Games Like Kenshi

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: Survival 17.9%, Sandbox 17.7%, Base Building 17.7%, Open World 14.4%, City Builder 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: Like Kenshi, it turns injuries, survival, raids, skill growth, and base management into brutally memorable emergent stories with very little scripted hand-holding.

A strategy/action RPG. Create a character, engage in diplomacy, craft, trade and conquer new lands in a vast medieval sandbox. Raise armies to lead into battle and command and fight alongside your troops in massive real-time battles using a deep but intuitive skill-based combat system.

Why similar: Open World 38.5%, Sandbox 27.7%, RPG 14%, Strategy 9.5%, Character Customization 4.5%

Why You'll Like It: It captures Kenshi's rise-from-nothing sandbox arc brilliantly, letting you recruit a warband, trade, raid, join factions, and grow into a regional power in a living world.

Lead a mercenary company in this tactical RPG set in a medieval fantasy world. Chase fame and fortune as you choose where to go, who to recruit, which contracts to pursue, and how to train and equip your men in a procedurally generated open world campaign.

Why similar: Open World 32.5%, Sandbox 30%, RPG 13.2%, Strategy 7.9%, Character Customization 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: It delivers Kenshi's underdog-to-elite progression in mercenary-company form, with harsh losses, open-world travel, and constant resource pressure.

In a land torn asunder by incessant warfare, it is time to assemble your own band of hardened warriors and enter the fray. Lead your men into battle, expand your realm, and claim the ultimate prize: the throne of Calradia!

Why similar: Open World 41.6%, Sandbox 28.7%, RPG 17.4%, Strategy 7.8%, Simulation 1.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its open-ended campaign of building a party, surviving hostile factions, and becoming a mercenary, lord, or conqueror scratches the same self-directed sandbox itch as Kenshi.

Wartales is an open world RPG in which you lead a group of mercenaries in their search for wealth across a massive medieval universe. Explore the world, recruit companions, collect bounties and unravel the secrets of the tombs of the ancients!

Why similar: Open World 41.9%, RPG 18.5%, Sandbox 17.3%, Survival 13%, Strategy 5.1%

Why You'll Like It: This is one of the closest matches for Kenshi's roaming-squad feel, built around managing a struggling band of fighters, supplies, injuries, money, and contracts in a dangerous world.

Bringing you to an exotic desert where you’ll recruit, train, and guide your troops into battle against rival cities and factions. Embark on an adventure that’s uniquely yours; Customizable characters, professions, and factions. The land is filled with a variety of hidden secrets.

Why similar: Open World 44.2%, Sandbox 21.6%, RPG 15.4%, Strategy 8.5%, Character Customization 4.6%

Why You'll Like It: You roam a hostile sandbox recruiting followers, taking towns, dealing with factions, and growing from wanderer to warlord in a way that feels very Kenshi-adjacent.

It's ten years since the infection started. Long-established settlements are collapsing, one by one, for unknown reasons. Survivors are running to the hills to escape, hoping for safety in remote places. As another refugee, you're here to carve out a new life for yourself - by any means necessary.

Why similar: Open World 21.9%, Base Building 15.2%, Post-apocalyptic 14.4%, Survival 13%, RTS 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: Its mix of open-world scavenging, recruitable survivors, base-building, diplomacy, and community management feels very close to a smaller-scale zombie Kenshi.

Establish and expand your own settlements, liberate the land and assist its villagers, and recruit others to your cause while learning more about a life you had to leave behind. Command your forces, prove your valor through combat, and cement yourself as the hero of your people.

Why similar: Open World 27.7%, Survival 22.2%, City Builder 15.6%, Crafting 11.2%, Building 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: It blends open-world survival, settlement building, NPC recruitment, and anti-faction rebellion into the same kind of long-form self-made campaign Kenshi fans tend to love.

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: Sandbox 28.5%, Survival 14.4%, Open World 14%, RPG 12.6%, Base Building 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: While more colony-focused, it shares Kenshi's joy in deep systems, harsh setbacks, self-directed growth, and building a powerful community from almost nothing.

The Matchless Kungfu is an open world sandbox RPG game based on a WuXia background. You can play any martial arts role you imagine in this wild world. Travel through the great wilderness, or be the leader of the group. The most important thing is, build your own story and live the experience!

Why similar: Open World 21.5%, Sandbox 18.8%, Survival 13.5%, Base Building 10.4%, Building 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a similarly weird and open-ended sandbox where you roam freely, develop skills, build up your character, and interact with a highly systemic world.

