Autopsy Simulator is a horror simulation game for ages 18+ where you play as a pathologist performing autopsies while dealing with the horrors of your own mind. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth playing.
Disclaimer: The following game, and subsequently this review, contains depictions of realistic gore, blurred nudity, substance abuse, violence, and severe mental illness. If you find the aforementioned themes triggering, please continue with your own discretion, or feel free to check out our other reviews instead.
Autopsy Simulator Review Overview
What is Autopsy Simulator?
Autopsy Simulator is a horror-simulation hybrid where you play as Jack Hanman, a pathologist haunted by his wife’s murder by the serial killer Red Pete. As you conduct autopsies, you'll uncover clues about both the cadavers' deaths and Jack's own troubled past. Balancing his practice with his personal demons is a challenge that grows with each new body—one made worse by the lingering sensation that he’s not quite alone.
Autopsy Simulator features:
⚫︎ Haunting narrative filled with intrigue and deep character writing
⚫︎ Well-written and fully voice-acted dialogue
⚫︎ Hyperrealistic autopsy procedures and organ handling
⚫︎ Chilling sound design
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Autopsy Simulator's gameplay and story.
 Steam |
$24.99 |
Autopsy Simulator Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Intensely Realistic Character Writing Immersive Sound Design Scratches That C.S.I Itch |
Loading Screens Take Too Long and Break Immersion Graphic Nudity and Gore |
Autopsy Simulator Overall Score - 90/100
One might never be able to tell from its title, which follows the naming conventions of much more light hearted Simulator games, but Autopsy Simulator is a gut-wrenching exploration of loss, grief, and human anatomy that excels in setting the scene as it does in depicting standard pathology practices. If you can forgive its ridiculously frequent and lengthy loading screens, buggy interactions, and graphic content, then you’re in for an emotional ride.
Autopsy Simulator Story - 9/10
Autopsy Simulator offers a tragic and haunting narrative with some of the most convincing character writing I’ve seen in gaming. The portrayal of the protagonist's troubled past and subsequent mental illness is both realistic and respectful of real-life experiences of grief and loss. These would’ve been enough to make it the perfect forensic drama if not for the frequent and lengthy loading screens.
Autopsy Simulator Gameplay - 9/10
Autopsy Simulator balances hyperrealistic autopsy practices with a haunting narrative, ensuring neither aspect overshadows the other. This well-paced and well-crafted blend offers a surprisingly fun experience that keeps you on the edge of your scalpel.
Autopsy Simulator Visuals - 8/10
While Autopsy Simulator’s visuals aren’t the most realistic, they effectively evoke the era of the game’s setting and the general themes of loss, death, and sadness that the narrative puts forth. Every location looks sufficiently lived-in and there’s not a bladder out of place when it comes to convincing set design.
Autopsy Simulator Audio - 10/10
I believe good horror relies on great audio, and Autopsy Simulator delivers one of the most foreboding and dreadful auditory experiences out there. From the true terror in the main character’s voice to the constant drone of fluorescent bulbs, every sound elevates this game’s horror factor to bone-chilling heights.
Autopsy Simulator Value for Money - 9/10
$25 is the perfect price for Autopsy Simulator because it justifies the polish of its narrative, the quality of its visuals, and the hyperrealism of its gameplay without being too pricey. Granted, some might not appreciate its slow-burn horror and tedious loading screens, but I think that $25 is low enough a price to at least consider it.
Autopsy Simulator Review: A Cut Above The Rest
I will be honest, a title like "Autopsy Simulator" brings a more laid-back image when games like Farming Simulator and EuroTruck Simulator exist. This isn’t a game you ought to judge by its title, however, as it offers a horror experience far more thrilling than what its title would suggest.
Instead, what awaits you is a deep exploration of grief and how it can affect even those who witness death daily. It breaks down the components of what can tip someone over the edge of sanity, even when they have numerous support systems in place and appropriate medication.
So, with those preliminaries out of the way, let’s get your gloves and apron on before we go knuckle-deep into this game’s guts.
