There are numerous similar games to Rimworld that are waiting to amaze you if Rimworld has held your attention.

RimWorld is a storytelling and survival game by indie developer Ludeon Studios, where you'll guide a ragtag ensemble of colonists trying to survive on a distant and wild alien world. Gameplay is a mix of real-time strategy and simulation, with elements of rogue-like progression and an AI-generated storytelling system that brings a unique narrative twist to each playthrough. In the game, players must manage their crew's needs, moods, individual skills, and illnesses while navigating the challenges of an evolving game environment, such as dramatic weather events, resource scarcity, and hostile raids by the planet’s indigenous life or rival colonies.

One of the standout features of RimWorld is its depth and flexibility, offering a highly customisable experience where you can set your gameplay goals, difficulty and narrative elements to your liking. If you enjoy strategy-simulation games that blend survival and storytelling elements like RimWorld, there are numerous other options available that might capture your interest. In fact, the strategy-simulation genre is rich with diverse playstyles and unique premises: from managing a medieval dynasty, ruling a Traveller-inspired space station, to surviving in post-apocalyptic landscapes, and so much more... And guess what?

25. Dwarf Fortress

If you enjoyed the detailed, intricate, and often unpredictable survival and building mechanics of Rimworld, then Dwarf Fortress would be right up your alley. Like Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress puts you in charge of a group of settlers struggling to survive in a procedurally-generated, persistent world that is constantly changing. Settlers have their own characteristics, skills, and personalities, just like in Rimworld, and managing their interactions, developing their skills, and utilizing them to exploit the resources of your environment is key to surviving. Both games also feature an in-depth combat system that takes into account factors like fatigue, injury, morale, tactical positioning, and equipment, making combat a detail-oriented, tense affair that can drastically alter the course of your game.

However, Dwarf Fortress does differentiate itself from Rimworld in certain ways that add a layer of depth and complexity. For instance, Dwarf Fortress focuses more on underground exploration and construction, creating a three-dimensional playing field that adds a new challenge to your building and survival strategies. Furthermore, its emphasis on procedural lore and a distinct historical progression provides a unique narrative that unfolds as you play, reframing your survival and exploration efforts within a larger, evolving world. There's a thriving community and rich online resources for Dwarf Fortress, too, just waiting for newcomers like you to join and share your triumphs and tragedies, your disasters, and dastardly clever survival strategies.

Dwarf Fortress is available on Linux, macOS, and Windows, typically priced around $0 USD as it is a free game, but you can donate to the developers if you wish. The game also offers a premium version available on Steam and itch.io for $20 USD, which includes additional features like a new tileset, enhanced audio, and Steam Workshop integration for mods.

24. Prison Architect

If you're a fan of Rimworld, you might want to give Prison Architect a try. Like Rimworld, Prison Architect is a simulation game that puts a heavy emphasis on managing numerical stats and systems to create different outcomes. Both games feature a rich depth of strategic gameplay with mechanics that support detailed base-building and resource management. In Prison Architect, you build and manage your own maximum security prison, similar to how you establish and manage your colony in Rimworld. And much like Rimworld, Prison Architect will challenge you to manage the needs of individuals under your control and will test your decision making skills.

Both games feature near-limitless gameplay and endless replayability due to its procedural generation and randomness. Prison Architect has a similar level of complexity as Rimworld with many different variables to balance, enhancing its depth and keeping you on your toes. It also has that same story-building appeal, where the actions and moments that happen are your own stories. Whether it's dealing with prisoner riots or an escape attempt gone wrong, it's akin to the surprise raids and unexpected events in Rimworld. If you love the depth, the randomness, storytelling, and the strategy aspects of Rimworld, you will definitely find Prison Architect appealing.

Prison Architect is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, typically priced around $30 USD.

23. Banished

If you're a fan of Rimworld, Banished is most definitely a game to consider. Just like Rimworld, Banished is a colony-simulator with a heavy emphasis on resource management and survival. The game requires you to gather resources, build structures, manage your population, and make difficult decisions based on changing elements, just like you would have to in Rimworld. Additionally, the characters (or in this case, villagers) play a significant role in Banished; each with their own unique skills and specific needs that can greatly impact the success or failure of your settlement. The difference is that Banished removes the sci-fi elements, set on an isolated location where the villagers have been exiled.

