Games Like Plague Inc: Evolved

Bio Inc.: Redemption is a realistic simulation and strategy game in which you make life or death decisions. Create a deadly illness to infect and torment your victim or play as the head of a medical team and hopefully find a cure to save your human patient. Will you be the plague or preserve humanity?

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 58% ★, Strategy 10.3%, Simulation 8.1%, Zombies 6.2%, Multiplayer 4.9%

Why You'll Like It: It delivers the closest disease-simulation loop on Steam, built around exploiting biological systems and reacting to medical counterplay.

A unique and deeply engaging political/military strategic simulation from the creator of Plague Inc. Balance competing civilian and military priorities and deal with a deadly insurgency in order to stabilise a war-torn country.

Why similar: Strategy 30%, Simulation 22.7%, Tactical 16.4%, Multiplayer 14.6%, Co-op 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: From the same developers, it shares Plague Inc.'s elegant systemic design, constant adaptation, and high-replay strategy structure.

Can you rebuild civilisation after a zombie apocalypse? From the creator of Plague Inc. comes a unique blend of strategic simulation, survival city builder and ‘mini 4X’. Build settlements, harvest resources and shape society as you lead Humanity out of the darkness.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 62.1% ★, Zombies 10.9%, Strategy 10.1%, Simulation 8.7%, Post-apocalyptic 6%

Why You'll Like It: Set after the collapse, this Ndemic strategy game keeps the same accessible-but-deep decision making and crisis-management DNA.

Quarantine is an intense turn-based strategy game about waging war on pandemic disease. Recruit a team of specialized operatives to deploy on worldwide missions. Research the contagion, upgrade your tech, and quarantine the outbreak before it kills us all.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 71.9% ★, Strategy 13.5%, Simulation 7.5%, Tactical 3.8%, Survival 1.3%

Why You'll Like It: This is a tense outbreak-management strategy game where you dispatch teams, manage resources, and try to stay ahead of a spreading pandemic.

A campy, crazy pixelart zombie apocalypse arcade sim where you're the bad guy. Drop your virus and spread it across the globe while you unlock a whole horde of bizarre undead to do your bidding.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 65% ★, Strategy 9.6%, Zombies 9.3%, Simulation 6.9%, Tactical 2.2%

Why You'll Like It: Like Plague Inc., it lets you play the aggressor, evolving and deploying an infection to wipe out humanity.

COVID: The Outbreak is a real-time strategy game in which you play the role of a global organization that has to deal with a global pandemic. Issue decrees, manage resources, develop projects, and construct buildings. A race for the vaccine begins!

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 76.8% ★, Strategy 13.7%, Simulation 5.8%, Indie 2.7%, Singleplayer 0.6%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a nation-scale pandemic simulation focused on policy tradeoffs, timing, and trying to control exponential spread.

Choose any real region from the world. Choose your base of operations, then rebuild and readapt the buildings around you to create a self-sustaining settlement. Take charge of a group of survivors from your city. And when the night falls - Defend the zone from the infected!

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 50.9% ★, Strategy 13.8%, Zombies 13.8%, Simulation 8.2%, Post-apocalyptic 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: This swaps world conquest for local survival, but the infected-driven pressure and adaptive planning are a strong fit.

War of the Zombie brings together the best of turn-based simulation and real-time strategic gameplay action across the entire world at the very start of a mysterious undead outbreak.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 65.4% ★, Strategy 15.9%, Simulation 11.9%, Zombies 6.8%

Why You'll Like It: Its strategic layer of infection tracking, research, and global response gives a similar “watch the world unravel” management feel.

The Fabulous Fear Machine is a narrative-driven strategy game with a pulp horror style. As the Machine's new Master, you must sow fear and expand your influence by creating Legends, harvesting resources, manipulating events, and spying on your enemies.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 70.6% ★, Strategy 11.5%, Simulation 9.2%, Difficult 3.1%, Indie 2.5%

Why You'll Like It: It mirrors Plague Inc.'s world-map escalation by having you spread and evolve fear across regions through clever strategic pressure.

Prepare yourself for the most thrilling night of your life! Something strange has happened and people everywhere are turning into blood thirsty walking corpses. But guess who’s the brains behind this hungry undead army? YOU! So spread this pandemic and wipe humanity off the planet.

