12 Engaging Games Like RimWorld (Survival & Building)
If you’re a fan of games like RimWorld, you know the thrill of managing a colony, battling environmental threats, and watching unique stories unfold from the decisions you make. These games challenge your survival instincts, test your ability to build and manage a thriving settlement, and offer hours of gameplay where every choice counts.
From resource management to trading, or navigating the challenges of weather and climate, there’s a game on this list for every type of player. Let’s dive into the best alternatives that provide more depth and unique experiences.
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Our Top Picks for Games Like RimWorld
If you’re craving a game that brings the same depth and immersive colony management as RimWorld, here are our top picks that stand out for their unique settings, mechanics, and storytelling.
- Kenshi (2018) – A sandbox post-apocalyptic open-world game where you compose your own narrative. Choose your own life as a fighter, merc, or trader in a huge world with factions and biomes. Like in RimWorld, plan and administer your own base camp, construct a fortification, and lead a group of colonists through emergent chaos.
- Going Medieval (2021) – A medieval colony-construction game with resource collection, settling into colonies, and defending fortresses. Balance farming, commerce, and diplomacy in restoring civilization from the brink of collapse.
- Clanfolk (2022) – A medieval survival game where you play out managing a family through hard winters and shifting generations. Balance resource production and agriculture similarly to RimWorld as you guide your colony through the ups and downs of life.
- Factorio (2020) – A game where you’re automating a factory and you’re required to build and maximize production chains. Just like RimWorld, it’s all about resource management, trade, and getting past environmental hazards with heavy micromanaging and optimizing.
- Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation (2016) – A survival simulation game in the post-apocalyptic world in which you head up a colony and repel demonic invasions. Prioritize resource management, agriculture, and diplomacy, and experience RimWorld-style emergent storytelling with the added kick of supernatural combat.
These similar games all involve worldbuilding, colonization management, and seeing how your colony will react to the challenges of its environment. All of these games are excellent recommendations if the amount of simulation and survival in RimWorld is something you’re interested in. Keep reading to find out more about these top 5 picks and more titles.
12 Games Like RimWorld to Explore, Build, and Survive
If you’re a fan of RimWorld, these 12 games will offer similar experiences in colony-building, resource management, and survival. From post-apocalyptic survival to medieval construction and space exploration, each game provides a strategic challenge for players seeking a new adventure.
1. Kenshi [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Post-Apocalyptic Freedom and Emergent Chaos]
| Our Score | 10
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2018 |
| Developer | Lo-Fi Games |
| Publisher | Lo-Fi Games |
| Average Playtime | 100+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | 75 / 8.4 |
Kenshi is a sandbox open-world RPG where you do whatever you please in your gameplay. With a post-apocalyptic landscape, the game starts with nothing but a group of outcasts and aims at building a prosperous new settlement or range through the wasteland. Check out this list for more sandbox games.
The game is more about squad tactics, surviving, and bases. The individual attributes of the characters, such as strength and abilities, will determine how they will respond to the environment and the other factions.
The gameplay is very deep as it includes emergent storytelling, through which all the decisions, from purchasing from merchants to defending the base from hostile groups, influence how the play proceeds. Like in RimWorld, Kenshi has great sandbox gameplay with resource gathering, personalized character development, and building colonies.
Don’t try to win every fight. In the early game, running away and picking easy battles is the best way to grow stronger. Play smart, and survival becomes much easier.
The open world is vast and filled with dangers, where players build the actual fortress by themselves, make critical decisions regarding the colony, and face hazards coming from out of nowhere. For single-player games, Kenshi lets you forge your own path, as you’re surviving the wasteland or building a new settlement.
When talking about visuals, the game captures a dark, post-apocalyptic setting with a mix of grizzled low-poly art, which creates a unique mood in which survival feels hard-earned. Fans of RimWorld’s emergent chaos and sandbox gameplay will find that Kenshi offers a good challenge in which freedom and survival are hand in hand.
