Games Like DFHack - Dwarf Fortress Modding Engine

Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world. Keep your dwarves happy, grow their community and beware of digging too deeply. The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created.

Why similar: Dwarves 53.9% ★, Colony Sim 18.4%, Building 7.4%, Simulation 5.4%, Management 4.8%

Why You'll Like It: As the base game for DFHack, it offers the deepest, most complex simulation experience available in the colony-sim genre.

A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Generates stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.

Why similar: Colony Sim 36.1%, Moddable 27.9% ★, Building 7.3%, Procedural Generation 7.3%, Simulation 7%

Why You'll Like It: This game shares the same focus on emergent storytelling and deep, interconnected simulation systems that make colony management challenging and rewarding.

Songs of Syx is a fantasy city-builder with vast battles simulating thousands of citizens and soldiers. Start off as a small village and build, scheme, and fight your way towards a mighty empire. The mechanics are deep and true to life, where tiny events can spiral into the collapse of kingdoms.

Why similar: Colony Sim 34.1%, Moddable 32.7% ★, Building 12.3%, Simulation 8.4%, Survival 3.8%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the massive scale and complex logistical management that appeals to players who enjoy the depth of Dwarf Fortress.

Factorio is a game about building and creating automated factories to produce items of increasing complexity, within an infinite 2D world. Use your imagination to design your factory, combine simple elements into ingenious structures, and finally protect it from the creatures who don't really like you.

Why similar: Moddable 30.9% ★, Resource Management 23.4%, Building 13.5%, Management 9.8%, Simulation 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: For those who use DFHack for automation, this game provides the ultimate experience in building and optimizing complex, self-sustaining systems.

Oxygen Not Included is a space-colony simulation game. Deep inside an alien space rock your industrious crew will need to master science, overcome strange new lifeforms, and harness incredible space tech to survive, and possibly, thrive.

Why similar: Colony Sim 53.4%, Building 12.3%, Resource Management 11.8%, Simulation 6.4%, Management 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: This title emphasizes complex automation, resource management, and physics-based simulation that will satisfy players who enjoy the technical side of DFHack.

Build and manage your own castle settlement in a land reclaimed by wilderness. With detailed management, survival strategy, and a moddable sandbox world, Going Medieval challenges you to build the mightiest colony this side of the apocalypse.

Why similar: Moddable 32.2% ★, Colony Sim 29.8%, Procedural Generation 10.7%, Simulation 8%, Management 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: A 3D colony simulator that offers deep building mechanics and survival management similar to the architectural challenges found in underground fortresses.

Humans are long gone. In a world struck by droughts and toxic waste, will your lumberpunk beavers do any better? A sandbox city-building game featuring ingenious animals, vertical architecture, water physics, and terraforming. Contains high amounts of wood.

Why similar: Colony Sim 44.8%, Building 16.2%, Management 10.4%, Simulation 9.9%, Resource Management 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: This game features unique water physics and engineering-focused colony building that rewards players for clever, systematic design.

Rise up in a search for immortality in this strategy sim and management game based on Chinese mythology. Rebuild your sect and train new disciples through the path of cultivation. Research magic and gather mystical artifacts, face ancient dangers and other sects in your path to spiritual ascension.

Why similar: Colony Sim 43.6%, Simulation 26%, RPG 7.4%, Management 6.3%, Strategy 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: It offers an incredibly deep, systems-heavy experience that rivals Dwarf Fortress in complexity and learning curve.

Manage a Dwarven mining colony in the unexplored mountains of Mara. As conflict rages in the Overworld, you will need to craft, explore and fight as you provide the allies of your choice with the finest weapons and gear to assist them in the battle for glory.

Why similar: Colony Sim 37.5%, Building 14%, Simulation 10.5%, Procedural Generation 10.5%, Resource Management 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: This underground colony sim focuses on mining and crafting, mirroring the core loop of building a dwarven stronghold.

Clanfolk is a colony sim set in the Scottish Highlands. Harness your environment to survive - fish, gather, hunt, and farm as you prepare for the winter. Build an inn, trade with other clans, have children and marry them off - live life and prosper across the generations.

Why similar: Colony Sim 49.8%, Building 19.9%, Simulation 15.1%, Pixel Graphics 6.9%, RPG 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: A survival colony sim set in the Scottish Highlands that focuses on deep simulation of family life, seasons, and resource management.

Craft The World is a unique sandbox strategy game, the mix of Dungeon Keeper, Terraria and Dwarf Fortress. Explore a random generated world populated by dangerous creatures, build a dwarf fortress, gather resources, and craft all the items, weapons, and armor you need.

