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Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this.
Colony SimBase-BuildingSurvival
$24.99 ~166.9 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 96.7% of 142k
The Squirrel's verdictOxygen Not Included suits players who want deep colony survival with full save and pause control at any time. It replaces insects with duplicants and swaps timed combat missions for thermodynamics, gas physics, and pipe management. Reviews warn the cheerful art hides serious systems complexity. Median playtime is 166.9 hours, and the 96.7% positive rating reflects a well-supported, complete release.
Not for you if you want the ant colony theme, narrated bug facts, or RTS combat missions rather than physics-driven colony engineering.
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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's defining feature is a meta-upgrade system that carries progress between missions and a self-aware, joke-heavy script that reviewers consistently single out as genuinely funny. It shares an insect-colony premise and unit-building loop with Empires of the Undergrowth, but runs lighter: simpler unit variety, shorter sessions, and a median playtime of 12.4 hours at $7.49.
Not for you if you want scientific narration, long single-sitting missions, or the depth and scale Empires builds its campaign around.
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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.
City BuilderBase-BuildingGrand Strategy
$9.99 ~11.7 hr median no co-op complexity: light 87.9% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictBuggos fits players who want insect-swarm combat in short, low-commitment sessions. It shares the bug-war premise and mission-based upgrade structure, but your swarm doesn't fully respond to direct control, making it an auto-battler rather than an RTS. At a median of 11.7 hours total, sessions are short by default. Reviews flag AOE-heavy difficulty spikes and DLC balance problems in later stages.
Not for you if you want hands-on colony micromanagement or a deep upgrade tree rather than an auto-battler where late-game difficulty reduces to AOE spam.
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Base BuildingColony SimCity Builder
$19.99 ~20 hr median no co-op complexity: light 83.8% of 642
The Squirrel's verdictBuggos 2 keeps the insect-colony premise and evolution-tree progression of its predecessor, but reviews consistently describe it as a lighter auto-battler rather than a full RTS. The tech tree is thinner than the original, the campaign takes roughly ten hours to complete, and several reviewers flag balance issues and crashes on the highest difficulty. Median playtime is 20 hours at $19.99.
Not for you if you want RTS-level tactical control, a robust tech tree, or a campaign free of reported balance and crash issues.
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Colony SimCity BuilderPost-apocalyptic
$13.49 ~24.8 hr median no co-op complexity: light 79.4% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictAfter Inc: Revival replaces ant colonies with zombie survival and breaks its missions into shorter discrete segments rather than the anchor's long uninterruptible runs. Reviews describe it as a mobile-style game with an energy mechanic that caps daily playtime, no endless mode, and no random scenarios once the campaign ends. Median playtime is 24.8 hours at $13.49.
Not for you if you want freeform replayability or extended sessions, since an energy system limits how much you can play in a given day.
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Space Colony: Steam Edition
PC
City BuilderImmersive SimColony Sim
$14.99 ~14.2 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 80.1% of 663
The Squirrel's verdictSpace Colony shares the colony-management core: build structures, manage resource flows, keep your population functional under mission pressure. The difference is scale and focus — instead of ant swarms and time-pressured combat missions, you're micromanaging individual human colonists' needs (hygiene, social, sleep) like a sci-fi Sims. Median playtime runs 14.2 hours.
Not for you if you want swarm-scale strategy and combat rather than babysitting individual colonists' personal needs and conflicts.
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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 verdictMercury Fallen suits players drawn to open-ended underground colony building with research progression and the freedom to save and quick-load at will. Early hours are slow by reviewer accounts, and multiple reviews flag thin late-game balance once core research is unlocked, with no meaningful objective remaining. Median playtime is 37.2 hours at $9.99.
Not for you if you want mission-based combat tension or a late game with sustained challenge rather than freeform base-building that runs thin.
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RTSRPGBase-Building
$19.99 ~6.3 hr median no co-op 71.9% of 427
The Squirrel's verdictLike Empires of the Undergrowth, The Hive puts you in charge of an insectoid colony, building a hive and fielding units against enemies across ten levels, with no save option mid-mission. It's shorter and narrower: one playable race, about eight unit types, and a median playtime near six hours, with mixed reception on execution.
Not for you if you want multiple playable factions, deep unit variety, or a campaign as long as Empires of the Undergrowth's.