1
Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this.
Base-BuildingTower DefenseSurvival
$29.99 ~45 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 90.4% of 24k
The Squirrel's verdictBase-building, tech trees, and single-character action-RPG combat replace Buggos's pure swarm management. You build outposts, research technologies, and fight directly as a mech suit operator across a 45-hour campaign. Co-op is supported. Suits players who wanted Buggos's strategic scale paired with construction systems and hands-on combat rather than delegated unit control.
Not for you if you prefer short, low-planning sessions over a long campaign centered on base construction and tech research.
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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.
Real-Time with PauseResource ManagementTactical
$11.99 ~36.9 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 85.5% of 12k
The Squirrel's verdictPlayers who want a long city-building wave-defense campaign with exacting layout demands will find the most here: place structures, manage population, and hold off waves that grow in number and type across roughly 37 hours of campaign content. Wall and tower placement are central decisions. Reviews consistently flag that later missions require precise base layouts and punish improvisation, which is the defining trait of the experience.
Not for you if you want wave difficulty that scales predictably; reviewers describe later missions as feeling random or cheat-difficult rather than designed around fair escalation.
3
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
Base-BuildingColony SimTower Defense
Jank Tolerant Jank TolerantRough edges and bugs — rewarding if you don't mind them.
$11.99 ~42.9 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 96.7% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictFrom Glory To Goo is a full RTS with base expansion, resource management, direct unit control, science systems, and orbital support — closer in spirit to Command and Conquer than to an auto-battler. Reviewers with 50-130 hours call it one of the better hidden gems in the subgenre. Suits players who found Buggos too hands-off and wanted a deeper strategic and production layer.
Not for you if you want a low-effort, hands-off auto-battler session rather than active base expansion and unit direction.
4
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
RTSAuto BattlerSci-fi
$7.49 ~12.4 hr median no co-op 92.8% of 403
The Squirrel's verdictSwarm Queen shares Buggos' core premise: grow a bug force, pick from multiple valid strategies, and fight through escalating enemy compositions. It layers a meta upgrade system between levels on top of in-level upgrades, and reviewers with high ratings consistently highlight real strategic depth despite simple presentation. At $7.49 and a 12.4-hour median playtime, it fits players who want a tighter strategic session with meaningful upgrade choices.
Not for you if you want large-scale AOE spectacle and swarm size over a shorter, more structured tug-of-war strategy loop.
5
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
Base-BuildingSpaceRTS
$29.99 ~29.9 hr median no co-op 90.7% of 356
The Squirrel's verdictSame hands-off combat premise as Buggos: units auto-fight while you manage economy and composition rather than micro. Here the structure is base-building tug-of-war between two lanes instead of swarm expansion, with a deeper resource/production tree. Suits players who liked the strategic layer of Buggos but wanted more build complexity and less swarm chaos.
Not for you if you want direct unit control, since both games auto-battle but this one is pure base-planning with no micro at all.
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SurvivalBase BuildingColony Sim
$19.99 ~23.6 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 85.5% of 303
The Squirrel's verdictSkirmish, roguelike, and endless modes give Here Comes The Swarm more structural variety than a single-format auto-battler. Difficulty is adjustable, the roguelike loop adds unlockables across runs, and every mission runs to a time limit rather than an open-ended endpoint. Median playtime is 23.6 hours. Suits players who want large insect-killing counts alongside active tech and base decisions across multiple distinct play formats.
Not for you if you want a passive swarm loop with no mission time limits, base-building obligations, or tech progression requirements.
7
Base-BuildingRTSTower Defense
$2.99 ~6.3 hr median no co-op complexity: light 78.1% of 456
The Squirrel's verdictLike Buggos, Risen Kingdom pits a growing force against escalating waves and rewards strategy over reflexes. The difference is control: instead of releasing a swarm and hoping it listens, you place buildings, manage resources, and build an army directly. Campaign runs short, median playtime 6.3 hours, priced at $2.99.
Not for you if you want hands-off swarm command rather than active base-building and resource micromanagement between waves.
8
RTSRPGBase-Building
$19.99 ~6.3 hr median no co-op 71.9% of 427
The Squirrel's verdictThe Hive offers a scripted insectoid RTS campaign with RPG progression across ten levels and four difficulty settings. You control one race with roughly eight unit types, including a harvester, and work through a plot-driven structure rather than an open-ended swarm loop. Reviews note a short runtime — around six hours — and limited unit variety, but credit the artstyle and narrative for being distinctive within the subgenre.
Not for you if you want an extended auto-battler loop, mid-session saving, or more than one playable race.