Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Nuclear War Simulator
Bit Mirror · Published by Matrix Games · Official site ↗
Mixed — 69% positive (272 reviews)
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
Nuclear war simulator is a detailed realistic simulation and visualization of large-scale nuclear conflicts with a focus on humanitarian consequences. It lets you design conflict scenarios and estimate the consequences using a population density map and realistic weapons effects.
USK 16
£24.99
Lowest price we've ever recorded
View on SteamPrices can lag the live Steam store — always confirm before buying.
£24.99
Price history
3 Sept 2026Lowest: £24.99 · Highest: £24.998 Oct 2026
Simulation · 2023 · More £15 - £30 games
Design conflict scenarios and explore their humanitarian impacts in this detailed nuclear war simulator from Bit Mirror. Utilize a population density map to estimate the consequences of your decisions.
About this game
Info section:
Nuclear War Simulator is a detailed realistic simulation and visualization of large-scale nuclear conflicts with a focus on humanitarian consequences. There are currently over 13000 nuclear weapons on this planet of which over 9000 are in military stockpiles. This software should help you answer the question: what will happen if Russia and the United States or India and Pakistan use their arsenals?You can design warheads, missiles and carries, place them on the map and execute attack plans to tell a credible story about how nuclear conflicts play out and what are the consequences. Using a high-resolution population density map and realistic weapons effects like blast, heat and radiation you can make an estimate of how many people will die in a conflict.
Nuclear conflict scenarios
You can design realistic large-scale scenarios between major powers with thousands of warheads. Scenarios can be created manually where you can assign each warhead individually or with the assistance of an AI for faster targeting. It is also possible to simulate whole conflicts with a few clicks on the map interactively. You can download scenarios created by other people and upload your scenarios to the mods.io server.Realistic effects of nuclear weapons
The simulation includes a high-resolution population density grid. The effects of blast, heat, fires and radiation are calculated and visualized for each population cell to estimate fatalities (similar to Alex Wellerstein’s NUKEMAP). The destruction of military targets is simulated using a model considering the CEP of the weapon, target hardness and cratering.You can place yourself, your family and friends into the simulation to estimate the expected injuries and survival probability. The amount of burnt fuel and produced soot are also calculated to estimate the effects of nuclear winter using a simplified model.
Design and placement of objects
Using an intuitive UI you can design warheads, place them on missiles and into silos, on aircraft, TELs and submarines.You can then place the forces onto the map simply clicking on it or importing real-world locations from KMZ files.
If you know how much uranium and plutonium is needed for one warhead, you can estimate how many can be build from today’s stockpiles if a country wants to.
Modding and interfaces
The simulation supports some basic modding of unit textures, loading screens and background music. It is also possible to share unit blueprints and scenarios with others.If you have simulated a conflict in another tool you can import the list of detonations as a simple CSV file to calculate the humanitarian effects. On the other hand, you can also export the list of detonations together with the burnt soot into other tools like detailed climate simulations.
Features
- Detailed effects of nuclear weapons, accurate reports on affects/results (including but not limited to radiation zones, casualties and fires)
- Realistic delivery systems, up-to-date full known arsenal of main world powers.
- Sandbox to design weapon systems and build conflict scenarios.
- Individual civilians moving on the map and taking shelter.
- 22+ predefined editable scenarios.
- In-game mod upload and download. (instant synchronisation)
- Adjustable AI.
- Integrated early warning and Missile Defence systems.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
Minimum:
- OS: Windows 10/11
- Processor: 1.5 GHz
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 11 or OpenGL 4.3 compatible graphics card with 3 GB of VRAM
- Storage: 11 GB available space
Recommended
Recommended:
- OS: Windows 10/11
- Processor: quadcore or more
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 11 compatible graphics card with 6 GB of VRAM
- Storage: 11 GB available space
Supported Languages
English
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Nuclear War Simulator - Early Warning and Missile Defense (5/6)
Hello Nuclear War Simulator fans. Episode#5 of our video series is now out. This time, we explore the systems designed to detect and stop ballistic missile threats before impact. From early-warning satellites and radar detection to missile interception during reentry, we break down the technologies standing between deterrence and catastrophe — and how Nuclear War Simulator helps visualize these critical moments.Read full article on Community Announcements (danamite)Patch NotesOfficial
Nuclear War Simulator - Update 1.00.0418
Build 418New features and changes:the number of injured people is calculatedtotal casualties (fatalities + injuries + fatal cancers) are calculatedexpanded the display of results of the simulationthe area and volume of the destroyed building are calculated and displayedBug fixes and minor improvements:fixed: Unity security issuecoordinates can be entered into the text fields during targetingfixed: during targeting, the old warhead visualization was not removed when the warhead is reassignedfixed: not being able to select an image for individualsirrelevant results of the simulation are no longer shownsimplified how tables with the results of the simulation are displayedthe objectives of a scenario are now shown as tooltips, simplifying the results tablesformat of recorded CSV files can now be parametrized in csvRecordingSettings.JSONwhen selecting a CSV file with detonations for replay, it can be selected in a file exploreradded: tips to use Left Ctrl + Left Click to target military objects exactly in some scenarioschange: Donald Trump is now the president of the United Stateschange: updated NATO members to early 2026 statefixed: after scenario setup, some AI was not working because the wrong leader figure was placedfixed: warning of explosions over 100 Mt is only shown once now when executing a list of detonationsfixed: New York emitting smoke without being hitfixed: units and individuals were invisible in tutorials if visualization was deactivated beforefixed: tutorial camera transition was not zooming out far enough in some casesfixed: issue with fallout cut-off after multiple calculationsfixed: not displaying MIRV footprint if cross-range is biggerfixed: scrolling is disabling plan visualization in the attack plannerfixed: old units were selected after loading a new scenariofixed: list of user-made scenarios is refreshed when going to the Load Scenario panelfixed: display of cities is only enabled in scenic view, so the markers are not blocking the mapfixed: effe...Read full article on Community Announcements (danamite)Patch NotesOfficial
