Wall Street Survivor is a tried and true stock market simulator. It has been “in the game” for quite a while and definitely qualifies as one of the best stock simulators. It offers a wealth of personal finance and investment knowledge you can absorb at your own speed. The Stock Market Game for financial education. From better attendance and increased engagement and participation in class to higher test scores and improved academic performance, there are many anecdotes about the educational impact of the SIFMA Foundation's Stock Market Game (SMG).
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Have you thought about buying stock in a certain company but just didn’t have the cash to make a trade? Or perhaps you heard news about a company and thought to yourself that the stock price was poised to rise? Or maybe you have always just wanted to know more about picking stocks? Thanks to virtual stock exchange technology, stock market simulators (aka stock market games) that let you pick securities, make trades and track the results — all without risking a penny—are as close as your keyboard or cell phone.
What is a Stock Market Game?
Online stock market games are simple, easy-to-use programs that imitate the real-life workings of the equities markets. Most stock market games give users $100,000 in pretend money to start. From there, players pick to purchase; most of the stocks are those that are available on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Nasdaq and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX).
Most online stock simulators try to match real-life circumstances and actual performance as much as possible. Many even charge broker fees and commissions. These charges can significantly affect an investor's bottom line, and including these in simulated trading helps users learn to factor these costs in when making purchasing decisions. Along the way, they’ll also learn the basics of finance and learn the basic terminology of investing, such as momentum trading, shorts and P/E ratios.
Some Caveats
These useful skills can be applied to an actual trading account. Of course, in the real world, there are numerous factors that affect trading and investment decisions, such as one's risk tolerance, investment horizon, investment objectives, taxation issues, need for diversification, and so on. It is impossible to take investor psychology into account because actual hard cash is not at risk.
Also, while the Investopedia Stock Simulator comes close to replicating the real-life experience of trading, it does not currently offer a real-time trading environment with live prices. However, for most users, the 15-minute lag in trade execution will not be an impairment to their learning experience.
Investopedia’s Stock Simulator: Play Your Way to Profits
The Investopedia Stock Simulator is well integrated with the site’s familiar educational content. Using real data from the markets, the trading occurs in context of a game, which can involve joining an existing game or the creation of a custom game that allows the user to configure the rules. Options, margin trading, adjustable commission rates and other choices provide a variety of ways to customize the games. From there, an easy-to-navigate menu lets users update their profiles, review holdings, trade and check their rankings, research investments and review their awards (which can be earned for completing various activities).
There are dozens of stock market games out in the market today so it can be hard to find the best one for what you need. Individual should practice buying and selling stocks before risking their own money. There are several stock games you can than a teacher using it as part of a personal finance class.
That’s why we did the legwork. We love stock games. We try out new ones every month to find the best one for each type of trader.
Also includes cryptos, options and futures if you want them.$649 per year. Worth every penny because of the extra curriculum and no ads.Real-time prices. Splits and dividends are reported.