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 27.1%, Open World 25.1%, Sandbox 17.5%, Post-apocalyptic 9.8%, Building 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: Even without Kenshi's squad RPG structure, it nails the same oppressive survival tone, long-term progression, scavenging, and player-driven base-building in a hostile world.

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: Sandbox 20.9%, Survival 16.4%, Base Building 14.6%, City Builder 14.6%, Building 12.2%

Why You'll Like It: It is another legendary emergent sandbox where survival, base-building, injuries, scarcity, and unpredictable disasters create player-authored stories instead of scripted quests.

Choose your path across a primeval continent shaped by the Mask's power. From lush rainforests to scorched sands, recruit and lead unique tribesmen, build automated production lines, and construct everything from local bases to colossal airships, uncover the secrets of the Mask

Why similar: Open World 20.9%, Sandbox 19.7%, Survival 15.4%, Base Building 12.6%, Building 12.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its harsh survival loop, recruitable NPC tribe members, automation, and fortress-building make it one of the strongest modern alternatives for Kenshi's survival-plus-settlement side.

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: Open World 53.2%, Survival 23.8%, RPG 13.4%, Character Customization 7.4%, Singleplayer 2.2%

Why You'll Like It: If your favorite part of Kenshi is surviving an uncaring world through experimentation and emergent character-building, Qud delivers that same freedom in roguelike form.

Build, quest, and conquer across an infinite procedurally generated world. Play alone or with friends as you establish a settlement and explore deep dungeons, fight monsters and bosses, mine rare ores, craft magical equipment, recruit specialists for your colony, and more!

Why similar: Open World 23.2%, Sandbox 21.3%, Survival 15.9%, Base Building 10.2%, Crafting 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: Its top-down sandbox mixes exploration, crafting, settlement building, and recruitable NPC workers into a lighter but still very Kenshi-like loop.

An online multiplayer survival game, now with sorcery, set in the lands of Conan the Barbarian. Survive in a vast open world sandbox, build your home into a kingdom, and dominate your enemies in single or multiplayer.

Why similar: Open World 29%, Survival 25.4%, Sandbox 14.6%, Building 13%, Crafting 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its brutal open world, crafting, fortress-building, slave-taking thrall system, and survival-heavy progression overlap strongly with Kenshi's harsh sandbox appeal.

The dead have risen and civilization has fallen. Now it's up to you to gather survivors, scavenge for resources and build a community in a post-apocalyptic world – a world where you define what it means to survive in this ultimate zombie survival simulation.

Why similar: Open World 31.5%, Survival 25.8%, Base Building 18.4%, Sandbox 9.3%, Post-apocalyptic 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: Managing a vulnerable survivor community, scavenging a hostile world, improving skills, and building defensible bases hits many of the same emergent survival beats as Kenshi.

Soulash 2 is a sandbox RPG roguelike with a procedurally generated open world, simulated history, skill-based progression system, customizable abilities, material-based crafting, building, trading, and the possibility of total mayhem. Will you save your world or destroy it?

Why similar: Sandbox 24.3%, Open World 24.1%, Survival 14.9%, Base Building 11.9%, RPG 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: This is another highly systemic sandbox RPG built around open-ended survival, crafting, world interaction, and making your own goals in an unforgiving setting.

NEO Scavenger is a game where you must survive in the wasteland long enough to figure out who you are. Each turn, you must decide where to go, how to scavenge for supplies, and how to deal with anything and anyone you encounter.

Why similar: Survival 29.9%, Post-apocalyptic 19.6%, Open World 12.7%, Sandbox 12.2%, Crafting 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: It lacks Kenshi's squad and base scale, but its desperate post-apocalyptic survival, scavenging, and hard-earned progression capture a similar feeling of vulnerability.

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: Sandbox 20.5%, Survival 16.3%, Base Building 14.6%, City Builder 14.2%, Crafting 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: Though more settlement-focused, it scratches the same 'start with nothing, survive, build up, and defend what you've made' instinct that makes Kenshi so compelling.

Welcome to Keplerth! Try to survive on a hostile alien planet in this 2D sandbox RPG, where you can choose to live alone or fight side by side with your friends in the online multiplayer mode. Survive, build, farm, fight, and explore your way to victory in this open-world adventure!

