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Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this.
Base-BuildingAutomationOpen World
$39.99 ~144.1 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 97.3% of 275k
The Squirrel's verdictSatisfactory operates at a scale MineMogul doesn't attempt: an open alien world to explore, light combat, co-op support, and a campaign that reviewers consistently clock past 100 hours. Belt logistics here follow standard simulation rules rather than physics-driven item movement, which makes factory layout more predictable. The production loop is rebuild-for-efficiency at every stage, with full material refunds on disassembly.
Not for you if you want physics-driven item movement, a contained build session, or a sub-$40 entry price.
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Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Base-BuildingMiningAutomation
$14.99 ~21.2 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 85.7% of 28k
The Squirrel's verdictHydroneer suits players who want the physical-resource mining loop — digging, washing, and selling discrete ore chunks — in a sandbox with no defined objectives. The automation layer exists, but reviewers consistently describe the UI, controls, and onboarding as unintuitive enough to require wiki lookups. Median playtime is around 21 hours, shorter than MineMogul's more polished equivalent.
Not for you if you want streamlined controls and guided progression rather than clunky UI, manual item-hauling, and self-directed goals with no in-game explanation.
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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.
AutomationMedievalCrafting
$17.99 ~70.2 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 89.9% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictAlchemy Factory adds a shopkeeping layer on top of factory automation: you stock shelves, manage store reputation, and balance production against customer demand. Layouts are compact and blueprint-friendly, and co-op is supported. Reviewers with heavy Factorio and Satisfactory hours cite the small-scale optimization and blueprint flexibility as its main draws. Median playtime is around 70 hours.
Not for you if you want production divorced from retail management, or find reputation decay and stock-maintenance systems more frustrating than satisfying.
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ExplorationFarming SimChoose Your Own Adventure
$24.99 ~76.5 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 86% of 4k
The Squirrel's verdictOut of Ore trades MineMogul's factory-floor physics for open-pit mining with heavy equipment: dozers, graders, and washplants that behave with real weight and momentum instead of spreadsheet logic. It's co-op, unlike MineMogul, and the resource loop is deeper but rougher, with reviewers reporting years-old bugs in the dirt and conveyor systems still unresolved.
Not for you if you want the vehicle controls (dozer, grader) to behave predictably, since reviewers report persistent bugs with terrain and blade mechanics.
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AutomationBase-BuildingResource Management
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$29.99 ~52.2 hr median co-op 80.9% of 4k
The Squirrel's verdictFoundry places factory-building inside a voxel world you clear by hand before laying foundations, with no combat or exploration pressure. Scaling up means manually repeating placement because there are no blueprint tools, and reviewers flag that without them, expanding a factory feels like fighting the controls. Co-op is supported. Median playtime sits around 52 hours.
Not for you if you want physics-based item flow, blueprint tools to speed up scaling, or a world that doesn't require clearing terrain before building.
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AutomationBase-BuildingSpace
$18.99 ~40.1 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 85.1% of 808
The Squirrel's verdictBoth are factory-building games about constructing production chains toward defined goals, and Outworld Station adds co-op and a space-station setting. Where MineMogul lets you rebuild and experiment with physics-based conveyors, Outworld Station runs on a fixed, objective-by-objective structure: small maps, set resource points, and building unlocks that don't require solving anything.
Not for you if you want open-ended factory complexity to experiment with rather than a linear, on-rails progression through fixed objectives and small maps.
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CraftingAdventureBase-Building
$14.99 ~59.7 hr median no co-op 83.4% of 391
The Squirrel's verdictPlayers who want automation tied to hands-on resource gathering in a procedurally generated world will find Evospace a fit. You collect raw materials on foot before supply lines take over, inside a world reviewers compare to a Factorio-Minecraft hybrid. Reviewers consistently flag it as janky and under-guided, with progression that relies on external wikis.
Not for you if you want physics-simulated item handling from the start rather than manually gathering resources across a procedural world before automation begins.
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Resource ManagementAutomationCrafting
$24.99 ~30.4 hr median co-op 78.1% of 953
The Squirrel's verdictOrebound shares MineMogul's discrete-chunk mining and factory-building base, set underground with dwarf theming and co-op support. Where MineMogul offers physics-based production polished into something stable, Orebound is rougher: reviews report block-snapping bugs, broken production lines, and shallow crafting depth. For players who want the concept without the refinement.
Not for you if you need reliable block-connection mechanics and crafting depth rather than a rougher, buggier take on the same idea.