Description of SimAnt
SimAnt was released by Maxis and is part of the Sim series. In the nineties, several Sim like games were created, Sim Ant is a ant colony simulator.
You have to manage your ants by digging tunnels, find food, protect the queen, expand your territory, fight against many enemies, including the evil red ants ! The conquest of the whole garden and the house will make you victorious.
The game was a hit with more than 100,000 copies sold and was released on many platform. SimAnt was included in the SimClassic pack.
OM wrote : ...This was one of the few games that the early pirate groups actively encouraged the "if you like it, buy it!" dogma. When it came out, it actually outsold SimCity and the various cosmetic packs, and there was almost no negativity seen in the reviews published in the plethora of trade rags at the time. Even PC Week gave it an excellent review, and those choads back then were notorious for hating anything that wasn't Lotus 1-2-3.
...IIRC, Maxis toyed around with the idea of a new version of SimAnt. Same gameplay, but if you chose to actively control an ant, instead of the "Dig Dug" view, you became the and and played it as an FPS! Never went beyond comments made by Maxis staffers at the trade shows, but talk about it went on until "Streets of SimCity" came out and royally tanked, which killed off any ideas of FPSing any other Maxis sims. Bastards.
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
Random User 2024-02-20 3 points Windows 3.x version
First discovered Sim Ant at my middle school just a few years ago, the owner let me take it and I've been occasionally playing it on my older secondary computer.
Chad w 2024-01-30 2 points
Had a babysitting job across the street. I always arrived early and was a bit rude. I wouldcl raid their fridge and go through their 286 PC. Found sim ant. That was like 1994. Now its 2024 and have a PC that is a trillion times more powerful but cantcseem to play sim ant again. So sad
LibertyToad 2023-11-28 0 point DOS version
I remember buying and playing this when it came out many years ago. I had a good time with it but thought it was a bit too easy. A very unique game.
thelfern 2023-09-14 3 points
One of the first games i played growing up in the early 2000s, i loved roaming around the surface, so much nostalgia here!
Eminor 2022-12-07 3 points DOS version
To easily launch the game (DOS version)
in the game's folder you can make a LAUNCH.txt file, and in it copy/paste the following:
start "" "E:\GAMES\Old Games\DOSBox-0.74-3\DOSBox.exe" "E:\GAMES\Old Games\simant-the-electronic-ant-colony\SIMANT.EXE"
Then replace
E:\GAMES\Old Games\DOSBox-0.74-3\DOSBox.exe
and
E:\GAMES\Old Games\simant-the-electronic-ant-colony\SIMANT.EXE
with your own paths for DOSBox.exe and SIMANT.exe respectively, because those are obviously my locations.
Change the file extension from .txt to .bat (so you get LAUNCH.bat)
and use that file to launch the game from here on out.
Erick Gunn 2022-10-16 2 points
I enjoyed this from my gaming shed in Norway. It was played repeatedly until sundries ended and last time was all done and dusted. It was the only time anyone noticed the long black mountain bike trekking up the andies. We discovered it until only last night with many memories and good times. Thankyou from Asif Town
gcheeseau 2022-09-13 1 point
thanks for this , i have the original but no longer have any floppy drives .
mabith 2022-08-29 3 points
A little surprised to learn this was a hit. My first boyfriend was the only person I knew (apart from myself) who had played it.
Goolash 2022-05-07 4 points
Empires of the Undergrowth tries to resurrect this experience but falls short in the lack of a open-world yard to conquer.
snek 2021-10-14 2 points
good game for boredorm. the spooder menu when you get killed by it does scare me sometimes lol
random salamander on the internet 2021-07-13 3 points
this is a good game :D, i wish i could be the queen but oh well,not everything you want will exist!
H-GUY 2021-07-10 0 point DOS version
It's a wonderful game isn't it! Anyone know how to get the mouse 'out' of DOS to close the window (am using task manager atm).
zhxwn 2021-05-30 4 points
To get this to run.
Download DOXBOX from https://sourceforge.net/projects/dosbox/files/latest/download
Once installed, you will have a dosbox shortcut on your desktop.
Download SIMANT, extract all files, drag the SIMANT.exe on to the dosbox shortcut.
Game will start.
Awkward way to start but hey ho, works.