Why similar: Sandbox 23.1%, Open World 23.1%, Survival 17.4%, Building 12.1%, RPG 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: It combines top-down survival, crafting, base-building, exploration, and colonist-style progression into a compact sandbox that echoes several of Kenshi's core loops.

UnderRail is an old-school turn-based isometric role-playing game that features a large open post-apocalyptic world, deep and challenging combat and an intricate storyline.

Why similar: Post-apocalyptic 29.2%, RPG 28.4%, Open World 20.7%, Crafting 9.5%, Sandbox 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its unforgiving post-apocalyptic world, freedom in character development, and focus on surviving by your own build and choices appeal to Kenshi players who enjoy harsh RPGs.

Hunt, survive, build and lead in the harsh Middle Ages: Create your own Medieval Dynasty and ensure its long-lasting prosperity or die trying! Play alone or team up with friends to enjoy the ultimate medieval experience.

Why similar: Open World 18.1%, Sandbox 15.3%, Building 14.5%, Survival 14.1%, Crafting 12.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its open-world survival, crafting, and gradual transition into managing a growing settlement make it a good fit for players who especially enjoy Kenshi's self-sufficient base-building side.

Build, scavenge, craft, and perform occult rituals to survive in a demon-infested, post-apocalyptic colony simulation. Will you survive Judgment day?

Why similar: Survival 17.8%, Base Building 14.7%, Sandbox 13.8%, Post-apocalyptic 12.9%, Open World 11.8%

Why You'll Like It: If the part of Kenshi you love most is holding together a fragile outpost under constant pressure, this gives you that same tense survival-management loop.

In the anarchic world of Freeman: Guerrilla Warfare, only the mightiest warlord rules. Start with a pistol and a few militias, you will set yourself on a wild and ambitious journey towards world domination. Enjoy the immersive combination of intense FPS and sandbox strategy.

Why similar: Open World 33%, Sandbox 27.7%, RPG 15.7%, Strategy 13.3%, RTS 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: It feels like a gunpowder-era cousin to Mount & Blade, emphasizing open-world travel, squad recruitment, economics, and fighting your way up from obscurity.

Embark on a space voyage with your ragtag crew of civilians in search of a new home. Build spaceships tile by tile, create optimal gas conditions, manage the needs and moods of their crew, encounter other space-faring groups, and explore the universe in this spaceship colony simulation.

Why similar: Sandbox 16.2%, Open World 15.4%, Survival 13.5%, Base Building 12%, City Builder 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: This is a strong pick if you want Kenshi's blend of crew management, base construction, injuries, scarcity, and emergent disaster stories in a sci-fi setting.

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: Sandbox 25.9%, Survival 20.1%, Base Building 19.1%, Building 15.4%, Management 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: Its combination of base-building, minion management, raids, prisoner capture, and hands-on expansion has a lot of the same cruel sandbox energy as Kenshi.

Embark on a perilous journey across a realm forsaken by the gods and devastated by an arcane cataclysm. Accompanied by a hardy crew, you must trade, fight, and explore your way to success as the leader of a traveling company in Vagrus, an award-winning turn-based post-apocalyptic fantasy RPG.

Why similar: Open World 55.8%, Post-apocalyptic 20.9%, RPG 20.6%, Singleplayer 2.8%

Why You'll Like It: Its focus on traversing a hostile wasteland, managing a caravan, dealing with factions, and surviving through trade and hard choices makes it a strong thematic match.

No remarkable journey is achieved without great effort. In Outward, the cold of the night or an infected wound can be as dangerous as a predator lurking in the dark. Explore the vast world of Aurai solo or in Co-op. The Definitive Edition features both DLCs and quality of life improvements.

Why similar: Open World 49%, Survival 25.5%, RPG 22.7%, Adventure 1.7%, Singleplayer 1.1%

Why You'll Like It: It mirrors Kenshi's uncompromising survival-minded RPG feel by making travel, preparation, poverty, and hard-won progress central to the experience.

Dead State is a narrative-driven survival RPG set at the dawn of the undead apocalypse. Drawing inspiration from classic RPGs like Fallout, X-Com, and Suikoden, Dead State combines strategic, turn-based combat with base building mechanics, character creation, and social management.

Why similar: Survival 37.8%, RPG 18.3%, Post-apocalyptic 11.5%, Open World 10.9%, Sandbox 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: This post-apocalyptic RPG mixes party management, shelter upkeep, faction choices, and scarcity-driven survival in a way that aligns well with Kenshi's grim systems-heavy design.

