1
Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
DwarfColony SimBase-Building
$29.99 ~114.7 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 94.8% of 31k
The Squirrel's verdictOdd Realm was explicitly built as a friendlier on-ramp to this game's colony sim, so you already know the fortress-management, material-crafting, and disaster-survival loop. Dwarf Fortress is the deeper, older, and less streamlined original: more materials, more systems interacting, less UI hand-holding, and a much higher learning curve to work through.
Not for you if you found Odd Realm's complexity overwhelming already, since Dwarf Fortress has more systems and less onboarding, not less.
2
RPGCity BuilderColony Sim
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$23.99 ~71.4 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 89.1% of 21k
The Squirrel's verdictGoing Medieval shares colony sim fundamentals with Odd Realm: individually managed pawns, raid defense, and a complexity level reviewers compare directly to Dwarf Fortress rather than Rimworld. The difference is focus - 3D construction and verticality are the main draw here, with terrain and building customization taking priority over deep simulation. It's released, Very Positive rated, with median playtime over 70 hours.
Not for you if you need reliable melee combat and pathfinding - reviewers across multiple points describe both as broken, including pawns building floors in the wrong order.
3
City BuilderColony SimBase-Building
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$24.99 ~64 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 94.5% of 9k
The Squirrel's verdictBoth are colony sims descended from Dwarf Fortress, but Songs of Syx scales further: you start with a handful of settlers and grow into cities of thousands with industry, trade, and armies, while reviewers call it more approachable than Dwarf Fortress and less fiddly than Rimworld. Suits players who want Odd Realm's depth without its rough edges, at larger scope.
Not for you if you want fast visual payoff — several reviewers describe long stretches of placing buildings and waiting before the city feels alive.
4
Colony SimCraftingMedieval
$24.99 ~44.6 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 83% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictSame Dwarf Fortress/Rimworld-adjacent colony sim skeleton: z-levels, world generation, settlers with individual needs. Noble Fates adds direct third-person control over a pawn for manual harvesting and combat, plus dialog-driven character interaction Odd Realm doesn't have. Steam rating sits at Very Positive with median playtime around 44 hours, suggesting the systems hold up over longer sessions.
Not for you if you want streamlined UI over deep character micromanagement, since likes/dislikes tracking and fill-in-the-blank dialog add friction some reviewers found tedious.
5
Colony SimCraftingBase-Building
$14.99 ~32.9 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 79.8% of 425
The Squirrel's verdictGrim Realms shares Odd Realm's job-assignment and settler-needs structure, with Dwarf Fortress-adjacent complexity and more direct task control than Rimworld. Released at 1.0 in 2024 with a Mostly Positive rating (79.8%) and median playtime of 32.9 hours, the developer has continued issuing bug fixes post-launch. Reviewers report settlers failing to path to food, performance degrading as colonies grow, and mechanics that go unexplained.
Not for you if you want stable performance at scale and clear onboarding — bugs and unexplained mechanics require significant trial-and-error to work around.
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Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Colony SimBase-BuildingResource Management
$19.99 ~19.4 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 76.4% of 635
The Squirrel's verdictCo-op play and a structured, linear research path are what separate First Feudal from Odd Realm. Reviewers put its systemic depth well below Dwarf Fortress, closer in weight to Rise to Ruins, and flag manual inventory management and unexplained mechanics as friction points. Released in 2021, Mostly Positive rated (76.4%), with a median playtime of 19.4 hours. Best suited to players who want the colony survival genre with less complexity to untangle.
Not for you if you came to Odd Realm for Dwarf Fortress-level systemic depth — reviewers consistently call this a fraction of that complexity.
7
Colony SimBase-BuildingSurvival
$24.99 ~31 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 60.4% of 389
The Squirrel's verdictThe defining feature of Embark is its fully 3D voxel world with geological strata, letting you dig through layered terrain rather than working on fixed map layers as in Odd Realm. Reviewers compare its crafting and stockpile systems closely to Stonehearth rather than Dwarf Fortress. Steam rating is Mixed (60.4% positive), median playtime is 31 hours, and bug reports are consistent across reviews.
Not for you if you want colony and digging systems that are stable and deep — reviewers compare the crafting unfavorably to Stonehearth and flag persistent bugs.
8
Colony SimBase-BuildingOpen World
$24.99 ~14 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 59.6% of 413
The Squirrel's verdictPlayers who want autonomous settlers with semi-random leveling traits that determine what they can build and craft will find TFM: The First Men covers that ground. It layers tactical combat and map exploration onto the colony sim base, which Odd Realm lacks. The UI is reviewed as non-intuitive across the board, and the Steam rating sits at Mixed (59.6% positive) with a median playtime of 14 hours.
Not for you if you want a legible interface — reviewers consistently flag the UI as a significant barrier to learning the systems.