ANDY 2021-02-03 2 points
If you like this old gem, you will love a very similar game, Empires of the under Undergrowth, that is based on this game - and actually improves on it. You can buy it on Steam.
fatmangreg 2020-09-26 -2 points
just finished the gamesit was sooooooo good dis is a masterpeice that should be put in the hall of games!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Miss My Childhood 2020-04-24 -1 point
So I tried to play this game just from my browser but I'm assuming since I'm on my phone is the reason I'm having trouble because I don't have a mouse to control anything. I don't have wifi to use my computer, does anyone know if I take my computer somewhere with wifi to download the game do I then still need an internet connection to play the game once its already downloaded?
FREEDOS User who can't figure out how to properly 2020-04-23 -8 points DOS version
I have the original disk, and the original disk for SIM-FARM :D
So, sorry WWW, I've already got the game!
Random Nerd 2019-12-16 1 point
Been a while since I played. Try givign it to the queen rather than in front of her maybe. Your workers will automatically feed her, and you should start out making all workers and have them set to first foraging and then tending tending young as well once you have enough food.
sam 2019-08-20 1 point
if you can't be bothered to play this game or if you don't have the time, READ THE MANUAL! it teaches cool facts about ants!
Slightly Confused Ant 2019-05-26 1 point
I have a problem I put food right in front of the queen and she still dies of starvation it's strange... can I have some help?
Quil the Great 2019-02-01 9 points DOS version
Oh wow, I still have an original version of this on CD. The popup of the spider eating you still scares me witless, but an absolutely amazing game all round.
InsertUberAwesomeNameHere 2018-04-19 0 point
@lunch should be a pop up the top area of your browser asking for permission to disable your mouse curser say yes an it should work, if you want your mouse back just hit esc before you hit yes you can use the scroll bar on the side so you can see the whole game box. im using opera though so the little notification might be somewhere else on a different browser
lunch 2018-04-12 2 points
playing in browser but my mouse won't sync with the game mouse. can't access the top & right parts of game (cursor leaves playing box). anyone know how to fix?
Lee B 2018-01-04 2 points
I used to play this on Amiga back in the day. If you go straight to the enemy ant nest and kill the queen as soon as you start then theres never any enemy ants to beat you. Makes it a bit boring but still a fun activity to do.
TUTORIAL 2017-08-11 4 points
3-part tutorial on beating the full game!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp6KTA9iXLk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfcBOPdmYOA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0_TfIf5vro
The girl Beuatiful 2017-02-25 -6 points
Hi, I love this game .. the graphics could improve but that's okay, this way, this one's good, too, and I would like to thank those who made this great gam
Ariel Eytan 2016-11-22 1 point DOS version
OMG my favorite game love that soooooo much......... also i love ants
krashd 2016-08-23 0 point DOS version
@BK: Tried ALT+RETURN? That is the universal combo for toggling fullscreen/window. Works in most apps, but is especially fantastic for emulators such as DOSBox or FS_UAE.
bk 2016-06-04 2 points DOS version
loved this back in the day.
loads fine on win 10 64 bit. tiny screen though for which I have to figure the work around
Jester 2016-06-01 -8 points
Broken. :/ I have windows 10, Install it, click SIMANT.EXE I get a 'CAN'T RUN' message. Any ideas? This is a shame.
danielroxheaps 2016-04-13 0 point DOS version
I have a thing for the Sim/The Sims/SimCity series', so when I found this on here, it made me so happy. I managed to get this working on my Windows 10 with DOSbox, so smiley faces for days!!! :) :) :) :)
J.H. 2016-03-27 1 point
When you get sick of the spider killing your ants whatcha gonna do? Take him over and become the spider :)
zorch 2016-02-23 1 point DOS version
You have to have DOS to play the game, it won't work in windows. Download Dosbox or ScummVM.
Rem 2016-02-22 1 point
I cant get it to work, it says my computer does not support it. I know little of this stuff and my computer is a windows 10. I miss this game.
H 2015-12-12 0 point
I remember this game from when I was a kid at school, Dam red ants kept spoiling my fun!!!
Megara 2015-09-13 0 point
Wish my mouse allowed me to click more than one spot on the screen.. Can't download due to 64bit computer
Dimwit 2015-09-12 1 point
I owned this game back in the day. What has to be mentioned is the game manual! It was 20% game manual, 80% ant facts. I know SO much about ants because of that one game manual.
ThePathfinder 2015-02-15 -1 point DOS version
Installation is a problem.When running install it ask me install from A: or B:,so I have to create a floppy image and copy files there.However when run install again it says it is not installation disk.
I use PocketDOS for Windows Mobile PDA.
