- #1 Opus Magnum
97% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 6,887 reviews2017
Dev: Zachtronics
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.7 hrsMean: 13.3 hrs≥1hr: 77%
Opus Magnum is the latest open-ended puzzle game from Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem, Infinifactory, and SHENZHEN I/O. Design and build machines that assemble potions, poisons, and more using the alchemical engineer’s most advanced tool: the transmutation engine!
Why similar: Programming 40.5% ★, Automation 25.6%, Puzzle 14.4%, Logic 4.2%, Simulation 3.8%
Why You'll Like It: This game captures the quintessential Zachtronics puzzle-solving experience with a focus on mechanical assembly and optimization.
- #2 SpaceChem
96% matchVery Positive92% of 5,063 reviews2011
Dev: Zachtronics
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 4.2 hrs≥1hr: 66%
Zachtronics is back with an ambitious new design-based puzzle game. Take on the role of a Reactor Engineer working for SpaceChem, the leading chemical synthesizer for frontier colonies. Construct elaborate factories to transform raw materials into valuable chemical products!
Why similar: Programming 42.5% ★, Puzzle 19.4%, Automation 13.6%, Difficult 9.4%, Logic 4.9%
Why You'll Like It: As the foundational automation puzzle game from Zachtronics, it shares the same DNA of complex logic and throughput optimization.
- #3 SHENZHEN I/O
96% matchVery Positive95% of 4,452 reviews2016
Dev: Zachtronics
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.1 hrsMean: 11.5 hrs≥1hr: 61%
BUILD CIRCUITS. WRITE CODE. RTFM.
Why similar: Programming 51.9% ★, Automation 21.4%, Puzzle 7.9%, Logic 4.4%, Difficult 4.3%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a deep dive into hardware design and assembly language programming that appeals to the same analytical mindset as Infinifactory.
- #4 Dyson Sphere Program
95% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 90,697 reviews2021
Dev: Youthcat StudioPub: Gamirror Games
Windows
Median: 13.1 hrsMean: 75.1 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire.
Why similar: Automation 45.8%, Building 19.9%, Sandbox 13%, Space 7.2%, Sci-fi 5.8%
Why You'll Like It: This game brings large-scale 3D factory automation to an interstellar level, requiring complex logistics and spatial planning.
- #5 Factorio
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 229,554 reviews2020
Dev: Wube Software LTD.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 44.9 hrsMean: 190.4 hrs≥1hr: 95%
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: Automation 61.7%, Sandbox 19.2%, Building 12.7%, Simulation 3.2%, Indie 1.3%
Why You'll Like It: The definitive automation game, it scales the factory-building experience into a massive, resource-management-heavy sandbox.
- #6 TIS-100
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 4,067 reviews2015
Dev: Zachtronics
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.2 hrsMean: 6.2 hrs≥1hr: 52%
TIS-100 is an open-ended programming game by Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem and Infinifactory, in which you rewrite corrupted code segments to repair the TIS-100 and unlock its secrets. It’s the assembly language programming game you never asked for!
Why similar: Programming 68.5% ★, Puzzle 10.9%, Automation 6.4%, Difficult 5.5%, Simulation 3.3%
Why You'll Like It: A hardcore programming puzzle game that strips away the visuals to focus entirely on low-level assembly logic.
- #7 shapez 2 - Factory
92% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 14,303 reviews2026
Dev: tobspr Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.0 hrsMean: 29.5 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Dive into a factory-building game with the focus on just that – building huge space factories! Design sprawling multi-level factories and satisfying production lines without limits. Tackle progressively challenging automation goals at your own pace, without the threat of enemies.
Why similar: Automation 36.1%, Building 17.5%, Sandbox 13.6%, Puzzle 11.3%, Logic 6.4%
Why You'll Like It: It focuses purely on the joy of automation and spatial optimization without the distractions of combat or survival.
