Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Timberborn (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Timberborn on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: Going Medieval, which both survival and strategy.
- Timberborn is tagged City Builder, Voxel, Colony Sim, Nature, Sandbox, Building, Automation, Management by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 2 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
Going Medieval
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 11 player tags including Early Access, City Builder and Colony Sim; released around the same time (2026).
Build and manage your own castle settlement in a land reclaimed by wilderness. With detailed management, survival strategy, and a moddable sandbox world, Going Medieval challenges you to build the mightiest colony this side of the apocalypse.
Going Medieval at a glance Released 2026 Studio Foxy Voxel Player sentiment 89% positive of 21,362 Price $22.49 Early AccessCity BuilderColony SimStrategySandboxSimulationManagementSurvival
- 2
IXION
Why it matched: both post-apocalyptic, survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including City Builder, Strategy and Survival; released around the same time (2022).
IXION is an unrelenting, city-building odyssey across the stars. As Administrator of the Tiqqun, DOLOS’ prototype space station, you are tasked with balancing preservation and exploration as you manage infrastructure, resources and crew. Can you keep the flame of humanity alight in the cold dark?
IXION at a glance Released 2022 Studio Bulwark Studios Player sentiment 79% positive of 17,614 Price $10.49 City BuilderStrategySurvivalColony SimBase-BuildingBuildingSimulationManagement
- 3
Against the Storm
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 10 player tags including Strategy, City Builder and Simulation; released around the same time (2023).
A dark fantasy city builder where you must rebuild civilization in the face of apocalyptic rains. As the Queen’s Viceroy, lead humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, and harpies to reclaim the wilderness and secure a future for civilization's last survivors.
Against the Storm at a glance Released 2023 Studio Eremite Games Player sentiment 94% positive of 37,338 Price $8.99 StrategyCity BuilderSimulationBase-BuildingColony SimManagementBuildingSurvival
- 4
Foundation
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 10 player tags including City Builder, Simulation and Strategy; released around the same time (2025).
Foundation is a grid-less, laidback medieval city-building game with a focus on organic development, monument construction and resource management.
Foundation at a glance Released 2025 Studio Polymorph Games Player sentiment 87% positive of 24,163 Price $23.44 City BuilderSimulationStrategySandboxManagementBuildingBase-BuildingColony Sim
- 5
Frostpunk
Why it matched: both post-apocalyptic, survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including City Builder, Survival and Strategy.
Frostpunk is the first society survival game. As the ruler of the last city on Earth, it is your duty to manage both its citizens and infrastructure. What decisions will you make to ensure your society's survival? What will you do when pushed to breaking point? Who will you become in the process?
Frostpunk at a glance Released 2018 Studio 11 Bit Studios Player sentiment 93% positive of 137,121 Price $29.99 City BuilderSurvivalStrategyPost-apocalypticColony SimBuildingBase-BuildingSimulation
- 6
Frostpunk 2
Why it matched: both post-apocalyptic, survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, City Builder and Survival; released around the same time (2024).
Develop, expand, and advance your city in a society survival game set 30 years after an apocalyptic blizzard ravaged Earth. In Frostpunk 2, you face not only the perils of never-ending winter, but also the powerful factions that watch your every step inside the Council Hall.
Frostpunk 2 at a glance Released 2024 Studio 11 bit studios Player sentiment 75% positive of 26,953 Price $44.99 StrategyCity BuilderSurvivalPost-apocalypticSimulationManagementBase-BuildingColony Sim
- 7
Dwarf Fortress
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Colony Sim, Strategy and Simulation; released around the same time (2022).
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.
Dwarf Fortress at a glance Released 2022 Studio Bay 12 Games Player sentiment 95% positive of 31,446 Price $29.99 Colony SimStrategySimulationBase-BuildingCity BuilderSandboxManagementBuilding
- 8
Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, Simulation and City Builder; released around the same time (2024).
Build a soviet republic from an impoverished country into a rich industrial superpower in a city builder with intricate production chains and a fully simulated global economy. Manage the lives of your citizens from education to work and party loyalty to criminal activity.
Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic at a glance Released 2024 Studio 3Division Player sentiment 91% positive of 27,164 Price $9.99 StrategySimulationCity BuilderBase-BuildingManagementBuildingSandboxSurvival
- 9
Manor Lords
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, City Builder and Simulation; released around the same time (2024).
Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game featuring in-depth city building, large-scale tactical battles, and complex economic and social simulations. Rule your lands as a medieval lord – the seasons pass, the weather changes, and cities rise and fall.
Manor Lords at a glance Released 2024 Studio Slavic Magic Player sentiment 84% positive of 90,905 Price $25.99 StrategyCity BuilderSimulationBase-BuildingManagementBuildingSandboxSurvival
- 10
Factorio
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Automation, Base-Building and Sandbox.
Factorio is a game about building and creating automated factories to produce items of increasing complexity, within an infinite 2D world. Use your imagination to design your factory, combine simple elements into ingenious structures, and finally protect it from the creatures who don't really like you.
Factorio at a glance Released 2016 Studio Wube software Player sentiment 98% positive of 233,978 Price $35.00 AutomationBase-BuildingSandboxStrategySurvivalManagementBuildingSimulation
- 11
Kingdoms and Castles
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including City Builder, Colony Sim and Strategy.
Kingdoms and Castles is a city-building simulation game about growing a kingdom from a tiny hamlet to a sprawling city and imposing castle. Make trade agreements, alliance, and war with neighboring AI controlled kingdoms. Each villager and resource is individually simulated.
Kingdoms and Castles at a glance Released 2017 Studio Lion Shield, LLC Player sentiment 94% positive of 31,404 Price $19.99 City BuilderColony SimStrategyBuildingSimulationSandboxBase-BuildingSurvival
- 12
Fallout Shelter
Why it matched: both post-apocalyptic, survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Base-Building, Survival and Post-apocalyptic.
Fallout Shelter puts you in control of a state-of-the-art underground Vault from Vault-Tec. Build the perfect Vault, keep your Dwellers happy, and protect them from the dangers of the Wasteland.
Fallout Shelter at a glance Released 2015 Studio Bethesda Game Studios Player sentiment 88% positive of 82,585 Price Free Base-BuildingSurvivalPost-apocalypticManagementSimulationStrategyBuildingSandbox
- 13
They Are Billions
Why it matched: both post-apocalyptic, survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Base-Building, Colony Sim and Strategy.
They Are Billions is a Steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. Build and defend colonies to survive against the billions of the infected that seek to annihilate the few remaining living humans. Can humanity survive after the zombie apocalypse?
They Are Billions at a glance Released 2019 Studio Numantian Games Player sentiment 85% positive of 51,383 Price $26.99 Base-BuildingColony SimStrategySurvivalCity BuilderBuildingPost-apocalypticManagement
- 14
Surviving Mars
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Colony Sim, City Builder and Strategy.
There will be challenges to overcome. Execute your strategy and improve your colony’s chances of survival while unlocking the mysteries of this alien world. Are you ready? Mars is waiting for you.
Surviving Mars at a glance Released 2018 Studio Haemimont Games Player sentiment 80% positive of 28,730 Price Not listed Colony SimCity BuilderStrategySurvivalBase-BuildingSimulationBuildingManagement
- 15
Planetbase
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Colony Sim, City Builder and Base-Building.
Guide a group of space settlers trying to establish a base on a remote planet. Grow food, collect energy, mine resources, survive disasters and build a self-sufficient colony in a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Planetbase at a glance Released 2015 Studio Madruga Works Player sentiment 80% positive of 10,438 Price $7.49 Colony SimCity BuilderBase-BuildingStrategySurvivalSimulationBuildingManagement
- 16
Satisfactory
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Base-Building, Automation and Building; released around the same time (2024).
Satisfactory is a first-person open-world factory building game with a dash of exploration and combat. Play alone or with friends, explore an alien planet, create multi-story factories, and enter conveyor belt heaven!
Satisfactory at a glance Released 2024 Studio Coffee Stain Studios Player sentiment 97% positive of 278,668 Price $39.99 Base-BuildingAutomationBuildingSandboxSurvivalSimulationStrategyEarly Access
- 17
Dyson Sphere Program
Why it matched: both strategy; shares 10 player tags including Automation, Base-Building and Building.
Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire.
Dyson Sphere Program at a glance Released 2021 Studio Youthcat Studio Player sentiment 97% positive of 91,586 Price $19.99 AutomationBase-BuildingBuildingSimulationManagementSandboxCity BuilderStrategy
- 18
Farthest Frontier
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Early Access, City Builder and Strategy; released around the same time (2025).
Protect and guide your people as you forge a town from untamed wilderness at the edge of the known world. Harvest raw materials, hunt, fish and farm to survive. Produce crafted items to trade, consume, equip and fight with as you battle for your survival against the elements and outside threats.
Farthest Frontier at a glance Released 2025 Studio Crate Entertainment Player sentiment 86% positive of 25,411 Price $34.99 Early AccessCity BuilderStrategyManagementBase-BuildingBuildingSimulationSurvival
- 19
Kingdom: Classic
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, Simulation and Base-Building.
Kingdom is a 2D sidescrolling strategy/resource management hybrid with a minimalist feel wrapped in a beautiful, modern pixel art aesthetic.
Kingdom: Classic at a glance Released 2015 Studio Noio Player sentiment 91% positive of 22,707 Price Free StrategySimulationBase-BuildingBuildingManagementSurvivalCity BuilderColony Sim
- 20
Jurassic World Evolution 2
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Building, Simulation and Management.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 is the much-anticipated sequel to Frontier’s highly successful Jurassic World Evolution. This bold new era in the Jurassic World Evolution game franchise builds upon the ground-breaking and immersive 2018 management simulation.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 at a glance Released 2021 Studio Frontier Developments Player sentiment 90% positive of 47,023 Price $59.99 BuildingSimulationManagementSandboxStrategyCity BuilderBase-BuildingSurvival
- 21
Amazing Cultivation Simulator
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Simulation, Sandbox and Strategy.
Rise up in a search for immortality in this strategy sim and management game based on Chinese mythology. Rebuild your sect and train new disciples through the path of cultivation. Research magic and gather mystical artifacts, face ancient dangers and other sects in your path to spiritual ascension.
Amazing Cultivation Simulator at a glance Released 2020 Studio GSQ Games Player sentiment 86% positive of 23,608 Price $24.99 SimulationSandboxStrategyColony SimSurvivalBase-BuildingManagementEarly Access
- 22
Oxygen Not Included
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Colony Sim, Base-Building and Survival.
Oxygen Not Included is a space-colony simulation game. Deep inside an alien space rock your industrious crew will need to master science, overcome strange new lifeforms, and harness incredible space tech to survive, and possibly, thrive.
Oxygen Not Included at a glance Released 2019 Studio Klei Entertainment Player sentiment 97% positive of 143,589 Price $24.99 Colony SimBase-BuildingSurvivalBuildingManagementSimulationSandboxStrategy
- 23
ASKA
Why it matched: both survival and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Early Access, Simulation and Building; released around the same time (2024).
A new Viking age dawns with you at its helm. Forge a thriving colony from nothing in this mythic open-world survival sim. Earn the gods' favor and survive in a land ruled by ancient terrors and unforgiving seasons. Rally unique villagers, expand your settlement and defend your tribe - solo or co-op!
ASKA at a glance Released 2024 Studio Sand Sailor Studio Player sentiment 80% positive of 12,111 Price $24.99 Early AccessSimulationBuildingSurvivalBase-BuildingColony SimSandbox
- 24
ZERO Sievert
Why it matched: both post-apocalyptic, survival and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Survival, Post-apocalyptic and Simulation; released around the same time (2024).
Now with over 600,000 copies sold, ZERO Sievert is a tense top-down extraction shooter that challenges you to scavenge a procedurally-generated wasteland, loot gear, and explore what’s left of a devastated world. When the odds are stacked against you, you’ll need to do more than just survive...
ZERO Sievert at a glance Released 2024 Studio CABO Studio Player sentiment 85% positive of 15,428 Price $19.99 SurvivalPost-apocalypticSimulationEarly AccessStrategyBase-Building
Common questions
What game is most like Timberborn?
Going Medieval, on the evidence we have. It both survival and strategy. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to Timberborn" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with Timberborn. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.