Quick answer: It is a genuinely absorbing procedure sim with one big change nobody has caught up with: astragon has discontinued further development, confirmed in a community post in August 2026, and a brand new Police Simulator from a different studio is coming in 2027. What exists now is the finished article: two expansions, nineteen free updates, cross-play, and a Nintendo Switch 2 version added in June 2026. It is also on Xbox Game Pass and in the PlayStation Plus Extra catalogue, so check before you buy anything.
Original illustration created for IGGG Guides.
Writing a parking ticket should not be fun. That is the joke at the centre of Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, and for a certain kind of player the joke lands and keeps landing for a hundred hours.
There is also a piece of news that reframes any buying decision, and it has not reached most coverage of this game yet. Development is over. In a community post in August 2026 astragon acknowledged that it had to discontinue further development, and said it recognised it should have given more context around the decision from the start. There is no next expansion coming.
That is not necessarily bad news for a buyer. It just changes what you are buying.
The scores, which split hard
| Source | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic, PS5 | 58, Mixed or Average | small sample of 5 critics |
| Metacritic, Xbox Series | 48, Generally Unfavorable | the lowest figure attached to the game |
| OpenCritic | 57, rated Weak, 45% recommend | 22 critics. Bottom 11% of games on the site |
| Metacritic users | 5.1 | 80 ratings, 54% of them mixed rather than negative |
| Steam, all reviews | Mostly Positive, around 75% | roughly 19,000 reviews. A far larger sample than the critics |
| Steam, last 30 days | Mixed, around 54% | about 170 reviews. Sentiment has cooled recently |
| PlayStation Store rating | 3.37 out of 5 | around 21,000 ratings |
The gap between a 57 on OpenCritic and a 75% on Steam is the whole story of this game. Critics reviewed it as a product and found it repetitive, buggy and thin. The roughly 19,000 people who bought it on Steam were self selecting sim enthusiasts who wanted exactly this, and graded it accordingly.
The recent slide to 54% matters more than either figure. That is current players, not launch critics, and it tracks with the mixed reception of the most recent paid content.
Original illustration created for IGGG Guides.
How a shift actually works
You play a rookie in the fictional American city of Brighton. The first beat is parking enforcement: reading plates, checking meters and permits, chalking tyres, writing tickets. It sounds tedious and is oddly absorbing, because the sim is about procedure. Doing the right checks in the right order is the game.
The city opens up from there. Jaywalkers, litterers, traffic stops, document checks, accident scenes with photographs and witness statements and tow trucks, then arrests, narcotics and eventually pursuits.
Progression runs on two currencies. Shift points unlock districts, equipment and vehicle patrols. Conduct points start at 100 each shift and drain for mistakes: running into traffic, drawing your weapon without cause, citing someone whose offence you did not actually witness. It is a smart tension, rewarding efficiency while punishing shortcuts.
Simulation mode enforces all of that strictly. Casual mode marks nearby crimes and loosens the conduct rules. Individual assists can be mixed in settings, which is the right call for a sim with this spread of audience.
Co-op, cross-play and the subscription route
The whole game works in two player online co-op, and it is the best way to play. One officer directs traffic while the other photographs skid marks. One sets a roadblock while the other makes the stop. The expansions support DLC sharing, so a partner who does not own them can still join those duties.
Cross-play between PC and Xbox arrived in May 2025, which the draft version of this article missed entirely and which matters a great deal if your patrol partner is on a different platform.
Check your subscriptions before buying anything. The base game joined Xbox Game Pass on 20 May 2025 across Ultimate, PC and Standard tiers, and the PlayStation Store lists it as included with PlayStation Plus Extra. If you already subscribe to either, you may already have this game. Subscription catalogues rotate without notice, so confirm on your own storefront.