Hobo: Tough Life is an urban survival role-playing game where you play as a homeless person. Play alone or team up in online co-op. Explore the streets of Praslav, scavenge for food and supplies, beg, steal, and do whatever else it takes to survive the forthcoming winter.

Why similar: Open World 25.7%, Survival 21.2%, Sandbox 16.5%, Base Building 14.5%, Crafting 9.5%

KINGDOMS is a procedural medieval RPG in a randomly generated open world. The main feature of KINGDOMS is a smart AI system that completely controls NPC behavior. As the player, you can fully interact with this massive world and become any person you want to be.

Why similar: Open World 27.3%, Sandbox 16.4%, Survival 15.6%, Building 13.1%, RPG 8.8%

In XenoHaven, gather resources to build shelters, enslave alien beasts to work for you, and run restaurants and shops. Delve into dark underground dungeons, defeat swarming insectoids and mighty bosses, and craft powerful gear to conquer the alien world.

Why similar: Open World 22.7%, Sandbox 20%, Survival 15.3%, Base Building 13.1%, Building 9.2%

It's one year after the collapse of civilization and self-centered hedge fund manager Joe Wheeler emerges from his specially constructed bunker in search of food. This is a huge open-world RPG where you have the freedom to play how you want - but your choices have consequences.

Why similar: Survival 21.5%, Open World 18.4%, Sandbox 13.2%, Base Building 10%, Post-apocalyptic 9.2%

Calradia is a land at war, offering great riches and even greater dangers to adventurers and mercenaries that flock to shed their blood on its soil. With courage and a strong sword, an unknown stranger can make a name as a warrior. Free-form sand-box gameplay.

Why similar: Open World 38.5%, Sandbox 25.7%, RPG 20.7%, Strategy 7%, Character Customization 2.6%

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: Open World 18.1%, Sandbox 17.8%, Survival 13.3%, City Builder 13%, Base Building 12.8%

Dustland Delivery is a post-apocalyptic survival business simulator. Scour the wastes for profit, complete missions to grow your trading empire, and assemble a rag-tag band of adventurers to turn your city into the capital of the Dustlands. Danger lurks around every corner—but no risk, no reward!

Why similar: Sandbox 21.3%, Survival 20.6%, Post-apocalyptic 12.3%, RPG 11.7%, Building 11%

This survival game is packed with features including crafting, exploring, building, excavation, farming, fishing, capturing creatures, torture, battle, and a story with many forks along the way. The objective is to escape the island, but is that really your only choice?

Why similar: Open World 28.9%, Survival 20.9%, Sandbox 19.6%, Base Building 8.2%, RPG 7.5%

Stoneshard is a hardcore turn-based RPG about the harsh life of a medieval mercenary: travel with your own caravan, descend into procedurally generated dungeons, learn new skills, survive hunger and injuries - and remember, every mistake can mean death and loss of progress.

Why similar: RPG 27.7%, Survival 26.8%, Sandbox 19.5%, Open World 13.6%, Strategy 9%

Hardcore and realistic; LiF is a Medieval multiplayer sandbox RPG, with free terraforming, a rich crafting system and preset and modular building construction. With engaging survival aspects, no target physics-based combat and a unique formation system - along with numerous other features - LiF is not for the faint of heart!

Why similar: Open World 27.1%, Sandbox 21.2%, Survival 18.6%, Crafting 11.4%, Building 11.2%

Planet Explorers is an open world sandbox adventure RPG game set on a distant planet. The game uses a new OpenCL calculated voxel system to allow players to change the terrain in any way, create new objects such as weapons, vehicles, objects, and do it anywhere.

Why similar: Sandbox 28.7%, Open World 27.8%, Survival 14.9%, Crafting 9%, Building 8.5%

Nomadic Survival MMO. Build wooden walking machines to travel to new lands. Create clans and fight for territory. Resources deplete fast, so take your sword and scavenge, pirate, and trade to stay alive.

Why similar: Open World 25.9%, Survival 22.1%, Sandbox 14.9%, Building 9.7%, RPG 9.3%

Restore the former glory of Border Town in an open-world sandbox RPG set in a fantastical realm. Explore the world, craft tools and weapons, cultivate fields, and socialise with your neighbours while dealing with dark forces that threaten to destroy everything you have built.

