Here’s what this eerily accurate presidential election simulation told me about who will win the 2024 election

In every presidential election since 2004 The Political Machine game has offered insights that pollsters miss. Here’s what its players have discovered about this year’s election.

If ever there was a time that Americans needed a video game simulation of the presidential election cycle, it was probably—well, never. But since 2004, The Political Machine has done just that, with a new edition every presidential election year for political junkies or game fans who love to plot strategy on a national scale. This year’s edition has  sold more than 50,000 copies since the May launch of the 2024 edition, available for PC and Mac on Steam.

The results of the game have even had some pretty accurate results: AI simulations run by the game predicted key swing states in the 2004 and 2008 elections, and had Donald Trump winning the 2016 race, counter to polling predictions.