- #8 Satisfactory
91% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 270,461 reviews2024
Dev: Coffee Stain StudiosPub: Coffee Stain Publishing
Windows
Median: 32.6 hrsMean: 110.0 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Satisfactory is a first-person open-world factory building game with a dash of exploration and combat. Play alone or with friends, explore an alien planet, create multi-story factories, and enter conveyor belt heaven!
Why similar: Automation 50.7%, Building 21.9%, Sandbox 15.9%, Simulation 3.4%, First-Person 2.9%
Why You'll Like It: It is the closest experience to Infinifactory in terms of 3D spatial building, offering a first-person perspective on massive factory construction.
- #9 Human Resource Machine
93% matchVery Positive94% of 4,642 reviews2015
Dev: Tomorrow Corporation
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 6.2 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Program little office workers to solve puzzles. Be a good employee! The machines are coming... for your job. From the creators of World of Goo and Little Inferno.
Why similar: Programming 60.9% ★, Puzzle 12.8%, Automation 12.1%, Simulation 3.5%, Indie 2.7%
Why You'll Like It: A visual programming puzzle game that teaches logic and algorithmic thinking through simple, intuitive mechanics.
- #10 EXAPUNKS
91% matchVery Positive95% of 1,867 reviews2018
Dev: Zachtronics
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.1 hrsMean: 11.9 hrs≥1hr: 58%
The year is 1997. You used to be a hacker, but now you have the phage. You made a deal: one hack, one dose. There’s nothing left to lose… except your life.
Why similar: Programming 50.8% ★, Automation 20.2%, Puzzle 10.4%, Logic 4.2%, Sandbox 3.6%
Why You'll Like It: This hacking-themed puzzle game features complex automation and logic challenges that feel right at home with Zachtronics titles.
- #11 Prime Mover
90% matchVery Positive89% of 214 reviews2018
Dev: 4Bit Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 6.7 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Retrace the path of the Prime Mover to uncover the story of the Byte of Burden! Prime Mover is an open-ended puzzle game about designing circuit boards.
Why similar: Programming 60% ★, Puzzle 15.6%, Simulation 8.4%, Difficult 5.3%, Indie 4.2%
Why You'll Like It: It tasks players with designing circuit boards and logic gates, mirroring the technical satisfaction of Infinifactory's puzzles.
- #12 The Signal State
89% matchVery Positive87% of 669 reviews2021
Dev: Reckoner IndustriesPub: iterco
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 5.1 hrs≥1hr: 75%
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, The Signal State puts your logic skills to the test with complex puzzles inspired by modular synthesizers. Repair machines, rebuild an abandoned farm, and be part of a revolution that will change the fate of agriculture once and for all.
Why similar: Programming 35.7% ★, Automation 25%, Puzzle 12%, Sandbox 10.5%, Logic 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: Inspired by modular synthesizers, this game requires complex logic and signal routing to solve intricate automation puzzles.
- #13 7 Billion Humans
89% matchVery Positive94% of 2,104 reviews2018
Dev: Tomorrow Corporation
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 11.6 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Automate swarms of office workers to solve puzzles inside your very own parallel computer made of people. A thrilling followup to the award winning Human Resource Machine. Now with more humans!
Why similar: Programming 65% ★, Puzzle 13%, Automation 8.1%, Simulation 4.6%, Logic 3.8%
Why You'll Like It: It expands on the programming logic of its predecessor by introducing parallel processing and multi-agent coordination.
- #14 SOKOBOT
88% matchVery Positive92% of 50 reviews2022
Dev: Alexander Taylor
Windows
SOKOBOT is an open-ended puzzle game where you place down cute robots, give them commands, and create infinitely-looping assembly lines that combine shapes together!
Why similar: Programming 32.6% ★, Automation 20.9%, Building 11.2%, Puzzle 9.3%, Sandbox 9%
Why You'll Like It: A clever spatial automation game where you program robots to move and assemble parts on a grid.
