Games like Dwarf Fortress

4.3average player rating•5 games

Dwarf Fortress’s pull is the colony-sim crucible: simulation-driven drama where labor, geology, and invaders collide into stories. These picks keep that systems-first building and emergent narrative, each through a different constraint or survival pressure.

Open in Discovery All “games like” lists

Games5

Avg. Metacritic81

Avg. player rating4.3/5

Avg. playtime10h

Main genreSimulation

Released2016–2026

What these games share

The genres these 5 picks have in common, straight from their store data.

Simulation5 of 5
Strategy5 of 5
Indie4 of 5
RPG3 of 5

The picks

Ranked by player rating, Metacritic breaks ties.

1
Going Medieval
IndieRPGSimulation
Voxel-by-voxel fort building with verticality and structural integrity, then holding fast against raiders and famine.
4.5/5Player ratingMC76View game
2
RimWorld
StrategySimulationIndie
Colony drama from interlocking needs, skills, and storyteller-driven events that spiral into unforgettable sagas.
4.3/5Player ratingMC87View game
3
KeeperRL
RPGSimulationStrategy
Dungeon management with digging, traps, and sieges, simulating every minion and invader down to body parts.
4.2/5Player ratingView game
4
Oxygen Not Included
StrategySimulationIndie
Systems-first base building where heat, gases, fluids, and power chains force intricate engineering just to keep anyone breathing.
4.1/5Player ratingMC86View game
5
Kenshi
ActionRPGStrategy
Sandbox survival where squads, wounds, and hunger knit long-form stories, and any settlement you raise invites raids.
4.1/5Player ratingMC75View game