Games Like Rise to Ruins

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 41.7% ★, City Builder 15.8%, Base Building 15.8%, Survival 10.8%, Sandbox 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: The definitive colony-sim that mirrors the brutal survival and emergent storytelling found in Rise to Ruins.

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: Colony Sim 33.7% ★, City Builder 25.1%, Base Building 13.2%, Survival 10.1%, Sandbox 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: The foundational inspiration for the genre, offering unparalleled depth in simulation and base-building complexity.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 33.7% ★, City Builder 26.1%, Base Building 11.7%, Survival 8.4%, Sandbox 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: A massive-scale colony sim that emphasizes large-scale logistics and defense against encroaching threats.

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: Colony Sim 31.7% ★, City Builder 24.6%, Base Building 12.8%, Survival 9.3%, Sandbox 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: A roguelite city-builder that forces you to balance rapid expansion with intense survival pressure against a hostile environment.

Design and build fortresses brick by brick to stand against endless hordes of Horrors in this real-time strategy game with resource management, siege defense, and exploration. Lead from the ramparts, push back the darkness, and hold fast against the creatures of the Mist.

Why similar: Colony Sim 28.4% ★, City Builder 20.5%, Tower Defense 20.3%, Base Building 11.3%, Survival 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: A brilliant fusion of tactical tower defense and modular base-building that perfectly captures the defensive spirit of the seed game.

In this city builder and tower defense game, you will command a small band of ship wrecked colonists. Progress from struggling to survive the elements to a thriving kingdom that will smash the demon hordes that dare attack your settlement.

Why similar: Colony Sim 27% ★, Tower Defense 22.6%, City Builder 21.7%, God Game 15.6% ★, Survival 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: A direct spiritual match that focuses on the day-night cycle of building during the day and defending against waves at night.

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 30% ★, God Game 16.2% ★, City Builder 15.8%, Base Building 11.1%, Survival 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: A pixel-art colony sim that shares the aesthetic and procedural survival challenges of Rise to Ruins.

Diplomacy is Not an Option is a strategy game set in a medieval fantasy world. Build your town and defenses, raise huge armies and fight against massive hordes of enemies. How long can you survive?

Why similar: Colony Sim 42.7% ★, Base Building 16.7%, Tower Defense 16.4%, Resource Management 7.3%, Survival 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: A strategy game that pits your city against massive hordes, requiring careful base design and defensive planning.

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: Colony Sim 34.6% ★, City Builder 25%, Base Building 13.5%, Survival 10.2%, Sandbox 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: A 3D colony sim that emphasizes structural integrity and vertical defense against raiding parties.

Gather coins, build defenses and reclaim your fallen Kingdom. Explore and uncover secrets, unlock new technologies and protect your crown versus waves of Greed monsters that come at night. Kingdom is a solo or co-op micro-strategy and tower defense game set in an atmospheric pixel world.

Why similar: Tower Defense 26.7%, Colony Sim 23.6% ★, City Builder 21.6%, Base Building 9.7%, Survival 7.2%

Why You'll Like It: A minimalist side-scrolling strategy game that excels at the core loop of expanding your borders and defending your subjects.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 42.1% ★, Base Building 15.2%, City Builder 12.7%, Survival 12.4%, Sandbox 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: A survival-focused colony sim that forces you to manage a base while fighting off demonic threats in a post-apocalyptic setting.

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 36.8% ★, City Builder 26.8%, Base Building 13.5%, Survival 7.4%, Sandbox 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: A god-game perspective colony sim where you manage the lives of your subjects while influencing the world around them.

The Wandering Village is a city-building simulation game on the back of a giant, wandering creature. Build your settlement and form a symbiotic relationship with the colossus. Will you survive together in this hostile, yet beautiful post-apocalyptic world, contaminated by poisonous plants?

Why similar: Colony Sim 35% ★, City Builder 29%, Base Building 9.8%, Survival 7.8%, Resource Management 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: A unique survival city-builder where you manage a settlement on the back of a giant creature while dealing with environmental hazards.

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: Colony Sim 32.3% ★, City Builder 21.1%, Base Building 12.4%, Survival 9.5%, Sandbox 5.6%

Why You'll Like It: A colony sim that brings the survival and base-building loop into a modular spaceship environment with tactical combat.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 42.7% ★, City Builder 30.7%, Survival 8.5%, Sandbox 5.9%, Strategy 4.8%

Why You'll Like It: A charming voxel-based colony sim that emphasizes building and defending a settlement in a dangerous world.

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: Colony Sim 34.4% ★, City Builder 22.6%, Base Building 13.2%, Survival 9.9%, Strategy 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: A colony sim that integrates complex economic management with defensive building and exploration.

