9 Best Games Like Dwarf Fortress That You Should Know Update 03/2024

Games Like Dwarf Fortress

These fantastic time management and survival games are well worth your time.

What about certain games like RimWorld, then? “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Charles Caleb Colton said in the days of the Commodore 64. We must also remember that without imitation, we wouldn’t have invention, and we wouldn’t have diversity without innovation.

With its rich, emergent gameplay and ASCII graphics, Dwarf Fortress has long been regarded as a classic. Despite being nearly unrecognisable to modern town-builders, the text-based clan manager’s effect is still felt. Since then, Dwarf Fortress has served as a model for a new generation of city-building and narrative management games.

Dwarf Fortress’ free edition is wonderful, but the game’s convoluted UI and “losing is enjoyable” design turn off many potential players. Rimworld was created as a result of this innovation. We can now take a look at the new advancements that have emerged since Rimworld was first released. If you’re looking for a game like Rimworld or Dwarf Fortress but don’t know where to start, we’ve got some recommendations for you.

1. Going Medieval

Going Medieval

Blending city-building and colony survival elements, this upcoming Steam Early Access game is an amalgamation of Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress. Resurrecting an abandoned Dark Age town after a devastating plague decimated its people, you’re now in command. To ensure a brighter future for your people, you must build up your stronghold and extend into the wilderness.

Although you’ll have to wait until June 1 to get your hands on it, it already looks like an interesting twist on the concept.

The final beta will be released later this month, and it will be available on Steam as soon as possible.

2. Amazing Cultivation Simulator

Amazing Cultivation Simulator would probably have been the result if RimWorld was based on Asian legend. You, too, may embark on a magnificent adventure to restore your sect via training and the cultivation of mind and soul, which is now available on Steam. And mighty relics.

Top-down, 2-dimensional graphics evoke the RimWorld style, but it also features a robust set of administrative tools. Enlightenment in this hypothetical universe based on Buddhist and Taoist philosophy will necessitate the recruitment of new disciples and the management of competing sects.

3. First Feudal

First Feudal

First Feudal used to be the first game recommended by Steam on the Rimworld store page for a while. There are certain elements that are similar: By putting up walls, doors, and floors, you may gather materials, establish workbenches, and construct workshops and homes. You even control villagers, giving them tasks and tools and satisfying their needs for food and sleep.

Although the format is similar, First Feudal isn’t merely a copycat. You control a character and must guide the people of the village in order to grow up the community, rather than Rimworld’s omniscient overseer. It’s a good idea, because it puts you right in the middle of the action with the locals. While it can at times feel like a tower defense game, it’s a lot of fun. Factorio fans may enjoy it, as it has been in early access since late 2017.

4. King Under The Mountain

The fact that it hasn’t been made available yet makes this one a bit of a wild card. While it had a successful Kickstarter campaign that ended in the middle of 2018, it has recently launched its sixth Alpha build. Steam early access will not be available until at least 2021, according to current estimates.

We can trace our ancestry all the way back toDwarf Fortress for King Under The Mountain, just as Neanderthals can for us in the Rimworld. For the most part, the Kickstarter promised a similar experience to Rimworld, but with a few unique selling factors. As a matter of fact, you are dwarfs! Yay!

It’s more like Prison Architect than King Under The Mountain right now because the furnishings available in each chamber is determined by the ‘zone’ in which the room is located, rather than the other way around. That’s not always a negative thing, because it implies the user interface will be kept as minimal as possible.

5. Civitatem

Civitatem

First Feudal and Civitatem share the feature of giving you a physical presence in the world, but Civitatem stays true to its Rimworld roots and allows you to maintain your omniscient position. The art style is practically identical to Rimworld’s, but that’s about where the similarities end.

It’s more like Banished’s sadistic town-builder Civitatem, but with a more narrow focus.

In spite of its plain appearance, the game promises a “exploration mini-game” that would allow players to find new villages.

Medieval Dynasty, a 3D open-world survival/builder game similar to Life is Feudal and Dwarf Frotress, may be a better fit for you than Rimworld or Dwarf Frotress.

6. Oxygen Not Included

The most well-known brand on this list, Oxygen Not Included is one of the top alternatives to Rimworld that we can recommend.

Oxygen Not Included puts you in command of a clone-filled asteroid colony and raises the difficulty level to an 11 on the difficulty scale. You’re not just responsible for the mental and physical well-being of the colonists, but also the temperature, water quality, and pollution of the colony. The restrooms should be located near the reservoir. Yes, it’s inevitable that everyone will fall ill.

Even though it was initially tough and lacking in substance, Oxygen Not Included has been constantly updated and enhanced over the years by Klei.

The most difficult part of the job is dealing with the buildup of dirty liquids caused by the little bladdered colonist as well as managing temperature changes and gas movement. Every aspect of it is infused with personality, from the sighs of the saddened replicants to the way they cuddle up in their beds like cats.

7. Space Haven

Space Haven

In spite of its lack of direct analogies to Rimworld, this is one of the suggested titles on Rimworld’s store page. This is a game about building and maintaining a colony in outer space. While you can customize your ‘haven,’ you must journey through a procedurally generated galaxy in quest of new companions, resources, and supplies, as well as a new place to call home for yourself and your crew.

This isn’t a roguelike like FTL or Crying Suns, but it has a lot in common with those. “Simulated gas system” is a fascinating feature but not something I would expect to see as a major selling point for the title. Even so, you’re in a completely different realm. Out in the emptiness, efficient and safe air transport is likely to be quite crucial.

8. Surviving the Aftermath

For the same reasons as with Judgement, we’ve included this one as well. Even while it lacks Rimworld’s frontier setting and grim depiction of interstellar outback life, Surviving the Aftermath focuses on colonization and survival on an unforgiving world. In this game, your goal is to lead and protect a band of stranded survivors as they flee a nuclear holocaust.

You get to choose what kind of apocalypse you get, how horrible the apocalypse was, how frequently calamities occur, and so on before you start each game. You may travel out and explore and meet other colonies, as well as battle against robbers in the strategic tier. Although it is currently in early access, it is receiving significant improvements on a bi-monthly basis and is looking great so far.

9. Dwarf Fortress Steam

Dwarf Fortress Steam

Dwarf Fortress is the only game greater than Dwarf Fortress itself! A clever entry, but remember that the planned Steam release of Dwarf Fortress is a different game from the one referred to in mythology. For some players, Developer Bay 12 has decided to formalize their habits by releasing an official skin pack that will allow graphics that are comparable to those of any of the current generation of successors.

Dwarf Fortress’ developers are also considering adding extra premium features aimed at generating a more mainstream version of the game, however it will be updated in sync with the free/classic edition and play the same as the original.

There will be several game modes, including ‘Fortress,’ ‘Adventure,’ and the original Dwarf Fortress, when it launches on Steam. Steam Workshop integration is also included. Sadly, there is no release date for this, so we’ll have to wait patiently.