Police Simulator: Patrol Officers

Lore & Background

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers is set in the open world of Brighton, a fictional American city loosely based on Boston and Suffolk County, in the fictional U.S. state of Franklin. The player character is an officer of the Brighton Police Department. Gameplay is divided into shifts—morning, evening, and night—during which players can choose foot or vehicle patrol in their assigned beat. They must handle witnessed crimes or dispatch callouts ranging from jaywalking and moving violations to assaults, drug trafficking, and robberies. The player has access to tools including a handgun, taser, handcuffs, radar speed gun, flashlight, camera, road flares, pull-over sign, citation book, mobile data terminal, and a fleet of police cars. Similar to the Police Quest series, the player must follow a loose system of police regulations, including a use of force continuum, and properly process suspects by choosing to fine, arrest, or warn them. Performance is measured by Conduct Points starting at 100, which decrease with improper actions; earning Shift Points allows ranking up and unlocking Duty Stars for new tools, vehicles, and events.

Reader's Guide

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers was developed by German studio Aesir Interactive and published by Astragon Entertainment with public funding from FilmFernsehFonds Bayern. Announced on February 10, 2021, it entered early access on Steam on June 17, 2021, receiving regular updates including a cooperative multiplayer mode for up to two players. A public roadmap on Trello outlined current and future plans. The game fully launched on PC and consoles on November 10, 2022. On June 17, 2024, the Highway Patrol Expansion DLC was released, adding a highway leading out of the city and content for highway patrol and commercial vehicle enforcement. Reception was mixed: the PlayStation 5 version scored 58/100 on Metacritic ("Mixed or Average"), while the Xbox Series X/S version scored 48/100 ("Generally Unfavorable"). German magazine GameStar called patrolling entertaining and said the early access version had potential, but criticized animation quality, AI, and lack of replayability, though it still called it the best police simulator. Softpedia rated it 4 out of 5 stars, praising its concept and mission progression but criticizing graphics and repetitive gameplay.

Did You Know?

• The game's fictional city of Brighton is loosely based on Boston and Suffolk County.
• The player must follow a use of force continuum similar to the Police Quest series.
• A cooperative multiplayer mode for up to two players was added during early access.
• The Highway Patrol Expansion DLC was released on June 17, 2024.