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: Survival 28.9%, Base Building 27.3%, Sandbox 19.1%, Pixel Graphics 18.1%, Indie 3.9%

Why You'll Like It: A top-down survival game that combines base-building, colony management, and combat in a procedurally generated world.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 44.5% ★, City Builder 13.5%, Survival 9.6%, Sandbox 8.2%, Tower Defense 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: A dwarf-focused colony sim that blends crafting, exploration, and tower defense elements in a side-scrolling view.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 39.8% ★, City Builder 27.7%, Survival 7.8%, Sandbox 7.3%, Strategy 6%

Why You'll Like It: A classic sandbox colony sim that focuses on building, mining, and defending a fortress from invaders.

Kingdoms and Castles is a city-building simulation game about growing a kingdom from a tiny hamlet to a sprawling city and imposing castle. Make trade agreements, alliance, and war with neighboring AI controlled kingdoms. Each villager and resource is individually simulated.

Why similar: Colony Sim 38.5% ★, City Builder 34.7%, Base Building 6.8%, Strategy 5.7%, Survival 3.9%

Why You'll Like It: A medieval city builder that incorporates tower defense mechanics as you protect your kingdom from Vikings and dragons.

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: Colony Sim 46.3% ★, Base Building 15.3%, City Builder 15.1%, Survival 12.4%, Sandbox 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person colony builder that requires you to manage guards and workers to defend your settlement from nightly monster attacks.

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: City Builder 33.6%, Colony Sim 31.1% ★, Survival 12.7%, Base Building 6.6%, Strategy 6.4%

Why You'll Like It: A high-stakes survival city-builder that forces difficult moral choices and intense resource management under extreme conditions.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 32.8% ★, City Builder 30.5%, Base Building 11.2%, Survival 8.4%, Sandbox 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: A unique city-builder that introduces water management and vertical construction as core survival mechanics.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 61.7% ★, Sandbox 12.2%, Pixel Graphics 11.4%, Simulation 7.9%, Indie 2.8%

Why You'll Like It: A deep colony simulation set in the Scottish Highlands that focuses heavily on survival and resource management through the seasons.

Become a real medieval feudal lord: start with a small village and build it up into an enormous impenetrable castle. You will have to repel enemy raids: hide behind thick walls, lure your enemies into strategically placed traps, and even lead your loyal peasants into battle.

Why similar: Colony Sim 35.7% ★, City Builder 22%, Base Building 13.5%, Survival 7%, Resource Management 5.6%

Why You'll Like It: A colony sim that focuses on medieval base building and managing a growing population of subjects.

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

Why similar: Colony Sim 33.8% ★, City Builder 31%, Base Building 13.4%, Survival 9.6%, Strategy 6.2%

Why You'll Like It: A city builder that balances complex supply chains with the constant threat of survival and enemy raids.

Command a settlement of ancient humans, guide them through the ages in their struggle for survival. Hunt, gather, craft tools, fight, research new techs and face the challenges the environment will throw at you.

Why similar: Colony Sim 40.2% ★, City Builder 37.8%, Survival 9.7%, Strategy 5.3%, Sandbox 2.9%

Why You'll Like It: A survival-focused city builder that tasks you with guiding a prehistoric settlement through the ages against environmental threats.

Become a dungeon lord to defend your dungeons with the deadliest of traps and insidious contraptions against greedy adventurers and wannabe heroes.

Why similar: Tower Defense 63.5%, Strategy 23.6%, Pixel Graphics 5.8%, Indie 5.5%, 2D 1.5%

Why You'll Like It: A highly polished tower defense game that focuses on creative trap placement and strategic enemy pathing.

Ruinarch is an evil god simulator and sandbox game where you mess with people’s lives for hilarious results! Make them vampires, werewolves or bard haters and cackle as the drama unfolds. Once you’re done, unleash a malicious buffet of spells and custom plagues to wipe them out and start anew!

Why similar: Colony Sim 28.3% ★, God Game 20.7% ★, City Builder 19.7%, Base Building 11.3%, Survival 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: A god-game that allows you to act as a villain, manipulating the world and your subjects to cause chaos and destruction.

The unstoppable fluid enemy has returned and destroyed every world in its path! Defend against Creeper as it floods across the 3D terrain in this real time strategy game where the enemy is a fluid.

Why similar: Tower Defense 67.8%, Strategy 13.9%, Level Editor 8.8%, Simulation 8.2%, Singleplayer 1.2%

Why You'll Like It: A strategic tower defense game where you must build and expand to push back an encroaching, fluid-like enemy force.

