diff --git a/x/nft/simulation/operations_test.go b/x/nft/simulation/operations_test.go
index 61beb83eb8..e5feef0c89 100644
--- a/x/nft/simulation/operations_test.go
+++ b/x/nft/simulation/operations_test.go
@@ -5,104 +5,72 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/baseapp"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/suite"
+
+	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
+	tmproto "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/proto/tendermint/types"
+
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/testutil"
+	codectypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec/types"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/runtime"
 	simtestutil "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/testutil/sims"
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
-	moduletypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/module"
-	moduletestutil "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/module/testutil"
 	simtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/simulation"
-	authtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
+	authkeeper "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/keeper"
+	bankkeeper "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/bank/keeper"
+	banktestutil "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/bank/testutil"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/nft"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/nft/keeper"
 	nftkeeper "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/nft/keeper"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/nft/module"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/nft/simulation"
-	nfttestutil "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/nft/testutil"
-	"github.com/golang/mock/gomock"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/suite"
-	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
-	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/log"
-	tmtime "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/time"
-	tmproto "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/proto/tendermint/types"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/nft/testutil"
+	stakingkeeper "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/staking/keeper"
 )
 
 type SimTestSuite struct {
 	suite.Suite
 
-	ctx           sdk.Context
-	baseApp       *baseapp.BaseApp
-	accountKeeper *nfttestutil.MockAccountKeeper
-	bankKeeper    *nfttestutil.MockBankKeeper
-	nftKeeper     nftkeeper.Keeper
-	encCfg        moduletestutil.TestEncodingConfig
+	ctx sdk.Context
+
+	app               *runtime.App
+	codec             codec.Codec
+	interfaceRegistry codectypes.InterfaceRegistry
+	accountKeeper     authkeeper.AccountKeeper
+	bankKeeper        bankkeeper.Keeper
+	stakingKeeper     *stakingkeeper.Keeper
+	nftKeeper         nftkeeper.Keeper
 }
 
 func (suite *SimTestSuite) SetupTest() {
-	key := sdk.NewKVStoreKey(nft.StoreKey)
-	// suite setup
-	addrs := simtestutil.CreateIncrementalAccounts(3)
-	suite.encCfg = moduletestutil.MakeTestEncodingConfig(module.AppModuleBasic{})
-
-	// gomock initializations
-	ctrl := gomock.NewController(suite.T())
-	suite.accountKeeper = nfttestutil.NewMockAccountKeeper(ctrl)
-	suite.bankKeeper = nfttestutil.NewMockBankKeeper(ctrl)
-
-	suite.accountKeeper.EXPECT().GetModuleAddress(nft.ModuleName).Return(addrs[0]).AnyTimes()
-
-	testCtx := testutil.DefaultContextWithDB(suite.T(), key, sdk.NewTransientStoreKey("transient_test"))
-	suite.baseApp = baseapp.NewBaseApp(
-		"nft",
-		log.NewNopLogger(),
-		testCtx.DB,
-		suite.encCfg.TxConfig.TxDecoder(),
+	app, err := simtestutil.Setup(
+		testutil.AppConfig,
+		&suite.codec,
+		&suite.interfaceRegistry,
+		&suite.accountKeeper,
+		&suite.bankKeeper,
+		&suite.stakingKeeper,
+		&suite.nftKeeper,
 	)
+	suite.Require().NoError(err)
 
-	suite.baseApp.SetCMS(testCtx.CMS)
-
-	suite.baseApp.SetInterfaceRegistry(suite.encCfg.InterfaceRegistry)
-	suite.ctx = testCtx.Ctx.WithBlockHeader(tmproto.Header{Time: tmtime.Now()})
-
-	suite.nftKeeper = keeper.NewKeeper(key, suite.encCfg.Codec, suite.accountKeeper, suite.bankKeeper)
-	queryHelper := baseapp.NewQueryServerTestHelper(suite.ctx, suite.encCfg.InterfaceRegistry)
-	nft.RegisterQueryServer(queryHelper, suite.nftKeeper)
-
-	cfg := moduletypes.NewConfigurator(suite.encCfg.Codec, suite.baseApp.MsgServiceRouter(), suite.baseApp.GRPCQueryRouter())
-
-	appModule := module.NewAppModule(suite.encCfg.Codec, suite.nftKeeper, suite.accountKeeper, suite.bankKeeper, suite.encCfg.InterfaceRegistry)
-	appModule.RegisterServices(cfg)
-	appModule.RegisterInterfaces(suite.encCfg.InterfaceRegistry)
-
+	suite.app = app
+	suite.ctx = app.BaseApp.NewContext(false, tmproto.Header{})
 }
 
 func (suite *SimTestSuite) TestWeightedOperations() {
 	weightedOps := simulation.WeightedOperations(
-		suite.encCfg.InterfaceRegistry,
+		suite.interfaceRegistry,
 		make(simtypes.AppParams),
-		suite.encCfg.Codec,
+		suite.codec,
 		suite.accountKeeper,
 		suite.bankKeeper,
 		suite.nftKeeper,
 	)
 
