Dwarf Fortress vs Railway Empire
Dwarf Fortress is an open-world roguelike game from Bay 12 Games (2022) while Railway Empire is a sandbox simulation game from Gaming Minds Studios (2018).
What each one is
Steam files Dwarf Fortress under Open-World and Roguelike. In contrast, it files Railway Empire under Sandbox and Simulation.
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.
In Railway Empire, you will create an elaborate and wide-ranging rail network, purchase over 40 different trains modelled in extraordinary detail, and buy or build railway stations, maintenance buildings, factories and tourist attractions to keep your travel network ahead of the competition.
At a glance
| Dwarf Fortress | Railway Empire | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.4/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 31,446) | Very Positive (83%, 9,712) |
| Critic aggregate | 93/100 | 74/100 |
| Price | $29.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 7 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Developer | Bay 12 Games | Gaming Minds Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dwarf Fortress vs Railway Empire, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Dwarf FortressOpen-world roguelike gameRailway EmpireSandbox simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dwarf FortressDwarf, Colony Sim, StrategyRailway EmpireStrategy, Simulation, ManagementThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dwarf Fortress ✓Score 8.4 · 95% on Steam · 93 criticRailway EmpireScore 7.1 · 83% on Steam · 74 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dwarf Fortress31,446 reviews · 2 add-ons · 0.49 GBRailway Empire9,712 reviews · 10 add-ons · 7 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dwarf Fortress$29.99Railway Empire$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dwarf FortressPlayableRailway EmpirePlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Dwarf Fortress takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDwarf Fortress and Railway Empire on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Dwarf Fortress (GamingPickz Score 8.4)
- Lighter on storage: Dwarf Fortress (0.49 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Dwarf Fortress (31,446 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StrategySimulationCity BuilderSandboxManagementBuildingResource ManagementCrafting
Where they differ
DwarfColony SimBase-BuildingSurvivalRogue-likeOpen World
TrainsTradingHistoricalAmericaSingleplayerWestern
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dwarf Fortress is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Railway Empire is family-friendly and approachable.
System requirements, side by side
| Dwarf Fortress | Railway Empire | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | 1GB of | nVidia GeForce GTX460 |
| Minimum CPU | Dual Core CPU - 2.4GHz+ | Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.6 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 7 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dwarf Fortress · Railway Empire.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Dwarf Fortress and 1 for Railway Empire. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dwarf Fortress and Railway Empire in scope?
Dwarf Fortress has drawn 31,446 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 0.49 GB. Railway Empire has drawn 9,712 Steam reviews, ships 10 add-ons and installs in 7 GB.
Is Dwarf Fortress or Railway Empire better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dwarf Fortress rates higher (8.4 to 7.1). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dwarf Fortress or Railway Empire?
Dwarf Fortress is cheaper right now at $29.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.