Why similar: Dwarves 62.7% ★, Colony Sim 20.4%, Building 8.1%, Simulation 2.4%, Survival 1.9%

Why You'll Like It: A side-scrolling sandbox game that captures the spirit of dwarven mining and base-building in a more accessible format.

Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in MP: you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, massively customisable sandbox and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary. So how will you die? All it takes is a bite..

Why similar: Survival 28.2%, Building 27.8%, Simulation 18.3%, Isometric 16.2%, RPG 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: This game provides an uncompromisingly deep simulation of survival where every detail of your environment and character matters.

Protect and guide your people as you forge a town from untamed wilderness at the edge of the known world. Harvest raw materials, hunt, fish and farm to survive. Produce crafted items to trade, consume, equip and fight with as you battle for your survival against the elements and outside threats.

Why similar: Colony Sim 38.2%, Building 23.2%, Resource Management 12.3%, Management 9.6%, Immersive Sim 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: It combines detailed city-building with complex survival mechanics, requiring careful management of resources and environment.

Settle an untamed wilderness with the might of Dwarven engineering and thoughtful planning! Design and build your colony towards fame and fortune in a deeply-simulated fantasy world. Chill out in peaceful mode with a bustling settlement, or fight for survival against monsters and invasions!

Why similar: Dwarves 47.2% ★, Moddable 17% ★, Colony Sim 16.5%, Building 5.7%, Simulation 4.9%

Why You'll Like It: This colony sim focuses on the challenges of building a thriving society within a mountain, directly echoing the themes of dwarven fortress building.

Build a colony of ruthless capitalist Dwarves in a strange fantasy land.

Why similar: Dwarves 86.5% ★, Colony Sim 9%, Simulation 3.3%, Strategy 1.3%

Why You'll Like It: It combines colony management with real-time strategy elements, focusing on the economic and expansionist aspects of running a dwarven company.

Gather resources, craft weapons, and build a castle. Then defend your castle against monsters who will try to siege, sap, and smash their way in. All in a procedurally generated 3D block world that allows for extensive crafting and total construction and destruction of the terrain.

Why similar: Dwarves 85.2% ★, Colony Sim 4.3%, Simulation 3%, Building 1.9%, Procedural Generation 1.7%

Why You'll Like It: A sandbox strategy game that allows for extensive building and management of a dwarven colony in a 3D environment.

A brutal godlike village sim that melds the god game, management, and tower defense genres! Fight off hoards of monsters at night, and expand your village in the day time. Inspired by games like Black and White, Rimworld, and Dwarf Fortress but not quite like any of them.

Why similar: Colony Sim 63.9%, Simulation 10.9%, Resource Management 6.4%, Survival 6.4%, Pixel Graphics 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: A blend of god-game and colony-sim that offers a high level of difficulty and complex management systems for those who enjoy a challenge.

Harness your Demigod powers to lead a group from rags to riches in this 3D Fantasy Kingdom Management Sim with RPG elements. Command from the sky or take control in 3rd Person to BUILD, BATTLE, and RULE. Navigate a world of interesting Nobles, earn their respect, and decide their Fates.

Why similar: Colony Sim 33%, Moddable 26.3% ★, Building 10.9%, Procedural Generation 9.5%, Management 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: This game blends colony management with RPG elements, allowing for deep control over the lives and decisions of your subjects.

Only the world’s most ruthless Warden can contain the world’s most ruthless inmates. Design and develop your personalized penitentiary in Prison Architect.

Why similar: Colony Sim 32.7%, Moddable 22.4% ★, Building 14.5%, Simulation 10.9%, Management 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: It provides a robust simulation engine focused on management, logistics, and design, appealing to those who enjoy the administrative side of colony sims.

KeeperRL is a retro dungeon simulator with roguelike and RPG elements. Take the role of an evil keeper and build a formidable dungeon. Recruit sinister minions, equip and train them to explore the world and fight the forces of good.

Why similar: Dwarves 49% ★, Moddable 21.8% ★, Procedural Generation 7.6%, Building 7.1%, Simulation 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: A dungeon-building roguelike that allows you to design your own lair and manage minions, appealing to the underground-building aspect of Dwarf Fortress.

Foundation is a grid-less, laidback medieval city-building game with a focus on organic development, monument construction and resource management.

