Preview: Ranger’s Path National Park Simulator is More Important Than You Might Think
- Antal Bokor
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
Did you ever wonder what went into maintaining our national and state parks? Did you ever want to be a park ranger, thinking you’d spend your days sipping coffee in a fire tower somewhere? Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator actually approximates the day to day activities of a National Park Ranger. That means you’ll be doing all of the mundane tasks like making sure trails are passable, campsites are usable, and the visitors have the proper permits and aren’t getting themselves into trouble.
I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors these last couple of years, and not only have I grown to appreciate the people who make those excursions possible, but I’ve gotten to chatting with a few of them. From volunteer trail maintainers to lifelong park rangers, there are a whole bunch of people out there who are not only passionate about the outdoors, but excited to have people come out and enjoy it, too. Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator does a surprising amount to actually highlight the often thankless work these people engage in.
I got a chance to get into the Steam Nextfest demo for Ranger’s Path, and I’m surprised how coherent a game about being a park ranger can be. Most of my demo time was spent picking up trash, and fixing signs and tables that have fallen into disrepair. Which mirrors a lot of my outdoor volunteer work. Except in Ranger’s Path you don’t have to contend with the rigors and discomfort of actually being outside. Most of my tasks were assigned to me over the radio as I looked at the scenery or drove around in my pickup truck.
It’s worth noting that Ranger’s Path leans heavily into the 'cozy' side of the simulator spectrum. There’s no high stakes management or punishing realism of a hardcore survival sim–everything in the demo was low pressure. The game seems less interested in penalizing you for a messy campsite and more interested in the zen of the cleanup. It turns the act of replacing a rotted trail marker into a surprisingly meditative loop—click, fix, admire—that scratches the same itch as something like PowerWash Simulator.
Beyond the janitorial duties, the demo hinted at the more investigative side of the job. There’s a wildlife research component involving a camera that forces you to slow down and actually observe the environment rather than just driving through it. Spotting a bear or tracking local fauna adds a layer of discovery that breaks up the maintenance loop. It grounds the experience, reminding you that you’re a steward of a living ecosystem, not just a glorified groundskeeper with a pickup truck.
I’m not saying that any video game can be a substitute for the outdoors, but Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator is a unique glimpse into a lifestyle that not a lot of people probably consider. And not only that, it actually manages to capture the mundanity in a fun way. I’m definitely looking forward to checking out the full game when I get my chance.
Check out the demo during Steam Next Fest February 23rd - March 2nd