Bus Simulator 18 vs Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
Bus Simulator 18 is an open-world racing game from stillalive studios (2018) while Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 is an open-world puzzle game from Red Dot Games (2021).
What each one is
Steam files Bus Simulator 18 under Open-World and Racing. In contrast, it files Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 under Open-World and Puzzle.
Experience the job of a bus driver in a vast and freely drivable urban area. Drive original licensed city buses from the great brands: Mercedes-Benz, Setra, MAN, and IVECO BUS. Transport your passengers safely and punctually, either solo in single player mode, or in multiplayer mode.
Work your way to a service empire. Get your hands dirty in a highly realistic simulation game that pays major attention to details. Pay a visit to a new Auction house and buy cars in various conditions. Expand your range of services by investing in a new work space and equipment.
At a glance
| Bus Simulator 18 | Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.9/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (81%, 13,663) | Overwhelmingly Positive (96%, 38,510) |
| Critic aggregate | 67/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $14.99 | $24.99 |
| Install size | 6.35 GB | 35 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Developer | stillalive studios | Red Dot Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Bus Simulator 18 vs Car Mechanic Simulator 2021, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Bus Simulator 18Open-world racing gameCar Mechanic Simulator 2021Open-world puzzle gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Bus Simulator 18Simulation, Automobile Sim, DrivingCar Mechanic Simulator 2021Simulation, Automobile Sim, RealisticThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Bus Simulator 18Score 6.9 · 81% on Steam · 67 criticCar Mechanic Simulator 2021 ✓Score 8.2 · 96% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Bus Simulator 1813,663 reviews · 7 add-ons · 6.35 GBCar Mechanic Simulator 202138,510 reviews · 21 add-ons · 35 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Bus Simulator 18 ✓$14.99Car Mechanic Simulator 2021$24.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Bus Simulator 18PlayableCar Mechanic Simulator 2021 ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueBus Simulator 18 and Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 (GamingPickz Score 8.2)
- The cheaper right now: Bus Simulator 18 ($14.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 (verified)
- Lighter on storage: Bus Simulator 18 (6.35 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 (38,510 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SimulationAutomobile SimDrivingRealisticOpen WorldSingleplayerFirst-PersonStrategy
Where they differ
MultiplayerCo-opManagementActionMod
SandboxRacing3DEducationImmersive SimPuzzle
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Bus Simulator 18 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Bus Simulator 18 | Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (1GB | NVidia GeForce GTX 760 2GB |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i3 with 3.3 GHz | Intel Core i5 4690 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X |
| Minimum RAM | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| Install size | 6.35 GB | 35 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Bus Simulator 18 · Car Mechanic Simulator 2021.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Bus Simulator 18 and 1 for Car Mechanic Simulator 2021. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Bus Simulator 18 and Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 in scope?
Bus Simulator 18 has drawn 13,663 Steam reviews, ships 7 add-ons and installs in 6.35 GB. Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 has drawn 38,510 Steam reviews, ships 21 add-ons and installs in 35 GB.
Is Bus Simulator 18 or Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 rates higher (8.2 to 6.9). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Bus Simulator 18 or Car Mechanic Simulator 2021?
Bus Simulator 18 is cheaper right now at $14.99, against $24.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.