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Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this.
DwarfColony SimBase-Building
$29.99 ~114.7 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 94.8% of 31k
The Squirrel's verdictSame colony-management core: dwarves, mining, crafting chains, and slow-burn disasters. Dwarf Fortress trades Gnomoria's simplified systems for far greater simulation depth, more materials, more interlocking mechanics, and a steeper learning curve requiring outside references. Fits players who want the fortress-building loop pushed to its most detailed, least streamlined extreme.
Not for you if you want in-game explanations rather than wikis, or found Gnomoria's complexity already at your limit.
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Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say. Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Colony SimBase-BuildingSurvival
$19.99 ~24.8 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 84.4% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictOdd Realm shares Gnomoria's colony-building loop: single-tile dwarves, crafting chains, and Dwarf Fortress-derived depth without DF's raw interface. It leans further into that complexity than Gnomoria did, with reviewers calling it near DF-tier to learn. Released 2024 and still receiving updates, it suits players who want Gnomoria's structure with more granular systems and active development behind it.
Not for you if you found Gnomoria's systems complex enough already and want something that streamlines rather than deepens the learning curve.
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DwarfColony SimBase-Building
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
Free ~13.8 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 64.9% of 262
The Squirrel's verdictMountaincore shares Gnomoria's core loop: mine, craft, and manage a growing colony of small workers. It drops Z-level verticality for a flatter map and is free. Median playtime is 13.8 hours, far shorter than the hundreds some logged in Gnomoria, suggesting a smaller, more contained experience for players wanting the mechanics without the depth commitment.
Not for you if you rely on multi-level vertical mining or expect a colony sim with more behind it than a 13.8-hour median playtime.
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AdventureMedievalDwarf
$9.99 ~5.5 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 62.2% of 555
The Squirrel's verdictLife is Hard shares Gnomoria's colony-management core: you direct a small population through building, resource gathering, and survival, with a deity-selection layer adding bonuses on top. Reviews describe an unintuitive UI and persistent bugs like miners getting stuck. Released in 2021 at 1.0 after years in early access, with median playtime around 5.5 hours.
Not for you if you want a polished interface, since reviews describe UI problems and unresolved bugs across the game's development history.
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Colony SimBase-BuildingSurvival
$24.99 ~31 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 60.4% of 389
The Squirrel's verdictEmbark takes the underground base-building loop into a fully 3D world with geological strata and an ore system reviewers compare to Dwarf Fortress. It is a single-player-only experience. Released in 2019, it holds a Mixed Steam rating at 60.4% positive, with reviews citing bugs and UI problems that reviewers flag as barriers to full recommendation.
Not for you if you want a stable, finished colony sim — reviewers describe bug and UI problems as persistent enough to affect core play.
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Colony SimBase-BuildingAutomation
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$24.99 ~49.5 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 57% of 3k
The Squirrel's verdictCo-op is Hammerting's clearest distinction from Gnomoria: multiple players can dig into a mountain together, assigning dwarves to mine and craft. Early-game presentation is clean, but reviews consistently describe performance collapse as colonies scale up, and Team17 formally released the game while placeholder tools and an inert endgame goal remain. Median playtime is 49.5 hours.
Not for you if you want a complete endgame or stable late-game performance, since reviews describe both as unresolved.
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Dating SimRPGAdventure
$14.99 ~16.8 hr median no co-op complexity: light 59.1% of 401
The Squirrel's verdictOrange Season trades Gnomoria's colony management for solo farming and crafting, keeping the resource-gathering and building loop for long single-player sessions. Released 2024 at $14.99, it sits at Mixed on Steam (59% positive) with 16.8 median hours. Reviews cite missing content and rough post-1.0 polish, echoing Gnomoria's history of unfinished systems.
Not for you if you want dwarf-fortress-style colony management with multiple colonists rather than a single-character farming RPG, or need finished, well-balanced content.
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City BuilderCraftingRPG
$4.99 ~39.3 hr median no co-op complexity: light 27% of 3k
The Squirrel's verdictTowns shares Gnomoria's colony-management structure: managing a group of workers, building and defending a settlement, similar simplified-Dwarf-Fortress ambitions. The gap is finish state. Gnomoria at least reached 1.0 despite complaints; reviews describe Towns as abandoned since 2014 with persistent bugs. Fine for someone who wants a short, cheap taste of the genre without expecting resolution.
Not for you if you want a settlement builder with ongoing support, since reviews describe it as abandoned since 2014 with unresolved bugs.