Banished places a stronger emphasis on environmental elements than Rimworld. Weather, for instance, becomes an additional layer of challenge you must manage in Banished. Harsh winters can deplete your food stores, and your villagers can die of starvation or exposure. Rather than altering your colony's surroundings, like in Rimworld, in Banished, you are tasked with building and shaping a civilization from what nature provides. This creates a unique interplay between survival and growth that lovers of Rimworld will certainly appreciate.

Banished is available on PC, typically priced around $19.99 USD.

22. Oxygen Not Included

Oxygen Not Included, like Rimworld, is a simulation game that requires players to manage resources and control colonists. Building upon Rimworld's strengths, it presents a stunningly intricate world where careful monitoring and optimal use of resources play a significant role. It mirrors the Rimworld experience of designing and maintaining a colony, but adds an extra layer of depth by introducing elements such as oxygen, temperature, and even airflow into the mix. Similarly, the colonists in Oxygen Not Included have specific traits, abilities, and needs, creating a complex system of micromanagement which is reminiscent of the intricate pawn management in Rimworld.

The visual style of Oxygen Not Included also carries some echoes of Rimworld - both games have a charming, cartoon-like aesthetic, but don't let the cute visuals fool you. Underneath lies a game that can be as brutal and challenging as Rimworld. As with Rimworld, the game's systems throw unexpected problems at you that make each playthrough unique but challenging. Colonists can succumb to a variety of ailments and resource scarcity can be a serious issue just like in Rimworld, establishing that these games both have a deep, engaging gameplay designed to challenge your strategizing skills.

Oxygen Not Included is available on platforms like Steam, typically priced around $24.99 USD.

21. Space Haven

If you're a fan of Rimworld, then you'll absolutely enjoy diving into Space Haven. Just like Rimworld, Space Haven focuses heavily on base-building and resource management but adds an extra element of excitement by taking the environment to the outskirts of space. You get to build spaceships, maintaining the well-being of your crew while exploring a vast, procedurally-generated universe. The game shines with its in-depth simulation mechanics which resemble Rimworld's, where each crew member has unique personalities and needs that you'll need to cater to, ensuring their survival in the harsh universe.

Moreover, Space Haven, similar to Rimworld, also offers tactical combat and deep modding capabilities. Whether it's about fending off alien invaders or dealing with inter-species conflicts, there's a wide array of weaponry to strategize your combat mechanics. Plus, if you were fond of using mods or creating them in Rimworld, Space Haven again hits the bullseye with its robust modding support, allowing players to tailor their gaming experience to taste. Its vivid graphics and captivating milieu, coupled with an immersive soundtrack, elevate the sci-fi atmosphere, making it a worthy successor to your Rimworld adventures.

Space Haven is available on Steam and GOG.com, typically priced around $24.99 USD.

20. Factorio

Factorio, much like Rimworld, is a game that thrives on complexity and player problem-solving. Where Rimworld capitalizes on the complexity of managing a group of colonists and their interactions, Factorio adds a different twist by focusing on resource management and complex automation systems. These systems mirror the intricate arrangements you would have experienced while managing your colony's resources, needs, and tasks in Rimworld. Factorio's engaging gameplay challenges you to continually improve upon your setups, loop in more resources, and enhance efficiency – a loop that's as rewarding as Rimworld's survival-centric gameplay.

Both Rimworld and Factorio delight with their ability to offer richly detailed worlds for your manipulation. In Factorio, you're tasked with creating sprawling, automated factories on an alien planet. The level of detail and the multitude of available components for your factories can easily rival the depth of managing a Rimworld colony. Factorio's crafting system requires meticulous management and carefully planned logistic networks, evoking the same deep engagement you might have felt while meticulously planning your colony's design in Rimworld. If you enjoyed the iterative, detail-oriented gameplay in Rimworld, there's a good chance you'll love Factorio's similar approach, but with a unique blend of factory building mechanics.

Factorio is available on several platforms including Steam, Humble Bundle, and GOG.com, typically priced around $30 USD.

19. Surviving Mars

Surviving Mars is like Rimworld in that both games offer immensely deep and intricate management simulations with a focus on survival. Like in Rimworld, you have settlers with unique skills and traits in Surviving Mars, who you have to keep happy and alive as they face various trials and tribulations. Both games have a heavily randomized playing field that requires you to adapt your strategy every time you play, making for endless replayability. Surviving Mars differentiates itself with a more futuristic setting, of course, involving managing a Mars colony and exploring the red planet, while Rimworld is set in a distant semi-primitive world.