Why similar: Colony Sim 28.3%, Simulation 18.7%, Building 16.7%, Resource Management 13.4%, Management 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: A gridless city-builder that offers a more organic approach to construction and management, focusing on the development of a medieval society.

Pioneer a living world full of warmth, heroism, and mystery. Help a small group of settlers build a home for themselves in a forgotten land. Establish a food supply, build shelter, defend your people, monitor their moods, and find a way to grow and expand, facing challenges at every step.

Why similar: Colony Sim 59%, Building 18%, Simulation 8%, Survival 5.3%, Strategy 4.3%

Why You'll Like It: A voxel-based colony sim that emphasizes town building and management with a charming aesthetic and deep construction mechanics.

Dwarf Tower is a turn-based tactics game of tower building and spellcasting. Each turn you develop your tower by placing blocks, constructing rooms, and play various spells. Your tower can have Libraries (store spells), Crystals (generate mana), Dwarf Dwellings (give you dwarves to repair the tower) and some other rooms.

Why similar: Dwarves 93.3% ★, Building 5.2%, Strategy 1.5%

Why You'll Like It: A strategy-focused building game that challenges players to construct a functional tower while managing their dwarven population.

Inspired by the deep simulation of Dwarf Fortress, the open world survival of Minecraft, and the social interactions of The Sims. Embark is a colony management game with a focus on complex simulation in a huge living 3D world.

Why similar: Colony Sim 53.1%, Moddable 13.7% ★, Building 10.4%, Simulation 9.8%, Management 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: A complex colony simulator that focuses on the intricate details of building and managing a settlement in a procedurally generated world.

In Autonauts you must build, create, and automate. Start by establishing a colony, crafting bots and teaching them via Scratch-style programming to build an ever evolving autonomous paradise of agriculture, industry and enlightenment.

Why similar: Colony Sim 44.5%, Simulation 20.1%, Building 14.1%, Resource Management 10.7%, Management 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: It focuses heavily on the automation of tasks through a visual programming language, perfect for players who enjoy the scripting aspects of DFHack.

Dig! Dig! Dig! Manage the small underground Dwarf base and make it as rich as possible before they meet their inevitable doom. Purchase before May 11th and save!

Why similar: Dwarves 61% ★, Colony Sim 18%, Procedural Generation 4.4%, Management 4.2%, Simulation 3.6%

Why You'll Like It: An arcade-style strategy game that focuses on the frantic management of a dwarven colony under pressure.

In this city-building strategy game, you control a group of exiled travelers who decide to restart their lives in a new land. They have only the clothes on their backs and a cart filled with supplies from their homeland. The townspeople of Banished are your primary resource.

Why similar: Colony Sim 59.9%, Simulation 12.6%, Survival 5.3%, Strategy 5.2%, Resource Management 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: The quintessential survival city-builder that forces players to master complex resource chains to keep their settlement alive through harsh winters.

Frostpunk is the first society survival game. As the ruler of the last city on Earth, it is your duty to manage both its citizens and infrastructure. What decisions will you make to ensure your society's survival? What will you do when pushed to breaking point? Who will you become in the process?

Why similar: Colony Sim 44.1%, Resource Management 16.7%, Building 12.6%, Survival 8.1%, Simulation 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: This game tests your management skills in a high-stakes survival scenario where every decision has significant consequences for your colony.

Build and command your own party of Dwarves in a chaotic mix of Auto Battler, Strategy, and RPG. Prepare formations, assign equipment, and decide the fate of up to 10 Beardlings, as you lead the raid party through reckless runs filled with Glory, Death, and Loot!

Why similar: Dwarves 91.4% ★, Procedural Generation 3.9%, RPG 1.6%, Pixel Graphics 1.4%, Strategy 1.3%

Dwarves hunger for gold, and no mountain shall stand in their way! Mine riches, unearth artifacts, and upgrade your dwarves to devour ever-bigger peaks in this whimsical incremental game.

Why similar: Dwarves 69.9% ★, Building 8.4%, Resource Management 7%, Simulation 5.4%, Management 4.2%

Orebound is a dwarven themed factory automation game. Play alone or with friends as you build, mine, craft and explore a voxel generated world! Build your fortress, expand your factory, fight off creatures who dwell beneath the mountains and embark on a journey of greatness.

Why similar: Dwarves 65.8% ★, Colony Sim 9.7%, Resource Management 8%, Building 5.3%, Procedural Generation 4.5%

A Dwarven Prince on a quest to reclaim his people’s stolen land will take you on a great journey. Explore a continent filled with buried treasures and unearth mysteries that have laid hidden since the Great War.