What four years of content actually added
| Release | What it adds | Price and reception |
|---|---|---|
| Highway Patrol Expansion 17 June 2024 | Extends the patrol area into the wider State of Franklin. Highway chases, PIT manoeuvres, spike strips, roadblocks, auto theft and major accident callouts, Interstate and Endurance patrol cars | $19.99. Steam Mixed, around 44% |
| Season Pass 20 May 2025 | Vehicle Customization Pack, Adventurer Police Vehicle, Accident Pack, Vanguard Police Vehicle and the Contraband Expansion | $24.99. Steam Mostly Negative, around 29% from a very small sample |
| Self Defence Update 17 September 2025 | The nineteenth free update. Adds use of a firearm as a last resort, long the most requested feature | Free |
| Contraband Expansion 19 November 2025 | Two border inspection stations linked to the highway. Document, vehicle and person checks, trunk and engine searches, biometric kiosk, inspection mirror, substance analyser, less lethal shotgun, Titan Police SUV | $19.99 or included in the Season Pass. Steam Mixed, around 40% |
| Nintendo Switch 2 version 4 June 2026 | Optimised for the new console and shipping with the accumulated PC and console updates built in | $29.99 base, $39.99 Gold |
Note the pattern in that reception column. The base game sits at 75% on Steam while every paid expansion sits at Mixed or worse. The expansions added real systems, and they also added bugs, which is the consistent complaint across both DLC review pages.
Development has been discontinued. In an August 2026 community post titled "A note from the team", astragon acknowledged that the news it had to discontinue further development of Police Simulator: Patrol Officers had caused disappointment and frustration, and accepted it should have provided more context from the beginning. Whatever is in the game now is what you get permanently. Do not buy the Season Pass expecting future content, because its remaining promised items have already shipped.
A new Police Simulator is coming in 2027
Original illustration created for IGGG Guides.
astragon announced a new entry in the series, simply called Police Simulator, during the Future Games Show in August 2026. The key details:
- Developed by GRIP Studios, based in Slovakia, not by Aesir Interactive
- Built on Unreal Engine 5
- Set in Faremont City, a fictional US east coast metropolis split into three districts of up to five neighbourhoods each
- Promises reworked driving physics, AI traffic including public transport, and realistic firearm use
- Two player co-op with cross-play returns
- PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S in 2027. No last generation release
That matters for your buying decision in a specific way. If you want the police sim experience and you are not in a hurry, waiting costs nothing. If you want it now, Patrol Officers is complete and frequently discounted, and nothing about the sequel makes the existing game worse.
What genuinely holds it back
The jank is real and permanent now. Collision physics can launch parked cars, AI drivers behave oddly around accident scenes, and witnesses talk over each other. Patches improved it across nineteen free updates. They did not fix it, and no more are coming.
Brighton repeats itself. Citizen models recycle fast enough that you will meet your own character behind the precinct desk in the first hour.
Repetition is the design. Once the procedures are memorised, shifts become routine. Some players find that meditative, others are done inside three hours, and that split is exactly why critics and Steam owners disagree so sharply.
The expansions reviewed worse than the base game. Highway Patrol at 44% and Contraband at 40% on Steam are not endorsements, with performance problems the recurring complaint.
The DLC list is long. Twenty items on the Steam page. Buying everything separately gets expensive quickly.
What to buy, and for how much
| Edition | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Base game | $29.99, heavily discounted | Start here. It is the best reviewed part of the package by a wide margin |
| Gold Edition | $39.99 | Base game, Highway Patrol and several vehicle packs. Reasonable if you know you want the highway |
| Season Pass | $24.99 | Better value than buying Contraband alone at $19.99, but everything in it has now shipped |
| Ultimate Duty Edition | $74.99, from 18 June 2025 | Everything. Only worth it deeply discounted, and only if the base game already won you over |
Discounts are frequent and steep. The base game has been tracked as low as a couple of dollars at third party resellers, and the expansions routinely hit 50% off on Steam. There is no reason to pay list price for any part of a game that is no longer being developed.
