The best replacement for simulation is emulation.

The best alternatives to simulation are rated as following:
★★★★★  emulation
★★  representation
★  model
★  role play
★  optimization
★  arcade
★  role playing
★  modeling
★  synthesis
★  simulator
★  default nba 2k14
★  stimulation
★  default 2k11
★  default
  game
  default nba 2k11
  experiment
  sensitivity analysis
  modelling
  analytical methods
  conventional simulation
  scenario analysis
  analytical method
  virtual reality
  default 2k13
  experimentation
  ct simulation
  scientific visualisation
  scenario
  simulation
  ansys

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Speaking about simulation, one probably shouldn't forget about arena.

Other search terms related to simulation and their ratings are:
★★★★★ arena
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Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of simulation in all years. Click on graph for more.
simulation
emulation
representation