Rhitankar Nath
‘Factorio’ is an immensely popular base builder and resource management sim that allows its players to build and maintain a factory from scratch. There are a lot of supply chains that players need to maintain, which makes the gameplay extremely engaging. Now there are a lot of base builders out there, so much so that we are nearly spoilt for choice. Therefore, we decided to compile the best ones in one single list for the convenience of the gamers. Here’s the list of video games similar to Factorio that are our recommendations. You can play these games like Factorio on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, iPhone, Android, mac or even online.
7. Infinifactory (2015)
‘InifiniFactory’ is one of those games that simply grows on you as you keep playing. It is not one of those titles that you expect to pick up and play a lot but the amount of hours you put into it are surprising. Developed and published by Zachtronics in the year 2015, it has managed to remain relevant in the community due to its addictive gameplay elements. At the base, it is very much a resource management sim but with puzzle elements added into the mix.
You play as a human who has been abducted by aliens and is being forced to create various equipments for them. You are completely under their control and therefore need to meet their requirements consistently, no matter what they demand. It is quite understandable that the items they are procuring will be used for subjugating more fellows like you, but there is nothing that can be done about it. You do not want to meet the same fate as the other humans you find scattered around the world, and hence, keep to your bidding silently.
What we found most interesting is the way the game manages to immerse its players into the world. A whole new glyphic language has been created for this purpose and the aliens will use that to communicate with you. You also gain access to a bunch of audio logs that helps you understand the storyline, and they are quite well made. This is one game you must try out if you like playing stuff like ‘Factorio’, mainly due to its puzzle based sim elements.
6. Planetbase (2015)
‘Planetbase’ is a base management sim that is set in a sci-fi universe. If you have ever dreamt of building a colony on an outer planet, then look no further than this one. Although there are quite a few games out there that allow you to build colonies on alien planets, none of them are quite as in-depth or realistic as this one. You need to take in a lot of factors before you start building your base, such as the resources available to you and the climate. These will have an adverse effect on your colony as you progress further into the game. Starting a colony is no simple task and the hostile environment does not help either. Resources are scarce to begin with and will require quite a bit of micromanagement in order to get things running.
However, once they do, the game becomes extremely satisfying. The numbers of buildings or settlers you can support are extremely limited at the start; however, the cap is removed at later stages when you are able to accommodate everyone and provide them with basic resources. As the technology tree opens up, you are able to build robots that are extremely essential to the overall success of your community. These metal creatures don’t require any basic resources like your settlers and therefore can work without fail. We suggest you work towards upgrading the robots as soon as possible since they really do make life easy for you in the long run. Other than that, the game will throw randomly generated events at varying intervals like sandstorms and solar flares, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging. Fans of ‘Factorio’ will definitely find a lot of recurring gameplay elements and hence, should definitely check this one out.
5. Gnomoria (2016)
‘Gnomoria’ is another base builder and resource management sim that features a lot of similar gameplay elements to ‘Factorio’. Here, you take control of a bunch of pesky gnomes instead and focus on building a base for them in a landscape of your choice. It was developed and published by Robotronic Games in the year 2016 for Windows PC, macOS and Linux devices to overall positive reviews with most of them praising it for its addictive gameplay element. Now most city builders are known for their addictive nature but this one particularly stood out to me when I first started playing it. Like, I didn’t even notice two hours had passed by and I was stuck with my first batch of gnomes with a fairly limited stronghold.
The idea of the game is that you need to lead a small group of gnomes and survive in a world that’s littered with threats. However, there are treasures hidden for those who go looking for it, and knowing gnomes, they never give up on wealth. The map is procedurally generated, meaning that no two games will ever be the same. You start off with a small base and its quite easy to get lost in designing the best layout for your city. It is best to get the best layout down from the very beginning as it takes out a lot of hassle later on when you need to optimize things. The entire world is destructible (in some way or the other) and also rewards the player for exploration, so don’t do shoveling tunnels deep from the very start. We highly recommend you give this one a go if you are looking for something similar to ‘Factorio’.