- #15 Turing Complete
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 5,204 reviews2021
Dev: LevelHead
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 12.1 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Learn CPU architecture with puzzles
Why similar: Programming 52.9% ★, Automation 12.5%, Puzzle 9.6%, Logic 7.3%, Building 6.1%
Why You'll Like It: This game allows you to build a functional computer from basic logic gates, providing a deep dive into the foundations of computing.
- #16 Silicon Zeroes
87% matchVery Positive88% of 281 reviews2017
Dev: PleasingFungus Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 10.2 hrs≥1hr: 75%
Build hardware. Solve puzzles. From the creator of Manufactoria, a new open-ended puzzle game set in Silicon Valley's first startup.
Why similar: Programming 58.1% ★, Puzzle 13.8%, Simulation 12.6%, Difficult 8.5%, Indie 5.5%
Why You'll Like It: A challenging simulation game focused on hardware design and logic optimization at the chip level.
- #17 Manufactoria 2022
86% matchVery Positive96% of 71 reviews2022
Dev: PleasingFungus Games
Windows · Mac
Manufactoria 2022 is a constructive puzzle game about pushing robots around. (It's okay, they don't complain.) Use simple parts to engineer solutions to open-ended problems, then rebuild 'em better! Take a company from your backyard to the soaring heights of success! How hard could it be?
Why similar: Programming 40.3% ★, Automation 28.7%, Puzzle 12.1%, Logic 6.9%, Simulation 4.5%
Why You'll Like It: A logic-based puzzle game where you build automated machines to sort and process data using conveyor belts.
- #18 Neon Noodles
84% matchVery Positive81% of 108 reviews2023
Dev: Vivid Helix
Windows · Mac · Linux
In a future where food is the ultimate symbol of status, you are a recipe programming technician for a ruthless aristocracy. Create, test and optimize your culinary machines in this deliciously dark zach-like!
Why similar: Programming 36.2% ★, Automation 27.3%, Puzzle 8.6%, Sandbox 8.6%, Logic 5.5%
Why You'll Like It: It combines robot automation with a unique cooking theme, requiring precise timing and logic to optimize production.
- #19 Great Permutator
85% matchVery Positive87% of 149 reviews2014
Dev: Ripatti Software
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 3.4 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Great Permutator is a puzzle. Hard and tricky. One in which you will have to build a complex system of conveyors and various devices so that the colored boxes can travel across the factory and arrive at right places and in right order. If you are into clever engineering puzzles, this game is for you.
Why similar: Programming 32.9% ★, Automation 22.7%, Building 12.8%, Puzzle 9.7%, Difficult 6.8%
Why You'll Like It: A classic logic-based factory game that focuses on moving and transforming items through a grid-based system.
- #20 MOLEK-SYNTEZ
84% matchVery Positive89% of 682 reviews2019
Dev: Zachtronics
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.2 hrsMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 52%
Use the MOLEK-SYNTEZ to create small molecules with various pharmacological effects from the comfort of your small Romanian apartment.
Why similar: Programming 45.7% ★, Automation 23.4%, Puzzle 15.4%, Simulation 9.7%, Indie 2.6%
Why You'll Like It: Another Zachtronics title that focuses on chemical synthesis and spatial molecule manipulation.
- #21 CHR$(143)
83% matchVery Positive96% of 79 reviews2021
Dev: Nicolas Jean
Windows · Linux
A rich and challenging physics-based puzzle /logic /construction /programming game! Master ballistics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, chemical and nuclear reactions, use automation bricks, build structures, machines, vehicles, produce power, solve puzzles, pierce the fog and defeat CHR$!
Why similar: Programming 34.6% ★, Automation 30.5%, Building 16.3%, Puzzle 9.8%, Logic 4.8%
Why You'll Like It: A physics-based automation puzzle game that requires creative engineering to solve complex assembly tasks.
