Ant Simulator is a promising survival game about being an ant

Antsim

I've always wanted to play a game loosely based on either Honey I Shrunk The Kids or Brian Aldiss's Hothouse, so Ant Simulator looks like a dream come true. Unlike the film and novel mentioned, you don't play as a tiny human in Ant Simulator (it's all in the name), but it does let you explore a world where the grass is a jungle and pollen flecks are the size of large rocks.

The final game will feature several ant species, a colony management system, as well as digging, building, harvesting and resource gathering. You'll need to "attack and defend against other insects and ant colonies" too. Studio ETeeksi is currently working on procedural map generation, a campaign and VR support.

Ant Simulator is in development using Unity 5. There's no word on the company's website about a release window, but it looks like a pretty ambitious project for a (relatively) small team. The video below features a substantial look at the game in action, as well as discussion about lighting, and the challenges of curbing disorientation when you're an ant (the answer is pollen).

Cheers to Kotaku for the heads up. More info on the game is on the studio's official website. A playable prototype is available here, though it's the result of a 48 hour Ludum Dare game jam and doesn't reflect the title's current state.

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

Latest in Survival & Crafting
Wearing a hazmat suit, a Rust player proudly holds up a freshly cooked pie, foregrounded by a table covered with pies and a large pumpkin on the left.
Rust's crafting update gives the survival sim real-time food cooking and pies to rival Monster Hunter, but the tastiest treat is the ability to make and throw 'bee grenades'
A pig, a cow, and two birds dance
Minecraft Live returns in March with everyone's favorite kind of content: 'exclusive movie content'
An explosion in a desert environment
Survival sandbox Core Keeper gets explosive next week with a whole new skill tree devoted to bombs and grenades
Dead in Antares screenshot
The tough luck continues in Dead in Antares, the newest addition to the long-running series about people trying not to lose their heads in bad situations
Jack Black with mining gear.
'3 hours of my life that I'll never get back': A Minecraft modder did the lord's work, creating a mod that adds Jack Black's voice to the game
The Last Caretaker trailer still
Humanity's last hope is a little robot with can-do spirit in The Last Caretaker, coming to early access this summer
Latest in News
Monster Hunter Wilds Artian weapon crafting - Gemma holding hot metal
Gemma's English VA is right with us on Monster Hunter Wild's confusing menus, which makes me feel a little better for having to Google symbols all the time
Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 9070 XT on a red and orange background
Some Sapphire RX 9070/9070 XT graphics cards have hard-to-spot foam inside that must be removed or it 'may result in a decrease in cooling capacity or product failure'
Promotional image of the HP Envy Inspire inkjet printer
Haunted printers turning on by themselves and printing nonsense has to be one of my favorite Windows 11 bugs ever
The UHPILCL water cooled gaming laptop
This water-cooled gaming laptop packs a full-size desktop RTX 5090 and even fits in a backpack, but I sure wouldn't want it in mine
The TikTok app with Donald Trump ranting behind it.
Trump says the United States is already talking to potential TikTok buyers: 'We're dealing with four different groups, and a lot of people want it ... all four are good'
Corsair launches Custom Labs in Europe
Corsair's Custom Labs is now available in Europe, allowing you to make your gear as cute or ugly as you want and no-one will stop you