Games Like Heart of the Machine

An alien invasion has fractured humanity into seven ideological factions each with a unique vision for the future. Lead your chosen faction to take control of Earth’s nations, expand across the Solar System, and battle enemy fleets in tactical combat.

Why similar: Diplomacy 16.3% ★, 4X 15.3% ★, Grand Strategy 14.5% ★, Moddable 11% ★, Historical 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: This grand strategy game excels at global geopolitical influence and managing complex, long-term societal changes.

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 22.3%, Moddable 14.9% ★, Base Building 13.6%, City Builder 9.3%, Survival 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: It offers unparalleled colony simulation and emergent storytelling that mirrors the management of a sentient, growing entity.

Build a soviet republic from an impoverished country into a rich industrial superpower in a city builder with intricate production chains and a fully simulated global economy. Manage the lives of your citizens from education to work and party loyalty to criminal activity.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 10.7% ★, Colony Sim 9.3%, City Builder 8.9%, Diplomacy 8.3% ★, 4X 7.2% ★

Why You'll Like It: Offers the most detailed city-building and economic simulation mechanics, perfect for players who enjoy complex infrastructure management.

The most devious and acclaimed artificial intelligence in strategy gaming is better than ever. A grand strategy/RTS hybrid that reverses many conventions of both genres. Take territory without attracting attention, build your empire with care, and adapt to an ever-evolving galactic battleground.

Why similar: 4X 29.8% ★, Grand Strategy 25.3% ★, Moddable 13.6% ★, Economy 10.7%, Management 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: You play as a sentient AI fighting a desperate war against a superior force, perfectly capturing the theme of machine-led conflict.

Old World is a revolutionary new historical strategy game where you lead your dynasty over generations of rule against rival kings and queens. Wage massive wars, manage your court, and build a dynasty — or watch your empire crumble to dust. What legacy will you leave behind?

Why similar: Diplomacy 16.4% ★, 4X 15.9% ★, Grand Strategy 15% ★, Moddable 10.9% ★, Historical 9%

Why You'll Like It: Combines 4X strategy with character-driven RPG elements, focusing on the influence of leaders over time.

Paradox Development Studio invites you to build your ideal society in the tumult of the exciting and transformative 19th century. Balance the competing interests in your society and earn your place in the sun in Victoria 3, one of the most anticipated games in Paradox’s history.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 20% ★, Diplomacy 17.3% ★, Historical 11%, Economy 10.7%, Moddable 10.5% ★

Why You'll Like It: This game provides a massive, detailed simulation of societal, economic, and political systems on a global scale.

Command swarms of warriors at an unprecedented scale of warfare in this blend of RTS and base-building. Lead ant colonies against the many fearsome threats of the insect world, while building intricate nests, developing pheromone-based tactics, and evolving to meet growing dangers.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 9.6% ★, Diplomacy 9.5% ★, 4X 8.9% ★, Colony Sim 8.3%, Moddable 7.6% ★

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on colony management and swarm control, providing a unique perspective on base-building and army expansion.

Shadow Empire is a deep turn-based 4X wargame with a unique blend of military focus, procedurally generated content and role-playing features. Players take the seat of the supreme ruler of a small nation, with the goal of reconquering a devastated planet.

Why similar: 4X 37.7% ★, Grand Strategy 33.3% ★, Management 12.7%, Strategy 7.5%, Simulation 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: A complex, procedural grand-strategy game that focuses on logistics, military management, and nation-building in a post-apocalyptic setting.

A dark fantasy city builder where you must rebuild civilization in the face of apocalyptic rains. As the Queen’s Viceroy, lead humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, and harpies to reclaim the wilderness and secure a future for civilization's last survivors.

Why similar: Diplomacy 10.8% ★, Grand Strategy 10% ★, 4X 9.6% ★, Colony Sim 8.6%, Moddable 8.2% ★

Why You'll Like It: A unique roguelite city-builder that requires constant adaptation and strategic management of resources.

Explore a galaxy full of wonders in this sci-fi grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studios. Interact with diverse alien races, discover strange new worlds with unexpected events and expand the reach of your empire. Each new adventure holds almost limitless possibilities.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 26% ★, 4X 25.6% ★, Diplomacy 13.4% ★, Moddable 10.3% ★, Sandbox 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: A deep grand-strategy experience that allows for extensive empire customization and AI-driven expansion across the galaxy.

