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Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this.
City BuilderBase-BuildingColony Sim
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$8.99 ~65.9 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 94.6% of 37k
The Squirrel's verdictPlayers who liked ISLANDERS' synergy-driven placement but want escalating pressure and repeatable runs will find Against the Storm a strong fit. It structures city-building as roguelike sessions: each run ends in a win or loss, resource management and timed orders drive decisions, and difficulty scales across a progression system. Median playtime runs around 66 hours.
Not for you if you play city builders to plan without pressure — this game uses failure states, timers, and roguelike resets as its central design.
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City BuilderColony SimMedieval
$19.99 ~37.2 hr median no co-op complexity: light 93.5% of 31k
The Squirrel's verdictKingdoms and Castles keeps the same top-down settlement layout puzzle but adds actual resource and population management, seasons, and raiders you have to defend against. Where ISLANDERS is pure placement scoring with no survival stakes, this game asks you to keep people fed, housed, and alive across years, with a chill mode if you want the layout puzzle without the war.
Not for you if you specifically liked that ISLANDERS has no resource management, population upkeep, or combat to worry about.
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Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
Rogue-liteCity BuilderRogue-like
$14.99 ~7.3 hr median no co-op 94.7% of 720
The Squirrel's verdictDawnfolk's core loop is tile placement under resource constraints: you draw from a limited pool and choose where each building goes to maximize synergy, with a light-versus-darkness mechanic shaping the board. There is no population simulation. A story with a companion character runs alongside the puzzle, and a normal/hard difficulty split gives returning players a tougher challenge.
Not for you if you want placement scoring without resource constraints or narrative, or find a commenting sidekick character irritating.
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Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
City BuilderTurn-Based TacticsPuzzle
$2.99 ~7.7 hr median no co-op complexity: light 94.6% of 570
The Squirrel's verdictBoth are minimalist score-based puzzle games with a city-building skin rather than resource or population management underneath. Tile Cities trades ISLANDERS' zone planning across an open island for tile-by-tile placement where colors must connect or you lose the run, making it tighter, more random, and less relaxing than reviews expect.
Not for you if you want the calm, low-stress placement of ISLANDERS rather than a tighter puzzle where a bad tile draw can end your run.
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Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say. Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
PuzzleCity BuilderCute
Cozy CozyLow-stress and wholesome — a game to unwind with.
$2.39 ~7 hr median no co-op 92.7% of 659
The Squirrel's verdictUrbo shares ISLANDERS' calm pacing, minimal color palette, and city-themed visuals, but the resemblance stops at aesthetics. Instead of zone planning and building synergy, Urbo is a merge puzzle: three same-level buildings combine into one, with no interaction between building types. Fits players who want a relaxing 2048-style loop dressed as a city.
Not for you if you want actual zone planning, building synergy, or any city-management decisions beyond matching three of a kind.
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Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
PuzzleCity BuilderHex Grid
$14.99 ~13.8 hr median co-op complexity: light 89% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictTerraScape shares ISLANDERS' placement-and-synergy scoring and low-stress pacing, but replaces open zone-planning with a hex-tile deck system where buildings merge into combos for points. It adds co-op. Most players report the experimentation phase runs out within 4-8 hours, after which sessions become repeating known-good combos.
Not for you if you want ISLANDERS' open-ended zone planning rather than a card-deck of tiles that combo for score, or if you need long-term progression beyond repeating optimal patterns.
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City BuilderEconomyHex Grid
$19.99 ~16.5 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 78% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictSpreading settlements across multiple islands toward an eventual spaceflight goal is Before We Leave's defining arc — something ISLANDERS never attempts. Production chains, tech progression, and threats that kill workers replace placement scoring as the core activity. Only about 26% of players reach spaceflight, and the median run sits around 16 hours, with a full completion closer to 38.
Not for you if you want a resource-free placement puzzle with no production chains, tech trees, or population-threatening events.
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Base-BuildingMinimalistStylized
Cozy CozyLow-stress and wholesome — a game to unwind with.
$9.99 ~4 hr median no co-op complexity: light 76.8% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictPile Up! swaps ISLANDERS' free-form zone planning for card-drawn, Tetris-style block stacking, where what you can build depends on the pieces you're dealt rather than open strategy. Buildings have adjacency effects you can't easily inspect once placed, and randomization drives most runs. Suits players who liked ISLANDERS' watch-it-grow satisfaction more than its planning depth.
Not for you if you want ISLANDERS' deliberate zone-first strategy rather than RNG-dependent card draws deciding what you can place.