Games like Hydroneer

The Squirrel's verdictReviewers describe MineMogul as Hydroneer's core idea — physics-based ore chunks routed through conveyors and processors — with the control friction reduced. The building feels tighter and more immediate, and the 96% positive rating reflects that. It is solo only and runs shorter than most games here; reviewers note median completion around 10–25 hours and call out conveyor sorting as still needing refinement.

Not for you if you want co-op, a large open world to explore, or enough content to sustain play well beyond 20–30 hours.

The Squirrel's verdictPlayers who want realistic heavy equipment operation — excavators, sluices, modern prospecting machinery — rather than Hydroneer's physics-toy crafting will find Gold Mining Simulator is built around that focus. It shares the open-ended, no-set-objectives structure and a similar upgrade-and-sell loop, but the complexity here is in operating real-world equipment with controls reviewers describe as overcomplicated. No co-op, and paid DLC is prominent.

Not for you if you want co-op play, prefer to avoid paid DLC gating, or are put off by complex multi-button equipment controls.

The Squirrel's verdictAlchemy Factory adds a shopkeeper layer — reputation, customer demand, and recipe-based production — on top of a grid-based factory-building loop. Unlike Hydroneer's first-person physics handling, everything here is compact blueprint placement. Co-op is genuinely supported. Reviewers praise the early-game balance but flag reputation decay and a profit wall in mid-to-late game as pacing problems. Median playtime is around 70 hours.

Not for you if you want open sandbox freedom rather than a shopkeeper progression system, or mid-game profit walls and reputation pressure sound unappealing.

The Squirrel's verdictOut of Ore keeps the dig-wash-sell-automate structure of Hydroneer but scales it up to heavy machinery: dozers, graders, and baggers replace handheld tools, and the game supports genuine multiplayer co-op sessions. Median playtime is around 76 hours. Reviewers note persistent vehicle physics bugs — dozers and graders misplacing or deleting dirt — and the co-op hosting setup requires buying the game twice to run a dedicated session.

Not for you if vehicle glitches break your experience, or you need straightforward dedicated server support without running a second PC.

The Squirrel's verdictRecycling Center Simulator runs a sorting-and-processing loop where incoming scrap gets categorized, sold, or converted for profit, with upgrades unlocking over time. The difference from Hydroneer is scope: automation options stay limited, and reviewers confirm manual scrap collection remains necessary even after most upgrades are purchased. Median playtime sits around 25 hours before most content is exhausted. Single-player only.

Not for you if you want automation to eventually cover collection entirely, need co-op, or require more than a few dozen hours of content depth.

The Squirrel's verdictAssembly Planter keeps the automation-and-resource-processing loop Hydroneer builds toward, but strips out first-person mining and physics fumbling for a top-down puzzle structure built around a recursive Shrinker mechanic that lets you re-chain and compact factories in tight spaces. Solo only, no sandbox freedom, structured levels instead of open goals.

Not for you if you want open-ended sandbox building rather than fixed levels, or you're already tired of fighting clunky UI and inventory friction.