2. Going Medieval [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Building Castles and Surviving The Dark Ages]
| Our Score | 10
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2021 |
| Developer | Foxy Voxel |
| Publisher | Mythwright |
| Average Playtime | 50+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | TBD / TBD |
Going Medieval is a 3D medieval colony sim in which you’re tasked with building and sustaining a settlement in a violent, post-collapse world. Set in the Dark Ages, you’ll focus on the building of multi-story castles, completing tasks, managing your resources, and working for the survival of your villagers through harsh seasons and regular raids.
Just like RimWorld, the game focuses on resource management and the survival of a colony. The emphasis is on managing the needs, skills, and moods of each individual villager. For more medieval-themed titles, take a look at our best medieval games guide.
The game offers vertical construction where players can design and construct complex fortresses and castles. The colony will have to be expanded and defended, with great attention to farming, crafting, and morale.
Build food storage underground to keep supplies safe and fresh. A steady food supply is the key to surviving harsh winters and enemy raids.
As seasons change, you’ll constantly have to readjust the colony in anticipation of the coming winter months and raids from hostile groups. Individual needs such as sleep, food, and recreation contribute to the depth and complexity of the gameplay, which makes it a wonderful option for players who enjoyed the micromanagement in RimWorld.
Visually, the game features stylized 3D graphics, with a charming yet gritty look that fits its medieval setting. The combination of base-building, resource management, and the survival aspects of the game will keep you engaged for hours.
3. Clanfolk [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Managing Generational Life and Harsh Winters]
| Our Score | 10
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2022 |
| Developer | MinMax Games Ltd. |
| Publisher | MinMax Games Limited, Hooded Horse |
| Average Playtime | 50+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | TBD / TBD |
Clanfolk is a Scottish Highland family survival simulation that throws you headfirst into managing a family’s dynasty through the brutal challenges of harsh winters and changing seasons.
In this game, you’ll guide a family from generation to generation, balancing resource management, survival, and the dynamics of individual relationships within the family. Much like RimWorld, Clanfolk focuses on generational colony management, where individual needs, skills, and family ties must be carefully nurtured in order to survive.
The game’s core mechanics revolve around resource production, crafting, and surviving the tough climate of the highlands. You’ll manage tasks like hunting, farming, and trading, all while building a legacy for your family.
Stockpile clothes and food before winter hits. A well-prepared clan can survive the cold months while others freeze and starve.
Managing the construction of your fortress and keeping it secure from external threats is essential. The changing seasons require you to prepare for winter, stockpile resources, and keep everyone safe.
The visual style of Clanfolk features a charming, stylized 2D aesthetic that brings the rugged beauty of the Scottish highlands to life, with a focus on simplicity and functionality. To fully enjoy the immersive experience of Clanfolk, investing in the best gaming monitor will enhance your visuals and gameplay.
Fans of RimWorld will appreciate the deep micromanagement, emergent stories, and survival challenges in Clanfolk, which makes it an ideal next step for anyone who enjoys managing a colony through tough times.
4. Factorio [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Obsessive Builders and Efficient Minds]
| Our Score | 9
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| Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch |
| Year of Release | 2020 |
| Developer | Wube Software |
| Publisher | Wube Software |
| Average Playtime | 100+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | 90 / 8.9 |
Factorio is a factory automation and logistics simulation game where you design and optimize production lines to build massive factories. It requires you to manage resources, plan efficient systems, and balance complex needs, like in Rimworld, except here, you’re focused on automating production processes instead of managing a colony.
City planning is key as you optimize factory production and resource flow. The game challenges you to create automated factories, which also ensures that your systems run smoothly under constant pressure while dealing with occasional threats that may disrupt your progress.
Factorio also shines in multiplayer mode, where you can team up with friends to build factories together or divide tasks for maximum efficiency. Coordinating conveyor belts and defenses with others adds a whole new dimension of strategy and teamwork.
The gameplay involves building and expanding your factory, connecting intricate conveyor belts, and optimizing resource flow to increase production efficiency. As you advance, you’ll face increasing demands for materials, which require strategic planning and constant tweaks to your design. The threat of enemies attacking your factory adds another layer of strategy, as you must also defend your base.
Keep plenty of space between machines and belts when planning your factory. A clean, organized layout makes upgrades and expansions much easier later on.