Why similar: Dwarves 89.5% ★, Building 4.5%, Simulation 2.9%, Strategy 2.9%, Singleplayer 0.3%

Why You'll Like It: A casual city-builder that focuses on digging and managing a dwarven settlement, providing a lighter take on the genre.

Gnomes is a turn-based tower defense with deep roguelike progression, set in ever-expanding, procedurally generated biomes. Build, farm and defend your village as you push deeper into goblin-infested territory. Unlock powerful upgrades and craft your environment to survive the endless goblin horde

Why similar: Dwarves 62.5% ★, Colony Sim 18.6%, Procedural Generation 10%, Survival 2.9%, Pixel Graphics 2.8%

Stonedeep is an 2.5D underground city builder. Dwarfs gather resources, build and fend off monsters. Colonies can specialize in culture, production, military and trading. At start, dwarfs need drinks and rest. With a higher civilization level, they will increase their needs.

Why similar: Colony Sim 41.8%, Building 15.7%, Resource Management 12.4%, Simulation 10.4%, Management 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: A base-building colony sim that emphasizes survival and resource management in a subterranean setting.

Delve Deeper is a turn-based Adventure/Strategy game for Windows that combines HD pixel art, tile placement, and RPG elements in a bright and humorous atmosphere. Up to four players take command of Dwarf mining teams in this fast and furious dungeon adventure meets devious puzzler, building the map as you play for an ever-changing,...

Why similar: Dwarves 95.1% ★, Strategy 3.2%, RPG 1.7%

Blacksmith: Ignite the Forge is a mix of a simulator, strategy, and auto-battler. Become a master smith, craft various weapons, and enhance them with magical runes. Equip a team of adventurers with your hand-made tools, send them on missions, gather loot to upgrade your forge, and save the land!

Why similar: Dwarves 80% ★, Building 8.5%, Simulation 7.7%, Resource Management 3.4%, Singleplayer 0.5%

Embark on an explorative RPG hack-and-slash adventure where you attempt to re-establish a haven for the lost dwarven civilization. Journey across varied lands, help those in need, gather resources and fight off goblins and monsters as you slowly rebuild a home for your people.

Why similar: Dwarves 64.2% ★, Colony Sim 16.8%, Building 8.1%, Resource Management 5.3%, Pixel Graphics 2.4%

Dwarf Shop is a Shop Simulator with, you guessed it, Dwarves! Help the Dragon Clan lure their very own dragon by amassing piles and piles of glorious gold. Send one dwarf deep into the caves to find ingredients while the others craft various equipment and sell them to unsuspecting customers!

Why similar: Dwarves 77.4% ★, Simulation 7.6%, Management 6.3%, Pixel Graphics 2.9%, RPG 2.7%

Manage your own medieval smithy in Blacksmith Master and supervise the entire process from mining ores and gems to designing and selling finished products. Forge everything from weapons and armor to tools and cooking utensils to fund your craft and become the Blacksmith Master.

Why similar: Moddable 29.4% ★, Colony Sim 27.5%, Building 11.2%, Resource Management 8.4%, Simulation 8.4%

A dwarfish colony sim set in a fantasy world. Inspired by Rimworld and Banished. Dig deep to uncover riches and challenges, recruit dwarves to produce goods, and trade with other settlements (or raid them) to help your colony succeed.

Why similar: Dwarves 91.1% ★, Simulation 8.9%

Dwarf Journey is an action roguelite platformer with randomly generated levels. Defeat enemies, level up, assemble your rune build and collect minerals to forge better equipment on an epic journey in search of immortality.

Why similar: Dwarves 97.5% ★, Procedural Generation 1%, RPG 1%, Pixel Graphics 0.5%, Singleplayer 0.1%

Life is Hard is a godsim town simulator game developed by a two-man-team. Your main aim here is to manage your town. Expand your domain, prevent famine, make war, trade with others, attract new people. Make history!

Why similar: Dwarves 70.3% ★, Simulation 17.5%, Strategy 8.1%, Pixel Graphics 4.1%

Build an underground network of caves in this fantasy-themed management sim.

Why similar: Colony Sim 57%, Simulation 19.5%, Building 10.9%, Pixel Graphics 5.4%, Survival 4.9%

Reunite the kingdom of Adventuria and defeat the evil Illusionist Miraj by recruiting Adventurers to send on Adventures for epic loot and rewards in this RPG/Management Sim with tons of depth, randomization, and customization options!