From Glory To Goo is a Sci-Fi survival RTS set on an alien world. Serve as humanity's bulwark by establishing a colony and supporting your colonists still in orbit. But beware, for The Goo, a relentless and shape-shifting force approaches from all sides, even above and below.

Why similar: Colony Sim 24.8% ★, Tower Defense 20.9%, City Builder 18.5%, Base Building 11.5%, Survival 6.6%

Creeper World 3 is what happens when cellular automata takes over a strategy simulation. Instead of discrete units that attack your base, a fluid-like substance spreads over the terraformable terrain. Your base, your weapons, your strategy... you must adapt them all.

Why similar: Tower Defense 72.7%, Strategy 10.2%, Base Building 5.9%, Level Editor 2.3%, Simulation 2.2%

Build a castle by day and defend it by night. Becastled blends cozy city-building with challenging tower defense strategy. Lead the Sun Kingdom’s last stand against the Moon Beasts and end the ancient conflict between light and darkness!

Why similar: City Builder 30.2%, Colony Sim 29.2% ★, Base Building 21.1%, Strategy 8.7%, Tower Defense 5.5%

Your village must survive for 13 days! Gather resources, expand, explore the underground for riches, and train soldiers to defend against hordes of the undead.

Why similar: Tower Defense 43.2%, Base Building 21.7%, Survival 16.7%, Strategy 10.8%, Pixel Graphics 3.2%

Dungeon Warfare is a challenging tower defense strategy game where you become a dungeon lord to defend your dungeons with deadliest of traps and insidious contraptions against greedy adventurers and wanna-be heroes.

Why similar: Tower Defense 52.1%, Strategy 11.4%, Pixel Graphics 10.8%, Resource Management 9.2%, Great Soundtrack 5.2%

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

Why similar: Tower Defense 25.9%, Colony Sim 24% ★, City Builder 19.4%, Base Building 10%, Survival 8.1%

A village builder / survival game. Expand your village by day and fight monsters at night. Learn how to survive, and try to prevent your imminent demise . . .

Why similar: Colony Sim 36.1% ★, City Builder 33.4%, Strategy 13.8%, Survival 13.5%, Indie 3.3%

Settlements Rising is a medieval city building and colony management game. It offers a lively colony experience with simulated villagers, dozens of professions and resources, natural disasters, and raids, while providing full control over the colony through trade, production chains and datas.

Why similar: Colony Sim 31.6% ★, City Builder 25.4%, Tower Defense 10.9%, Base Building 8.4%, Survival 6.1%

Phoenix Hope is a pixel art 2D real-time, side-view strategy game in which you must develop your colony during the day and repel waves of monsters at night.

Why similar: Colony Sim 31.2% ★, Tower Defense 22.3%, Base Building 12.7%, Survival 10.4%, Strategy 6.8%

Kingdom: New Lands builds upon the award-winning gameplay and mystery of Kingdom by introducing an abundance of new content to the IGF-nominated title while maintaining the simplicity and depth that legions of monarchs have come to experience and enjoy.

Why similar: Colony Sim 31.1% ★, Tower Defense 25%, Base Building 13.2%, Survival 10.1%, Strategy 5.4%

Harvest cards to raise land from the sea, build settlements and rain fire upon invaders in this survival city-builder with roguelike deckbuilding mechanics. Choose from 4 gods with unique cards, playstyles and abilities to lead their civilisations to victory in strategic run-based gameplay!

Why similar: Colony Sim 21.9% ★, City Builder 17.7%, Tower Defense 16.6%, God Game 15% ★, Base Building 7.6%

A fusion of roguelite, tower defense, city-building, and deck-building! We created a new kind of real time strategy game filled with addictive and fast-paced gameplay. Create your deck, defend your city, and build the largest Ratropolis in history!

Why similar: Tower Defense 32%, City Builder 22.1%, Survival 15%, Strategy 11.3%, Simulation 7.4%

A fantasy village builder focusing on creative building, colonist psychology and base defense. Handle resources, farming, production, tools, diplomacy, families, trading, defense, and research, as well as the wishes, expectations, thoughts, and equipment of every villager.

Why similar: Colony Sim 44.2% ★, City Builder 22.1%, Base Building 12.2%, Survival 6.6%, Strategy 4.2%

Rebuild your kingdom and explore a vibrant fantasy world in this roguelite city builder. Defeat hordes of monsters with a unique team of defenders as you harvest, build, mine, cook, brew, and grow. But if your defenses should fail, be prepared to watch it all burn!