Lead your noble family in this medieval colony sim, facing off against class conflict, religious struggle, and political treachery. Tend to your people’s needs, uncover the lost knowledge of a fallen empire, and engage in nefarious plots against your enemies.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 10.5% ★, 4X 10.2% ★, Colony Sim 9.5%, Moddable 8.7% ★, City Builder 8%

Why You'll Like It: A colony simulation game that emphasizes political intrigue and social dynamics between characters.

Develop, expand, and advance your city in a society survival game set 30 years after an apocalyptic blizzard ravaged Earth. In Frostpunk 2, you face not only the perils of never-ending winter, but also the powerful factions that watch your every step inside the Council Hall.

Why similar: City Builder 34.6%, Resource Management 15.9%, Survival 15%, Strategy 9%, Colony Sim 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: It combines city-building with intense societal management and policy-making, forcing you to make difficult decisions for your population.

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: 4X 13.6% ★, Grand Strategy 13% ★, Colony Sim 12.6%, City Builder 10.9%, Moddable 10.6% ★

Why You'll Like It: Allows for massive-scale city-building and colony management with thousands of individual units to oversee.

Create your own nation in Millennia, a historical turn-based 4X game that challenges your strategic prowess across 10,000 years of history, from the dawn of humanity to our possible futures.

Why similar: 4X 20.4% ★, Grand Strategy 18.2% ★, Diplomacy 17.7% ★, Alternate History 11.4%, Historical 10%

Why You'll Like It: A historical 4X strategy game that focuses on the evolution of civilizations through distinct technological and societal eras.

Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game featuring in-depth city building, large-scale tactical battles, and complex economic and social simulations. Rule your lands as a medieval lord – the seasons pass, the weather changes, and cities rise and fall.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 16.8% ★, City Builder 12.7%, Historical 10.3%, Base Building 9.6%, Diplomacy 6.6% ★

Why You'll Like It: Blends historical city-building with tactical combat, offering a grounded approach to managing a growing settlement.

Distant Worlds 2 is a vast, pausable real-time 4X space strategy game.

Why similar: 4X 42.8% ★, Grand Strategy 34.9% ★, Strategy 11.4%, Simulation 9.7%, Singleplayer 1.2%

Why You'll Like It: A massive-scale grand strategy game that allows for deep automation and control over an entire space-faring civilization.

Incremental clicker strategy, where you expand, construct, research, fight, collect heroes and make choices between good and evil. Ascend through difficulty tiers by playing through challenge campaign going back and forth through history. Mammoths included.

Why similar: 4X 19.7% ★, Diplomacy 15.3% ★, City Builder 11.6%, Base Building 11%, Historical 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: An incremental strategy game that simulates the rise and fall of civilizations through deep resource management.

Take the reins of a feudal dynasty in a divided galaxy following the destruction of earth. Star Dynasties is a turn based, procedurally generated narrative of human drama and personal politics, mixed with a light empire management layer. Your choices. Your legacy.

Why similar: Diplomacy 39.9% ★, Grand Strategy 34.6% ★, Management 12.5%, Strategy 6.3%, Simulation 5.1%

Why You'll Like It: A sci-fi grand strategy game that focuses heavily on social and political dynamics within a feudal space empire.

Create a sprawling industrial city. Compete with other rival corporations on Titan for resources, territory, and power. Seek victory via technology, influence, warfare, or the wealth extracted from your citizens. Stake your claim to the Industries of Titan in this innovative sim/strategy game!

Why similar: 4X 23.2% ★, Colony Sim 18.9%, City Builder 17.5%, Base Building 11.1%, Resource Management 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: Combines city-building with resource management and combat in a stylized, sci-fi setting.

Your journey to building a vast space empire begins behind the controls of a single ship. Explore, trade, fight, and build as you rise to command fleets, stations, and entire economies in a living, fully simulated universe that reacts to every decision.

Why similar: 4X 23.2% ★, Moddable 19.3% ★, Economy 12.5%, Building 9.2%, Sandbox 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: A deep economic and fleet management simulation that lets you build an empire from the cockpit or the map screen.

Unique combination of turn-based 4X and historical grand strategy with a mythological twist. Explore the ancient world and build a world leading civilization. Survive, expand, conquer... and win!

Why similar: 4X 18.1% ★, Grand Strategy 16.2% ★, Diplomacy 14.7% ★, Moddable 12.1% ★, Historical 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: A historical 4X strategy game that features deep strategic combat and empire management.