4. Stardew Valley (2016)
Okay, so the gameplay for this one is not exactly similar to that of ‘Factorio’, but fans of the game will definitely be able to connect with this one. For starters, both the games have a focus on base building and resource management. Secondly, you need to manage production of various items and then sell them for profit, so there’s that as well. Even though the focus of ‘Stardew Valley’ is on farming while ‘Factorio’ is more of an industrial experience, we definitely feel that fans of either games will love the other. And hence, ‘Stardew Valley’ finds a spot on this list.
Okay! Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk a bit more about the gameplay. You are given control of a farm that you need to tend to and expand over the course of time. You plant seeds, nurture them, wait for them to grow and the harvest them for sale. In addition, you are also able to explore an open world in search of quests and new friendships. Some of these friendships might lead to long term relationships as well, adding another level of immersion to the gameplay. And if you ever get bored with it, there are tons of mods available for the PC version online, ensuring that you never run out of content when tending to your precious crops. However, this is one of the most addictive games on this list, so don’t go around blaming us if you miss a few days of work!
3. Banished (2014)
So you think you got the idea of base management sims down to the wire? You think you have mastered the mechanics of micromanagement and the skill required to balance production with consumption? Well, try ‘Banished’ and see for yourself. This is one of the most unforgiving survival sims out there that really puts a dead stop in front of new players. It is extremely crucial to get the basic aspects of gameplay figured out right from the very beginning if you even want to stand a chance of surviving the first season. Resources are extremely scarce and require extreme caution when it comes to spending the same.
Don’t go expanding your settlement right from the beginning or you will not be able to sustain it for very long. Individual settlers have basic needs not only for sustenance but also for the work they do like cutting down trees and mining ore. These require tools that you need to provide them so that work can continue effortlessly. If you expand too fast too soon, then you will have a hard time meeting these basic demands and hence, the efficiency of your system will suffer. The whole map is open to you and there are no competing factions, so we don’t see any reason to hurry. Plan out ahead of time, and you will be good to go. And once you live through the first few seasons, more aesthetic options open up, enabling you to focus more on the looks of your settlement. We highly recommend this to people who love playing games like ‘Factorio’ but are looking for a more hardcore experience.
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2. Terraria (2011)
‘Terraria’ is one of those games that really blew up among the community upon release. It is an action adventure platformer developed by Re-Logic and published by 505 Games in the year 2011 for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux platforms. The game received major critical acclaim upon release with most critics pointing their praises to the open ended gameplay and combat elements. The fact that it manages to blend in two different genres seamlessly without compromising the gameplay is also beyond commendable! It doesn’t matter whether you like playing old school platformers like ‘Metroid’ or modern sandboxes like ‘Minecraft’, you’ll surely find something of interest in ‘Terraria’.
You start off with simple tools like a pickaxe, a sword and an axe. The pickaxe can be used for digging, the axe for cutting down trees and the sword to take down enemies. Once you have the basics covered, you are able to progress to more specific tasks. Resources gathered from the environment can be used to craft better items and weapons. Gear can also be upgraded similar to an RPG but everything that you craft requires three things: resources from the environment, a recipe for the item you are trying to craft and a suitable workplace where you can get down to business. This is one of the best open world sandbox games we have played in the recent past and hence we highly recommend it to you if you are looking for something like ‘Factorio’.
1. Oxygen Not Included (2017)
‘Oxygen Not Included’ puts you in the cold grips of outer space with limited supply to oxygen. Developed and published by the Canadian game studio Klei Entertainment in the year 2017 through the Steam Early Access regime, it is currently still being improved upon with updates being released for it at regular intervals. The premise for the game is pretty simple, but the options that eventually open up to the player are endless. You find yourself trapped on an asteroid with just a thin layer of atmosphere keeping you alive. However, you are not alone and you look around to find two other survivors trapped on different asteroids similar to yours.
As you explore the surroundings, it becomes clear that the three must work together in order to survive the mess. This is where the actual gameplay starts. Each of these three survivors has access to different resources and you must manage them efficiently in order to upgrade the three bases individually. It will be possible to connect the three bases eventually with the option to colonize other asteroids in the belt. This opens a whole lot of opportunities for you as you gain access to other resources. Similar to ‘Factorio’, you need to efficiently manage these resources and ensure that the basic needs for all your activities are met. ‘Oxygen Not Included’ is a must play for fans of ‘Factorio’ and if you still haven’t tried it out, head on over to Steam and download it right now on your Windows PC, macOS or Linux devices.
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