Nightarix 2014-08-31 0 point DOS version
@cube scroll down to just above "similar games" and there should be a download button and an ad right above it (click the button not the ad) the button above the comments section seems to be so people can skip down to it directly(i guess it's incase the comment sections expanded?)
Tinted Cube Gaming 2014-08-30 -1 point DOS version
Whenever I click "download" it just reloads my current page and does nothing. What do I do?
Darkie4646 2014-07-25 2 points DOS version
When I try to play SimCity on my Am5x86 DOS PC, All text is garbled
I'm using MS-DOS 6.22 and have a S3 Trio64V2
Matrix 2014-07-05 0 point DOS version
get d-fend reloaded or dosbox and it will work with windows 8
Zed 2014-06-08 0 point DOS version
is there any way to get it to work on Windows 8? All mine says, when I hit the "install" application (or any other application for that matter) is that the application cannot run on my PC, and that I had to find another version from the "software publisher".
Help?
Alice 2014-04-19 3 points DOS version
One of the first games I remember playing. I was 4 years old, my father brought me to his work, sat me in front of the computer, turned on SimAnt and left for business meeting with the client. Half an out later a crying 4-year old runs into the board room wailing "My ant is dying!"
The entire office staff still reminds me of that incident 23 years later... :-)
Tachy 2014-04-02 0 point DOS version
I remember playing the SNES version of SimAnt obsessively as a young child (younger than 9 - I know I didn't have it after around 9 years of age). So when I found the original PC version some time later in a bundle of games I was thrilled. The original, I found, gave more control, but I sort of missed the 'Scenario' gameplay added to the SNES port.
Why I loved this game? It kept me busy. There was rarely just waiting for something to grow or finish, I always had some task to do! Get more food, dig more tunnels, tend to the eggs, fight off invading red Ants! But it didn't take any fancy timing or tricky button combinations, just quick thinking and planning. Controlling caste and behaviour was great too... and I admit, it was easier to control with point-and-click with a mouse, as opposed to with a SNES controller. Last, but not least, I loved reading about the different kinds of ants and ant anatomy included with the game! I honestly wish there was another SimAnt with more mechanics at play and more focus on the nursery aspect, as well as unique challenge scenarios (reach a colony of ### ants, defeat Red Ants before x time, defeat N amount of spiders) to keep the game fresh and force one to change their priorities. Stealing eggs of the opposite ants and assimilating them into your colony instead of eating them would be cool! There are some ants that will do that!
Over all, I have always enjoyed this game.
somebody 2014-02-15 0 point DOS version
After I play for 30 sec this game make an error and stops
f 2014-01-06 0 point DOS version
this game is a little bit complicated to play. i like to think it gets better though
Dave 2013-09-21 -1 point DOS version
I d/led D-Fend reloaded because i have windows vista. I unzip the files for the game and attempt to run them in dos box and it just keeps saying illegal command.
Minercarter 2013-09-09 1 point DOS version
theres no files in the folder when put into boxer! :(
Anon 2013-08-28 1 point DOS version
If you consider downloading a 10 year old game "piracy" you're an idiot, after 3 to 4 years game developers cease getting money from purchased games. You aren't helping them by buying it...
To: THe Police By:-Auni38 2013-08-23 0 point DOS version
In your logic, all the other games when old and download in these sites (abandonware), is piracy.
APE 2013-08-02 0 point DOS version
ok? i pressed download all i got was a folder what am i supposed to do now?
battaman 2013-07-08 0 point DOS version
Played the game for days straight when I was a kid. :-). :-). :-)
Anonymous 2013-06-07 -1 point DOS version
For anyone who wants to play the game, download it right here, and use DOSBox. I don't know how to configure it properly so I just make a new shortcut and then change the Target to run SIMANT.EXE. (http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/DOSBoxShortcuts#Windows)
ToBeAdvised 2013-05-20 0 point DOS version
Awesome, who thought a game about ants would be so fun? ;)
kaffy-waffy 2013-04-24 0 point DOS version
I remember playing this game all of the time! Now I can't find the actual disk for it, so I'm really glad that I can download it online :3 I had such a sad childhood :P
Gabby 2013-01-13 0 point DOS version
can you update it for macs? my pc`s broken so i use my mac now but if you can update it for macs that perfect
Oph 2012-12-31 0 point DOS version
You probably need DosBox to run this. Search for it. Not very hard to setup and there are tutorials. DosBox will run any of this old abondonware.
