Games like Before We Leave

The Squirrel's verdictA card-based build system draws each structure from a shuffled deck rather than an open menu, and multiple playable cultures change starting conditions and available tech. Kingdoms Reborn supports native co-op and trades constrained island maps for larger, flat worlds. Reviewers note the mid-game can collapse into import/export dominance once you claim a land with a luxury good.

Not for you if you want the resource loop to keep evolving late-game rather than settle into repeatable trade-and-export patterns.

The Squirrel's verdictPlan B builds its logistics on a 3D globe — the same planet-scale framing Before We Leave uses — but limits you to three cities and factory-style production chains rather than open-ended settlement expansion. Depots consolidate collect, store, and distribute into one unit; trains replace roads. Reviewers note depots give limited routing control, which simplifies large builds.

Not for you if you want deep control over individual logistics nodes rather than automated depots, or need fast pacing rather than a slow, chill build-up.

The Squirrel's verdictFlotsam's ocean setting puts a drifting boat at the center of your colony rather than a planet surface, and scouting drives gradual resource expansion much like Before We Leave's island-hopping loop. The building phase is relaxed and non-violent. Reviewers consistently note the challenge drops off once the colony stabilizes, and the game runs about 23 hours at median playtime.

Not for you if late-game bugs are a dealbreaker — reviews report softlocked buildings, broken AI pathing, and deconstruction glitches that can affect finishing the story.

The Squirrel's verdictRoad networks and bot logistics are the core of The Colonists: you design hauling routes, manage stockpiles, and let automated bots do the work, with tier-based research controlling what you can build. Unlike Before We Leave's multi-island expansion, it focuses on a single landmass per scenario. Co-op is supported. Reviewers flag bot pathing inconsistencies as the main frustration — bots will sometimes pull resources from distant depots while nearby stock sits unused.

Not for you if you want multi-island exploration rather than optimizing road and hauling networks on one map.

The Squirrel's verdictOf Life and Land focuses on medieval settlement management where animals and plants have their own simulated needs alongside your colonists', adding an ecological layer absent from Before We Leave. There is no direct NPC control — you set conditions and the simulation responds. No combat, no spherical map; the game runs on a flat world with resource chains and population logistics.

Not for you if you want direct control over individual colonists rather than pure system-level building and supply chain management.

The Squirrel's verdictRival companies compete with you for territory on the same planet, and pollution from your industry directly triggers natural disasters — both mechanics are central to Imagine Earth's loop rather than edge cases. That distinguishes it clearly from Before We Leave's solo island-hopping expansion, though it shares the no-combat, industrializing-a-small-world structure.

Not for you if you want a solo builder without AI rivals contesting your land, or dislike pollution tied to climate disasters.

The Squirrel's verdictRoads in Mini Settlers carry only a single type of good, forcing constant redesign as production scales — pathing bottlenecks are the central puzzle rather than a side concern. Population targets replace threat-based pressure, and each scenario resets progress so carry-over unlocks don't exist. Median playtime sits at 8.3 hours across mostly self-contained maps.

Not for you if you want ongoing threats, narrative tension, or carry-over progression rather than isolated logistics puzzles.

The Squirrel's verdictKubifaktorium shares the island-by-island settlement expansion and resource-chain colony management of Before We Leave, but pushes further into automation: you manually configure stockpiles, transport routes, and production chains for every good, closer to Factorio-style logistics than simple city-building. Reviewers note each island plays out nearly identically once you've learned the loop.

Not for you if you want variety between settlements rather than repeating the same objectives on each new island, or dislike manually configuring stockpiles and transport routes for every resource.