Another huge similarity between the two is how invested you become in the lives of your settlers. In Rimworld you start to care deeply about your little pixelated pioneers, and the exact same thing happens in Surviving Mars. The game forces you to become invested, as every decision you make from building the right life-supporting facilities, to managing resources, to selecting your settlers will determine the fate of your colony. These settlers aren't just throwaway assets either, they're real virtual people - they age, they form relationships, they can get sick or go mad, just like the characters in Rimworld. The depth of interaction with your settlers in Surviving Mars is truly remarkable and will strike a chord with any Rimworld lover.

Surviving Mars is available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms, typically priced around $30 USD.

18. Frostpunk

Just like Rimworld, Frostpunk puts you into a situation where your survival management skills are absolutely essential. You'll find many elements familiar such as resource management, tech progression and city building. Frostpunk has you managing a society that's trying to survive in a brutal, post-apocalyptic winter, making the resource management even more critical and impactful. Additionally, just like Rimworld, narrative and storytelling are prominent aspects of Frostpunk. You’ll experience heartbreaking choices, moral dilemmas, and unexpected events that allow for emergent storytelling, keeping every game round unique and interesting.

In terms of gameplay mechanics and style, you'll see Frostpunk has taken tactical base-building and survival to a new, climatically challenging level. The circular building area that focuses on a central heat source will also remind you of the intricacies of Rimworld’s base building. Frostpunk’s beautiful artwork and unique steampunk aesthetic make the grim survival scenario feel genuinely engaging and immersive, whilst still maintaining a strategic complexity that made Rimworld so alluring. It's a challenge-based strategy game where decision making is a matter of life and death, just as it was on the rim.

Frostpunk is available on Windows, MacOS, PS4, and Xbox One, typically priced around $30 USD.

17. City Skylines

In the world of video games, City Skylines and Rimworld might initially seem like they hail from different universes, one being a bustling and complex urban simulator while the other is a survival strategy game set on a distant, untamed planet. Yet, the two share some essential elements that underline their fundamental appeal. Both games thrive on complexity and offer open-ended narratives where you, as a player, have a wide breadth of control. Whether you're laying out highways in City Skylines or fending off pirate raiders in Rimworld, your decisions significantly impact the flow and the outcome of the game. The systems at play leave room for tremendous creativity, allowing you to experiment with different strategies and build systems that reflect your vision.

These games also also share a common trait in the meticulous management of resources and handling unforeseen challenges. For instance, one minute in City Skylines, you can be planning the construction of a giant skyscraper, the next, you are solving complex traffic problems or a sudden economic downturn. Likewise, in Rimworld, your colonists can be working on improvements for the settlement one moment and dealing with unpredictable weather changes, disease outbreaks, or even alien invasions the next. The sense of satisfying achievement you get when you manage these intricate situations successfully is a shared experience between both games.

City Skylines is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, MacOS, Windows and Linux, typically priced around $30 USD. On the other hand, Rimworld is available on MacOS, Windows, Linux, and soon to be on iOS, typically priced around $35 USD.

16. Tropico 6

In drawing comparisons between Tropico 6 and Rimworld, both games beautifully blend elements of strategy, management and simulation, inviting you, the player, to truly become the master of your own virtual domain. Like Rimworld, Tropico 6 provides a deep, layered gameplay experience where every decision, no matter how small, has a significant impact on your environment. For example, in Rimworld, to thrive, you must carefully manage your colony's resources, morale, and infrastructure, while similarly, in Tropico 6, you'll find yourself calling the shots as El Presidente, charged with determining everything from your island nation's industrial policies to the education of its citizens, thus invoking the same sense of critical decision-making and ground-up development.

Additionally, both games incorporate a compelling storytelling component. In Rimworld, you'll remember how your choices created narratives around your colonist's survival - and sometimes their unfortunate demises. Similarly, Tropico 6 offers a rich narrative milieu, whereby your choices as El Presidente can lead your nation to prosperity, or cause it to crumble, with every decision shaping the narrative of your reign. The geopolitical intrigues, the balancing act between different societal sectors, and the management of each citizen's happiness closely resonates with the complex social dynamics you've enjoyed in Rimworld.

