Free disease simulator strategy game

Plague Inc. is a free strategy simulation video game that allows you to create viruses and infect the simulated world in real-time. Developed by Ndemic Creations and published by Miniclip for mobile, Plague Inc. uses an epidemic model in its game mechanics, letting you simulate a complex but realistic spreading of diseases. This adds a different challenge to claiming victory and doesn’t just put you in a strategy game with the theme of biological warfare.

They all fall down

When you hear the term “plague,” the first thing that may likely come to your mind is the thought of the Black Death of Europe. The rapid spread of a disease over a large region is no joke, especially for any deadly contagion that needs to be studied for its cure. 

However, while the reality sounds pretty horrifying, Plague Inc. instead packages all of these as an intriguing and challenging video game concept. Similar to how you’re out to conquer kingdoms in those grand strategy wargames, you get to infect the whole game world in Plague Inc. with your carefully-cultivated infectious disease.

Viruses can be weapons

Plague Inc. starts simple enough. You get to choose your Plague Type from 7 various options: Bacteria, Virus, Fungus, Parasite, Prion, Nano-virus, and Bio-Weapon. They all have different threat levels, and when you first start, Bacteria is the only available option until you beat your playthrough on Normal or brutal difficulty. You’ll gradually be making your way through all seven types, unlocking the next Plague Type for more variety in the challenges. 

Then, you have to choose from three game difficulties: Casual, Normal, and Brutal—all of which affect the world AI. Before your new game starts, you can also modify your disease’s genetic code if you happen to have earned them after a few games, bought some in-app purchases, or unlocked the premium version of the game. Finally, you can name your disease and start infecting the world.

A different kind of conquering

You begin by choosing your starting country, where you can find the Patient Zero. Technically, you can choose whichever country, but at the same time, you have to develop your disease carefully, per your starting countries’ attributes like their climate—lest your disease fails before it can even enter foreign lands. Afterward, your little Plague will slowly start infecting people as the days pass by as seconds in real-time. You can pause and fast-forward time, but the latter one is only available in the premium version. 

Now and then, especially whenever your disease enters a new country, you earn DNA points that allow you to buy genetic code enhancements. You can use these points for Transmission, for faster infections; Symptoms, to mutate its lethality and chances of spreading; and Abilities, for passive resistance against various disease-killing elements. Take note that once your disease starts getting noticed, the world will start working for a cure and fight against your efforts.

Epidemic shenanigans

If you’re a fan of Pandemic 2 or those thriller movies about viruses spreading, Plague Inc. is a great game to try out. While its main menu interface looks a bit silly, the gameplay and overall graphics more or less distract you from that and delivers an interesting and highly educational experience. Just remember that while Plague Inc. looks realistic, it is not an actual scientific model and is just a game.