Construction Simulator 3 is free on the Epic Games Store, ready to test if you're built for that life

The world of simulators used to baffle me until I tried SnowRunner. It turns out hauling logs through miles of slush or mud is surprisingly therapeutic, and a great way to enjoy a podcast. So, when I saw that Construction Simulator 3 was this week's mobile freebie on the Epic Games Store, I went in hoping for a similar, oddly Zen experience. I did not get it. 

The initial signs were promising. The premise is that you're a former game developer looking for a new adventure, which is an amusing fourth wall nod to people's newfound fascination with enjoying certain professions through gaming. Your character has gone all in as well, dumping their entire severance package into one, albeit versatile, vehicle. 

Of course, none of these supposed stakes matter. Within a few missions, you already have a new toy to play with and will quickly accrue a fleet of vehicles from all walks of construction life. However, the humour did prep me for a good time. I wasn't expecting high-octane action, naturally, but I figured the mechanics would be enjoyable enough to keep half of my brain occupied while the rest listened to some music. Not so.

The first roadblock was the layout of the buttons themselves. The accelerate icon is a minuscule dot in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen, meaning I had to contort my thumb into an uncomfortable position to hit the gas. Likewise, the steering controls are a wafer-thin line that's incredibly easy to miss. Awkward placement plus incredibly small screen real estate is frustrating. Construction Simulator 3's amusing first impression was quickly fading. 

Can we fix it? Nah, it's too much hassle

I tried to stay optimistic, determined to live out my Bob the Builder-meets-Spotify dream, diving into the settings menu to change the layout. I found no such option. Never mind, I thought, I'll just plug in my trusty Razer Kishi V2. A little controller icon appeared in the top-left-hand corner and, after a quick tap, told me that I could now use it. It didn't work properly.

With no other choice, I switched back to touch controls, telling myself that hand cramps were par for the course following a hard day's graft. I wouldn't have to drive all the time anyway, and the controls for the various intricate parts of the vehicles had much larger buttons. And while that certainly helped me avoid any misclicks, they were incredibly fiddly.  Every movement became a nuisance. While Construction Simulator 3 doesn't demand perfection with placement, it's picky enough that making slight adjustments until it gives me the green light eventually became a bit too dull. So, I hung up my hard hat and hi-vis before calling it a day.

To some extent, I appreciate that I might not be the intended audience for this type of sim. While SnowRunner falls into the same bracket, it's a lot more straightforward and infinitely less finicky. However, the controls here are far from stellar, which certainly doesn't help get people into the driver's cab. 

But it's currently free on the Epic Games Store, so why not download it and see if it clicks better with you than it did with me?