Tropico 6 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, typically priced around $49.99 USD.

15. Kenshi

If you are a fan of Rimworld's survival and strategy elements, Kenshi is an absolute must-try. Rather than directing the lives of your colonists within a narrow bio-dome, Kenshi is an open-world role playing game that gives you the freedom to interact with its fully simulated ecosystem. You start alone and penniless, but as you strategize and learn, you can build up permanent structures and recruit an army to navigate this post-apocalyptic, sword-punk world. Much like Rimworld, Kenshi is set in a harsh and unforgiving environment where survival and growth require careful planning and decision-making.

Much like Rimworld, the storyline and world of Kenshi are emergent, unfolding as you interact and play. Designing your base, managing your resources, and making tough choices to determine the fate of your characters and their settlement is a familiar theme, much as it is in Rimworld. The game world does not revolve around your character, making you just another creature trying to survive, which can make for some truly engaging games of diplomacy and conquest. Kenshi's real-time strategy elements, as coupled with its unique take on the sandbox-style role-playing game genre, makes it a worthwhile adventure for any Rimworld fan.

Kenshi is available on platforms such as Steam and GOG, typically priced around $29.99 USD.

14. Civilization VI

Civilization VI, much like Rimworld, offers players a dynamic and challenging environment where strategy and resource management play a critical role. In each game, you're given control over a group, whether it's a clan in Rimworld surviving off of a harsh landscape or a fledgling empire in Civilization VI, the complexity is the same. The key components of survival, expansion, conflict, and development are universal and essential to both. The variations of each game will force you to adapt and fluctuate your strategies and tactics, offering countless hours of immersive gameplay.

Furthermore, both games encourage exploration and discovery that unravel as you progress through the game. Rimworld focuses more on survival aspects; managing a base, crowd control, and individual character progression. While Civilization VI leans heavier on advancement through ages, diplomatic relations, and warfare strategies on a global scale. Both games share the values of decision-making and long-term planning, as every choice you make will have significant aftermaths on your game environment. If your current challenge in Rimworld is keeping your colony afloat amidst threats and resource scarcity, imagine managing an entire civilisation's journey from the Stone Age to the Information Age and beyond in Civilization VI!

Civilization VI is available on PC, Mac, Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, typically priced around $60 USD.

13. They Are Billions

They Are Billions and Rimworld are both top-notch games that brim with excitement in the world of strategy and survival. Like Rimworld, in They Are Billions, you are required to manage resources, design and build your settlements, manage people, and survive against hordes of enemies but in a post-apocalyptic steampunk environment where billions of zombies roam the earth. The management of your resources and security protocols lends a similar feel to strategizing resource allocation and defense strategies in Rimworld. You have to juggle between risks and opportunities all the time which makes it thrilling and engaging.

Aside from the strategy part, another key similarity between the two games is their replayability. They Are Billions offers a high replay value just like Rimworld with its procedurally generated world. Each session introduces new challenges, locations, and events, keeping every playthrough fresh and unpredictable which is a feature you liked in Rimworld. Moreover, the difficulty modes of They Are Billions can be customized, and the level of threat can be adjusted according to your liking, just as you can in Rimworld. This versatile difficulty setting ensures you can keep testing your strategies and survival skills under different challenging scenarios.

They Are Billions is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, typically priced around $30 USD.

12. Planetbase

Planetbase, like Rimworld, is an addictive and thrilling space colony sim game that is sure to grab your interest right off the bat. Both games revolve around managing human life colonists, maintaining resources, and surviving the harsh environments of alien worlds. In Planetbase, you'll find the same detailed, immersive gameplay as Rimworld, where you have to micromanage your colony, ensuring that each colonist is working efficiently. Each colonist has their own stats and skills, similar to the colonists of Rimworld, making every member a vital component of your colony's survival. You'll find yourself working hard to secure food, water, oxygen, and to protect your colonists from the harsh conditions and potential threats.