- #22 Autonauts
82% matchVery Positive90% of 4,933 reviews2019
Dev: DenkiPub: Curve Games
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 13.9 hrs≥1hr: 86%
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: Programming 44.5% ★, Automation 30.1%, Building 8.8%, Sandbox 7.5%, Simulation 5.9%
Why You'll Like It: It blends automation with programming, allowing you to teach robots to perform repetitive tasks through a visual script interface.
- #23 Word Factori
82% matchVery Positive85% of 453 reviews2023
Dev: Star Garden Games
Windows
Median: 1.6 hrsMean: 2.9 hrs≥1hr: 61%
Word Factori is a word-building game where your only resource is the letter "i". Build a chain of factories to bend, rotate, reflect, and merge "i" into more complex letters. Discover secret letter recipes, unlock hidden word art, and optimize your factory chains for high scores.
Why similar: Programming 34% ★, Automation 22.9%, Building 11.2%, Puzzle 9.7%, Sandbox 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: An automation game where you build factories to manufacture letters and words, adding a linguistic twist to the genre.
- #24 Logic World
81% matchVery Positive94% of 353 reviews2021
Dev: Mouse Hat Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Invent a new computer! Logic World is a first-person sandbox simulation game that's all about digital logic. Play alone or with friends, design unique machines, build up layers of complexity, and experience the joy of circuits!
Why similar: Programming 32.8% ★, Automation 19.2%, Building 12.9%, Sandbox 9.5%, Puzzle 7.9%
Why You'll Like It: It provides a 3D sandbox for building complex logic circuits and machines, perfect for those who enjoy the technical side of Infinifactory.
- #25 Beltmatic
79% matchVery Positive94% of 2,089 reviews2024
Dev: Notional Games
Windows
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 8.9 hrs≥1hr: 80%
Beltmatic is a casual factory game where you combine numbers using mathematical operations.
Why similar: Automation 47.6%, Sandbox 20.5%, Building 17%, Simulation 7.5%, Logic 3.4%
Why You'll Like It: A unique automation game where you use conveyor belts and mathematical operations to produce specific numbers.
- #26 MHRD
81% matchVery Positive89% of 439 reviews2017
Dev: Funghisoft
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 76%
MHRD is a hardware design game, in which you design various hardware circuits in a hardware description language. The hardware circuits you design get more complex as you go until you create a fully functional CPU design.
Why similar: Programming 64.9% ★, Puzzle 12.7%, Simulation 11.7%, Indie 5.4%, Difficult 5.4%
Why You'll Like It: A hardware design simulator that forces you to build a CPU from scratch using logic gates and assembly.
- #27 Kaizen: A Factory Story
77% matchVery Positive93% of 689 reviews2025
Dev: CoincidencePub: Astra Logical
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.2 hrsMean: 7.6 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Kaizen is an open-ended puzzle automation game from the original Zachtronics team, set in 1980s Japan. Design, build, and optimize production lines to create iconic products, like calculators, camcorders, and arcade machines.
Why similar: Programming 37.8% ★, Automation 21.3%, Building 9.3%, Puzzle 8.7%, Difficult 6.2%
- #28 Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor
79% matchMostly Positive79% of 2,148 reviews2020
Dev: Stray Fawn StudioPub: Stray Fawn Publishing
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Command the Nimbatus and craft drones out of hundreds of different parts. Survive unknown threats in a fully destructible, procedural universe, compete against other players in different arenas or enjoy complete creative freedom in the sandbox.
Why similar: Programming 33.3% ★, Automation 18.8%, Building 11.5%, Sandbox 9.3%, Puzzle 9%
Why You'll Like It: It features a robust construction system that allows for complex logic and sensor-based automation in a space-sim environment.
- #29 Modulus: Factory Automation
76% matchVery Positive92% of 699 reviews2026
Dev: Happy VolcanoPub: Kwalee
Windows
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 14.2 hrs≥1hr: 73%
Build, automate, & optimize production lines across sky islands with real spatial constraints. Every production line is an open-ended puzzle: which operators to use, how to route your belts and how to fit your factory into the landscape. Your solutions, like your factories, are uniquely your own.
