1
Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
RPGCity BuilderColony Sim
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$23.99 ~71.4 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 89.1% of 21k
The Squirrel's verdictGoing Medieval shares the colony sim skeleton — pawns with needs and skills, base building, raids, random events — but leans hard into 3D verticality and layered construction styles. Reviewers call it more of a building game than a colony sim. It trades character-dialogue depth for architectural freedom, and drops any family or lineage system. Median playtime runs 71 hours. Best for players who want the building half of the genre expanded.
Not for you if you care about family or lineage systems, or need melee combat and raid pathfinding to work reliably.
2
City BuilderColony SimBase-Building
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$24.99 ~64 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 94.5% of 9k
The Squirrel's verdictBoth are colony sims with individual pawns, needs, and world simulation under Rimworld/Dwarf Fortress influence. Songs of Syx trades Noble Fates' dialogue-heavy pawn interactions for scale: settlements grow into cities of thousands, then empires with armies and trade routes. Median playtime runs 64 hours. For players who want the colony-sim foundation but crave bigger systems over character-level chatter.
Not for you if you want the small-scale, dialogue-driven pawn relationships rather than managing populations that grow into the thousands.
3
Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Colony SimBase-BuildingGrand Strategy
$14.99 ~39.3 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 81.7% of 10k
The Squirrel's verdictDynasty politics, generational succession, and a global map are what separate Norland from straightforward colony sims. You manage multiple lords across kingdom-scale stakes rather than a single settlement. Reviewers flag that characters age out within two in-game days, limiting how long you grow attached to any individual, and that scripted events reduce the emergent storytelling the genre usually delivers.
Not for you if you came to Noble Fates for emergent, unscripted storytelling and don't want pawns aging out within a couple of in-game days.
4
City BuilderColony SimBase-Building
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$14.99 ~144.1 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 91.7% of 4k
The Squirrel's verdictSeasonal farming and survival against harsh winters are Clanfolk's defining loop: you assign tasks and your settlers prioritize on their own, with less direct intervention than Noble Fates allows. It drops third-person pawn control and combat entirely. Reviewers note the indirect AI can frustrate players who need settlers to execute urgent tasks on demand. Median playtime runs 144 hours. Suits players who want tight survival seasons over combat or character-dialogue systems.
Not for you if you want to directly control individual pawns rather than assign tasks and watch them prioritize on their own.
5
Primitive Society Simulator
PC
City BuilderAgricultureCrafting
$19.99 ~25.3 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 83.7% of 747
The Squirrel's verdictAncient Chinese and Mesopotamian origins frame Primitive Society Simulator's tech and culture trees, which go deeper on work assignments and priorities than most colony sims. Reviewers note a major post-release update shifted the game's tone from cozy management to darker war and slavery mechanics, which split the audience. Median playtime runs 25 hours. Suits players who want denser mechanical systems over character-level interaction.
Not for you if you wanted the cozy, charming tone reviewers say the game abandoned after a major update shifted it toward darker war management.
6
Colony SimCraftingBase-Building
$14.99 ~32.9 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 79.8% of 425
The Squirrel's verdictSame colony-sim core as Noble Fates: Rimworld-style pawns, job assignments, z-level building, and settlers with individual needs and preferences. Grim Realms trades Noble Fates' rapid bug turnaround for a rougher 2024 launch — reviews describe performance issues as colonies grow and an unintuitive tutorial you learn mostly by failing.
Not for you if you want responsive performance at scale or clear in-game explanations rather than figuring out mechanics through trial and error.
7
Colony SimBase-BuildingResource Management
$19.99 ~19.4 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 76.4% of 635
The Squirrel's verdictFirst Feudal shares Noble Fates' colony-survival core: manual crafting queues, character needs, trial-and-error settlement building against hunger and threats. It adds co-op play but drops Noble Fates' direct third-person pawn control. Reviewers note clunky UI and unexplained systems like tool upkeep and inventory management. Fits players who want the genre's grind with a friend.
Not for you if you want polished UI guidance rather than figuring out mechanics like tool upkeep and inventory transfers through trial and error
8
Colony SimBase-BuildingOpen World
$24.99 ~14 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 59.6% of 413
The Squirrel's verdictBoth build colony sims with autonomous pawns you can draft into combat, individual personalities, and settlement management instead of pure top-down control. TFM adds a leveling system where character traits and abilities emerge semi-randomly rather than through crafted dialog interactions, but its UI is widely reported as unintuitive and the learning curve is steep.
Not for you if you need a clear tech tree and readable UI rather than figuring out opaque systems through trial and error.