8 Video Games That Caught Lightning In A Bottle

Goat Simulator is a game that, for all intents and purposes, probably shouldn't have worked. It was a literal joke prototype, but when developer Coffee Stain Studios posted some alpha footage online, it went viral, prompting them to develop the game in "earnest."

But beyond the charm of its wildly janky gameplay, what really made Goat Simulator hit is that it arrived at the peak of the simulator game boom in the early-to-mid 2010s.

With Euro Truck Simulator 2 releasing in 2012 and becoming a genuine sales behemoth far beyond most AAA games, the timing of Goat Simulator's comedic prototype was perfect.

Coffee Stain rather shrewdly rushed the full game out just three months later, allowing them to quickly capitalise on their viral meme currency, and within two years Goat Simulator had sold a mind-boggling 2.5 million copies.

With the adage that you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice, Coffee Stain decided to instead skip right over making a second game, instead releasing a "threequel," Goat Simulator 3, in 2022 to solid reviews and sales.