Lushfoil Photography Sim

Lushfoil Photography Sim succeeds in its approachability and how it garners intrigue. It gracefully connects the world of photography and creative curiosity, naturally on display in gaming.

84%Game Brain Score

graphics, music

grinding, stability

92% User Score Based on 577 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

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About

Lushfoil Photography Sim is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Matt Newell and was released on April 15, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Experience detailed, true-to-life recreations of beautiful and diverse locations around the world. Trek through and explore environments to capture stunning vistas and landscapes with your fully-featured in-game camera. Each environment is filled with objectives to reward players that have a good eye for angles and perspectives, and hidden secrets for those who are patient and observant. The rich…

+13

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 577 reviews

graphics64 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Stunning and photorealistic visuals with breathtaking, diverse real-world inspired environments.
Highly relaxing and immersive experience that effectively simulates DSLR photography with detailed manual controls.
Well-optimized for various systems with a calming soundtrack and ambient audio enhancing the peaceful atmosphere.

Progression system requiring players to complete photo objectives and collect items to unlock new locations feels restrictive and tedious to some.
Some camera mechanics are flawed or limited, including inconsistent aperture behavior, lack of realistic depth of field and lens effects, and occasionally clunky controls.
Performance challenges on lower-end hardware, occasional bugs, incomplete features (e.g., lack of HDR, photo editing tools, smooth turning in VR), and invisible boundaries limit exploration.