Why similar: Tower Defense 63.3%, Strategy 16.8%, Roguelike 9.8%, 2D 4%, Indie 3.9%

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: Colony Sim 34.8% ★, Tower Defense 18%, Base Building 17.8%, City Builder 12.5%, Survival 9.1%

Here is Scarecropia! Lead at most 400 people to build a settlement. Arm your village to fight against the Goblin army, or invest limited resources in yourself to become unparalleled! Take every cost to survive!

Why similar: Colony Sim 22.6% ★, Tower Defense 17.7%, City Builder 17.1%, God Game 14.7% ★, Base Building 8.4%

Kingdom is a 2D sidescrolling strategy/resource management hybrid with a minimalist feel wrapped in a beautiful, modern pixel art aesthetic.

Why similar: Colony Sim 21.4% ★, City Builder 16.5%, Tower Defense 15.3%, Base Building 12.1%, Survival 8.3%

Village elder, help us! The Apocalypse is approaching, and we need your guidance to survive. Assign your workers and build a thriving village against the pending doom. DotAGE is the merciless survival roguelite turn-based city builder. Will you fulfill the Prophecy?

Why similar: Colony Sim 37.6% ★, City Builder 29.8%, Survival 11%, Resource Management 7.8%, Pixel Graphics 6.6%

Jump straight into managing your own planets as you guide a civilization through the ages. Build the ultimate empire in The Universim, a new breed of God Game in development by Crytivo.

Why similar: Colony Sim 31.7% ★, City Builder 24%, God Game 22.2% ★, Survival 7.8%, Sandbox 5.4%

Rogue Tower is a tower defense game with roguelike elements and a continuously expanding path which you can influence. Unlock, build, upgrade, expand, defend.

Why similar: Tower Defense 66.7%, Base Building 13.5%, Strategy 12.5%, Roguelike 6.5%, Singleplayer 0.8%

The game brings a fresh new take on the city building/management genre by introducing many RPG features. In Towns you manage a settlement on top of an active dungeon. Instead of playing the hero who delves deep into the dungeon, how about playing the town that houses and caters to the hero's needs?

Why similar: City Builder 56.4%, Sandbox 12%, Strategy 9.4%, Survival 7.3%, Simulation 6.7%

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

Why similar: City Builder 47.3%, Colony Sim 17.8% ★, Base Building 7.2%, Strategy 6.6%, Sandbox 5.4%

This Goblin Tribe Simulator brings a challenging blend of chaos and creativity to the city-building genre. Build dwellings, manage your resources, defend your goblins, and grow your tribe, and please the Gods! Do you have what it takes to control the chaos and rule the unruly?

Why similar: Colony Sim 22.8% ★, City Builder 18.2%, Tower Defense 16.2%, God Game 14.4% ★, Base Building 9.6%

LiF:Forest Village is a city builder with survival aspects in a realistic harsh medieval world. Shape, build and expand your settlement, grow various food to prevent your villagers from avitaminosis and starvation. Possess them for additional micromanagement or simply to wander around.

Why similar: Colony Sim 43.3% ★, City Builder 34.9%, Survival 6.7%, Strategy 5%, Resource Management 4.6%

Build and manage your own settlement! A relaxing village construction and management simulator.

Why similar: Colony Sim 35% ★, City Builder 27.5%, Base Building 13.2%, Sandbox 5.8%, Resource Management 5.5%

Here Comes the Swarm is a survival RTS with a pause button! Create your strategy, build, manage, and defend your settlements at your own pace. Take the fight to the hive mind and lead expeditions to deliver a deadly blow and eradicate your foes. Will you reclaim Ulora from the relentless Swarm?

Why similar: Colony Sim 29.2% ★, Tower Defense 19%, City Builder 16.1%, Base Building 11.9%, Survival 9.4%

An open-ended factory management game with RTS and tower defense elements.

Why similar: Tower Defense 41.2%, Base Building 24%, Resource Management 9.2%, Strategy 8.6%, Sandbox 6.4%

In this city-building game, you will lead a group of survivors in their search for a new home. Manipulate the landscape, manage limited supplies, plant crops, hunt wildlife, gather resources, and develop trade routes to build a bustling and unique town.

Why similar: Colony Sim 34.4% ★, City Builder 31.4%, Survival 10.1%, Base Building 7.8%, Sandbox 4.7%

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 29% ★, City Builder 22.2%, God Game 12.8% ★, Base Building 10.6%, Survival 8.7%

Block Tower TD is a roguelike tower defense strategy game with interesting innovations. Build a world out of blocks, choose random upgrades to make every run unique.

Why similar: Tower Defense 28.9%, City Builder 28.9%, Survival 8.7%, Base Building 8.6%, Sandbox 7.2%