Visually, Factorio has a top-down perspective with pixel-art graphics that emphasize function over form, focusing on the intricacies of the automation systems and factory layout.
Fans of RimWorld will enjoy Factorio’s deep resource management and the challenge of designing an efficient, self-sustaining system, all while managing the stress of constant expansion. If you’re curious about exploring the strategy genre further, check out this list of the best strategy games.
5. Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Battling Demons and Building Hope]
| Our Score | 8.5
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2016 |
| Developer | Suncrash |
| Publisher | Suncrash |
| Average Playtime | 40+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | 72 / 7.6 |
Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation is an apocalyptic survival game where players guide a small group of survivors through the aftermath of a demonic invasion. Basically, you’ll decide how to build your colony and protect it from demonic threats. In this survival experience, you’ll lead survivors in a post-apocalyptic world while defending against supernatural threats.
This game features base-building, resource management, and the survival of your colony, similar to RimWorld. However, this game adds an exciting twist with occult elements, where you not only defend your base from supernatural forces but also craft weapons and magic to fight back.
In the game, you’ll gather resources, craft tools, and build defenses while managing the traits and needs of each survivor. The survival aspect is driven by the psychological states of your characters, as they deal with the horrors of the apocalypse.
Train a balanced team with both fighters and crafters. Strong defenses and powerful weapons are the only way to survive the demon waves.
The game also challenges you with dynamic combat, where tactical decisions in defense and combat are crucial for survival. If you’re considering playing Judgement on the go, make sure to check out the best gaming laptop for seamless gameplay.
Visually, Judgment has a top-down, isometric perspective with cartoonish graphics, which gives the game a lighter, but still eerie, atmosphere compared to other apocalyptic sims. It blends the challenges of base-building with the thrill of supernatural battles.
6. Banished [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Pure Village-Building and Peaceful Hardship]
| Our Score | 8
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2014 |
| Developer | Shining Rock Software |
| Publisher | Shining Rock Software |
| Average Playtime | 30+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | 73 / 8.1 |
Banished is a village-building survival game where you manage a small group of exiles trying to establish a thriving community. There’s no combat, which I would say is the biggest difference from Rimworld. Your primary focus is resource management, food production, and providing for the well-being of your growing population.
City building is at the heart of Banished, where you manage resources and growth in harsh conditions. If you love this game’s city-building element, here’s a list of the best city-building games. You’ll juggle different needs, such as building homes, gathering food, and keeping your villagers warm during harsh winters.
The game challenges you to balance population growth, resources, and environmental hardships like disease, starvation, and poor weather. Children grow up and become productive members of your colony, adding to the long-term survival challenges.
Don’t grow your population too fast. Expanding slowly makes it easier to feed and care for everyone when tough winters hit.
The visual aesthetic of Banished is stylized 3D, with charming medieval villages that offer a satisfying, peaceful atmosphere despite the harsh survival elements. The emphasis is on strategic planning, as every decision impacts the success of your settlement.
Basically, your goal is to build a thriving village from scratch, managing resources and survival. While it doesn’t focus on individual character traits like RimWorld, the survival challenge is just as gripping.
Fans of RimWorld will appreciate Banished’s focus on micromanagement and survival in a similar way, but with a more peaceful, non-combat focus. The joy of expanding and managing a community through tough times will feel familiar and rewarding.
7. Timberborn [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Furry Engineers and Post-Human Progress]
| Our Score | 8
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2021 |
| Developer | Mechanistry |
| Publisher | Mechanistry |
| Average Playtime | 40+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | TBD / 8.0 |
Timberborn is a colony-building game where you control a beaver civilization tasked with rebuilding the world after humanity’s fall. In this unique survival simulation, you’ll manage beavers, harnessing water for power and survival.
Nature is key in Timberborn, which focuses heavily on water physics and resource management. You build intricate water systems, construct multi-level settlements, and optimize production chains, aiming for your colony to thrive. If you’re into RTS-style resource management and building intricate systems, Timberborn absolutely delivers. For more RTS-style titles, explore our best RTS games guide.
The gameplay revolves around balancing food production, resource gathering, and protecting your beaver community from environmental challenges, including droughts and flooding.