Why similar: Automation 38.9%, Building 22.5%, Sandbox 16.8%, Simulation 7.7%, Logic 6.1%
- #30 while True: learn()
78% matchVery Positive91% of 8,107 reviews2019
Dev: Luden.io
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 6.0 hrs≥1hr: 80%
You’re a machine learning specialist who makes neural networks but your cat seems to be better at it. Now you must solve puzzles to build a cat-to-human translation system (who knows what else this cat is capable of!). Earn a fortune, buy kickass cat outfits, learn how machine learning really works!
Why similar: Programming 60.8% ★, Puzzle 11.5%, Building 9.8%, Sandbox 8%, Simulation 6.3%
Why You'll Like It: It uses visual programming to teach machine learning concepts, making it a great choice for fans of logic-heavy puzzles.
- #31 Last Call BBS
78% matchVery Positive92% of 1,557 reviews2022
Dev: Zachtronics
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 14.9 hrs≥1hr: 76%
Boot up your Z5 Powerlance and dial into Last Call BBS, the last game from Zachtronics! The Barkeep’s loaded up his retro computer with a full set of puzzle games for you to download and play. No need to worry about copy protection, they’re all fully cracked and ready to enjoy!
Why similar: Automation 37.7%, Building 17.3%, Sandbox 16.1%, Puzzle 16.1%, Logic 8.2%
Why You'll Like It: A collection of Zachtronics-style puzzle games that capture the aesthetic and mechanical depth of the developer's best work.
- #32 LogicBots
80% matchMostly Positive79% of 184 reviews2017
Dev: Incandescent Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Design, build and wire up your own unique robot to complete challenging logic puzzles. LogicBots is a puzzle game where robots are used to complete the various levels.
Why similar: Programming 48.6% ★, Sandbox 13.4%, Building 13.1%, Puzzle 11.4%, Simulation 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: This game lets you build and program your own robots to solve puzzles, emphasizing both mechanical design and logic.
- #33 shapez
76% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 15,453 reviews2020
Dev: Tobias SpringerPub: tobspr Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 14.8 hrs≥1hr: 66%
shapez is an easy-going, minimalistic factory building game about the automation of shapes through extraction and satisfying production lines. Adapt to increasingly complex shapes and grow your factory across an infinitely expanding map. Your only limitation is your creativity!
Why similar: Automation 46.4%, Sandbox 18.3%, Building 15.2%, Puzzle 8.2%, Logic 4.1%
- #34 U.V.S. Nirmana
75% matchVery Positive91% of 148 reviews2026
Dev: CoincidencePub: Klei Publishing
Windows · Mac · Linux
U.V.S. Nirmana is a engineering puzzle game from Coincidence, the creators of Kaizen: A Factory Story and the inventors of the Zach-like. Set off on the Unreturning Void Ship Nirmana as it continues a journey of uncountable eons toward the edge of the universe.
Why similar: Programming 56.1% ★, Automation 14.6%, Puzzle 13.4%, Logic 7.3%, Simulation 2.6%
- #35 Reassembly
77% matchVery Positive94% of 4,070 reviews2015
Dev: Anisoptera GamesPub: Indie Voyage
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 26.1 hrs≥1hr: 84%
A spaceship building and universe-exploration game. Collect resources, expand and grow your fleet, and conquer your personal galaxy. Stellar ambience by Peaks.
Why similar: Building 43.3%, Sandbox 29.9%, Space 11.4%, Sci-fi 4.7%, Indie 3.8%
- #36 Automate It: Factory Puzzle
75% matchMostly Positive75% of 75 reviews2025
Dev: South Blue MoonPub: Forklift Interactive
Windows
Automate It is a factory-building puzzle game that challenges players to find clever solutions within size, power, and time constraints. Design, build, and share your own puzzles with other players. If you want to build it - choose Automate It.
