Highlights
- Colony simulators offer a diverse range of settings and scenarios, allowing players to create flourishing civilizations and experience the struggles and triumphs of communities coming together.
- Each game mentioned in the article offers a unique twist on the genre, such as controlling a society of beavers in Timberborn, managing an underwater colony in Aquatico, or surviving in the wake of a catastrophic event in Surviving The Aftermath.
- The Tropico series stands out for its complex political and management mechanics, providing a sense of progress as players develop a small Spanish colony into a superpower over time.
Few experiences are more enjoyable in gaming than bringing a small group of settlers up through the ages, against all odds, to create a large and flourishing civilization from a god-like perspective. Often pitting players at odds with their environment with the sole task of surviving, colony simulators capture the struggles and triumphs of communities when they come together and work efficiently.
With a wide range of settings and scenarios, from bleak medieval tundras to planets in foreign solar systems, the genre really has something for everyone, and offers some of the most creative and original ideas seen in all of gaming. The following games are some of the most popular and successful colony sims available on the market today.
9 Timberborn
Timberborn is a unique entry in the colony sim genre where, rather than humans, players will take control of a society of beavers. With dynamic environmental changes, unique wooden structures, and the ingenuity to harness the power of rivers to generate energy, there is plenty of depth in this light-hearted title.
Players will have to carefully manage and balance their colony's resources, all the while constructing an ever-greater beaver civilization. With the game still in early access, there is still plenty more content expected to come in the future according to the developers, Mechanistry.
8 Aquatico
Digital Reef Games' Aquatico is set deep beneath the surface of the ocean after Earth's surface has become uninhabitable. Players will need to construct and manage an underwater colony, as well as survive against the myriad dangers and perils lurking below.
Players will need to explore the depths, create supply lines, unlock new technologies, and keep the inhabitants of an underwater city from losing their sanity. A pretty and relaxing experience, Aquatico is certainly unique as a colony sim due to its underwater setting.
7 Surviving The Aftermath
Surviving The Aftermath is another unique base-building and colony management game set in the wake of a catastrophic event that has forced humanity to essentially start over again in apocalyptic circumstances. In a hostile and dangerous environment, players must ensure the survival of their colonists as well as endure a number of randomized events.
Each colonist has their unique skills and attributes, and players can train them to hunt and explore the surrounding environment, as well as send them on excursion missions to recover unique resources and technologies from other regions.
6 Dawn Of Man
Yet another game with a unique spin on the genre is Madruga Works' Dawn of Man. Starting in the Stone Age, players will advance through to the Middle Ages, provided they can survive the numerous dangers they will encounter along the way.
From hunting mammoths to constructing entire fortresses with irrigated farming, players can experience the journey of humanity's early evolution up close, as they bid to survive a harsh and dynamic environment with changing seasons.
5 Farthest Frontier
In Farthest Frontier, players must forge a community in the harsh wilderness at the edge of the known world. From growing and harvesting crops to constructing up to 50 different types of buildings, Crate Entertainment went all-in to produce an immersive and challenging colony simulator that is sure to enthrall any fans of the genre.
One of the main highlights of the game is its incredibly detailed farming system. Players will need to be wary of the changing seasons as well as soil conditions to ensure that their townsfolk remain fed and that production remains steady throughout their settlement.
4 Rimworld
Rimworld is a sci-fi colony sim with procedurally generated stories and events that ensure that every playthrough is unique. With complex mechanics including trade, combat, psychology, and ecology, there is a good reason why the title has gained such popularity since its 2018 release.
As the survivors of a shipwreck in a distant world, players will have to manage their colonists, protect them from danger, and navigate their way through a diverse range of environments and stories. Despite a lack of co-op or multiplayer features, the game is still highly regarded as one of the most inventive titles in the genre.
3 Frostpunk
Also originally released in 2018, 11 bit Studios' Frostpunk pits players against the elements with another unique theme centered around the dangers of the extreme cold. With a range of game modes and gripping mechanics, Frostpunk still holds up as one of the strongest colony sims available.
Players must manage their colonists, energy, and resources as they construct a steampunk city in an otherwise barren and inhospitable environment. Construction is only the start, however, and players will need to govern their citizens successfully to ensure the survival of the colony. A sequel, Frostpunk 2, is expected in 2024.
2 Surviving Mars
Set on the not-so-distant Red Planet, Surviving Mars gives players a glimpse into the future as they start from nothing to develop the planet into a thriving colony. With an army of drones and enthusiastic colonists at their disposal, players can convert the barren wastes into a true utopia, particularly with the addition of the Green Planet DLC.
This challenging sim is perfect for any space enthusiast looking for a more grounded and realistic experience. Survival won't be easy, and players will have to endure meteors, sand storms, and other mysteries as they expand across the ochre plains.
1 Tropico (Series)
When it comes to colony simulators, they don't get much better than the Tropico series. Starting in the colonial era and continuing through to modern times, players control a small Spanish colony on a tropical island which can develop into a fully-fledged superpower.
With a range of complex political and management mechanics, the Tropico series is certainly more than just a colony simulator, but where it excels the most is in its ability to provide a real sense of progress throughout the time spent playing it. With six installments now in the series, there is plenty of content for players to get stuck into with this franchise.