Why similar: Zombies 46.9%, Strategy 41.4%, Indie 6.3%, Singleplayer 2%, 2D 1.6%

Why You'll Like It: You directly control and evolve a zombie infestation, giving it a similar “engineer the apocalypse” appeal.

The zombie apocalypse is upon us and it's up to you to evacuate everyone before they fall prey to the undead. Conduct massive rescue operations with a helping hand from snipers, artillery crews, orbital bombardments, and more.

Why similar: Zombies 28%, Strategy 27.1%, Tactical 13.9%, Multiplayer 11.5%, Sandbox 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its stylish strategy loop is all about containing a fast-moving zombie outbreak before cities are overwhelmed.

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: Strategy 48%, Post-apocalyptic 20.7%, Simulation 14.4%, Survival 9.2%, Difficult 3.5%

Why You'll Like It: While not about disease, it offers similarly brutal strategic triage, escalating pressure, and hard tradeoffs under existential threat.

Rebuild a ruined city in this post-apocalyptic mix of strategy and simulation. Manage survivors, scavenge for food and supplies, deal with rival gangs, illness, interpersonal strife and zombie attacks.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 50.3% ★, Strategy 14.4%, Zombies 12.9%, Simulation 9.3%, Post-apocalyptic 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: It blends strategic expansion, scarce resources, and zombie outbreak pressure into a highly replayable survival-management game.

In a world overrun by the undead, build a lab to fight back with science. Manage survivors, gather vital resources, and turn zombies into allies. Defend your base and research the cure to reclaim humanity.

Why similar: Strategy 26.7%, Zombies 24.1%, Simulation 21.5%, Post-apocalyptic 12.6%, Sandbox 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: Though played from the containment side, it scratches the same outbreak-systems itch with research, management, and infected population control.

They Are Billions is a Steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. Build and defend colonies to survive against the billions of the infected that seek to annihilate the few remaining living humans. Can humanity survive after the zombie apocalypse?

Why similar: Strategy 40.3%, Zombies 35.2%, Post-apocalyptic 7.3%, Survival 6.4%, Tactical 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its relentless, infection-like zombie pressure rewards the same kind of foresight, optimization, and anti-collapse planning.

In Pandemic Train you are in charge of the crew aboard a train roaming the postapocalyptic wasteland, ravaged by both war and a deadly plague. Your goal is to survive long enough to discover the cure… or die trying. Humanity’s fate is in your hands! Start your journey now!

Why similar: Strategy 35.1%, Simulation 23.9%, Post-apocalyptic 13.4%, Sandbox 6.9%, Survival 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: Managing survivors, resources, and disease on the move captures the same grim tension of staying ahead of catastrophe.

Cepheus Protocol is an Open World RTS Military Survival Game. Play as the CERC hunting Patient 0, maintain Quarantine camps, fight dangerous mutations & Rogue Civilian Combatants . There’s nobody else coming, it’s up to you now.

Why similar: Zombies 27.6%, Strategy 25.1%, Post-apocalyptic 13.4%, Simulation 8.1%, Sandbox 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: This RTS revolves around a citywide infection that spreads dynamically, forcing constant reactive and preventative decision-making.

In This War Of Mine you do not play as an elite soldier, rather a group of civilians trying to survive in a besieged city; struggling with lack of food, medicine and constant danger from snipers and hostile scavengers. The game provides an experience of war seen from an entirely new angle.

Why similar: Strategy 34.4%, Simulation 22.5%, Survival 13.7%, Post-apocalyptic 11.2%, Realistic 5.4%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the same bleak survival-against-collapse mood, with systems that constantly force painful strategic decisions.

Endzone is a post-apocalyptic survival city builder, where you start a new civilization with a group of people after an ecological disaster. Build them a new home and ensure their survival in a shattered world, threatened by constant radiation, toxic rain, sandstorms and droughts.

Why similar: Strategy 38%, Simulation 21.2%, Post-apocalyptic 18.1%, Survival 6.7%, Indie 3.9%

Why You'll Like It: It emphasizes long-term adaptation to systemic disaster, making it a good match if you enjoy crisis-heavy strategy loops.

