Short answer
A free NQ futures simulator replays historical 1-minute Nasdaq-100 futures data so you can practise NQ and MNQ trading without risking real capital. The best free simulators include realistic contract specs, automatic ICT overlays, and enough historical sessions to build a statistically meaningful practice sample.
Why NQ is the ideal contract to simulate
Nasdaq futures move cleanly around session opens, react to macro headlines, and respect ICT concepts. That makes NQ the best single market for a beginner to master before adding others.
NQ vs MNQ in the simulator
| NQ | MNQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Point value | $20 per point | $2 per point |
| Tick size | 0.25 point | 0.25 point |
| Tick value | $5.00 | $0.50 |
| Best for | Larger accounts | Beginners / small sizing |
What the free NQ simulator includes
- — Six months of 1-minute NQ/MNQ historical sessions.
- — Bar-by-bar replay with play, pause, step, rewind, and speed control.
- — Market, limit, stop, and multi-TP simulated orders.
- — Automatic killzones, fair value gaps, PDH/PDL, and order blocks.
- — A journal that records every simulated trade with R multiples.
- — A $50K prop-firm challenge mode with realistic drawdown rules.
How to use the free simulator
- — Pick one setup to practise — start with the Silver Bullet.
- — Load a random NY AM session and mark PDH/PDL before playing.
- — Step bar-by-bar. Only take the setup when every condition is met.
- — Set a stop and target before you reveal the next candle.
- — Log the trade and review at the end of the session.
When to upgrade from free
The free plan is enough to learn the platform and run a 50-trade sample. Upgrade to Pro ($5/month) when you need more than six months of history, more than 20 trades per day, or want to practise across multiple years of market conditions.