Build water storage early to prepare for droughts. A full reservoir can be the difference between survival and watching your colony dry up.
Visually, Timberborn has a charming aesthetic, with a colorful and cartoonish style that brings the beaver world to life. The game’s eco-friendly vibe is a refreshing change from the usual survival games, yet it still provides deep, strategic challenges that require careful planning and management.
Fans of RimWorld will enjoy the similar focus on colony building and resource management, but with a unique twist: control over water systems and the quirky beaver engineers adds a fun layer to the strategy. If you love building intricate systems in a post-apocalyptic world, this game is a perfect fit.
8. Valheim [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Norse Base-Building and Brutal Teamwork]
| Our Score | 7.5
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| Platforms | PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One |
| Year of Release | 2021 |
| Developer | Iron Gate Studio |
| Publisher | Coffee Stain Publishing |
| Average Playtime | 50+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | TBD / TBD |
Valheim is a Viking survival game set in a beautifully procedurally generated world, where you and your team must build, survive, and explore. Like RimWorld, it features base-building and resource management, but with a focus on exploration and combat in a Norse-inspired setting. If you’re into action RPGs, Valheim offers a great mix of combat, exploration, and survival.
Players gather resources, craft weapons and tools, and build shelters to protect themselves from the dangerous creatures of each biome. The game also features teamwork as you face off against increasingly difficult bosses and tackle environmental challenges.
Don’t rush into boss fights. Gear up and stockpile food first. A well-fed, prepared team can take down even the toughest enemies.
The visual aesthetic of Valheim is stylized, with a low-poly look that captures the rugged beauty of the Viking world. No matter if you’re exploring dense forests, barren plains, or frozen mountains, the game encourages you to adapt to each biome and strategize with your team to survive.
While the game is played from a first/third-person perspective, fans of RimWorld will still appreciate the survival mechanics and base-building elements, with the added bonus of intense combat and exploration. If you enjoy co-op games where teamwork and survival skills are key, Valheim is a thrilling next step.
9. First Feudal [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Hands-on Medieval Micromanagement]
| Our Score | 7
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2021 |
| Developer | Harpoon Games |
| Publisher | Harpoon Games, Gamirror Games |
| Average Playtime | 30+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | TBD / TBD |
First Feudal is a medieval base-building and management simulation that puts you in direct control of a feudal village. You manage every aspect of your settlement, from assigning jobs to peasants to overseeing resource production and defending against raids.
Much like RimWorld, the game emphasizes micromanagement and survival in a harsh world, where each villager has a unique set of skills and tasks that contribute to the growth of your village.
The gameplay revolves around managing the needs of your colony, balancing food production, building defenses, and making sure that your villagers are well-equipped to survive both environmental challenges and enemy raids. Managing your fortress and defending it from enemy raids is a key part of your survival.
Assign peasants to jobs that match their skills. Skilled workers finish tasks faster, making your village stronger and more efficient.
The visual aesthetic features a top-down perspective with stylized 2D graphics, which gives the game a charming yet immersive look. You’ll need to think strategically and use your resources wisely to keep your people alive and your village growing.
Fans of RimWorld will appreciate the progression loop and focus on micromanagement, where every decision matters in shaping your village’s fate. The direct control over your villagers’ tasks and the satisfaction of seeing them carry out their jobs will feel right at home for anyone who loves the detailed colony management of RimWorld.
10. Space Haven [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Deep Space Survival and Crew Drama]
| Our Score | 6.5
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| Platforms | PC, macOS |
| Year of Release | 2020 |
| Developer | Bugbyte Ltd. |
| Publisher | Bugbyte Ltd. |
| Average Playtime | 50+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | TBD / TBD |
Space Haven is a space colony sim that combines the thrill of deep space survival with the intricacies of crew management and modular ship-building. You oversee a crew of individuals with unique personalities, skills, and needs, while also constructing and managing a fully customizable spaceship.
For those into space games, Space Haven combines the thrills of deep space exploration and colony management. As a bonus, here’s a list of the best space games out there.