Autopsy Simulator describes itself as a horror-sim hybrid and I’m inclined to agree with that description because it expertly blurs the boundaries between a realistic simulation-type game and a narrative-driven horror experience. You play both halves of this game’s core gameplay elements in equal measure and neither suffers the shadow of the other in terms of quality.
From the very beginning, even whilst you operate on yet another cadaver, it’s clear that your protagonist isn’t quite right in the head, and not everything is as it seems. Ghosts dance at the edge of your vision and disembodied voices beckon you from beyond the veil, and yet, you must continue with your next task as if nothing happened.
It’s an unnerving atmosphere to pair with your duties as a practicing pathologist and it only serves to reinforce the game’s narrative quality. Being surrounded by the dead is already foreboding as it is, what more when the dead speak?
While on the topic of your duties, let’s talk about actual gameplay elements and how they stack up against this game’s deeply disturbing atmosphere. As a practicing pathologist, not only must you perform the autopsy, but you must also analyze the gathered data and determine a cause of death. Autopsy Simulator offers the full autopsy experience to that end, including autopsy preparations and various other miscellaneous tasks like taking images of the cadaver and maintaining your practice area.
It’s a very detailed and deliberate procedure that relies on your manual dexterity and deductive reasoning—which is exactly what a real autopsy would be like. Granted, this game is set in the early 90s, so it might be a bit different from modern practice, but I can’t deny how intricate and investigative the entire thing is.
Specific parts of the procedure like organ incisions or physical examinations are represented by simple mini-games that are actually kind of fun. They get repetitive after the first few times, but the narrative beats between each autopsy serve as great palette cleansers for the next.
Story-wise, Autopsy Simulator is a gut-wrenching journey through Jack Hanman’s grief. Having recently lost his wife to a serial murderer named Red Pete, Jack is just going through the motions of his job. Things take a dark turn when voices start to beckon to him and the lifeless bodies of the cadavers he’s examining start to appear at the edge of his vision. Despite his medication and the support of his cop friend Steve, Jack slowly descends into a deep depression punctuated by psychotic episodes.
Before long, it becomes difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy. It even comes to a point where you, as the player, aren’t sure if Jack is suffering yet another misfortune or if he brought it on to himself. All of this is shown to us through a masterfully written script that grounds grief and loss as purely human emotions.
I think it was a deliberate choice that Jack never truly interacts with another living person. He only ever talks to people through recorded videos, phone calls, or disconnected conversations from behind a newspaper. He never even sees his own reflection, reserving his true thoughts for the dead to hear. It reflects a willful and purposeful isolation that those who are going through grief usually experience. In these moments, they are surrounded by loving, supportive people, but are invariably alone.
And that’s what carries Autopsy Simulator as a game. It doesn’t pull its punches with its symbolism and thematic atmosphere but also makes sure to leave room for fun and detailed gameplay. I like to think of it as an interactive diary, with the tedium and minutiae of a pathologist’s practice being part and parcel of Jack’s experience.
Unfortunately, despite being a stellar horror-sim hybrid, this game isn’t without its undone stitches. The game’s immersion and pacing are broken up by lengthy and plentiful loading screens. I’ve also encountered a few bugs with some of the interactable areas. Nothing severe like a soft lock, but certainly noticeable enough to mention.
More to that, this simply isn’t a game for the faint-hearted and weak-stomached. Of course, an autopsy simulator would have graphic scenes depicting gore and nudity, but there are also scenes of substance abuse from both the protagonist and some of the cadavers that some might find triggering or distasteful. This limits this game’s audience somewhat, but it is no measure of its quality.
And here, we end our dissection of Autopsy Simulator. It is an ambitious title that succeeded in delivering a realistic autopsy experience alongside a truly tragic horror narrative. It shines as a great marriage of genres, and as a simulator that is simply a cut above the rest.
