The VirtualStockMarket Stock Market Simulation has ended service in December 2025. This means teachers who previously used their free stock game need alternatives for their next classes.
Best Alternative Stock Games
If you previously used the VirtualStockMarket game in your classes, there are several alternatives available for your next class. These recommended alternatives use the same real-time trading engine, ability to create your own class session, class reading assignments, and live customer support during market hours.
PersonalFinanceLab
PersonalFinanceLab is the best stock market game for K-12 personal finance and economics classes. For teachers familiar with the VirtualStockMarket, PersonalFinanceLab will look very similar – as they are built on the same “backbone”.
In addition to US stocks, bonds and mutual funds, PersonalFinanceLab also includes international investments, options, and more – configurable by the teacher. It also includes a library of lesson plans, over 300 built-in, automatically-graded, standards-aligned lessons, and (best of all) an interactive Budgeting Game, taking personal finance classes to a whole new level. PersonalFinanceLab is also data-privacy friendly – with standing DPA agreements in place for most states for schools where student data is a primary concern.
Price
PersonalFinanceLab has a license cost per student, starting at $10 for just the stock game or $15 for both the stock game and budget game (both versions include the lesson library). Teachers who previously used the VirtualStockMarket can use coupon code “virtualstockmarket2025” for your first semester free (sign-up before March 1, 2026 and class ending before July 1, 2026).
StockTrak
StockTrak is the best stock market simulation for universities and higher education. It is used by over 70% of the top US business schools as part of their finance programs, and includes both the same investments that were available on the VirtualStockMarket, plus international investments, options, futures, forex, crypto, and more. It also includes built-in risk profiles for student portfolios, like Sharpe Ratio, Jensen’s Alpha, and Treynor ratios.
For university Personal Finance classes, StockTrak also includes the same learning library and budgeting game as PersonalFinanceLab, upgraded for a college audience.
Price
Professor registration on StockTrak is completely free – you can sign up and create a class at no charge. Once you have students register to your class, pricing depends on your simulation length and which options you wish to include (budgeting game, derivatives, ect). The cost can be paid by the university (school invoice), by students at the time of registration, or through VitalSource and Kortext (including Equitable Access, Inclusive Access, and First Day) via your school bookstore.
First-time professors using StockTrak coming from the VirtualStockMarket game can have their first semester’s classes license fee waived by mentioning “VirtualStockMarket Free Class” in the comments box when creating your class (offer good through February 28, 2026).
HowTheMarketWorks
HowTheMarketWorks is a free stock game for high schools that uses the same trading engine as the VirtualStockMarket, but without support for bonds and more limited teacher reports. However, teachers can still create and customize their own class stock market contests, see rankings and trades, and either invite students to register their own accounts or generate anonymized logins for their class.
HowTheMarketWorks is completely free (supported by advertising), and you can have your class up and running in less than 5 minutes.
WallStreetSurvivor
WallStreetSurivor is another free stock market game (supported by ads) with the same real-time trading engine used on the VirtualStockMarket. The biggest difference is that WallStreetSurvivor is tailored for individual learning, with integrated courses and investing tips built right in.
Users can build a portfolio of US stocks and options, plus crypto, to learn how to trade on their own. Once they master the basics, users can invite their friends to custom stock contests.
WallStreetSurvivor also includes live customer support, regular investing contests with prizes, badges, and newsletter recommendations.
Other Stock Games
There are also alternative stock market games available on the market – however, they do not share the same real-time trading engine (frequently enabling students to “cheat”), or the live support for teachers managing their classes. Most schools prefer one of these three options for their ease-of-use, ability to work with school data privacy restrictions, and additional support through lesson plans, built-in assignments, and real-time trading system.