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: Strategy 40.3%, Simulation 28%, Post-apocalyptic 17.2%, Survival 5.2%, Tactical 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: This is another post-collapse management game where every expansion choice has to account for cascading threats and scarcity.

The post-apocalyptic dark comedy is back - remastered and even more radioactive than before! Scavenge supplies, rescue your family, and stay alive in your fallout shelter. Make difficult decisions, hunt mutant roaches... and maybe survive. Or not.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 72.5% ★, Strategy 13.7%, Post-apocalyptic 6.4%, Difficult 3.8%, Survival 2.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its short, replayable disaster-prep runs echo the same appeal of making high-stakes strategic choices under collapse conditions.

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: Zombies 36%, Multiplayer 15.7%, Simulation 11%, Post-apocalyptic 10%, Survival 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its deep infection mechanics, emergent disasters, and extreme replayability make it a strong broader fit for plague-and-survival fans.

A satirical spy-fi lair builder where YOU are the criminal mastermind! Construct your base, train your minions, defend your operations from the Forces of Justice, and achieve global domination!

Why similar: Strategy 59.2%, Simulation 33.4%, Sandbox 4.9%, Singleplayer 2.4%

Why You'll Like It: Its villain-management structure and globe-spanning operations scratch a similar mastermind-style strategic itch.

Inspired by the 1983 cult classic film, Wargames, DEFCON superbly evokes the tension, paranoia and suspicion of the Cold War era, playing on the fascinating aspects of psychological gameplay that occur during strategic nuclear warfare.

Why similar: Strategy 31.7%, Tactical 26.5%, Multiplayer 16.3%, Co-op 9.7%, Difficult 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its minimalist world-map design and cold, clinical portrayal of global catastrophe feel very adjacent to Plague Inc.'s tone.

Pathologic 2 is a groundbreaking open-world horror RPG. Resist the plague. Make medicine. Heal people. Perform an autopsy. Trade to get what you need. Fight and kill if necessary. Survive. Struggle with an outbreak in a secluded rural town that is rapidly turning into hell.

Why similar: Difficult 34.8%, Survival 19.4%, Indie 17%, Atmospheric 15.5%, Singleplayer 13.2%

Why You'll Like It: Though more immersive and narrative-driven, few games capture the dread, momentum, and human cost of a plague this well.

ICBM is a real-time strategy game of nuclear destruction. Research new technologies, build up your nuclear stockpile and use a combination of ships, planes and missiles to strike at the heart of your opponents’ cities while keeping your population safe from harm.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 76.4% ★, Strategy 15.7%, Tactical 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: If you like the global “end of civilization” strategy fantasy, this delivers another world-scale annihilation sandbox.

Command the checkpoint in a collapsing city. Screen survivors, manage scarce resources, and hold back the undead. Every choice matters and one mistake could unleash the plague beyond your walls.

Why similar: Zombies 36.8%, Simulation 29.9%, Post-apocalyptic 17.5%, Realistic 8.1%, Singleplayer 4.6%

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: Zombies 39.3%, Multiplayer 18.7%, Simulation 11.9%, Post-apocalyptic 9.5%, Survival 8.4%

Why You'll Like It: Running a survivor community through an ongoing infection crisis gives it a similar long-form adaptation loop.

Place yourself at the heart of the Jurassic franchise and build your own Jurassic World. Bioengineer dinosaurs that think, feel and react intelligently to the world around them and face threats posed by espionage, breakouts and devastating tropical storms in an uncertain world where life always finds a way.

Why similar: Strategy 41%, Simulation 38.2%, Sandbox 8.6%, Multiplayer 4.6%, Singleplayer 4%

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: Zombies 47.9%, Strategy 23.9%, Post-apocalyptic 7.5%, Survival 7.2%, Simulation 4%

Why You'll Like It: It mixes survival management and outbreak collapse in a way that will appeal if you enjoy watching systems break down under pressure.

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: Strategy 34.7%, Post-apocalyptic 25.2%, Simulation 14.7%, Survival 11.9%, Indie 4%

Why You'll Like It: This bunker-management survival game focuses on resource triage and enduring life after a civilization-ending disaster.

