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.
Colony SimCity BuilderSurvival
$19.99 ~94.5 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 75.3% of 13k
The Squirrel's verdictBoth are voxel colony builders left incomplete by their original studios: pick colonists, assign jobs, build up through crafting and defense against waves. Stonehearth adds blueprint-based building placement and co-op, and unlike Towns its community mod (ACE) keeps patching bugs and adding planned features years after the studio stopped.
Not for you if you want a finished official release rather than one kept alive through a community mod with continuing stability issues.
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Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Colony SimCity BuilderSurvival
$14.99 ~107.5 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 75.1% of 4k
The Squirrel's verdictSame simplified Dwarf Fortress premise as Towns: colony sim with mining, crafting, and dwarf (here, gnome) management instead of DF's ASCII overload. Gnomoria reached a full 1.0 release rather than stalling in early access, giving it more content and stability, though reviews still cite persistent bugs and an unfinished feel post-launch.
Not for you if you need active bug fixes going forward, since reviews describe long-standing game-breaking issues left unaddressed.
3
Colony SimRogue-liteCartoony
$29.99 ~12.8 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 59.2% of 990
The Squirrel's verdictJumplight Odyssey is a crew management sim with Battlestar Galactica-style presentation: keep a ship running, manage colonist needs, and push toward a destination. Reviews describe it as playable end to end despite a rough launch. The studio fired staff and paused development citing funding collapse in the Australian games industry. Median playtime is 12.8 hours.
Not for you if you want active studio development rather than a game where further updates depend on the studio resolving its funding situation.
4
Colony SimBase-BuildingAutomation
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$24.99 ~49.5 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 57% of 3k
The Squirrel's verdictHammerting shares Towns' dwarf-colony framework: dig into a mountain, manage a growing crew, watch systems strain as the base expands. Reviews describe late-game lag and pathing collapse under larger colonies. Newest review logged 7 days ago despite no major updates planned. Median playtime sits near 50 hours, suggesting the early-to-mid game holds attention.
Not for you if you want a colony that scales cleanly late-game rather than degrading into lag and AI breakdowns as it grows.
5
City BuilderColony SimAction RPG
~2.4 hr median no co-op complexity: light 56.3% of 254
The Squirrel's verdictKingdom Builders suits players who want a casual, kid-friendly city builder with light systems and a story about an outcast prince building a safe settlement. The food storage cap of 20 berries at a single city centre reflects how constrained the systems are. Median playtime of 2.4 hours reflects how quickly the available content runs out; development stopped due to lack of funds.
Not for you if you want meaningful systemic depth or more than a couple of hours of content before the game ends.
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Base-BuildingSpaceSurvival
Free ~20.2 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 50.4% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictPlayers who want to design and crew a spaceship rather than a fantasy settlement will find Starship Theory's loop engaging: build out a ship room by room, manage crew needs, and survive in a resource-scarce environment. It's free, so evaluating whether development has resumed costs nothing. Median playtime is 20.2 hours, and reviews confirm the developer returned after a hiatus.
Not for you if you need a clear, confirmed development roadmap before investing time in a game.
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City BuilderRPGFantasy
~6 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 36.6% of 3k
The Squirrel's verdictFolk Tale pairs colony building with RPG-tinged strategy layers, the same combination Towns aimed for: managing settlers, structures, and resources while world events intrude. It carries a Mostly Negative rating and a median playtime of 6 hours, well short of the game Towns fans logged. Listed as upcoming, no co-op, PC and Mac only.
Not for you if you want a game with a positive reception track record or more than a handful of hours of tested content.
8
SpaceBase-BuildingSci-fi
$9.99 ~8.6 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 17.9% of 4k
The Squirrel's verdictSpacebase DF-9 puts you in charge of a space station rather than a town: assign colonists to jobs, manage resources, and expand a base through the same loop Towns used. An unofficial community patch addresses bugs Double Fine left unfixed after canceling development. At $9.99 with an Overwhelmingly Negative rating, it draws a narrow audience willing to rely on that fan patch.
Not for you if you want a rated, officially supported game rather than one kept functional by an unofficial community patch.