow and change from the choices you make.
- Find out who they become through numerous possible endings!
Game Discussion
Steam User 3
I love this game. As a person with quite a shitty childhood, this game was pretty therapeutic to me, it really helped me see childhood and parenting in a different light: much more caring, loving than what I have experienced as a child.
Steam User 1
Very cute game with lots of achievements for all those completionists out there.
Steam User 1
I could cry... It was such a heartwarming game, and exactly what I was looking for. The ending made me genuinely feel sad, which sounds stupid considering it's just a videogame, but I don't care. One of the best games I've played till now, and just goes to show that you can create a masterpiece without intense graphics. It genuinely felt like I was raising my own kid, and it captured a lot of real life stuff well.
I'll play this game more, but I won't ever forget my first son Lucas. 10/10.
Steam User 3
Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 382:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (8/10)
The Parenting Simulator is a quirky, heartfelt text-based sim that takes on one of human life’s biggest challenges: raising a child from birth to adulthood. It doesn’t do everything perfectly, but it leans hard into emotional moments and choice consequences in ways that are more touching than I expected. It's the closest thing I'll get to having kids (I'm scared of them), and overall, it's an underrated gem in the interactive fiction community.
🍼 Pros:
Emotional core and life simulator premise. The idea is simple but resonant—you, and you alone, are responsible for raising a child through all the stages of life, from potty training to graduation. Watching your choices ripple outwards and shape the kid you raise gives a cozy game stakes. I find myself becoming attached to my digital kiddo and wondering which choice would be best for them: enroll in a private or public school or homeschool? Force them to join an extracurricular activity? Be firm or be gentle?
Strong narrative structure and branching story. The game is long (about 189,000 words) and full of over 60 distinct scenes. You’ll navigate events big and small: school, friends, conflicts, mistakes, growth. The branching paths give it replay value: your decisions genuinely lead to different character arcs and endings. There's a lot of variety regarding your kid but also yourself.
Meaningful choices and consequence. It isn’t shallow “choose A or B and move on” fare. Your decisions matter—for instance, how you respond to bullies or how you treat relationships influences your child’s development and your own life. There’s a real push-pull between self-sacrifice and preserving your own sanity. You can mold your child into the person you want, but that might backfire. Or you can let them be a lazy bum and be happy but ultimately be successful.
Good value for the price. At around $5.99 on Steam, you’re getting a lot of content for a small price.
🐥 Cons:
Occasional lulls in pacing. Because there’s so much ground to cover (childhood, adolescence, adult challenges), some chapters feel a little rushed or less engaging than others. There's an equal balance between all three stages, but it's easy to see where more scenes would have fleshed out some backstory.
Dialogue and choice overload. The trend for IF nowadays is to have a few, meangiful choices. But in this one, you'll be making choices every page. Sometimes you’re hit with long monologues or internal reflections. I didn't mind this, but a few choices feel like they shift tone but don’t deeply change anything in the long run.
Emotional weight demands patience. Because the game moves you through the span of a life, some emotional beats depend heavily on scenes earlier in the story resonating with you. If you’re not fully invested from the start, certain pivotal moments might fall flat.
Steam User 1
like it a lot
Steam User 1
Fantastic game
Steam User 1
I'm not crying, you're crying!