| Rank | Game | Features | Cost | How Accurate? |
| 1 | PersonalFinanceLab.com | The Best Stock Game for High Schools! Teachers customize both a stock game for their class and built-in lessons. Real-time trading of U.S. stocks and real-time portfolio updates and class rankings. Over 300 built-in lessons aligned to Personal Finance, Business and Economics standards. Live Support for teachers and students. Also includes cryptos, options and futures if you want them. | Starting at $649 for up to 50 students | Real-time prices. Splits and dividends are reported. |
| 2 | US stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds are included. 40 built-in lessons. Live customer support for Teachers. Integrated tutorials for teachers and students. | Free. Supported by ads. | Real-time prices. Splits and dividends are reported. | |
| 3 | International stocks, ETFs, and currencies. 30 built-in lessons. Integrated tutorials for students. | Free. Supported by ads. | Real-time stock market game with real time prices for US stocks. Splits and dividends are reported. | |
| 4 | Investopedia | US stocks, all other features behind a paywall | Free, supported by ads, and constant pushes to buy premium features | Prices had 15 minute delay. Some (but not all) my dividends were accounted for |
| 5 | Marketwatch | US stocks and mutual funds. No customer support. | Free, heavy ads. | Prices had 15 minute delay. Dividends were not accounted for. |
Best Stock Simulations For Colleges and Universities (Updated December 2019)
| Rank | Game | Features | Cost | How Accurate? |
| 1 | StockTrak.com | International stocks, ETFs, options, futures, future options, forex, cryptocurrencies, built-in lessons, extensive reports, professor resource center, class project ideas, career center with internship postings. | $27 per student. Lower with textbook code. | Real-time prices. All splits and dividends were reported. |
| 2 | US stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies. Some built-in lessons for a fee. | Free. Supported by ads. | Real-time prices. Splits and dividends were reported. | |
| 3 | US stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds, about 40 built-in lessons, live customer support for teachers, integrated tutorials for teachers and students | Free, supported by ads | Real-time prices, all splits and dividends were paid | |
| 4 | Investopedia | US stocks. All other features behind a paywall. | Free. Supported by ads. Constant pushes to buy premium features. | Prices had 15 minute delay. Some (but not all) dividends were reported. |
| 5 | Marketwatch | US stocks and mutual funds. No customer support. | Free. Heavy adss | Prices had 15 minute delay. No dividends were reported. |
Best Stock Simulations For Individuals Who Want To Learn To Trade (Updated December 2019)
| Rank | Game | Features | Cost | How Accurate? |
| 1 | US stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies. Built-in courses. | Free. Supported by ads. Some lessons have a fee. | Real-time prices. Splits and dividends were reported. | |
| 2 |
| International stocks, ETFs, options, futures, future options, forex, cryptocurrencies. Built-in lessons. Exportable portfolio reports. Built-in investing course. | $16.95 per month | Real-time prices. Splits and dividends were reported. |
| 3 | US stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds. About 40 built-in lessons. Live customer support. Integrated tutorials. | Free. Supported by ads. | Real-time prices. Splits and dividends were reported. | |
| 4 | Investopedia | US stocks. All other features behind a paywall. | Free. Supported by ads. Constant pushes to buy premium features. | Prices had 15 minute delay. Some (but not all) my dividends were reported. |
| 5 | Marketwatch | US stocks and mutual funds. No customer support. | Free. Heavy ads. | Prices had 15 minute delay. No dividends were reported. |
What Makes the Best Stock Market Simulator?
There are some features that a great stock game absolutely must have to be worth using:
- A smooth, easy-to-understand interface.
- Plenty of “Getting Started” resources for newbies.
- Real-time prices allowed me to know that my contest rankings were legitimate.
- Excellent support team. Answered both my general and technical questions.
Stock Market Game
We tested dozens of free stock games every month. We are also looking to find games that rolled out new features and updates quicker.
Best Stock Market Game Reddit
P.S. if you are ready to trade real money, I suggest you read Wall Street Survivor’s Motley Fool Review and get some top stock picks.
Stock Market Games for Schools / Free Stock Market Game
The biggest users of stock games are schools. They are heavily used in personal finance and economics classes. Trying to decide what would be the best stock game for your classroom? You will probably need a few more criteria. When we make our reviews, we also look for:
Best Stock Market Game Online
- How easy is it to get a stock game up and running for a class?
- Can teacher see reports detailing student progress?
- How much educational content is available? Does the game cater to a younger audience?
- Does the game offer webinars, lesson plans, or other school-specific resources?
- Are they COPPA and ADA compliant?
Stock Market Games for Individuals
Are you are looking for a stock game for your own use? The main concern is usually how easy it is to get started. Another typical issue is if the game will keep you engaged. Many new traders open up their virtual portfolio, place one or two trades, and completely forget about the game. These simulators are just not engaging!
Best Stock Market Game Simulator
When we search for the best stock market simulator, we look for:
What Is The Best Virtual Stock Market Game
- Glossary of investing terms.
- Embedded investing news to keep us updated on our portfolio.
- Public contests where we have the chance to win cash or prizes.
- Educational content that we can use to build our investing acumen.