Inspired by the god games of old, Fata Deum lets you mold settlements and townsfolk in your image. Will you raise the settlements to splendor, or spur them on to violent debauchery and demons? Watch as a living world grows under your whims.

Why similar: Colony Sim 14.2%, Moddable 13.1% ★, City Builder 12.2%, Base Building 8.8%, Building 6.8%

Why You'll Like It: Provides god-game mechanics that allow you to influence the world from the shadows, similar to the AI's role in the seed game.

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: Base Building 22.1%, Resource Management 14.9%, Sandbox 11.4%, Moddable 10.5% ★, City Builder 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the automation and industrial growth of a machine-like infrastructure on an alien planet.

Rewrite history by shaping a civilization as unique as you are. Combine 60 cultures from the Ancient Era to the Modern Age to lead your empire to victory. Build thriving cities, outsmart rivals in epic battles, spread your influence and leave your mark on HUMANKIND™.

Why similar: 4X 25.5% ★, Grand Strategy 18.9% ★, City Builder 16.1%, Historical 12.8%, Strategy 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: Allows you to rewrite history by combining different cultures as your civilization evolves over time.

Real-Time Strategy/Wargame. From World War II through the Cold War and into the future, re-live or re-imagine the tensions and crises of our recent history! Guide your nation through the era of your choice in Campaigns, Scenarios, and Sandboxes, as you make every effort to become Supreme Ruler!

Why similar: Grand Strategy 42.7% ★, Alternate History 17.2%, Historical 13.2%, Sandbox 12.4%, Strategy 7.2%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a global-scale geopolitical simulation that allows you to control nations with extreme detail.

The glory of Rome is at your fingertips in this city-building game where you must appease the gods, enact laws, and develop complex supply chains to meet the needs of your citizens.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 10.2% ★, Diplomacy 10% ★, 4X 9.2% ★, Colony Sim 8.5%, City Builder 7.9%

Take command of a civilization that has just achieved faster-than-light travel in Galactic Civilizations IV, the newest entry in the award-winning space 4X strategy game series. Explore the galaxy, colonize worlds, shape cultures, make alliances, fight wars and pioneer new technologies.

Why similar: 4X 20.8% ★, Grand Strategy 20.5% ★, Diplomacy 20.1% ★, Moddable 14.9% ★, Sandbox 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: A 4X strategy game that features deep AI-driven empire customization and complex diplomatic systems.

Greetings your Excellency. Time to rebuild, reform and prepare for new challenges in the People's Republic of Basenji. In this thrilling political strategy, you will appoint ministers and lead the country to success. Be careful — you may find yourself replaced in the next election.

Why similar: 4X 18% ★, Grand Strategy 17.4% ★, Diplomacy 16.9% ★, Historical 9.9%, Sandbox 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: A geopolitical strategy game that focuses on the challenges of managing a nation-state in a sandbox environment.

Establish a home for your industrious mice under the oppressive paw of your cat overlords in this city builder featuring complex simulations, intricate production chains, and the age-old rivalry between cat and mouse.

Why similar: Diplomacy 10.5% ★, Grand Strategy 9.9% ★, 4X 9.5% ★, Colony Sim 9%, Moddable 8% ★

Build a city to rule the world in Kaiserpunk, a grand city builder blending production-focused city building with world conquest in an alternate 20th century world. Manage your city, grow industries, build a military, and defeat rivals to become the greatest empire.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 17.5% ★, City Builder 14.5%, Alternate History 12.5%, Historical 9.8%, Economy 8.3%

ENDLESS™ Legend is a 4X turn-based fantasy strategy game by the creators of ENDLESS™ Space and Dungeon of the ENDLESS™. Control every aspect of your civilization as you struggle to save your homeworld Auriga. Create your own Legend!

Why similar: 4X 62.9% ★, Strategy 19.4%, Grand Strategy 12.2% ★, Sandbox 2%, Open World 2%

Why You'll Like It: A fantasy 4X strategy game with unique faction mechanics and deep, thematic world-building.

Step into the shoes of a fallen clan leader, starting with nothing but a crumbling estate and a handful of hopes, rising through careful planning, trade, and diplomacy to become one of the most powerful families in the land. Now it’s time to forge a legendary dynasty that leaves its mark on history.

Why similar: Diplomacy 25.5% ★, City Builder 13.7%, Economy 9.1%, Management 8.7%, Sandbox 8.4%

An open-world colony sim based on stories of the first men. Infinite possibilities await your very own Adam and Eve as they embark on a generation-spanning adventure. How will you shape their future?