The game challenges you to keep your crew alive while navigating the dangers of space: resource scarcity, malfunctioning equipment, and emergent events that require tactical decision-making. The scale of your spaceship and crew management will increase as you expand your operations in deep space.
Keep crew quarters and workstations close together. A compact ship saves time, lets your crew respond faster to emergencies, and reduces stress during crises.
The gameplay focuses on resource management, ship maintenance, and the management of crew members, all while trying to survive in the hostile, harsh environment of space. Each decision you make affects the well-being of your crew, be it allocating resources or assigning tasks. The game also introduces a modular ship-building system, where you can customize your spaceship to suit your needs as you explore and discover new sectors of space.
Visually, Space Haven uses pixel art with a clean, functional design that emphasizes the ship’s layout and the daily operations of your crew. Fans of RimWorld will appreciate the same micromanagement, crew drama, and survival challenges in a completely new setting: space.
11. Amazing Cultivation Simulator [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Mystical Management and Martial Enlightenment]
| Our Score | 6
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2021 |
| Developer | GSQ Games |
| Publisher | Gamera Games |
| Average Playtime | 50+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | 73 / 6.9 |
Amazing Cultivation Simulator is a mystical simulation game set in an Eastern fantasy world where you manage a sect of cultivators on their journey to spiritual enlightenment. Much like RimWorld, you focus on base-building, resource management, and guiding your characters through spiritual progression while dealing with emergent events.
The game blends elements of fantasy, martial arts, and mysticism, which allows you to grow your sect, train your disciples, and engage in a variety of mystical practices to unlock their potential.
Focus on training a few strong disciples first instead of spreading resources too thin. Powerful cultivators can defend your sect and unlock advanced techniques faster.
Basically, you’ll need to manage cultivators with unique traits and skills, crafting potions, building complex structures, and working for the prosperity of your sect. You’ll also face the challenges of navigating political intrigue, facing hostile forces, and dealing with natural disasters that threaten the balance of your sect’s growth.
Visually, Amazing Cultivation Simulator uses pixel art that captures the rich, mythical world with beautiful, traditional Asian-inspired settings. Fans of RimWorld will appreciate the deep micromanagement, spiritual progression, and complex systems, all set in a vibrant, fantasy world.
12. Surviving Mars [Best RimWorld-Like Game for Managing a Martian Utopia]
| Our Score | 6
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| Platforms | PC |
| Year of Release | 2018 |
| Developer | Haemimont Games |
| Publisher | Paradox Interactive |
| Average Playtime | 50+ hours |
| Metacritic Score | 76 / 7.0 |
Surviving Mars is a sci-fi colony builder set on the Red Planet, where you manage a group of colonists tasked with creating a sustainable, thriving colony on Mars. Much like RimWorld, it focuses on colony management, resource gathering, and a constant struggle for the survival of your settlers in a hostile environment.
Action comes in the form of survival challenges and maintaining your colony in a harsh Martian environment. You’ll manage essential needs, such as food, water, and oxygen, while also expanding your base and navigating the intricacies of terraforming and technology trees. Explore this list of the best survival games for titles with the same vibe as Surviving Mars.
Build backup oxygen and water systems early. Having reserves can save your colonists when disasters strike unexpectedly.
The gameplay centers around building infrastructures, managing resources, and keeping your colonists alive while facing challenges like dust storms, freezing temperatures, and technical failures. The tech trees allow you to unlock advanced systems and improve the sustainability of your Martian settlement over time. As your colony grows, you’ll have to balance the needs of individual colonists with the long-term survival of the entire settlement.
Visually, Surviving Mars features a clean, stylized art style, combining a futuristic Martian landscape with intricate base designs. Fans of RimWorld will enjoy the challenge of managing a colony in an unforgiving environment, using their strategic thinking to overcome obstacles and grow their Martian utopia.
FAQs
What is the best game like RimWorld?
Kenshi is the best game like RimWorld. It offers deep colony management, survival, and resource gathering, with an open-world, sandbox experience.
What style of game is RimWorld?
RimWorld is a colony management simulation style of game with survival, resource management, and emergent storytelling elements, often compared to sandbox survival games with strategic decision-making.