Another similarity between the two is how the gameplay detail extends to weather conditions; just like Rimworld, Planetbase offers a variety of environmental challenges that will test your planning and strategizing skills. The unpredictability of sandstorms, meteor showers, or solar flares can cause just as much chaos as Rimworld’s pirate raids or blight outbreaks and makes for a compelling and evolving environment in which you try to flourish. Planetbase also carries a strong focus on base-building and strategic planning to ensure sustainability, tools usage, how to handle injuries or diseases, and overall colony growth which are staple features in Rimworld. Moreover, while the two games explore different aesthetics, they both share a clean, attractive art style that invites the player into their world.

Planetbase is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows platforms, typically priced around $20 USD.

11. StoneHearth

StoneHearth shares a lot of similarities with RimWorld, giving you an opportunity to continue experiencing the thrill you've enjoyed in RimWorld. Set in a procedurally generated world, StoneHearth tosses you into a dynamic and living canvas where you build and maintain a civilization as you see fit, just like RimWorld. You have the power to design your city, craft and manage resources, make crucial decisions, and set out rules for your settlement. There's that enticing blend of survival, strategy, and creativity reminiscent of RimWorld that keeps gameplay engaging.

As in RimWorld, StoneHearth plunges you into the drama and thrill of managing a diverse group of settlers with unique personalities, skills, and backstories. It's charmingly challenging to ensure everyone's welfare while assigning them tasks aligned with their strength. There's the emotional rollercoaster ride of dealing with various events that can take a turn for the best or worst. It's your responsibility to guide your settlers through winter, food shortages, illness, and attacks from hostile forces. You dictate the survival chances of your inhabitants, making every decision impactful.

StoneHearth is available on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, typically priced around $25 USD.

10. Don't Starve

Don't Starve shares a lot of similarities with Rimworld in terms of their core survival and resource management systems. Much like Rimworld, Don't Starve presents a procedurally generated world left to your exploration and survival instinct. Instead of managing a whole colony as in Rimworld, you'll control a single character, struggling against hunger, hostile creatures, and taming the harsh wilderness environment. The game constantly keeps you on your toes by presenting dynamic seasons, each posing unique survival challenges and influencing resource availability. You'll have to strategically stock food supplies for winter, avoid freezing, keep track of sanity levels, and efficiently use the materials to build and upgrade your base for long-term survival.

The artwork and animations of Don't Starve provide a more whimsical feel, yet it shares Rimworld's trait of having a gritty, unapologetically harsh reality beneath its surface. The narrative details are shrouded in mystery, left for you to discover and unfurl as you continue surviving day by day. The darkness in Don't Starve is not just metaphorical - the literal darkness of the night presents an additional challenge, with deadly creatures lurking in the shadows. Building structures, gathering and managing resources, and learning to deal with a vast array of hazards are all factors that will challenge and immerse you, much like the intricacies you cherished in Rimworld. With an extra layer of character development and no shortage of exploration, Don't Starve could quench your thirst for a fresh yet similar experience to Rimworld.

Don't Starve is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $14.99 USD.

9. Stellaris

If you enjoyed the strategic base building and survival theme of Rimworld, you will definitely find Stellaris engaging. Similar to the concept of colony leadership in Rimworld, Stellaris provides you with an enormous galaxy to lead and shape an interstellar empire. You also get to engage with fascinating AI-controlled empires, and explore the galaxy where you'll encounter a multitude of species, planets, anomalies, and more. The events in Stellaris are as dynamic as in Rimworld, and your decisions greatly influence the course of your civilization's story giving you depth and immersion similar to Rimworld.

Stellaris offers a comparable level of customization to Rimworld, you can design your own species and determine the specifics of your government, traits and so forth. This is alike how you can customize your colonists in Rimworld. Ship design is another fantastic feature in Stellaris, which provides an alternative form of creativity to base building in Rimworld. Lastly, and importantly, Stellaris features an intricate technology system, which progresses in an unpredictable and semi-random fashion. This adds a similar layer of complexity as the tech tree in Rimworld, making both games excitingly unpredictable with every decision you make.

Stellaris is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, typically priced around $40 USD.

8. Endzone: A World Apart

Endzone: A World Apart offers an engaging experience similar to Rimworld, with its complex management and survival mechanics that provide a really engaging but challenging gameplay. Like Rimworld, it revolves around guiding a group of survivors through a post-apocalyptic world, ensuring that they have everything they need to sustain life. In both games, you need to manage your resources wisely, balance various needs, and react swiftly to crises. Building and developing your colony by gathering supplies, producing goods, and expanding your territory are key elements, just as in Rimworld. Also, the aesthetics and UI are intuitive and satisfying, which contributes to an engaging play experience.