Why similar: Automation 32.6%, Sandbox 18.3%, Building 16.4%, Puzzle 13.4%, Simulation 8.7%
- #37 Baba Is You
74% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 24,029 reviews2019
Dev: Hempuli Oy
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 13.5 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Baba Is You is a puzzle game where the rules you have to follow are present as blocks you can interact with. By manipulating them, you can change how the game works, repurpose things you find in the levels and cause surprising interactions!
Why similar: Programming 37.7% ★, Puzzle 29.6%, Difficult 15.1%, Logic 8.5%, Indie 4.8%
- #38 Final Factory
74% matchMostly Positive79% of 303 reviews2024
Dev: Never Games Limited
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.0 hrsMean: 7.9 hrs≥1hr: 63%
Final Factory blends factory building, spaceship design, and a rich universe to explore. Build a mega factory and command a massive fleet against the hostile local aliens. Discover new technologies and unlock the secrets of an ancient civilization as you explore an infinite cosmos.
Why similar: Automation 42.9%, Building 19.5%, Sandbox 16.9%, Simulation 7.1%, Sci-fi 6.9%
- #39 Learning Factory
73% matchVery Positive86% of 515 reviews2025
Dev: Luden.io
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 9.5 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Build intricate supply chains to meet your feline customers' needs. Discover underground and air transport layers, a vast research tree, procedural worlds, machine learning, and endless automation in this relaxing, enemyless game.
Why similar: Programming 35.9% ★, Automation 27.4%, Building 17.7%, Sandbox 13%, Simulation 4.9%
- #40 Techtonica
73% matchMixed65% of 3,202 reviews2024
Dev: Fire Hose Games
Windows
Median: 4.8 hrsMean: 17.2 hrs≥1hr: 75%
Techtonica is a first-person factory automation game with a gripping mystery about mining your way out from the depths of an alien planet. Explore bioluminescent caves, mold destructible terrain, construct a massive subterranean factory. Dig your way toward answers & discover the secrets of Calyx.
Why similar: Automation 42.4%, Building 22.7%, Sandbox 15%, Simulation 7.8%, Sci-fi 5.4%
- #41 Craftomation 101: Programming & Craft
73% matchVery Positive85% of 624 reviews2024
Dev: Luden.io
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 64%
You land on a frozen planet in a tiny rocket with a robot inside. Harvest and combine materials to discover new ones. Use visual programming to make the robot do the tiresome work for you. Slowly build a gang of self-sustaining robot workers and watch them terraform the planet.
Why similar: Programming 40.6% ★, Automation 27.2%, Sandbox 13.2%, Puzzle 10.4%, Simulation 3.6%
- #42 Star Stuff
72% matchVery Positive99% of 182 reviews2024
Dev: Ánimo Games Studio
Windows · Mac
Star Stuff is a deceptively cute programming puzzle game. Program and work alongside bots to tackle the most important (and undoubtedly safest) task in the galaxy: fixing a star factory. Ready for your first day on the job?
Why similar: Programming 49.4% ★, Puzzle 14.9%, Automation 14%, Difficult 9.6%, Logic 8.4%
- #43 Quantum Odyssey
71% matchVery Positive93% of 119 reviews2025
Dev: Quarks Interactive
Windows · Mac · Linux
Design, optimize, and reverse-engineer real quantum algorithms in an open-ended Zachlike puzzle game. Solve 500+ optimization challenges, hack player creations, and master quantum logic without coding.
Why similar: Programming 30.5% ★, Automation 19.8%, Building 11.3%, Sandbox 9.6%, Puzzle 8.2%
- #44 uFactory
72% matchMixed70% of 63 reviews2025
Dev: Lucid Silence Games
Windows · Linux
uFactory is the ultimate in finely-tuned and customizable logistics challenges. Navigate the complexities of manufacturing processes inspired by real industrial methods, but do it your way.