Why similar: Colony Sim 28.2%, Base Building 17.3%, Building 7.9%, Sandbox 7.4%, Management 7.1%

Why You'll Like It: A colony simulation game with a strong focus on character development and story-driven progression.

Build a nation starting at any point in human history and compete for supremacy in this epic turn-based strategy game. Engage in diplomacy, fight wars, and go head-to-head with other leaders from history.

Why similar: 4X 21.2% ★, Grand Strategy 19% ★, Diplomacy 16.8% ★, Alternate History 12%, Historical 9.8%

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: Colony Sim 13.7%, Moddable 12.7% ★, City Builder 11.7%, Base Building 8.9%, Economy 8.6%

Lead your people to victory on an ever-evolving world in this strategy game featuring asymmetric factions led by powerful heroes. Build your empire, wield political influence, and raise grand armies to wage war in a race to uncover dark secrets buried within the planet.

Why similar: Diplomacy 18.1% ★, 4X 17% ★, Grand Strategy 15.9% ★, Moddable 12% ★, Historical 9.4%

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 20.1%, City Builder 16.2%, Moddable 13.9% ★, Base Building 11.9%, Sandbox 9.1%

Forge a new kingdom in a land recovering from the Fracture. Which of the surviving races will you lead to rebuild, explore, and conquer the unknown? The dwindling yet immortal Ancients? The bold and resourceful Humans? The life stealing Ardyn? Or the secretive Gwdir who shape living groves?

Why similar: Colony Sim 20.6%, City Builder 13.6%, Base Building 12.8%, Resource Management 9.6%, Management 9.3%

Rule Tenochtitlán in this survival city-builder where gods decide your fate. Confront the Moon Goddess and her generals. Delve into the intricate story, survive the nights in the Sandbox mode, or build freely in the Creative mode. The last sun is yours to save, or… lose!

Why similar: Colony Sim 14.6%, City Builder 12.8%, Historical 9.4%, Economy 9.3%, Base Building 9%

Travel to the Holy Land with the First Crusades. Rise from a humble knight to the founding father of a world-spanning holy order. Lead through war, faith, diplomacy, and cunning schemes. Experience a unique blend of RTS, city-building, and sandbox gameplay, and shape history!

Why similar: Grand Strategy 22.4% ★, City Builder 15.5%, Diplomacy 15.1% ★, 4X 14.6% ★, Sandbox 10%

Lead a team of cloned settlers and build a home on a new planet. Start from the Stone Age, construct sturdy shelters, hunt for food, and fight off dangers. Make your team stronger and better equipped to survive.

Why similar: Colony Sim 16.7%, City Builder 14.1%, Historical 13.2%, 4X 12.2% ★, Base Building 10.2%

Build and manage mankind’s first mission across the universe! Create a sprawling facility underground, recruit a diverse group of specialists from around the globe and explore mysterious new worlds through the Exogate.

Why similar: 4X 17.4% ★, Colony Sim 15.2%, City Builder 14%, Base Building 11.2%, Building 8.5%

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 19.6%, City Builder 14.9%, Moddable 14.8% ★, Base Building 11.4%, Resource Management 9.4%

At the farthest reaches of the empire, a new Roman city is born! Manage and grow your city, please the gods, and survive against barbarians and mythological threats to achieve Roman Triumph!

Why similar: Colony Sim 18.5%, City Builder 15.7%, Base Building 11%, Building 8.9%, Management 8.3%

Patron is a survival city builder with a unique social dynamics system. Gather and produce resources, build your fledgling village into a prosperous city and navigate the intricate social tensions before they reach boiling point.

Why similar: Colony Sim 18.2%, City Builder 15.9%, Moddable 9.7% ★, Survival 7.1%, Economy 7.1%

Build your sky city while exploring a vast landscape in this Open World RPG City Builder. Combining the methodical construction and management of a city builder; the unique lift, balance, and propulsion needed for a flying city; and the compelling characters, dangers, and adventures of an RPG!

Why similar: Colony Sim 21.4%, City Builder 19%, Resource Management 11%, Base Building 9.5%, Sandbox 9.3%

Build a living city on rails in this steampunk fantasy train-city builder. Manage multiracial colonies with thousands of autonomous citizens, balance their needs, manage the economy, and create logistics as you explore distant regions to ensure the prosperity of your Empire.

