Even decades following their introduction to the operational community, night vision devices (NVDs) employing optoelectronic image intensification (I \(^2\) ) continue to be the dominant form of augmented vision during low light conditions in the United States Air Force (USAF). Despite this, there is relatively little research dedicated to examining the specific effects of night vision goggle (NVG) configurations on human visual and cognitive performance—an issue that is compounded by difficulties related to experimental control in naturalistic scenarios and regulations that limit the access of USAF NVGs outside of specific environments. To help resolve these difficulties, we have created NOCTURNAL, a virtual reality simulation using Unreal Engine 5 that simulates vision in naturalistic environments when using P43 (green) and P45 (white) phosphor ANVIS-9 night vision goggle types. NOCTURNAL not only provides a controlled experimental environment with performance logging (e.g., mission completion time and shooting accuracy), but it also simulates visual artifacts and lighting effects that are normally encountered when using ANVIS-9 NVGs. Specifically, it incorporates physics-based simulations of visual static (i.e., scintillation), blooming effects (or “halos”), luminance-related changes in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), muzzle flashes, and other related effects. The simulation also provides capabilities for logging performance through a base scenario—nighttime building ingress and egress in an urban, desert environment. Overall, NOCTURNAL provides a low-cost virtual reality platform capable of realistic simulations of NVGs and performance assessment.