Why similar: Automation 35.8%, Building 17.6%, Simulation 14.6%, Puzzle 12.7%, Logic 8.4%
- #45 Block Factory
71% matchMostly Positive78% of 261 reviews2025
Dev: OverPowered TeamPub: Shiro Unlimited
Windows
Block Factory is a relaxing and creative building game where you craft delightful 3D figurines from blocks. Shape your designs and build flowing production lines in a peaceful factory world.
Why similar: Automation 33.8%, Building 19.4%, Sandbox 15.2%, Puzzle 12.4%, Logic 7.1%
- #46 Alchemy Factory
67% matchVery Positive90% of 2,293 reviews2025
Dev: D5 CopperheadPub: Gamirror Games
Windows
Median: 8.0 hrsMean: 23.1 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Craft your workshop as an alchemist! Harness arcane devices to automate crafting. Sell alchemical goods, fulfill commissions, and rise to become a renowned alchemy magnate. Multiplayer Supported! Invite master designers to (ahem) contribute their expertise—let them optimize your production lines!
Why similar: Automation 45.8%, Building 21.5%, Sandbox 17.6%, Simulation 5.3%, First-Person 4.7%
- #47 Factory Town
69% matchVery Positive91% of 4,433 reviews2021
Dev: Erik Asmussen
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 14.2 hrs≥1hr: 76%
Build, automate, and optimize a giant factory on 3D terrain using conveyor belts, trains, chutes, pipes, and airships. Sell your goods to nearby villages to expand their borders, increase happiness, and unlock even better technology!
Why similar: Automation 49.1%, Sandbox 21.6%, Building 17.1%, Simulation 8.5%, Indie 1.6%
- #48 FOUNDRY
69% matchVery Positive81% of 3,779 reviews2024
Dev: Channel 3 EntertainmentPub: Paradox Interactive
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 46.3 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Build a sophisticated robot factory optimized to perfection in an infinite voxel world. Mine and harvest resources, automate your production lines and manage complex systems while researching your way to become the galaxy’s leading robotics megacorp.
Why similar: Automation 39.9%, Building 23.1%, Sandbox 18.6%, Sci-fi 7.6%, Simulation 7.4%
- #49 ABI-DOS
68% matchVery Positive93% of 416 reviews2024
Dev: ABI.DOS.SOFTWARE
Windows
Build the most advanced operating system ever created! Can you master the fictional simulation language of this mind-bending machine? Design circuits, automate UBITS (coloured mobile data blocks), and optimize your system. The Admin is always watching, and he’s not what he seems.
Why similar: Programming 37% ★, Automation 23%, Building 10.8%, Sandbox 9.2%, Puzzle 8.6%
- #50 Main Assembly
70% matchVery Positive83% of 1,338 reviews2021
Dev: Bad Yolk GamesPub: Team17
Windows
Median: 54 minMean: 7.0 hrs≥1hr: 50%
You’re the designer, engineer and architect if you can imagine it you can create it! Construct robots of any shape or size from eight-legged spider bots to eerie UFO contraptions.
Why similar: Programming 36.6% ★, Automation 24%, Building 15%, Sandbox 12.3%, Logic 6%
- #51 Automation Empire
71% matchMixed66% of 2,635 reviews2019
Dev: DOG HOGGLER
Windows
Median: 7.6 hrsMean: 19.3 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Build and manage a massive industrial network of factories, mines, and farms. Employ a fleet of trains, trucks, and robotic drones. In the age of automation, efficiency is survival!
Why similar: Automation 46%, Building 19.5%, Sandbox 17%, Simulation 10%, Sci-fi 2.8%
- #52 The Talos Principle
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 32,778 reviews2014
Dev: CroteamPub: Devolver Digital
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 14.9 hrs≥1hr: 87%
The Talos Principle is a first-person puzzle game in the tradition of philosophical science fiction. Made by Croteam and written by Tom Jubert (FTL, The Swapper) and Jonas Kyratzes (The Sea Will Claim Everything).
