17 Games Like Factorio
The games like Factorio contained here offer a similar strategy and resource management experience that challenges you to create a thriving settlement.
In Factorio players take on the role of space explorer as they land on an alien planet ahead of the Earth colonists who plan to settle there to develop a suitable base of operations. This has not gone to plan though and players will find themselves crash landed and quickly under attack from the planet creatures with survival minute to minute your focus.
Factorio blends the likes of strategy, survival and economic management and is unique in that players are encouraged to developed automated processes to assist their progression. With varying scenario objectives and multiplayer players will need to amass resources for various goals alone or with friends against the backdrop of relentless alien attacks that grow as you pollute the planet.
The games like Factorio below have a similar focus with titles that mix economic management, strategy and combat on foreign and familiar worlds. In these varied titles you'll also be tasked with designing automated systems to ease the management burden as you progress.
Dig-N-Rig
Dig-N-Rig is a 2D mining game based in the future that challenges players to find and manage resources through unique rig building mechanics which create hours of fun and challenge as players master the possibilities of the available game tools. Created in a similar manner to Tag: The Power of Paint and Narbacular Drop Dig-N-Rig has student game development origins which does show through in the basic 2D graphical style of the game but generally doesn’t detract from the unique mechanics at...[Read Review]
Oxygen Not Included
Oxygen Not Included challenges you with space colony simulation across varied procedurally generated worlds that each offer their own distinct fight for survival. From food, warmth and even oxygen as your resources under constant threat you’ll need to guide your colonists to survive and in time thrive to a civilisation that is self sufficient and safe from external threats. Released in 2019 for Windows, Mac and Linux this space adventure has some similar survival mechanics to Klei Entertai...[Read Review]
Prison Architect
Maximum security prisons aren’t a common theme for a video game but one that Prison Architect explores in detail with its takes on the management simulation genre as players control a private construction business. With a campaign of several levels that also serve as your tutorial players the majority of gameplay takes place in sandbox setting of prison management. Prison Architect takes place in a top-down 2D environment and clearly draws from a number of classics in the tycoon genre with...[Read Review]
Human Resource Machine
Human Resource Machine features programming like puzzles that challenge players to create the correct series of assembly language to beat the level. Using corporate officer workers as a metaphor for this assembly language players will find themselves facing constantly evolving concepts on PC and console platforms. With around 30 programming puzzles in total each takes place over a year within the corporate world of Human Resource Machine. For successful completion of a puzzle players will be rew...[Read Review]
Train Fever
Train Fever explores the business of running a train empire with a simulation adventure that challenges you to build a large scale transport empire across several towns with their own train needs. Using trains and buses you’ll get to craft the service lines and build around the terrain and social requirements within your financial constraints to deliver an appropriate level of services to turn a profit. Born from a crowdfunding campaign Train Fever was released in late 2014 and has since r...[Read Review]
Mini Metro
Mini Metro opts to go down the simplistic gameplay route with a unique offering in the transport simulation video game genre that still proves challenging despite the basic design choices. Focusing on the creation of an efficient subway system in a rapidly growing location it’s a challenging title that allows players to begin to understand why real world metro systems struggle so much with expansion of cities and population. Gameplay in Mini Metro is basic but still ensures plenty of disco...[Read Review]
Big Pharma
Ever thought you’d be great at running your own giant pharmaceutical company? Chances are you haven’t but Big Pharma lets you live out this life anyway with a unique setting that combines the likes of puzzles, business management and tycoon games with a sprinkling of ethics. Throwing half a dozen different scenarios at you with over 30 challenges within them Big Pharma is about taking your company from its current position to riches while curing the planet along the way. Scenarios ra...[Read Review]
Blueprint Tycoon