Just like Rimworld, Endzone: A World Apart puts a heavy emphasis on environmental challenges. Weather patterns and seasonal changes can significantly impact your colony's survival. Moreover, the game features a variety of missions and tasks that players need to complete, similar to Rimworld`s quests system. Additionally, the game presents strategic depth in managing the community’s needs, such as water and radiation levels, making the gameplay multi-faceted. Similar to Rimworld`s procedurally generated events, Endzone: A World Apart also embraces unpredictability via its dynamically changing environments, crafting a unique game experience each time you play.

Endzone: A World Apart is available on PC platforms, such as Steam. It's typically priced around $29.99 USD.

7. Spore

While you might not think of Spore when considering games similar to Rimworld at first glance, these two games share fantastic similarities that make them both intriguing and engaging. Like Rimworld, Spore revolves around developing your own civilization and ecosystem, making strategic decision-making an essential aspect of gameplay. Spore offers a comprehensive and dynamic simulation of sociobiological advancement that echoes the colony management and survival aspects found in Rimworld. One starts as a simple cell and evolves to become a space-faring civilization, which is similar to how Rimworld players begin with a few shipwrecked survivors and build up to a thriving colony.

Additional similarities can be found in the player-driven narrative that both games offer. In Rimworld, your colonists come with their own backstories and aspirations, which dynamically influences the fate of your colony. Similarly, Spore allows you to guide the evolution and expansion of your species in an open-ended manner, lending a unique touch to your playthrough every time. The freedom to shape your world, coupled with the strategy-driven gameplay, makes Spore quite akin to Rimworld’s riveting play style. Additionally, both games provide a memorable gaming experience through challenges that test your survival, negotiation, and adaptation skills.

Spore is available on Windows, Mac OS X, typically priced around $20 USD.

6. SimCity 4

Just like in Rimworld, SimCity 4 allows players to construct, manage, and maintain their own unique communities - albeit in a more urban setting. Granted the scale is much larger in SimCity 4, but the underlying principles of resource management, infrastructure planning, and satisfying the needs of your population is exactly the same. You, as the mayor, will have full control over the creation and growth of your city, from planning out roadways and zoning districts, to implementing public services and utilities. The game also introduces a day-and-night cycle and multi-tiered simulation that gives players an immersive experience as they shape their cityscape.

What sets these two games apart yet intriguingly alike is the style of world-building and storytelling. The narratives in SimCity 4, like Rimworld, largely form through the indirect result of your actions and the unique combination of events and circumstances that unfold in your city. A sudden fire outbreak, a meteor impact, riots, or even a godzilla attack can test your management skills and add distinct layers of depth to your city's story. Just as you'd remember that time your favorite colonist in Rimworld survived a deadly raid, you'll also remember the time when your city came back stronger after a major disaster.

SimCity 4 is available on PC and Mac, typically priced around $20 USD.

5. Gnomoria

Just like Rimworld, Gnomoria also offers a unique sandbox experience that allows you to build and manage your own colony. The game also features the same top-down viewpoint, where you are given a procedurally generated world to shape to your liking and survival. Complexity of tasks also mirrors Rimworld as both games involve tasks like foraging, farming, mining, woodworking, stone cutting and much more. In Gnomoria, you're tasked with managing a whole gnome community and taking their civilization from ruins to a thriving society, which is quite similar to managing colonists on an alien planet in Rimworld.

Another essential thread that ties the two games together is the way in which the storytelling emerges from the gameplay. Just as in Rimworld, every action you take or decision you make in Gnomoria, leads to a unique story narrative that is crucial to the development of your kingdom or colony. Additionally, both games offer a fantastic degree of customization. In Gnomoria, you can design your own stockpiles, workshops, and living quarters for your gnomes, just like laying out your base and strategic defenses in Rimworld. The enemies and potential hazards you'll come across in these games further enhance the challenge and contribute to the stories and memories you'll forge while playing.

Gnomoria is available on Steam, typically priced around $14.99 USD.