Buy, wait or skip
| You are | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A Game Pass or PS Plus Extra subscriber | Check first, it may be free | On Game Pass since May 2025 and listed in the PS Plus Extra catalogue |
| A sim fan with a co-op partner | Buy the base game on sale | Two player co-op is the best version of this game, and cross-play covers PC and Xbox |
| Hoping for future updates | Skip | Development was discontinued, confirmed by astragon in August 2026 |
| Willing to wait | Consider holding out | A new Police Simulator on Unreal Engine 5 arrives in 2027 from GRIP Studios |
| Considering the expansions | Play the base game first | Highway Patrol sits at 44% and Contraband at 40% on Steam. Both are Mixed at best |
| On Nintendo Switch 2 | Reasonable option | The June 2026 version ships with the accumulated updates already included |
| Expecting action or polish | Skip | Critics put it in the bottom 11% on OpenCritic for good reasons. This is a slow procedure sim with bugs |
Verdict: a sim where following the rules is the gameplay, and it works far better than it has any right to. The 75% Steam score from roughly 19,000 owners is a truer signal than the 57 on OpenCritic, because this game only makes sense to people who want it. What has changed is that it is finished. astragon confirmed development was discontinued in August 2026 and a successor arrives in 2027, so buy this as a completed product rather than an investment. Base game on sale, ideally with a co-op partner, and check Game Pass or PS Plus Extra before spending anything. The expansions can wait, and on their Steam scores, probably should.
Frequently asked questions
Is Police Simulator: Patrol Officers still being updated?
No. astragon confirmed in an August 2026 community post that further development has been discontinued. The game received nineteen free updates and two paid expansions before that point and remains fully playable.
Is there a new Police Simulator coming?
Yes. A new entry called simply Police Simulator was announced at the Future Games Show in August 2026, developed by GRIP Studios on Unreal Engine 5, set in Faremont City, and due on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S in 2027.
Is it on Game Pass or PlayStation Plus?
It joined Xbox Game Pass on 20 May 2025 across Ultimate, PC and Standard, and the PlayStation Store lists it in the PlayStation Plus Extra catalogue. Both can change, so check your own store.
Does it have co-op and cross-play?
Two player online co-op covers the full game including both expansions, with DLC sharing so your partner does not need to own them. Cross-play between PC and Xbox was added in May 2025.
What does the Highway Patrol Expansion add?
Released 17 June 2024 for $19.99, it extends the patrol area into the wider State of Franklin with highway chases, PIT manoeuvres, spike strips, roadblocks, auto theft and major accident callouts. Steam reviews sit at Mixed, around 44%.
What is the Contraband Expansion?
Released 19 November 2025 for $19.99, or included in the Season Pass. It adds two border inspection stations on the highway with document, vehicle and person checks, a biometric kiosk, inspection mirror, substance analyser, a less lethal shotgun and the Titan Police SUV. Steam reviews sit at Mixed, around 40%.
Why do critics and players disagree so much?
OpenCritic has it at 57 from 22 critics with 45% recommending, while Steam shows roughly 75% positive from about 19,000 reviews. Critics judged it against games generally. Steam buyers were sim enthusiasts who specifically wanted a procedure game and got one.
Is it on Nintendo Switch 2?
Yes, since 4 June 2026, at $29.99 for the base version and $39.99 for the Gold Edition. That version ships with the accumulated PC and console updates already included.
Is it still buggy?
Yes, though less than at launch. Collision physics, AI behaviour and animation oddities persist, and with development discontinued they are now permanent. Recent Steam reviews at around 54% reflect that.
Buy from official stores only
This game discounts constantly and is included with two major subscription services, so there is no financial case for an unofficial copy. There is also a practical one: a repacked build from a file host is frozen at whatever version it was packaged at, which means missing most of nineteen free updates, both expansions, cross-play and the self defence systems, with the usual malware risk attached. Use Steam, the PlayStation Store, the Microsoft Store or the Nintendo eShop.
Where to go next
- For another deep simulation with a steep opening hour, read our Mount and Blade II Bannerlord review.
- On a sim series that retires its old versions annually, see our Train Sim World 3 review.
- For a game whose developer handled the ending unusually well, read our Knockout City review.
- And one that reversed its own shutdown entirely: our Destiny 2 review.
- If open world scale is what you want, see the biggest open world maps compared.
- For co-op with a bigger population, our PAYDAY 2 review covers the other side of the law.
- On why mid budget games struggle to hold support, read why AAA games are not fun anymore.
- Browse the Simulation, Open World, Multiplayer and Action hubs.
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