Can you run an efficient settlement by taking goods from raw material to complex items to sell for an eventual profit? That’s the test that Blueprint Tycoon will put players through with its slimmed down graphic style that has you creating pathways for your workers to follow from your various buildings with their own role in your profitable empire. Each Blueprint Tycoon game starts on its own island island which limits players space to the blueprint inspired aesthetic island area to begin ...[Read Review]
Craft The World
Craft The World is a sandbox game with strategy elements for PC, Mac and iOS whereby players will be creating their own dwarven colony from humble beginnings. Mixing elements from a range of titles in similar genres Craft The World’s overall experience is a gaming treat and offers replayability at the same time. Craft The World puts you in charge of your own dwarf society that grows from a single dwarf to a thriving community of adventurers (often 12-14 depending on your level completion t...[Read Review]
Banished
Banished joins the ranks of the city build genre with a 2014 release that takes it into a unique medieval setting where you’ll build from humble beginnings into a thriving economic powerhouse. Banished opts not to throw abundance of resources at players either and instead looks to force players into resource scarcity so that every decision is one of balance as you try to survive and with some luck, thrive. Banished starts you off with your own community of outcasts who have come together a...[Read Review]
OpenTTD
OpenTTD remakes the popular Transport Tycoon Deluxe title, with various improvements this open source recreation of the franchise is ideal for fans of the original or tycoon gamers in general. Introducing a host of additional map sizes, new languages, refreshed UI, custom AI and multiplayer OpenTTD has a list of features to entice any player of the original title. OpenTTD also has the benefit of being playable on more modern systems as the original release in 1994 does not have the same flexibil...[Read Review]
Simutrans
Simutrans is a unique open source and free to play game like OpenTTD. While similar the game does take the transport tycoon and management genre in some interesting directions thanks to its far reaching community of contributors. Your objective in Simutrans is simple but achieving it is anything but, ensuring a real challenge for players. This objective is to create and maintain an efficient system for transportation while staying financially viable. Similar to other titles this means transporti...[Read Review]
Planetbase
Planetbase challenges you to settle the stars with your own team of space settlers as they try to establish a colonist outpost on a remote planet. Originally released in 2015 for Windows the game later expanded to the console market which offers the same science fiction setting struggle for survival as you work with minimal resources far from your home base. Your ultimate goal in Planetbase to master the four game planets that provide different challenges and increasing difficulty and serve as t...[Read Review]
Sol 0
Your objective in Sol 0 is to colonise the surface of Mars by delivering regular rockets of resources and then pairing those with the materials found on Mars itself to create a thriving colony of astronauts. Available on Windows, Mac and Linux Sol 0 is primarily a strategic management title as you pioneer space travel for those that are to come after you. While the game is set in the future Sol 0 focuses on keeping the experience a realistic one, with technology available at the present day or w...[Read Review]
SpaceChem
Exploring the principles of chemical bonding inside a video game has probably never crossed your mind as an enjoyable experience but SpaceChem achieves just that. Your objective in this puzzle title is to use automation and chemical reactions to achieve the objectives for that level by designing an appropriate system. This blend of chemistry and programming combined with the open ended solutions to each level ensures all puzzle fans will enjoy what is on offer and also pick up some basics of che...[Read Review]
Infinifactory
Infinifactory throws players into an alien controlled facility as you create assembly lines in first person for blocks to go from point A to point B across 6 challenging worlds. With many different block types to master, a competitive leader board and dark sense of humour there is plenty to enjoy in Infinifactory as you break down the puzzles laid out before you and conquer them through logical constructions. The core Infinifactory offering is a highly structured experience with players selectin...[Read Review]
Dwarfs!?
Dwarfs!? is a game that comes in paid and a free to play variant where you command your own special team of Dwarfs in a game that seeks to cross Lemmings and Dwarf Fortress gameplay together. In the free to play version players will be able to freely access the Arcade mode (including tutorials and challenges) that serves as the foundation of your dwarven themed adventure. Subsequent to this players can either unlock the 5 additional game content pieces individually or opt purchase the full game ...[Read Review]