Why similar: Puzzle 53.2%, Sci-fi 13.8%, First-Person 11%, Great Soundtrack 7.5%, Difficult 6.9%
- #53 World of Contraptions
70% matchVery Positive87% of 97 reviews2022
Dev: JCP Games Studio
Windows
World of Contraptions is a physics-based building game in which you build the most varied contraptions to solve the most diverse types of puzzles. Win dozens of levels with different types of obstacles. Design the best contraption for each challenge using a giant collection of blocks.
Why similar: Programming 29.6% ★, Automation 20.7%, Building 16%, Sandbox 12.6%, Puzzle 9.1%
- #54 Plasma
67% matchVery Positive90% of 1,093 reviews2023
Dev: Dry CactusPub: Dry Licorice
Windows
Median: 30 minMean: 5.3 hrs≥1hr: 37%
Plasma is a pure engineering sandbox. Use advanced visual programming and robotics tools to create anything you can imagine.
Why similar: Programming 33% ★, Automation 21%, Sandbox 14.6%, Building 13.7%, Simulation 5.9%
- #55 Final Upgrade
68% matchMostly Positive77% of 454 reviews2022
Dev: TaosX
Windows
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 12.1 hrs≥1hr: 69%
Help humanity to spread throughout the cosmos by exploring new worlds, building space factories and setting up trade routes. Research advanced technologies to increase efficiency and unlock new paths of development. Fight off other artificial intelligences in your goal to reach the Final Upgrade!
Why similar: Automation 39.6%, Building 21.3%, Sandbox 14.7%, Sci-fi 6.6%, Simulation 6.4%
- #56 Hard Chip
66% matchVery Positive93% of 57 reviews2024
Dev: Elorth
Windows
Hard Chip is a 3D simulation/puzzle game about building processors focusing on realism. Explore the world of semiconductor chip design and delve into the intricacies of CPU logic, floor planning, and propagation delay.
Why similar: Programming 35.3% ★, Automation 19%, Building 13%, Puzzle 9.3%, Difficult 7.4%
- #57 Sunshine Heavy Industries
67% matchVery Positive99% of 422 reviews2021
Dev: Rocket Rat Games
Windows
Welcome to Sunshine Heavy Industries! As the new spaceship engineer, solve increasingly tricky design puzzles with your own personal style. Manage customer demands, juggle budget and ship performance, and survive the questionable decision making skills of your business partner.
Why similar: Building 28%, Sandbox 23.4%, Puzzle 21.4%, Space 8.3%, Simulation 7.4%
- #58 Virtual Circuit Board
66% matchVery Positive93% of 305 reviews2023
Dev: Reverie Foundry
Windows · Linux
Median: 1.5 hrsMean: 20.7 hrs≥1hr: 55%
Virtual Circuit Board is the sandbox drawing-based logic simulator where you can build, program, decorate, and simulate anything from simple monochrome circuits to complex and colorful computers. Play with digital logic in this sandbox-only experience.
Why similar: Programming 36.4% ★, Automation 18.6%, Building 12.7%, Sandbox 11.1%, Puzzle 6.5%
- #59 Desynced
64% matchMostly Positive80% of 1,936 reviews2026
Dev: Stage Games Inc.Pub: Forklift Interactive
Windows
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 19.3 hrs≥1hr: 77%
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: Programming 37.5% ★, Automation 25.6%, Building 13.5%, Sandbox 11.9%, Sci-fi 4.9%
- #60 Comet 64
68% matchMostly Positive76% of 186 reviews2021
Dev: Onur AyasPub: what sorceress this
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 36 minMean: 4.2 hrs≥1hr: 40%
Comet 64 is a programming puzzle game. The year is 1984. All you got is a Comet 64 home computer and the operator's manual it came with.
Why similar: Programming 39.6% ★, Automation 14.8%, Building 10.8%, Puzzle 9.7%, Sandbox 8.5%