
Use real Python code to automate machines, robots, drones and more: Program self-driving vehicles; crack passwords; apply machine learning; automate logistics; use image processing to guide missiles. Gain real coding skills and solve exciting bite-sized programming challenges.
Modeled estimate, not a reported figure. How we estimate →
Discounts
Every price cut of more than 20% we have observed, in each market that quoted one, with this game's chart position on either side of it. These are episodes, not a model: a sale is one event, and one event cannot tell you what the next one will do.
Reviews, worldwide (the counter carries no country): 0/day in the week to Sep 11 → 0.83/day in the week after.
For scale, across Steam · Top Sellers · Brazil over the last 30 days: the 25 chart moves that followed a price cut of more than 20% went a median of 10 places towards #1, and the 2,413 moves with no price cut behind them went 2 away. One store, one chart, one country — it is the only place we have enough observations to say even that.
Prices outside the United States have been collected since 6 August 2026 and chart positions since 19 July 2026, so a cut older than that has no market to compare and a market that joined later has no history yet. Nothing here is converted between currencies.
About
JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator is an immersive 3D programming puzzle game about automating and controlling realistic machines, robots, drones and more using real Python code. Build actual coding skills while playing, solve exciting bite-sized programming challenges and progress to unlock new programming features and improved machinery. Prior programming knowledge recommended.
Automate logistics to quickly transport items Stabilize robots with control feedback (PIDs)
Write navigation code for cars Crack passwords with brute-force
Solve classical algorithms and data-structures Accurately control sniper rifles
Use image processing to count coins Apply computer vision to guide missiles
Get it now and dive into your programming adventure!
JOY OF PROGRAMMING is not a casual game. In fact, it is one of the most difficult games on Steam. It offers the real programming experience: Lots of thinking, hard work, gathering information, debugging and some frustrations. But you will also learn new skills, become a better developer, and most of all enjoy that sweet sensation of finally cracking a hard problem.
Tutorial levels to get you started with the programming concepts in JOY OF PROGRAMMING
Create your own puzzles with the included level-editor
Find collectible factsheets with interesting computer-science tidbits
Earn stars by completing levels and use them to unlock new programming features
Work towards achieving many different certificates for completing all levels in one category
Real programming: No pseudo code, no imaginary language. Instead, fully functional python code with your favourite packages like numpy, pandas, scipy, pillow, sklearn and more. Some basic prior programming knowledge (in Python or otherwise) and a strong interested in programming is recommended.
In-game IDE: A codemirror based in-game Python IDE offers syntax highlighting, auto-completion, docstring tooltips, debugging, auto-indentation, code-folding, copy/paste and undo/redo. Advanced users can also opt to use external IDEs like VSCode or PyCharm instead.
Realistic challenges: From robotics to abstract algorithms and creative coding - the full breadth and depth of computer-science awaits.
Open puzzle design: Each level has many different valid solutions.
Clear goals: Each level has one mandatory goal and up to three optional goals.
Immediate feedback: Never wonder whether your code is working. Get immediate, incremental feedback on each good (or bad) step towards a working solution.
Performance metrics: Compare your best solution anonymously with others with respect to speed, memory usage and code length.
No hard locks: Never get stuck on a single level, there are always several open challenges available.
Optionally submit your solution and your code to the leaderboards and share it with the world.
The game is developed primarily by a single developer, who also happens to be a computer science professor. An accompanying Youtube series by the developer provides example solutions for several of the levels and walks through them step-by-step.
An innovative Python based level editor allows creating and scripting entirely new levels with exciting new challenges. Optionally, these new levels can also be shared with the community via the game's Workshop.
Happy Coding and get JOY OF PROGRAMMING now!
Engagement
Reviews
Themes across 48 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
Reviews
Désolé je pensais apprendre le codage sur ce jeux , mais comme j'y connais rien en anglais je suis perdu , y'a des vidéo tuto dans le jeux qui sont complètement en anglais même si l'interface de jeux est en Français ça ne sert a rien , je trouve pas de logique mais bon je parle uniquement le Français je me retrouve perdu dans le jeux
The game got stuck and even after various walkthroughs and LLM chats I still wasn't able to progress outside of the built in functions, which is a shame because I really wanted to play this game, not interact with a coding lecture. I'm literally a software engineer, so I think it's the fault of this game unfortunately. It needs better documentation.
Media

Related
Related
Price dynamics, follower growth, revenue and sales trajectories with interactive tooltips
This and every other Pro feature is free until October 20, 2026. A free account is all it takes.
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Russian, Simplified Chinese
Hours played at review time, across 48 reviews with recorded playtime.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Doesn't hold your hand, but very rewarding and fun to figure out
Интересная игра для изучения языка. Очень затягивает.
На моём компе работает через раз. Максимум, что удалось - пройти обучение. На конвейерах даже подсказки программы при описании ленты, вставленные в код, при отладке вызывают ошибки. Настоятельно не рекомендую. Может когда-нибудь исправят, но не верю.
I. Like. Pain.
In my opinion the best programming game I have ever played on steam my only concern is that there are not solutions for every level
Absolute piece of garbage. Got through the tutorial, only for the next objective video to be stuck on the screen with no way of minimizing it because the X doesn't respond to mouse clicks. Impossible to even play the game and Steam wouldn't refund. Trash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
这种游戏居然是虚幻引擎搞得 Orz steam中打开游戏目录 看看这三个目录下面都是什么 JoyOfProgramming\Content\000_MyContent\External\doc JoyOfProgramming\Content\000_MyContent\External\python-3.10.4-embed-amd64\Lib\site-packages\pyjop JoyOfProgramming\Content\000_MyContent\External\python-3.10.4-embed-amd64\Lib\site-packages\pyjop-1.0.3.dist-info -------------------- 我是好人 --------------------
This is fun, but I had previous experience with python, if you have no idea of programming, you might want to search for a course on pythons basics, sometimes it doesnt tell you how to use what you will need and gets harder and harder to guess a solution without previous knowledge. This can be used as a teaching tool however needs a teacher to explain the concepts to be used before trying the lvl. In general I think its very fun and challenging, I think it needs many more lvls to each section. Needs a programming tutorial for beginners.
Players by region
Where this game's players are, estimated from review languages.
Related
| Game | Estimated lifetime revenue | Reviews | Review score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39.6K | 97 | 87% | $9.99 | |
| $0 | 37 | 73% | Free | |
| $339.8K | 369 | 94% | $25.00 | |
| $109.2K | 140 | 93% | $12.59 | |
| $72.3K | 177 | 72% | $11.99 | |
| $6K | 22 | 100% | $10.99 |
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| Game | Estimated lifetime revenue | Reviews | Review score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $263.8K | 498 | 85% | $12.99 | |
| $263.7K | 391 | 55% | $19.99 | |
| $263.8K | 1.2K | 85% | $7.99 | |
| $263.6K | 666 | 85% | $19.99 | |
| $263.6K | 540 | 72% | $12.99 | |
| $263.6K | 952 | 84% | $9.99 |