End humanity using disasters, plagues, and war. Spread chaos worldwide, combine catastrophic events, and stop them before they escape to the Ark.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 78.5% ★, Simulation 10.3%, Post-apocalyptic 4.8%, Sandbox 3%, Indie 1.2%

The epic story of evolution, technology, humanity, and dinosaurs is yours to tap.

Why similar: Simulation 67.4%, Casual 9.4%, Multiplayer 6.6%, Strategy 6.1%, Sandbox 4.9%

Play as the zombies! Infect and Destroy is an indie game in which you play as an infectious disease with the sole purpose of eliminating everyone on Earth. Play as an ultra-intelligent self-aware virus capable of reanimating the dead and turning them into your minions.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 73.2% ★, Strategy 9.8%, Simulation 7.5%, Zombies 5.4%, Indie 2%

Game about the difficult work of people that manage emergency lines and services. Answer incoming calls and react properly - give first aid instructions, advise, dispatch correct number of firemen / police / ambulances, or sometimes - just ignore the call. Play on ANY CITY in the world!

Why similar: Strategy 36.1%, Simulation 31.2%, Addictive 10.1% ★, Tactical 5.8%, Indie 4.1%

Play as a lethal virus infecting various organs in your host's body while trying to outsmart the immune cells that seek to eliminate you and your kind. Generate clones and watch them propagate, infecting cells and taking down bosses.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 79.4% ★, Simulation 10.6%, Realistic 3.1%, Survival 1.8%, Indie 1.6%

Evil Labs is a game about building and managing your own Evil Laboratory. Research and develop diseases, infect people, sell the cure and get rich!

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 75.8% ★, Strategy 11.4%, Simulation 9.7%, Indie 2.3%, Singleplayer 0.7%

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: Strategy 36.4%, Simulation 31.9%, Multiplayer 12.5%, Sandbox 9.2%, Indie 3.6%

DeadOS is an early access zombie outbreak simulator by Benn Powell that focuses on city-wide scenarios where you have access to fully customize your apocalypse experience from beginning to end. Simulation. Sandbox. Survival!

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 84.8% ★, Simulation 7%, Zombies 4.3%, Indie 1.9%, Sandbox 1%

Niche - a genetics survival game is a turn-based strategy game combined with simulation and roguelike elements. Shape your own species of animals based on real genetics. Keep your species alive against all odds, such as predators, climate change and spreading sickness.

Why similar: Strategy 41.6%, Simulation 32.1%, Sandbox 11.3%, Singleplayer 7.9%, Survival 7.1%

COVID SIMULATOR is an outbreak simulation that visualizes how quickly Covid-19 spreads, becoming a disaster. The game is an open sandbox where you can add (or remove) Covid mandates and see what happens! Create your workplace, enact your mandates, and roll the dice with your workers.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 89.1% ★, Simulation 7.2%, Casual 1.5%, 2D 1.1%, Atmospheric 0.4%

Create & destroy on an unimaginable scale with a realistic physics-based space simulator. Explore the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Use science to bend the laws of gravity, collide planets, boil away oceans, fire epic space lasers, and customize your universe.

Why similar: Simulation 51.1%, Sandbox 16%, Indie 13.1%, Realistic 10.5%, Casual 5%

WorldBox is the ULTIMATE god simulator and sandbox game. A petri dish for your fantasy civilizations. Create your own world or destroy it using many powers. Watch civilizations grow, form kingdoms, colonize new lands, sail to far continents, wars to ignite, empires to fall and towns to burn!

Why similar: Simulation 64.1%, Sandbox 26.4%, Indie 9.5%

Victory is at your fingertips! Your ability to lead your nation is your supreme weapon, the strategy game Hearts of Iron IV lets you take command of any nation in World War II; the most engaging conflict in world history.

Why similar: Strategy 52.5%, Simulation 15.4%, Multiplayer 12.4%, Tactical 11.4%, Sandbox 3.3%

Zombies are invading your home, and the only defense is your arsenal of plants! Armed with an alien nursery-worth of zombie-zapping plants like peashooters and cherry bombs, you'll need to think fast and plant faster to stop dozens of types of zombies dead in their tracks.

