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Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Base-BuildingCraftingFarming Sim
$14.99 ~19.9 hr median no co-op complexity: light 92.9% of 3k
The Squirrel's verdictOutpath is built for players who want island-expansion and resource automation with no combat involved. The loop — gather resources, unlock buildings, expand to new islands — runs about 20 hours and carries no fighting at any stage. Post-launch update history has been sparse, with one developer handling the project.
Not for you if you want enemies or combat mixed into your resource loop, or expect regular content updates after release.
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Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
AutomationBase-BuildingCrafting
$4.99 ~31 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 90.4% of 250
The Squirrel's verdictAssembly Planter suits players who want factory logic as a pure spatial puzzle: conveyors, resource processing, and recursive custom machines compressed into tight grids via the Shrinker mechanic. There is no exploration, no combat, and no adventure-game structure — the entire challenge is spatial optimization across 20 levels. Median playtime runs 31 hours. The concept earns consistent praise; the UI and inventory system draw consistent complaints.
Not for you if you need a smooth, intuitive interface — reviewers describe the UI as actively hostile to use.
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CraftingExplorationAutomation
$19.99 ~19.8 hr median co-op 87.3% of 463
The Squirrel's verdictAutoForge builds its automation loop around a side-scrolling platformer perspective: place assemblers, run conveyors, research new tools, and push into new territory — all navigated up and down rather than across a top-down map. Reviewers note research-gated exploration can leave players stalled on the same map segments fighting repeated enemy waves. Median playtime is 19.8 hours.
Not for you if you prefer north/south/east/west factory layouts, or find up/down platformer navigation at odds with how you think about base building.
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Procedural GenerationAutomationBase-Building
$29.99 ~51.3 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 83.6% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictSame automation-in-a-cozy-shell setup as Nova Lands: build factories, expand your base, watch resource chains grow. Oddsparks adds co-op, spark creatures that handle transport and combat, and a late-game tower-defense segment. Median playtime runs 51 hours. Fits players who want automation with more moving parts and a partner to build with.
Not for you if you want tight, polished UX — reviewers report persistent interface problems and describe the automation systems as inconsistent between cozy and hardcore.
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Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
AutomationBase-BuildingSpace
$18.99 ~40.1 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 85.1% of 808
The Squirrel's verdictOutworld Station shares Nova Lands' core loop: automate resource chains, unlock buildings, progress through production tiers. It adds co-op and a space setting, but reviews describe missions as heavily on-rails, with fixed resource points and little room to experiment or optimize. Median playtime is 40 hours, with an 85.1% positive rating.
Not for you if you want open-ended factory optimization — reviews consistently describe objectives as linear and maps as too constrained to allow meaningful strategic variation.
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MiningAutomationDungeon Crawler
$13.99 ~9.3 hr median co-op 82.5% of 189
The Squirrel's verdictStarground combines automation survival with a dungeon system where the two mechanics directly feed each other: resources fuel the dungeon, and dungeon progress unlocks automation upgrades. Co-op is included. Reviewers put completion time between 2 and 9 hours, with content described as a solid foundation that is thin on depth beyond one dungeon and a boss.
Not for you if you want substantial late-game content or a long completion runway — the current build is short and light on systems beyond the core loop.
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AutomationCity BuilderColony Sim
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$19.99 ~29.7 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 80.5% of 796
The Squirrel's verdictKubifaktorium shares Nova Lands' core loop: colonists and machines automate crafting chains, with logistics and stockpile routing driving progression through expanding bases. Progression is structured island-by-island rather than open-map, and stockpile management stays manual and click-heavy rather than deeply automated. Suited to players who liked worker-based automation but want a slower, more hands-on pace.
Not for you if you want automation depth closer to Factorio or expect each island to introduce new systems instead of repeating the last one.
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SurvivalAutomationOpen World Survival Craft
$19.99 ~18.3 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 79.9% of 601
The Squirrel's verdictAtrio shares the automation-and-base-building core of Nova Lands, with survival and a story-driven campaign layered in place of Nova's data-collection controversy. No opt-out data harvesting here, but reviews report persistent bugs around leaving your base (bees, pumps, water) that can stall production lines mid-playthrough.
Not for you if you want a polished, bug-free automation loop or deep filter/conveyor systems comparable to dedicated factory games.