Why similar: Dwarves 62.9% ★, RPG 11%, Management 9.9%, Simulation 8.6%, Pixel Graphics 6.3%

Dwarfs!? is an addictive, fast paced arcade-like experience, with plenty of difficulty levels and game modes, in the tradition of great games such as “Lemmings” and “Dwarf Fortress”.

Why similar: Dwarves 95.8% ★, Strategy 3.6%, Singleplayer 0.6%

Dungeon Alchemist is mapmaking software for tabletop RPG's that enables you to make amazing, high-quality maps in seconds!

Why similar: Software 44.3% ★, Utilities 35% ★, Procedural Generation 9.9%, Isometric 7.7%, RPG 3.1%

Build your way to success! Trade your way to the top! Explore your way to infamy! Do it all your way!

Why similar: Moddable 24% ★, Colony Sim 22.2%, Building 9.4%, Simulation 7.9%, Isometric 7.9%

Become the hive mind of a robot ant colony in Microtopia! Use pheromone trails to create, automate and optimize supply chains for your ants to follow. Collect resources, produce goods, feed your queen, grow your colony and fly out to expand the species!

Why similar: Colony Sim 29.9%, Moddable 26.2% ★, Procedural Generation 11.4%, Resource Management 8.9%, Building 8%

A medieval fantasy kingdom builder, management sim and dungeon delver RPG hybrid. Gather resources, manage villagers and build infrastructure. Then dive into the dungeons to face the monsters within. Or just unlock everything in a Creative "God Mode" and build the fantasy kingdom of your dreams.

Why similar: Colony Sim 46.5%, Building 20.4%, Management 12.5%, Simulation 9.5%, RPG 5.8%

Inhabit a deeply-simulated science fantasy world and chisel through layers of thousand-year-old civilizations. Build a character from over a hundred mutations and cybernetics. The award-winning sandbox roguelike & RPG full of robots, deep lore, and sentient plants.

Why similar: Moddable 50.6% ★, Procedural Generation 30.2%, Survival 6%, Pixel Graphics 5.8%, RPG 5.4%

Master of Realms is mapmaking application for tabletop RPG’s that enables you to make amazing worlds, regions, and cities, then bring them into physical form with 3D Printable terrain!

Why similar: Software 35.2% ★, Utilities 27% ★, Moddable 12.8% ★, Procedural Generation 8.2%, Isometric 5.4%

ATC is a base building game set in a post-apocalyptic world featuring urban environments. Build a base across several layers with dozens of survivors. Fight other factions for the control of the remaining production centers and explore the world to find long forgotten resources and technologies.

Why similar: Colony Sim 33.8%, Moddable 28.2% ★, Procedural Generation 10.2%, Management 7.9%, Simulation 6%

Mob factory is an tower defense and automation game for the lazy adventurer. Smelt down enemy loot into turrets & factories to automate an ever expanding dungeon from the comfort of your tower.

Why similar: Simulation 26.5%, Resource Management 26.4%, Building 21.1%, Management 12.7%, Strategy 7.4%

Gnomoria is a sandbox village management game where you help lead a small group of gnomes, who have set out on their own, to thrive into a bustling kingdom! Anything you see can be broken down and rebuilt elsewhere.

Why similar: Colony Sim 50%, Building 13.5%, Simulation 12.2%, Isometric 6.9%, Strategy 4.9%

Demon Castle Building Dungeon Management Simulation

Why similar: Colony Sim 47.8%, Simulation 23%, RPG 10.5%, Strategy 8.3%, Building 6.7%

Dynamic Dungeons Editor is an easy-to-use local tabletop tool for game masters to display video maps or images on a digital gaming table, TV, or projector. Import Dynamic Dungeons maps or your own images or videos, use tokens and props. Make a playlist, apply fog of war, or a custom grid overlay.

Why similar: Software 53.5% ★, Utilities 39.3% ★, RPG 4.9%, Choose Your Own Adventure 2.4%

Build a heroic hamlet that warriors and merchants can call home!

Why similar: Colony Sim 54.1%, Building 18.8%, Management 10.9%, Simulation 9.1%, Pixel Graphics 6.5%

Below the Stone is an extraction roguelike about dwarves on the quest for the deepest depths. A place where each and every descent will lead to new adventures -- and where only the most determined dwarves with many lost lives will be rewarded by the hidden world lying below the stone.

Why similar: Dwarves 85.2% ★, Procedural Generation 7%, Resource Management 5.2%, Pixel Graphics 2.6%