JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

Quick menu

Use real Python code to automate machines, robots, drones and more: Program self-driving vehicles; crack passwords; apply machine learning; automate logistics; use image processing to guide missiles. Gain real coding skills and solve exciting bite-sized programming challenges.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is a programming, automation and logic game developed by Prof. Scherer and published by PlayWay S.A..
Released on January 18th 2025 is available only on Windows in 6 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Russian and Simplified Chinese.

It has received 301 reviews of which 240 were positive and 61 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.4 out of 10. 😊

The game is currently priced at 12.24€ on Steam with a 30% discount, but you can find it for 11.46€ on Eneba.


The Steam community has classified JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator into these genres:

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator through various videos and screenshots.

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10/11, x64 only
  • Processor: Core i5 8400, Ryzen 5 2600
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GTX 1070
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 12 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: SSD recommended

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Jan. 2025
Fun game to learn Python. However, it's not a learning game per say, it's a simulator. I wish they provide a tuto for each inner game, but no. You will not have the info on how to solve problems or which command you should use. You will have to look for yourself and it make you think, witch is good for learning. Ask chatgpt or search over youtube for tips and solution. It's more fun than just looking at your VCode terminal window for the results of your script... Nice Job to the professor who create this game!
Expand the review
Jan. 2025
If you're ever playing Factorio and wishing that you could just import numpy instead of fussing with combinators, then this game may be for you. This game is a set of physics simulation puzzles that are solved by writing Python scripts. What you receive is a neat sandbox in which to test and debug your solutions. The game is a bit janky, as will be your ostensible solutions, no doubt. For the bugs that exist, you can even send in a pull request to https://github.com/maschere/pyjop/tree/main/pyjop, a fact that makes this simulation hit perhaps a bit too close to home for the work of software development. While the challenge and sometimes tedium of programming remain in this simulation, what you won't find are strict deadlines, project cancellations, micromanaging, or some of the other potential frustrations of software development in situ. While for those new to programming, this may indeed be one of the most challenging games on Steam, those who have accumulated many thousands of hours in the craft may find it relaxing akin to a cozy game like Stardew Valley. Even after just one hour of playing, it is clear that this project is a labor of love by the creator Dr. Maximilian Scherer. PS: If you check the GitHub for pyjob (the interface for this game), one of the recent commits reads "1.0 WIP", showing that sometimes you just have to ship it.
Expand the review
Jan. 2025
Professor, This game is really cool, basically a great priced python course with great graphics! Awesome release
Expand the review
Nov. 2024
I don't have a lot of experience with Python, or any programming for that matter. But I've dabbled in the past and spent a good deal of time with some self-guided learning ("Python Crash Course" book primarily). So I'm definitely still a beginner, but I think this game is my sweet spot. Other reviews nailed it: the game gets hard after the tutorial, but I personally don't feel super overwhelmed. It's an excellent learning tool. I hope to apply what I'm learning here to some hobbyist robotics projects.
Expand the review
Oct. 2024
It's hard for me to decide on whether to actually recommend this game or not. I don't know jack shit about coding but I do have some experience in scripting. While I am glad to try this game out, I don't see myself coming back too often or at all just yet. The learning-curve is actually insane for new people like me. Yes, the dev makes you fully aware that this game is difficult and that SOME prior programming knowledge is recommended/preferred. However, this is my first introduction game into learning coding involving puzzles. I'm super grateful that the dev has gone out of their way to make video tutorials if you can't solve a level when you get stuck or don't know where to start. Major kudos to that. My whole playtime is just only making it through the tutorial levels. Once you finish a level and advanced to a real one, the difficulty and assets are increased by a BIG margin as you are EXPECTED to remember every detail of what you learned in the tutorials. This is the biggest drawback for me because; a tutorial level could consist of a few conveyor belts that challenges you to figure out how to move only a certain maximum number of them. Now once you finish that tutorial level and move onto a real level, there will be trigger zones, multiple different objects that you need to navigate in all separate directions, an object spawner and an already provided code for displaying a timer since the level includes an extra challenge of completing the puzzle in a certain time frame. A good incentive to keep learning but a horrible choice to throw in for newcomers and why it was necessary to be needed in the first beginning level. The game CAN be fun but only for experienced people. The general best way people learn are from repetition. And this game has none of that. You definitely throw yourself in the fire when the dev walks you through the video tutorial because there are lots of other terms and variable types you didn't even know existed that you can use AND when semicolons should be used in your code (this is never explained. You have to eye-ball this detail when reviewing if your code is even right when you think you've written it exactly as the dev has) So after that I practically gave up. The dev encourages you to learn but it's executed poorly. If there was repetition and better ways of having players know what and when to use for their codes, then I think I would've done a LOT better and feel more comfortable getting into the coding world. I like this game, there is a lot to it with great depth, but I'm unable to move forward with it.
Expand the review

Similar games

View all
Turing Complete Learn CPU architecture with puzzles

Similarity 81%
Price 16.79€
Rating 9.3
Release 02 Oct 2021
SHENZHEN I/O BUILD CIRCUITS. WRITE CODE. RTFM.

