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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-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 layers hero units, orbital support, a science system, and stratagems over territory-based base expansion. Reviewers with Starcraft and They Are Billions backgrounds call it a standout, citing 42.9 median hours of play. The strategic systems replace reflex demands: holding ground is about system management, not unit micro speed.
Not for you if you specifically want co-op, since From Glory To Goo has none.
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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 verdictAnnihilate The Spance is a tug-of-war base-builder where you set up economy and spawners, then units fight automatically along lanes — closer to Warcraft 3 custom maps like Castle Fight than to direct unit command. Planning ship composition and resource balance drives decisions rather than real-time unit control. Reviewers with 17–30 hours report strong satisfaction with the core loop despite an incomplete unit roster and art. Median playtime is 29.9 hours.
Not for you if you want direct unit control, a finished art and unit roster, or find the $29.99 price steep for an in-development game.
3
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar. Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Vedelem: The Golden Horde
PC
Base-BuildingActionRTS
Free ~2 hr median no co-op complexity: light 89.4% of 791
The Squirrel's verdictVedelem is a free, score-chasing survival game built around a countdown clock: gather resources, raise defenses, hold until time expires and a final buff wave ends the run. Runs are short — median playtime is 2 hours total — and the score-comparison loop replaces any campaign structure. Reviewers note wave frequency leaves little breathing room for resource planning.
Not for you if you want deep resource planning and campaign structure rather than short, score-chasing survival rounds with aggressive wave timers.
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Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
Colony SimActionCity Builder
$4.99 ~11.4 hr median no co-op 89.6% of 424
The Squirrel's verdictReignfall keeps the build-a-settlement-then-defend-it loop but swaps twitch-RTS unit micro for direct third-person control of a hero cleaving through enemy waves while your city pauses. City management stays simple, closer to Stronghold's economy than Diplomacy's tech trees. No co-op, single developer, steep learning curve, median playtime 11.4 hours.
Not for you if you want large-scale RTS unit micro and multiplayer rather than solo hero combat and a shallow city-building layer.
5
SurvivalBase BuildingColony Sim
$19.99 ~23.6 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 85.5% of 303
The Squirrel's verdictBoth are wave-defense base-builders where you tech up and hold territory against escalating swarms. Here Comes The Swarm adds adjustable difficulty and a slower, more gradual wave curve players describe as fair, plus roguelite and endless modes instead of a fixed campaign. Maps run smaller and missions carry time limits, pushing faster decisions.
Not for you if you want a story-driven campaign with large open maps and unhurried base-building time.
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Grand StrategyRTSMedieval
$4.49 ~16.1 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 75.9% of 3k
The Squirrel's verdictMedieval Kingdom Wars spans 14 factions across an overworld campaign with diplomacy, siege warfare, and Total War-style battles — a considerably wider scope than most wave-defense base-builders. Reviewers compare it to a Civilization and Total War hybrid. AI behavior in direct battles is consistently criticized as shallow, and multiple reviewers flag the game as feeling unfinished despite its full-release status. Median playtime is 16.1 hours.
Not for you if you prioritize sharp battle AI and polished mechanics over broad campaign and diplomacy scope.
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Base-BuildingRTSTower Defense
$2.99 ~6.3 hr median no co-op complexity: light 78.1% of 456
The Squirrel's verdictRisen Kingdom is a short, accessible entry in the genre: reviewers describe a campaign completable in around five hours, consistent with the 6.3-hour median, and characterize it as a casual blend of Kingdom Rush, Stronghold, and They Are Billions — less demanding and less deep than any of them. At $2.99, the price matches the scope. Some reviewers note missions can still require rapid building and tooltip-checking under time pressure.
Not for you if you want substantial content depth or sessions longer than a few hours per sitting.
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Base-BuildingCity BuilderRTS
$24.99 ~19.8 hr median no co-op 73.4% of 493
The Squirrel's verdictDarfall adds a hero-unit layer — talent progression, direct hero control, and RPG-style skirmishes — on top of base-building and wave defense. The hero focus is the game's main draw for players who want an RTS with a central character to develop. Reviewers cite clunky pathfinding, poor unit formation behavior, aggressive enemy AI, and a low unit cap as persistent balance problems across the campaign and survival modes. Median playtime is 19.8 hours.
Not for you if you expect tight unit formation control and polished QoL, since pathfinding, aggro behavior, and command responsiveness frustrate reviewers consistently.