diff --git a/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js b/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js
index 2a23b483a..565b81be1 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js
@@ -75,15 +75,14 @@ class EmbarkController {
     });
   }
 
-  simulator(_options) {
-    // this.context = options.context || [constants.contexts.simulator, constants.contexts.blockchain];
-    // let simulator = new Simulator({
-    //   blockchainConfig: this.config.blockchainConfig,
-    //   contractsConfig: this.config.contractsConfig,
-    //   logger: this.logger,
-    //   fs
-    // });
-    // simulator.run(options);
+  simulator(options) {
+    this.context = options.context || [constants.contexts.simulator, constants.contexts.blockchain];
+    const Simulator = require('./simulator');
+    let simulator = new Simulator({
+      blockchainConfig: this.config.blockchainConfig,
+      logger: this.logger
+    });
+    simulator.run(options);
   }
 
   generateTemplate(templateName, destinationFolder, name, url) {
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/cmd/simulator.js b/packages/embark/src/cmd/simulator.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0d4a2f35e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/embark/src/cmd/simulator.js
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+const path = require('path');
+const pkgUp = require('pkg-up');
+let shelljs = require('shelljs');
+import {AccountParser, dappPath, defaultHost, dockerHostSwap, embarkPath} from 'embark-utils';
+
+class Simulator {
+  constructor(options) {
+    this.blockchainConfig = options.blockchainConfig;
+    this.logger = options.logger;
+  }
+
+  /*eslint complexity: ["error", 26]*/
+  run(options) {
+    const cmds = [];
+
+    const host = (dockerHostSwap(options.host || this.blockchainConfig.rpcHost) || defaultHost);
+    const configPort = this.blockchainConfig.wsRPC ? this.blockchainConfig.rpcPort : this.blockchainConfig.wsPort;
+    let port = parseInt((options.port || configPort || 8545), 10);
+
+    cmds.push("-p " + port);
+    cmds.push("-h " + host);
+    cmds.push("-l " + (options.gasLimit || this.blockchainConfig.targetGasLimit || 8000000));
+
+    // adding mnemonic only if it is defined in the blockchainConfig or options
+    let mnemonicAccount = this.blockchainConfig.accounts ? this.blockchainConfig.accounts.find(acc => acc.mnemonic) : {};
+    mnemonicAccount = mnemonicAccount || {};
+    const simulatorMnemonic = mnemonicAccount.mnemonic || options.simulatorMnemonic;
+
+    if (simulatorMnemonic) {
+      cmds.push("--mnemonic \"" + (simulatorMnemonic) + "\"");
+    }
+    cmds.push("-a " + (options.numAccounts || mnemonicAccount.numAddresses || 10));
+    cmds.push("-e " + (options.defaultBalance || mnemonicAccount.balance || 100));
+
+    // as ganache-cli documentation explains, the simulatorAccounts configuration overrides a mnemonic
+    let simulatorAccounts = this.blockchainConfig.simulatorAccounts || options.simulatorAccounts;
+    if (simulatorAccounts && simulatorAccounts.length > 0) {
+      let web3 = new (require('web3'))();
+      let parsedAccounts;
+      try {
+        parsedAccounts = AccountParser.parseAccountsConfig(simulatorAccounts, web3, dappPath(), this.logger);
+      } catch (e) {
+        this.logger.error(e.message);
+        process.exit(1);
+      }
+      parsedAccounts.forEach((account) => {
+        let cmd = '--account="' + account.privateKey + ',' + account.hexBalance + '"';
+        cmds.push(cmd);
+      });
+    }
+
+    // adding blocktime only if it is defined in the blockchainConfig or options
+    let simulatorBlocktime = this.blockchainConfig.simulatorBlocktime || options.simulatorBlocktime;
+    if (simulatorBlocktime) {
+      cmds.push("-b \"" + (simulatorBlocktime) + "\"");
+    }
+
+    // Setting up network id for simulator from blockchainConfig or options.
+    // Otherwise ganache-cli would make random network id.
+    let networkId = this.blockchainConfig.networkId || options.networkId;
+    if (networkId) { // Don't handle networkId=="0" because it is not a valid networkId for ganache-cli.
+      cmds.push("--networkId " + networkId);
+    }
+
+    this.runCommand(cmds, host, port);
+  }
+
+  runCommand(cmds) {
+    const ganache_main = require.resolve('ganache-cli', {paths: [embarkPath('node_modules')]});
+    const ganache_json = pkgUp.sync(path.dirname(ganache_main));
+    const ganache_root = path.dirname(ganache_json);
+    const ganache_bin = require(ganache_json).bin;
+    let ganache;
+    if (typeof ganache_bin === 'string') {
+      ganache = path.join(ganache_root, ganache_bin);
+    } else {
+      ganache = path.join(ganache_root, ganache_bin['ganache-cli']);
+    }
+
+    const programName = 'ganache-cli';
+    const program = ganache;
+    this.logger.info(`running: ${programName} ${cmds.join(' ')}`);
+
+    shelljs.exec(`node ${program} ${cmds.join(' ')}`, {async: true});
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = Simulator;