-	// begin new block
-	suite.baseApp.BeginBlock(abci.RequestBeginBlock{
-		Header: tmproto.Header{
-			Height:  suite.baseApp.LastBlockHeight() + 1,
-			AppHash: suite.baseApp.LastCommitID().Hash,
-		},
-	})
-
 	// setup 3 accounts
 	s := rand.NewSource(1)
 	r := rand.New(s)
 	accs := suite.getTestingAccounts(r, 3)
 
-	suite.accountKeeper.EXPECT().GetAccount(suite.ctx, accs[2].Address).Return(authtypes.NewBaseAccount(accs[2].Address, accs[2].PubKey, 0, 0)).Times(1)
-	suite.bankKeeper.EXPECT().SpendableCoins(suite.ctx, accs[2].Address).Return(sdk.Coins{sdk.NewInt64Coin("stake", 10)}).Times(1)
-
 	expected := []struct {
 		weight     int
 		opMsgRoute string
@@ -112,7 +80,7 @@ func (suite *SimTestSuite) TestWeightedOperations() {
 	}
 
 	for i, w := range weightedOps {
-		operationMsg, _, err := w.Op()(r, suite.baseApp, suite.ctx, accs, "")
+		operationMsg, _, err := w.Op()(r, suite.app.BaseApp, suite.ctx, accs, "")
 		suite.Require().NoError(err)
 
 		// the following checks are very much dependent from the ordering of the output given
@@ -126,6 +94,17 @@ func (suite *SimTestSuite) TestWeightedOperations() {
 
 func (suite *SimTestSuite) getTestingAccounts(r *rand.Rand, n int) []simtypes.Account {
 	accounts := simtypes.RandomAccounts(r, n)
+
+	initAmt := suite.stakingKeeper.TokensFromConsensusPower(suite.ctx, 200000)
+	initCoins := sdk.NewCoins(sdk.NewCoin("stake", initAmt))
+
+	// add coins to the accounts
+	for _, account := range accounts {
+		acc := suite.accountKeeper.NewAccountWithAddress(suite.ctx, account.Address)
+		suite.accountKeeper.SetAccount(suite.ctx, acc)
+		suite.Require().NoError(banktestutil.FundAccount(suite.bankKeeper, suite.ctx, account.Address, initCoins))
+	}
+
 	return accounts
 }
 
@@ -136,26 +115,22 @@ func (suite *SimTestSuite) TestSimulateMsgSend() {
 	blockTime := time.Now().UTC()
 	ctx := suite.ctx.WithBlockTime(blockTime)
 
-	acc := authtypes.NewBaseAccount(accounts[0].Address, accounts[0].PubKey, 0, 0)
-	suite.accountKeeper.EXPECT().GetAccount(ctx, accounts[0].Address).Return(acc).Times(1)
-	suite.bankKeeper.EXPECT().SpendableCoins(ctx, accounts[0].Address).Return(sdk.Coins{sdk.NewInt64Coin("stake", 10)}).Times(1)
-
 	// begin new block
-	suite.baseApp.BeginBlock(abci.RequestBeginBlock{
+	suite.app.BeginBlock(abci.RequestBeginBlock{
 		Header: tmproto.Header{
-			Height:  suite.baseApp.LastBlockHeight() + 1,
-			AppHash: suite.baseApp.LastCommitID().Hash,
+			Height:  suite.app.LastBlockHeight() + 1,
+			AppHash: suite.app.LastCommitID().Hash,
 		},
 	})
 
 	// execute operation
-	registry := suite.encCfg.InterfaceRegistry
+	registry := suite.interfaceRegistry
 	op := simulation.SimulateMsgSend(codec.NewProtoCodec(registry), suite.accountKeeper, suite.bankKeeper, suite.nftKeeper)
-	operationMsg, futureOperations, err := op(r, suite.baseApp, ctx, accounts, "")
+	operationMsg, futureOperations, err := op(r, suite.app.BaseApp, ctx, accounts, "")
 	suite.Require().NoError(err)
 
 	var msg nft.MsgSend
-	suite.encCfg.Codec.UnmarshalJSON(operationMsg.Msg, &msg)
+	suite.codec.UnmarshalJSON(operationMsg.Msg, &msg)
 	suite.Require().True(operationMsg.OK)
 	suite.Require().Len(futureOperations, 0)
 }
diff --git a/x/nft/testutil/app_config.go b/x/nft/testutil/app_config.go
index 49354c549d..e00bd48981 100644
--- a/x/nft/testutil/app_config.go
+++ b/x/nft/testutil/app_config.go
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@ package testutil
 
 import (
 	"cosmossdk.io/core/appconfig"
+	_ "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth"
+	_ "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/tx/module"
+	_ "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/bank"
+	_ "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/genutil"
+	_ "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/mint"
+	_ "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/params"
+	_ "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/staking"
+
 	authtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
 	banktypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/bank/types"
 	genutiltypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/genutil/types"