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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.
Base-BuildingSpaceColony Sim
$29.99 ~36.1 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 76.7% of 4k
The Squirrel's verdictThe Crust centers on underground base-building driven by production chains, conveyor belts, and automated drones managed through priority queues rather than direct colonist commands. At 36 hours median playtime it offers more content depth than most games on this page, though reviews cite colonists starving when drones ignore priorities and a story mode that escalates difficulty without warning. Steam rating is Mostly Positive (76.7%).
Not for you if you want to direct individual colonists rather than configure priority queues and belt routing, or need a stable late-game economy.
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Sci-fiSurvivalColony Sim
$9.99 ~37.2 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 78.5% of 316
The Squirrel's verdictBoth put you managing survivors underground, digging rooms, assigning colonists to resources and research while the base fights to stay alive. Mercury Fallen released out of early access in 2023, so the base-building loop is finished rather than mid-development, though reviews report late-game balance problems that can strand a save with no way forward.
Not for you if you want ongoing content updates — the developer moved to another project after June 2024 and reviews describe an empty late game.
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The Pioneers: Surviving Desolation
PC
SurvivalBase-BuildingRPG
$29.99 ~10 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 66.6% of 440
The Squirrel's verdictThe Pioneers: Surviving Desolation centers individual character survival — each crew member has discrete needs and is subject to environmental hazards — making it closer to This War of Mine in feel than to Starmancer's systems-level station management. Players directly control colonists rather than issuing orders from an AI perspective. French-language development shows in uneven English dialogue, and pathfinding bugs affect most playthroughs.
Not for you if broken English dialogue, direct micromanagement of each crew member, or unreliable pathfinding on a 10-hour median run would stop you.
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City BuilderColony SimExploration
$19.99 ~16 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 64.8% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictUnderwater base-building with a cloning mechanic for workforce replacement is Surviving the Abyss's distinguishing feature — short-lived clones staff your mines and generators while surface workers remain an option the game never fully reconciles. It reached 1.0 in 2024 with a Mixed reception; reviewers describe balance tuned so tightly that a mis-ordered build around day 90–100 can cause unrecoverable collapse.
Not for you if forgiving difficulty or the option to recover from a single build-order mistake late in a run matters to you.
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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 layers 3D voxel terrain and geological strata onto the indirect-control colony loop, letting players dig through layered rock in a way closer to Dwarf Fortress than to Starmancer's station rooms. Reviewers describe a RimWorld-style task system running on a Minecraft-style world, with performance holding at larger map sizes. Median playtime reaches 31 hours, though bug reports recur across the review history.
Not for you if you prefer managing a contained space station over directing colonists through open 3D terrain and mining layers.
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Colony SimSci-fiSurvival
$24.99 ~10 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 43.7% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictPlayers drawn to a 1970s British sci-fi aesthetic and indirect colony management will find Maia's tone distinctive among colony sims. It released in 2018 with no further updates confirmed, leaving its colonist pathfinding failures, UI readability problems, and stability issues as fixed rather than in-progress conditions. Steam rating sits at Mixed (43.7% positive) and median playtime is 10 hours.
Not for you if unfixed colonist AI, a cluttered UI, and no prospect of further patches would end your interest.
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Open World Survival CraftColony SimBase-Building
$14.99 ~11.9 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 37.4% of 697
The Squirrel's verdictFarworld Pioneers suits players who want 2D side-scrolling planetary mining and building with co-op support rather than a space station to manage. It released as 1.0 in 2023 at $14.99. A former developer confirmed in a review that a known AI pathing bug present during development remained unsolved at 1.0 launch; Steam rating is Mostly Negative (37.4% positive) and median playtime is around 12 hours.
Not for you if colonist AI that freezes at doors or walls, or a Starbound-style 2D structure instead of station management, would end the run for you.
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Space SimStrategy RPGExploration
$24.99 ~14.8 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 37.1% of 477
The Squirrel's verdictBase One shares Starmancer's core loop: indirect station management where you assign colonists to build rooms, run machines, and complete objectives rather than control any single crew member. It replaces open-ended colony building with a mission-based campaign under fixed day limits, and adds voiced crew and polished visuals. Reviews report frequent pathing failures, with crew getting stuck in doorways; Steam rating sits at Mostly Negative (37.1%).
Not for you if crew pathing bugs that stall objectives, or a campaign with hard day limits instead of open-ended base building, would frustrate you.