graphics
125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
44%
5%
The game boasts stunning, photorealistic visuals with breathtaking landscapes and a relaxing atmosphere, making it a standout title for graphics enthusiasts and photography fans. However, the VR version suffers from downgraded graphics, and performance can be challenging on lower-end systems, with limited graphical settings and optimization issues noted. Overall, the visuals are a major draw, though some technical quirks and lack of customization may affect the experience for high-end users.
- “This game seems to have been made just for me: globe-trotting, beautiful landscapes, high-end graphics, and tranquil gameplay that lets you practice composition and lighting.”
- “Some of the most, if not the most photorealistic and beautiful graphics and environment design I've seen in a video game.”
- “This is the best photography simulator, the graphics are just amazing and well optimized and I don’t think I have ever seen a virtual camera come so close to an actual real DSLR before; the game is just perfection in its field.”
- “My only complaint is that the VR version is scaled back a ton graphically. I get why—the full-end graphics are tough for a PC to render in VR, but mine could!”
- “Plus for similar games, I've seen better graphics. In 2025, to have on a 2K screen graphics of 2005 is not cool for the user.”
- “Unfortunately, I found the VR graphical quality too low for my tastes in terms of photos.”
music
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
63%
6%
The music in this game is widely praised for its calming, tranquil, and atmospheric qualities that perfectly complement the beautiful, immersive environments. Players find the soundtrack unobtrusive yet characterful, enhancing relaxation and aiding immersion without overpowering the experience. Overall, the soothing music, paired with detailed ambient sounds, creates a peaceful and meditative atmosphere ideal for exploration and photography.
- “You'll grow instantly attached to the soundtrack and environments, and the little puzzles are extremely engaging.”
- “The music is perfectly pitched: unobtrusive, but characterful.”
- “In addition to the immersive locations, the music choice is excellent, and sets a relaxing but engaging vibe that never feels monotonous.”
- “Honestly, most of them just sound okay, music is not the focus after all.”
- “I highly recommend turning off the music, as the detailed environmental sounds are otherwise somewhat lost, though this does create a more ominous atmosphere.”
- “Something about the restrictive boundaries, high amounts of fog, total absence of people (understandably), and the almost entire lack of fauna makes locations still feel a little hollow despite all the energy that the foliage sway, realistic lighting, piano music, and ambient noise provide.”
gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
7%
The gameplay offers a relaxing, meditative photography simulation with deep and authentic camera mechanics, set in beautifully detailed, tranquil environments that reward patience and observation. While the pacing is slow and some mechanics—like crouching and progression—feel awkward or repetitive, the inclusion of scavenger hunts, collectibles, and unlockable gear adds variety and motivation to explore. Overall, it’s highly enjoyable for players seeking a peaceful, artistic experience though it may lack complexity or fast-paced engagement for others.
- “This game seems to have been made just for me: globe-trotting, beautiful landscapes, high-end graphics, and tranquil gameplay that lets you practice composition and lighting.”
- “This focus on artistry and observation creates a soothing, meditative gameplay loop where patience and attention to detail are rewarded.”
- “Its strengths lie in its atmospheric design, detailed environments, and realistic camera mechanics, making it a rewarding title for players who appreciate artistic expression and serene exploration.”
- “It has some janky mechanics that can be frustrating.”
- “I can't honestly recommend this game to friends without warning them that the only way to get into the gameplay loop is to just keep walking around until you find something to do, then in the next area(s) you'll understand what it's about.”
- “The crouch mechanics are a bit weird—you have to press E and move the mouse to simulate crouching, but doing this doesn’t allow you to pan, tilt, or jib while crouching.”
atmosphere
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
28%
10%
The game delivers a stunning, photorealistic atmosphere with breathtaking, diverse landscapes and calming ambient sounds that create a deeply immersive and relaxing experience. Its serene pacing, detailed environments, and soothing soundtrack make it ideal for players seeking peaceful exploration and artistic expression. While gameplay variety is limited, the rich atmosphere and visual artistry stand out as the game's core strengths.
- “As an experience, it features photorealistic visuals, breathtaking landscapes, and a mesmerizing atmosphere.”
- “The game's sound design complements this perfectly, with ambient nature sounds like bird calls, rustling leaves, and gentle water flows that heighten the serene atmosphere without distraction.”
- “The attention to detail, lighting, and atmospheric depth is nothing short of visual poetry.”
- “I highly recommend turning off the music, as the detailed environmental sounds are otherwise somewhat lost, though this does create a more ominous atmosphere.”
- “And thank goodness for "godmode" where after taking x number of photos from the quests you can alter the environment atmosphere to your liking.”
- “The atmosphere of the maps are all very calming, which makes it even more enjoyable to just... walk around to the point where I didn't even know this game had a sprint button until 1 hour in.”
optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
41%
13%
The game offers impressive visuals and runs well on a range of hardware, including lower-end GPUs, showcasing solid optimization for an indie title. While generally praised for smooth performance and detailed graphics, some users note occasional frame drops in dense areas and express a desire for further performance refinements, especially with advanced features like dynamic shadows or 4K settings. Continuous updates indicate ongoing improvements, but optimization could still be enhanced on older or mid-range systems.
- “Even with a lower-end GPU, you can still get good, crisp, and detailed photos. I am really surprised how well optimized this game is.”
- “This is the best photography simulator in the market, it's absolutely beautiful, very well optimized, and I don't think I have ever seen a virtual camera come so close to an actual real DSLR before. The game is just perfection in its field.”
- “The developers have shown a commitment to refining the game through updates, steadily improving optimization and adding subtle enhancements based on community feedback.”
- “Unreal Engine 5 was a poor choice because it decreased performance significantly without improving visuals.”
- “An indie production like this couldn't handle performance issues and shipped the game poorly polished and optimized.”
- “Trying to run 4K on my RTX 3060 GPU causes frame rate to dip to around 30fps, though on lower settings it can do 60-65fps easily.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The game lacks a traditional story, focusing instead on a relaxing, exploratory photography experience with quests that unlock new areas. While its peaceful atmosphere and soundtrack are praised, some players feel the quest-based progression disrupts the chill vibe and wish for more narrative depth and world-building to enhance engagement.
- “It felt like there's room to build a story, world, and society outside of what the player sees on their long, slow trek through beautiful but ultimately deserted landscapes, especially in the interests of having a more engaging hook to get potentially interested players introduced to the gameplay loop, as well as informed about and invested in the objectives.”
- “The soundtrack is perfect and the actual in-game quests are educational and exploratory.”
- “Of course there is not exactly much to do in the world and no specific storyline exists, but the way it almost swallows you within its harmonic peaceful atmosphere is so magical and genuinely magnificent.”
- “It felt like there's room to build a story, world and society outside of what the player sees on their long, slow trek through beautiful but ultimately deserted landscapes, especially in the interests of having a more engaging hook to get potentially interested players introduced to the gameplay loop, as well as informed about and invested in the objectives.”
- “To be honest, the way to unlock the maps is quite disappointing. I come to chill and relax but you make photography a mission; it feels like I'm not a tourist, instead I'm a journalist doing a job.”
- “But when I opened it, I found out you have to complete quests to unlock the next map.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a deeply emotional experience through its serene, beautifully crafted landscapes, evoking a strong sense of peace and connection with nature. Players appreciate its calming atmosphere and heartfelt tribute to the natural world.
- “The diaphanous air, so light as it entered my lungs, made me feel far removed from the earth.”
- “If you want an emotional journey through carefully crafted landscapes, you won't regret buying this game.”
- “An absolutely gorgeous labor of love, and a touching homage to nature in all its glory.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Grinding in the game is considered tedious and repetitive, with players needing multiple attempts to find hidden areas for credits and achievements. The shift from a relaxed photography experience to a demanding scavenger hunt detracts from the enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's quite tedious finding hidden areas in each location only to get the credits and achievements.”
- “It feels like they took a chill photography game and turned it into a tedious scavenger hunt for no reason.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences frequent crashes and buggy camera controls, including occasional wildlife clipping and animation glitches. While some minor issues exist, they do not heavily impact the overall experience, though stability remains a concern for some players.
- “Keep in mind, however, that some camera controls are buggy as hell.”
- “Too buggy, it crashes more often than you would like it to happen.”
- “Occasional bugs, such as wildlife clipping or minor animation glitches, have been reported, though these do not substantially detract from the overall experience.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability, enhanced by its impressive graphics and a variety of unlockable extra features that add lasting content and appeal.
- “Graphics are amazing and there's a decent amount of content and replayability.”
- “The unlockable extra features elevate the replay value of this game.”

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75%Critics’ scoreBased on 11 critic reviews

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5h Median play time

4h Average play time

3-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Lushfoil Photography Sim is a casual simulation game.

Lushfoil Photography Sim is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, Virtual Reality and others.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Lushfoil Photography Sim.

Lushfoil Photography Sim was released on April 15, 2025.

Lushfoil Photography Sim was developed by Matt Newell.

Lushfoil Photography Sim has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked Lushfoil Photography Sim for its graphics but disliked it for its grinding.

Lushfoil Photography Sim is a single player game.

Similar games include Mýrdalssandur, Iceland, Explore Fushimi Inari, Kayak VR: Mirage, Castle Rock Beach, West Australia, Toem and others.

Lushfoil Photography Sim

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