DMC14 2012-11-24 0 point DOS version
I had this when i was a kid too Wow. but none of this stuff is compatible with my laptop.
the en coment the hcer lua fotnav ç 2012-10-02 0 point DOS version
your wret s wail the de nomimahl
Sprite 2012-09-04 0 point DOS version
If you're running D-Fend and when you go to play it will not load, make sure than when you set it up it's trying to run simant.exe, not info.exe
Hope that helps some people
Anonymous 2012-08-15 0 point DOS version
I believe that If you're using a 32-bit version of Windows 7, it should work.(SimAnt is a 16-bit application)
Duly 2012-07-07 -1 point DOS version
Yes, you need Dosbox or simply have a computer running windows 98. I believe that's the windows I played it on so many years ago. Or maybe it was win 95, however, it should work with win98 just because win98 still uses a working MSDos platform. After Win98, though, you should need Dosbox or some other Dos emulator.
Nicole 2012-06-02 0 point DOS version
um do u need the dosbox for windows 7 because it dont work with me
vinicius alan dantas batista 2012-05-14 0 point DOS version
veioe difiçil baixar aki no meu pc :| '-' xD
vinicius alan dantas batista 2012-04-02 0 point DOS version
muito lol esse jogo e dificil ter o quintal todo conquistado :( mais e massa o jogo XD
ThriceElite 2012-01-06 0 point DOS version
I got it to work by dragging the SIMANT.EXE onto the D-Fend Reloaded window. However, I cannot get the sound to work. Any tips on fixing the sound?
It no work :( 2011-12-02 -1 point DOS version
Game still does not run in DOSBox. Quits after you run it.
ktkat22 2011-08-28 0 point DOS version
tried to open it with d-fend reloaded and dosbox. program couldn't find the executable? help pls?
The Help Guy 2011-03-11 0 point DOS version
Okay, if any one of you wants to get ANY games to work, just use DOSBOX, Here is a step-by-step tutorial on it.
Step 1- Download Dosbox, (www.Dosbox.com)
Step 2- When you UNZIP this game UNZIP it into your main Hard Disk Directory.(Ex. C:\SIMANT)
Step 3- In DOSBOX, type in "mount C C:\Simant"
Step 4- Then, type Simant
Step 5-????
Step 6-PROFIT??
Crash 2011-02-25 0 point DOS version
WOW THIS GAME IS TOO FUN I PLAYED IT FOR HALF A DAY!
Believe me guys.........I've reached the house and it was soooooo damn fun.Give it a change and download it
williewampwamp 2011-02-19 0 point DOS version
i downloaded the game when i tried to open it said couldnt open in full screen so i use alt enter and it says the ntvdm cpu has encounteres and illegal instruction...what does that mean and how do i fix?
victor0072 2010-12-30 0 point DOS version
@Demondon818
you have to un zip the compressed file to get the exe. and since its in zip format you dont have to instal it
admin 2010-10-26 1 point DOS version
I added the manner to install the game at the end of the description of the game above comments. Cya !
Demondon818 2010-02-27 0 point DOS version
i keep downloading the game and every time its a compressed file and no game. can anybody help?
admin 2010-01-10 0 point DOS version
You can switch to full screen or extend the window. Try to hit ALT+ENTER once the game is running.
acid 2010-01-07 0 point DOS version
this game is fun but a lot harder to control that I remember...it's hard to do anything using dosbox at least since the window is so small.
admin 2009-08-30 0 point DOS version
Replaced the archive, some files were corrupted and the game could not be launched.
jake 2009-05-14 0 point DOS version
is corrupted or something it said something about a protection error but maybe its just my computer
Wolfey180 2009-04-02 0 point DOS version
yaaaa ummmmmm ya the last copy i dwnld was corrupeted soooooo i hope this 1 is good.
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Download SimAnt
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DOS Version
706 KB
1 MBWindows 3.x Version
- Year: 1991
- Publisher: Dice Multi Media Europe B.V., Maxis Software Inc.
- Developer: Maxis Software Inc.
Amiga ROM
- Year: 1992
- Publisher: Maxis Software Inc., Mindscape International Ltd., Ocean Software Ltd.
- Developer: Maxis Software Inc.
FM Towns Version
- Year: 1993
- Publisher: Imagineer Co., Ltd.
- Developer: Maxis Software Inc.
1 MBSharp X68000 Version
- Year: 1993
- Publisher: Imagineer Co., Ltd.
- Developer: Maxis Software Inc.
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