4. The Sims 3

The Sims 3 and Rimworld share a fundamental similarity - they both revolve around controlling and managing a community in a simulated environment. Both games enable you to mold and shape the world to your desire, with control over construction, routine, and lifestyle of the characters. The Sims 3, while not as gritty in regards to survival as Rimworld, roots in a detailed life simulation. Your Sims have various needs, skills, and jobs that you are responsible for managing. The charm lies in the spectacular level of micromanagement, whether that’s directing your Sim to develop certain skills, pursue specific career opportunities, managing their social life or simply picking out their next outfit.

Another point in common between The Sims 3 and Rimworld is the spontaneity and unpredictability. Like Rimworld, The Sims 3 isn't linear; storylines, like life itself, are shaped by small, whimsical, everyday dramas. In Sims 3, these dramas might be a sudden fire breaking out in the kitchen, a burglar sneaking into the house, or the effects of a poorly cooked meal. The game creates unexpected results in making decisions for your Sims. The game AI also consists of a mood and personality system, which influences your Sim's actions and reactions, so even if you're familiar with the game, the AI can surprise you.

The Sims 3 is available on Windows PC and MacOS platforms, typically priced around $20 USD.

3. Planet Coaster

Both Planet Coaster and Rimworld offer a high degree of freedom to the players in how they want to shape their playthroughs. They are both sandbox games with deep customization and management features, allowing you to have direct control over multiple aspects of your world. For instance, in Rimworld, you manage a colony of survivors, whereas in Planet Coaster, you manage an entire theme park. So while the themes are different, the core mechanics and level of control offered to the player are very similar.

Moreover, the storytelling element is another shared featuring of both games. In Rimworld, every playthrough creates its own unique narrative, based on the events and choices that you make, which is something that Planet Coaster also aims to achieve. The personalities of your park attendees, their likes/dislikes, and the way your park evolves becomes a story in itself. Furthermore, both games have a strong emphasis on aesthetic customization letting you design your surroundings to your heart's content. If you enjoy games that let you feel like the puppet-master pulling all the strings, Planet Coaster could be your next obsession just like Rimworld.

Planet Coaster is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, typically priced around $45 USD.

2. Starbound

If you've enjoyed the experience of starting virtually from nothing and building a thriving settlement in RimWorld, you'd probably be interested in Starbound. Just like in RimWorld, Starbound puts a lot of emphasis on creation and customization. You can freely explore different biomes, digging into the ground, discovering new creatures, and using the materials you find to enhance your base. There's a true sense of progress, watching your initially-small and humble settlement get bigger, stronger, and more advanced as you put in your effort and creativity. Starbound also has its share of survival elements, with climate conditions affecting your character's status and threatening events occurring randomly, very similar to the struggles you face in RimWorld.

As a vast, vibrant universe waiting to be explored, Starbound offers another similarity to RimWorld: the procedural generation of content, ensuring that each playthrough feels unique. The randomness of happening upon new planets filled with different resources, creatures, and civilizations infuses the game with a constant sense of discovery and anticipation. Moreover, Starbound also involves crafting, trading, and fighting, all done in a charming, pixel-art style which you'd appreciate if you enjoyed RimWorld's visuals. So, while Starbound has a space exploration theme and RimWorld is survival within a colony, the underlying mechanics - building, exploration, survival, crafting, trading, random events - are essentially the same, driving the similarities between them.

Starbound is available on Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, and PlayStation 4, typically priced around $15 USD.

1. Railway Empire

Both Railway Empire and Rimworld place considerable emphasis on resource management, planning, and strategy. In Rimworld, you're responsible for managing a colony on a distant alien world, struggling through everything from hunger to hostile invasions. Meanwhile, Railway Empire has you managing a complex network of rail lines and services across different eras of America's history, dealing with economic fluctuations, competition, and technological advancement. Even though the themes are different, the core gameplay demands a similar level of strategic thought and foresight.

Additionally, both games share a wealth of customization options and replayability. In Railway Empire, you can design and build your railway empire exactly how you want it, with over 40 different trains and 30 different wagons to choose from, and each decision impacts your empire's growth and stability. With locations ranging from the East Coast to the Wild West, each playthrough offers unique challenges. Rimworld, too, is famous for its diversity of scenarios and nearly endless replayability, given its randomly generated maps, characters, and events. If you love the challenge and unpredictability of Rimworld, you'll feel right at home with the multifaceted gameplay and flexibility of Railway Empire.

Railway Empire is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, typically priced around $30 USD.

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