Nuclear War Simulator - Update 1.00.0415
Hi everyone, Update v1.00.0415 has been released. NOTE: Initially this patch released with incomplete patch notes, below is now the complete listBug fixes and minor improvements: fixed: cancer rate was hard-coded. Now it will be used from the settings panel.,fixed: reading the wrong settings from the saved humanitarian system simulation settings,fixed: camera not flying to the correct position for the targeting of military bases during the Targeting tutorial,added tooltip to the "Play a random track" button in the audio settings menu,added ingame-notification with solutions of UnauthorizedAccessException when loading scenarios,fixed: the individual's position is set to 0-0 when using the "Teleport" function,fixed: trying to save a blueprint with an empty file name,fixed: UI not scaling consistently and not working on some resolutions,fixed: individual radiation chart not updated when game is paused and another individual is selected,fixed: US early warning radar did not have satellite communication enabled,fixed: early warning radar was only working after loading the scenario, but not directly after placing the radar,fixed: Load Scenario section of the main menu not starting in the last tab,fixed some GPU compatibility issues,fixed: wrong saving of values of infrastructure damage parameters on non-US computers,Read full article on Community Announcements (camlo.k)Patch NotesOfficial
Nuclear War Simulator - Meyer Update Out Now!
The Meyer update is out now for Nuclear War Simulator. Last week we revealed the major features in Dev Log #6 The Meyer Update. With this major update a Campaign mode has been added. These missions introduce new mechanics that increase in complexity – making them a great tutorial for new players. This update also features a wizard that will help create your own new scenarios. Updates to the fallout model and improvements to long-term casualty modeling improve the accuracy and realism of the simulation. We have also improved the presentation of Nuclear War Simulator with new music and better visuals to your attack plans and missile trajectories. With the new tutorials included in this update, its never been easier to wage atomic warfare. Changelog Build 409 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - fixed: error when loading non-campaign scenarios Build 408 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - fixed: country selection is not saved with the scenario - much larger area can now be viewed in the high-resolution map mode Build 407 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - fixed: unit selection panel being closed when setting targets - fixed: GPU compatibility warning appearing when nuking areas without any population - corrected description of MIRV: Single warhead scenario to "75% of all military bases" - fixed: countries under control not updated when loading a core or user-made scenario - fixed: alliances not updated on loading a new scenario - fixed: gravity bombs won't detonate if the max. range value is too small - The next scenario is selected upon completion Build 406 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - switched the mouse button to drag the campaign scenario tree to the right mouse button - reduced the objective for the "Trident II (D5)" scenario from 5% to 4% - reduced the objective for the "Minuteman III with MIRVs" scenario from 3% to 2% - unit selection panel now stays open after clocking the "Target" button - fixed bug with scenario description going over the right screen e...Read full article on Community Announcements (Severus Lupus)Patch NotesOfficial
Nuclear War Simulator - Dev Log #6 The Meyer Update
Dev Diary: The Meyer Update The upcoming Meyer update represents a significant milestone for the Nuclear War Simulator, introducing a range of enhancements designed to deepen its educational impact while delivering a more refined and intuitive user experience. This update introduces a Scenario Tree system featuring a series of new scenarios designed to challenge players with objectives that require a deep understanding of nuclear weapons, their delivery systems, and their effects. For creators, we've added powerful Scenario Creation Tools that streamline the process of building custom missions. The Fallout Model now calculates the long-term effects of radiation exposure, including cancer fatalities, adding a sobering layer of realism. Finally, we've refined the UI for a smoother experience, with improved mouse controls consistent with strategy games and real-time feedback on targeting trajectories. These updates aim to make the simulator more engaging, intuitive, and impactful for learners and enthusiasts alike. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/7c47aa1c421ad6d9bf4c2e17481ba15d46c2496d.png Scenario Tree The Meyer update introduces a Scenario Tree system, adding several new scenarios designed to challenge players and deepen their understanding of nuclear weapons. Each scenario is built around specific objectives that require players to grapple with the mechanics of nuclear weapons, their effects and delivery systems. Scenarios range from explaining basic simulation functions to exploring the devastating effects of nuclear weapons, providing players with a comprehensive understanding of these complex systems. Each scenario is carefully crafted to provide historical or real-world context, turning the simulation into a platform for both education and exploration. Some scenarios delve into the technical aspects of nuclear weaponry, while others spotlight fascinating historical facts or showcase unique delivery systems. To make the experience accessible for newcomers, tutorial ...Read full article on Community Announcements (Severus Lupus)
