Large-scale civil engineering teaching experiment is limited by equipment, site, funds and other aspects for the high cost, long cycle and great danger, though civil engineering is a practical course. With the continuous progress of computer simulation technology, the virtual simulation method of civil engineering based on numerical simulation is playing an increasingly important role in the application of engineering practice and scientific research of this discipline. Virtual simulation experiment can make up for the shortcomings of classroom teaching and physical experiment, and it has become a development trend of civil engineering teaching. The national virtual simulation experiment teaching project is a collection of the most advanced virtual simulation teaching projects in China, which represents the development direction of virtual simulation teaching and has great guiding significance. Based on the public data of 2018 national virtual simulation experiment teaching project sharing platform, this paper classifies the schools, leaders and project types of civil engineering virtual simulation projects, analyses the characteristics of the virtual simulation projects in the publication, points out the development trend of civil engineering virtual simulation teaching projects, and provides reference for the construction of teaching projects in the future.