Pros of Autopsy Simulator
| Things Autopsy Simulator Got Right |
|---|
|
Intensely Realistic Character Writing Immersive Sound Design Scratches That C.S.I Itch |
Intensely Realistic Character Writing
Autopsy Simulator has extremely good character writing and I think it’s owed to the game’s adherence to the basic writing principle of "show, don’t tell". Instead of saying that Jack is depressed about his wife’s death, we are shown the effects of depression in his daily life. It’s a subtle hint, never amounting to more than him forgetting his own birthday or avoiding the topic of his wife’s death, but it allows us to connect to his emotions better than any statement.
There are more examples of this indirect characterization spread throughout the game. We see that he uses work as an escape from his emotions, although nobody ever says that outright. We’re clued into that fact by his complete lack of home life, even to the point where he doesn’t buy groceries or do laundry anymore.
It’s by these subtleties that we start to empathize with Jack, and through empathy, a character is made real in a person’s mind. Very rarely will we find such characterization in a simulation game, and yet something as innocuous as Autopsy Simulator managed to do so.
Immersive Sound Design
I firmly believe that good horror is delivered, in part, through good audio. It’s acceptable to scare through imagery and visuals, but it’s through sound that we hammer in true dread. Autopsy Simulator excels in this regard by embodying the dingy, sterile nature of a pathologist’s clinic in its audio.
There is no music, no sing-song to the voices of the characters, and no warmth in the background drone of the fluorescent bulbs. It evokes a cold and suffocating environment that only the dead should thrive in, as well as a crushing silence that leaves Jack at the mercy of his own mind’s machinations.
It’s the perfect soundscape for such horrors to manifest, and Autopsy Simulator managed to craft it so masterfully.
Scratches That C.S.I Itch
This benefit is exclusive for the forensic drama enjoyers among you, but yes, this game scratches that C.S.I. itch. If you’re not suffering another of Jack’s psychotic episodes, you’re legitimately piecing together a person’s cause of death from their giblets. It’s immensely satisfying when the clues fall together and the answer becomes clear as you fill out that report.
Cons of Autopsy Simulator
| Things That Autopsy Simulator Can Improve |
|---|
|
Loading Screens Take Too Long and Break Immersion Graphic Nudity and Gore |
Loading Screens Take Too Long and Break Immersion
Plain and simple, this game has too many lengthy loading screens. I often find myself enthralled by the game’s story and wondering what’s going to happen next, only to be met by two, back-to-back 10-minute loading screens. It gets ridiculous really quickly and seriously messes up the game’s narrative pacing. It doesn't seem unfixable, but just know that the version that I got to play had long loading screens.
Graphic Nudity and Gore
While some might not consider this a downside, the truth remains that not everyone is comfortable playing a game with this much graphic gore and nudity. This limits the game’s potential audience somewhat, although it does breathe a life of realism into its setting. Thankfully, there’s a nudity filter that can be accessed through the game’s pause menu, but there’s no way to avoid the gore. It is an autopsy, after all.
Is Autopsy Simulator Worth It?
Yes, and You Needn’t Sell An Organ to Buy It
$25 is the right ballpark for a simulator game, although Autopsy Simulator does justify its price better than most others. With its great visuals, amazing writing, and fun gameplay, you really can’t ask for more from a game at this price. Granted, the long loading times and graphic content might deter a few, but this game’s at least worth considering.
| Platform | Price |
|---|---|
| Steam |
$24.99 |
Autopsy Simulator FAQ
Does Autopsy Simulator Have a Nudity Filter?
Yes. Autopsy Simulator’s nudity filter can be toggled on or off through the game’s settings, accessible through the pause menu.
When and Where is Autopsy Simulator Set?
According to the game’s description and in-game lore, Autopsy Simulator is set somewhere in the city of New Orleans in the early 90s.
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Autopsy Simulator Product Information
 |
|
| Title | AUTOPSY SIMULATOR |
|---|---|
| Release Date | June 7, 2024 |
| Developer | Woodland Games |
| Publisher | Team17 Digital Ltd |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | Horror, Simulation |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | PEGI 18 |
| Official Website | Autopsy Simulator Website |