Why similar: Colony Sim 16.1%, City Builder 13.7%, Moddable 11.7% ★, Economy 10%, Base Building 9%

Build your own global colonies on distant worlds. Manage energy and resource supplies and produce goods for space trade. Form economic and diplomatic alliances or take over competing corporations. Conduct research to protect your colonists from disasters and avoid a climate crisis.

Why similar: Diplomacy 19% ★, Grand Strategy 17.2% ★, Colony Sim 15.6%, City Builder 12.7%, Base Building 9.4%

Of Life and Land is a charming settlement-building strategy game paired with a rich simulation experience. Every animal and plant strives to find its place in nature while you lead your villagers to their future. Expand to different regions and trade with local factions to gain needed resources.

Why similar: Colony Sim 13.5%, City Builder 12%, Moddable 10.6% ★, Base Building 8.9%, Historical 7.8%

A turn-based sci-fi strategy that combines exploration and exciting clashes on the battlefield. Take control over several different species, raise powerful armies for your heroes and destroy your opponents! This HoMM-like is set in a scifi universe, with new mechanics on top of the classic formula.

Why similar: 4X 20.3% ★, Grand Strategy 19.2% ★, Moddable 15.6% ★, Historical 11.5%, Economy 9.5%

Survive and thrive in a post-apocalyptic future — resources are scarce, but opportunity calls! Build the ultimate disaster proof colony, protect your colonists, and restore civilization to a devastated world.

Why similar: City Builder 24.8%, Colony Sim 21.9%, Base Building 11.7%, Survival 10.4%, Strategy 7.8%

Discover a unique blend of Colony Sim and Tactical RPG. Recruit and train your heroes, build your outpost, explore dungeons and engage in turn-based strategic battles to protect and expand your domain. Shape your stories by managing moods, relationships, ambitions and more!

Why similar: Colony Sim 22.5%, Base Building 14.8%, City Builder 11.3%, Building 11.1%, Sandbox 8.6%

A colony-building game combined with grand strategy elements. Play as a tribal leader, guiding your people from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. Survive, multiply, and compete for territory among ancient nations.

Why similar: Diplomacy 18.3% ★, Colony Sim 14.6%, City Builder 12.2%, Base Building 9.1%, Historical 9%

Embark on a journey to greatness. Get ready for adrenaline-fueled battles and a chance to claim your place in the galaxy. Grab the controls of your ship, gear up for the fight, and unleash your ambition to conquer and build a new empire in the vastness of space.

Why similar: Base Building 27.9%, Economy 21.7%, Open World 17%, Building 14.2%, Management 13.9%

Make Mars your own! Take control of the world’s most sophisticated AI (AMI) and terraform the surface of the Red Planet for a city-building experience on a planetary scale. Transform this barren world into a lush paradise and explore the surface for any ancient secrets that may be waiting.

Why similar: Moddable 16.1% ★, Colony Sim 16.1%, City Builder 13.7%, Base Building 10.5%, Building 8%

Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance is not just a game; it's an adrenaline-fueled journey where your strategic prowess decides the fate of mankind against the machines. After the machines took over, the greatest threats may not come from the machines but rather from other human survivors.

Why similar: Alternate History 52.2%, Management 29.6%, Strategy 18.2%

LEAD the CULT OF CTHULHU. Decide the fate of your followers, perform eldritch rituals, and master the art of city-building in a world where the line between sanity and madness blurs. Can you endure the horrors you unleash?

Why similar: Colony Sim 20.7%, City Builder 14.1%, Alternate History 10.6%, Base Building 10.4%, Economy 9.7%

Grand strategy wargame where the destiny of Civilizations rests in your hands - will they stand united under your leadership or fall divided in conflict? Journey through the entire saga of human civilization, from its earliest days to the futuristic era, crafting your legacy age by age.

Why similar: Diplomacy 25.2% ★, Grand Strategy 25.1% ★, Alternate History 14.4%, Moddable 12.3% ★, Economy 11.7%

Desynced is a sci-fi strategy game with fully customizable units and behaviors. Gather, build, research, and explore the unknown. Alone or with friends, unveil the mystery of an AI on the edge of self-awareness and uncover the hidden truth in this blend of strategy, automation, and exploration.

Why similar: City Builder 19.7%, Base Building 15.9%, Sandbox 11.3%, Building 11.3%, Resource Management 10.3%