Why similar: Zombies 37.1%, Strategy 31.4%, Addictive 13.3% ★, Tactical 4.7%, Casual 3.5%

2D pixel style simulation business strategy game Build and operate your own survivor base, recruit and cultivate various professional combatants. Clear zombie strongholds, reduce regional infections, survive in the apocalypse, and establish your own power.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 52.9% ★, Zombies 12.3%, Strategy 11.9%, Simulation 11.2%, Post-apocalyptic 6.7%

WARNING. Stay inside. Lock your doors. Close the blinds. Only let humans in. Eliminate all Visitors. An anxiety horror about paranoia in the End of Times.

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 74.5% ★, Simulation 11.4%, Indie 5.6%, Singleplayer 3.5%, Atmospheric 2.9%

Here is a sandbox like no other. Create massive battles with absolutely no limits. Want to see 10,000 chickens fight an army of Romans?? Sure, why not. Want to see a company of WW2 U.S soldiers fight 11,000 Medieval soldiers?? There are simply no limits to the carnage you can achieve in UEBS.

Why similar: Simulation 37.6%, Strategy 31.3%, Zombies 12.3%, Sandbox 10.7%, Indie 3.3%

Swarm the City: Zombie Evolved is a villain protagonist real-time strategy game. You will play as the King of the Dead and rule the world once again by creating zombie legions and destroying human cities. As the King of the Dead, you can infect humans, turn them into zombies and rule the world!

Why similar: Zombies 23.1%, Strategy 21.7%, Simulation 15.1%, Tactical 12.2%, Post-apocalyptic 11.5%

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is the much-anticipated sequel to Frontier’s highly successful Jurassic World Evolution. This bold new era in the Jurassic World Evolution game franchise builds upon the ground-breaking and immersive 2018 management simulation.

Why similar: Simulation 36.2%, Strategy 36.1%, Sandbox 10.9%, Multiplayer 8.4%, Singleplayer 4.6%

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: Strategy 45%, Simulation 29.2%, Multiplayer 12.1%, Sandbox 9.5%, Singleplayer 2.5%

Manipulate climate, add plants and evolve creatures in this planet and life sandbox simulation game. From cells to civilizations, spread life throughout the whole planet. Or just enjoy watching your creation burn!

Why similar: Simulation 71.2%, Sandbox 23.3%, Atmospheric 5.5%

Contagion isn't your average Zombie Shooter but instead takes a more realistic and different approach to the popular genre with unique characters, environments, weapons, items, and a built in system that makes every round completely unpredictable with resources, objectives, and paths ever changing.

Why similar: Zombies 58.4%, Post-apocalyptic 20.8%, Co-op 10.7%, Survival 6.5%, Atmospheric 3.6%

Rule your land and dominate the world with unparalleled freedom, depth and historical accuracy. Write a new history of the world and build an empire for the ages.

Why similar: Strategy 42.7%, Simulation 31.3%, Multiplayer 10.1%, Sandbox 8.2%, Co-op 5.3%

In Game Dev Tycoon you replay the history of the gaming industry by starting your own video game development company in the 80s. Create best selling games. Research new technologies and invent new game types. Become the leader of the market and gain worldwide fans.

Why similar: Simulation 43.3%, Strategy 27.4%, Addictive 11.9% ★, Indie 6.8%, Casual 3.7%

An evolution simulation game. Take control of your species in the environment and edit your species as a whole. Compete with other evolving species for resources on an alien planet.

Why similar: Simulation 57.6%, Sandbox 15.7%, Realistic 10.2%, Casual 7.3%, Survival 5.3%

Play with evolution! Species: ALRE is a scientifically-grounded, emergent simulation of natural selection. Creatures evolve and speciate in response to in-game mutation and selection forces, allowing you to experience and tinker with evolution in real-time.

Why similar: Simulation 57.9%, Strategy 17.3%, Sandbox 15.6%, Indie 5.9%, Singleplayer 3.3%

Design stunning hospitals, cure peculiar illnesses and manage troublesome staff as you spread your budding healthcare organisation across Two Point County.

Why similar: Simulation 54.6%, Strategy 24.1%, Sandbox 5.8%, Indie 4.1%, Multiplayer 4%

A Huge Wave of Zombies Are Coming! Control hundreds of swarming zombies to conquer the entire city!

Why similar: Outbreak Sim 66.8% ★, Simulation 15.1%, Zombies 10.5%, Post-apocalyptic 3.4%, Survival 2.3%