Similarity 79%
Price -61% 5.85€
Rating 9.1
Release 17 Nov 2016
EXAPUNKS The year is 1997. You used to be a hacker, but now you have the phage. You made a deal: one hack, one dose. There’s nothing left to lose… except your life.

Similarity 75%
Price -96% 0.83€
Rating 9.0
Release 22 Oct 2018
Word Factori Word Factori is a word-building game where your only resource is the letter "i". Build a chain of factories to bend, rotate, reflect, and merge "i" into more complex letters. Discover secret letter recipes, unlock hidden word art, and optimize your factory chains for high scores.

Similarity 72%
Price 5.89€
Rating 7.9
Release 03 Aug 2023
Opus Magnum Opus Magnum is the latest open-ended puzzle game from Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem, Infinifactory, and SHENZHEN I/O. Design and build machines that assemble potions, poisons, and more using the alchemical engineer’s most advanced tool: the transmutation engine!

Similarity 70%
Price -69% 6.13€
Rating 9.4
Release 07 Dec 2017
Retro Gadgets Retro Gadgets is a sandbox where you build, code, and customize gadgets inspired by old-school electronics.

Similarity 69%
Price 19.99€
Rating 8.6
Release 30 Nov 2022
The Signal State Set in a post-apocalyptic future, The Signal State puts your logic skills to the test with complex puzzles inspired by modular synthesizers. Repair machines, rebuild an abandoned farm, and be part of a revolution that will change the fate of agriculture once and for all.

Similarity 69%
Price -60% 6.96€
Rating 8.1
Release 23 Sep 2021
Kaizen: A Factory Story Kaizen is an open-ended puzzle automation game from the original Zachtronics team, set in 1980s Japan. Design, build, and optimize production lines to create iconic products, like calculators, camcorders, and arcade machines.

Similarity 68%
Price 19.99€
Rating 8.5
Release 14 Jul 2025
The Farmer Was Replaced Program and optimize a drone to automate a farm and watch it do the work for you. Collect resources to unlock better technology and become the most efficient farmer in the world. Improve your problem solving and coding skills.

Similarity 66%
Price 6.89€
Rating 9.2
Release 10 Feb 2023
while True: learn() You’re a machine learning specialist who makes neural networks but your cat seems to be better at it. Now you must solve puzzles to build a cat-to-human translation system (who knows what else this cat is capable of!). Earn a fortune, buy kickass cat outfits, learn how machine learning really works!

Similarity 65%
Price -65% 3.85€
Rating 8.9
Release 17 Jan 2019
Craftomation 101: Programming & Craft You land on a frozen planet in a tiny rocket with a robot inside. Harvest and combine materials to discover new ones. Use visual programming to make the robot do the tiresome work for you. Slowly build a gang of self-sustaining robot workers and watch them terraform the planet.

Similarity 62%
Price 9.75€
Rating 8.0
Release 19 Feb 2024
TIS-100 TIS-100 is an open-ended programming game by Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem and Infinifactory, in which you rewrite corrupted code segments to repair the TIS-100 and unlock its secrets. It’s the assembly language programming game you never asked for!

Similarity 62%
Price -95% 0.40€
Rating 9.3
Release 20 Jul 2015

Frequently Asked Questions

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is currently priced at 12.24€ on Steam.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is currently available at a 30% discount. You can purchase it for 12.24€ on Steam.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator received 240 positive votes out of a total of 301 achieving a rating of 7.44.
😊

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator was developed by Prof. Scherer and published by PlayWay S.A..

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is playable and fully supported on Windows.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is not playable on MacOS.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is not playable on Linux.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is a single-player game.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator does not currently offer any DLC.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is fully integrated with Steam Workshop. Visit Steam Workshop.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator supports Remote Play Together. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.

JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 28 July 2025 23:07
SteamSpy data 24 July 2025 01:47
Steam price 30 July 2025 20:35
Steam reviews 30 July 2025 15:59

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator compatibility
JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator
7.4
240
61
Game modes
Features
Online players
17
Developer
Prof. Scherer
Publisher
PlayWay S.A.
Release 18 Jan 2025
Platforms
Remote Play
By clicking on any of the links on this page and making a purchase, you may help us earn a commission that supports the maintenance of our services.