Why similar: Open World 26.6%, Sandbox 24.2%, Survival 16.9%, Building 13.2%, RPG 9.9%

Survive in a living post-apocalyptic city. Build trust or spark conflict with NPCs and factions, uncover mysteries, and watch the world change with your every choice.

Why similar: Open World 23.1%, Sandbox 21%, Survival 16%, Base Building 13.6%, Post-apocalyptic 11.6%

Blackthorn Arena is a strategy/management sim with a real-time/turn based combat system, set in a world of mythical monsters and classic fantasy races. Play as the master of Blackthorn Arena, train your slaves into gladiators, forge them into your champions, and send them to fight for your glory!

Why similar: Sandbox 30.2%, Open World 25.8%, Building 17.6%, Management 10.5%, Strategy 8.8%

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: Sandbox 21.8%, City Builder 20.1%, Survival 15.6%, Building 13.2%, Open World 9.5%

Force of Nature is a Sandbox game that combines Action, Adventure, RPG, Strategy and Management genres

Why similar: Open World 20.1%, Survival 20%, Sandbox 18.4%, Crafting 12.9%, Building 9.3%

To escape from pursuit, as the leader of your sect, guide your disciples to rise again! Engage in farming and hunting, train in martial arts, and forge weapons and armor. Build your sect's base and fortifications from the ground up to survive in this perilous, ambition-filled martial world!

Why similar: Open World 19.1%, Sandbox 17.6%, Survival 13.4%, Base Building 12.5%, City Builder 11.7%

A survival city-building game with flying cities. Build, automate, and defend a flying city that travels between procedurally generated maps to survive in a wacky, nightmare-infested, post-apocalyptic world full of strange science and dreams.

Why similar: Sandbox 17.2%, Survival 14.7%, City Builder 13.6%, Base Building 9.6%, Open World 8.8%

Myth of Empires is a multiplayer war sandbox game featuring a high degree of freedom and multiple civilizations. Players must survive, craft, create, and lead troops in their quest to conquer PVE or PVP territory and build their own empire. Xizhou Civilization Pack is now officially released!

Why similar: Open World 21.7%, Sandbox 21.5%, Survival 15.2%, Building 13.4%, Base Building 12.7%

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: Sandbox 23.2%, City Builder 16.4%, Base Building 15.7%, Survival 12.7%, Building 11.6%

Sheltered is a deep and emotional survival management game. You take on the role of protecting four family members who, after a global apocalypse, have found their way to a deserted shelter.

Why similar: Survival 27.2%, Base Building 18.2%, Post-apocalyptic 17%, Open World 8.5%, Building 6.3%

Waste Walkers is a gritty post-apocalyptic role playing game that allows players to discover the horrors of the apocalypse through a harsh struggle for survival.

Why similar: Open World 20.9%, Sandbox 18.2%, Survival 15.3%, Base Building 12.1%, Post-apocalyptic 10.7%

Colony Survival is a unique first-person strategy game developed by a two-man team. Build your own colony in a voxel world. Command guards, farmers, miners and other colonists. Defend your colony against the horde of monsters that attacks every night!

Why similar: Survival 18.1%, Sandbox 15.8%, Open World 15.5%, Base Building 15.2%, Building 11.1%

Ratopia is a new game that has combined elements of both strategic survival and city building. With plenty of content available, and more planned, enjoy a vast world to adventure and populate with citizens! Build your own economical system to sustain your ideal city of Ratopia.

Why similar: Survival 15.3%, Open World 15.2%, Sandbox 14.7%, Base Building 13.9%, Building 12.7%

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: Sandbox 18.3%, Open World 17.9%, City Builder 12.9%, Base Building 11.6%, Building 11.1%

Become the captain of an airship and explore the world of the skies, gather resources and build powerful weapons, uncover ancient secrets and fight beneath your ship's sails.

Why similar: Open World 23.2%, Sandbox 19.2%, Survival 13.6%, Base Building 13.1%, RPG 7.8%

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: Sandbox 27%, Base Building 18.5%, Building 16.6%, City Builder 16.4%, Management 8.4%

7 Days to Die is an open-world game that is a unique combination of first-person shooter, survival horror, tower defense, and role-playing games. Play the definitive zombie survival sandbox RPG that came first. Navezgane awaits!

Why similar: Survival 22%, Open World 20.6%, Sandbox 15.6%, Base Building 12.2%, Post-apocalyptic 11%

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: Sandbox 21.1%, Base Building 21%, Open World 13.5%, Survival 11.4%, Crafting 9.8%