The best base building games give you a small patch of land and a long list of problems: food, power, defense and the next thing that breaks. This list of the best base building games covers 12 PC picks, from colony sims to factory builders and survival sandboxes, with release dates and Steam review scores for each.
Every entry links to its Steam page. If you prefer roads and zoning over survival, see our best city building games list.
Best Base Building Games: Our 12 Picks
1. RimWorld
- Genre: Colony sim
- Release: Oct 17, 2018
- Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (248,265)
- Developer: Ludeon Studios
- Get it: Steam
RimWorld asks you to keep a handful of stranded colonists alive on a distant world, and then lets an AI storyteller decide what goes wrong next. You build shelters, farms and defenses while the game simulates psychology, climate, combat, medicine and trade around them.
The appeal is the stories that come out of it, not a fixed campaign. Colonists have moods, relationships and breaking points, so a single bad raid can reshape the whole colony. It also has very light minimum specs, with an older dual core CPU and 4 GB of RAM listed. Skip it if you want a tidy, predictable builder, because the storyteller is happy to be cruel.
2. Factorio
- Genre: Factory automation strategy
- Release: Aug 14, 2020
- Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (235,923)
- Developer: Wube Software
- Get it: Steam
Factorio turns a base into a machine. You start by mining and crafting by hand, then automate production of increasingly complex items inside an infinite 2D world while defending the factory from creatures that dislike your pollution.
Its strength is how every small fix opens a bigger design problem: belts, trains and power grids all have to scale together. It is the most efficiency-minded pick here. Players who dislike spreadsheets-style planning or who want a story will likely bounce off it.
3. Satisfactory
- Genre: First-person factory building
- Release: Sep 10, 2024
- Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (281,333)
- Developer: Coffee Stain Studios
- Get it: Steam
Satisfactory is a first-person, open-world factory builder. You explore an alien planet, build multi-story factories and wire them together with conveyor belts, alone or with friends.
Seeing your base from the ground level, then looking up at belts stacked three floors high, gives it a different feel from top-down automation games. There is some exploration and combat, but building is the point. It lists 20 GB of storage and a GTX 1650 class card as a minimum, so it is heavier than most entries here.
4. Oxygen Not Included
- Genre: Space colony sim
- Release: Jul 30, 2019
- Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (144,489)
- Developer: Klei Entertainment
- Get it: Steam
Oxygen Not Included drops a crew of colonists into an alien asteroid and makes you manage everything they need to live: air, water, heat, power and food. You dig out a base from the rock, master science and harness space tech to survive and possibly thrive.
The base is a living system, so one misplaced pipe can poison your air or flood a room. That makes planning satisfying and mistakes memorable. Steam lists a dual core CPU and 8 GB of RAM as the minimum. It is a poor fit for players who want to relax, since the systems rarely stop demanding attention.
5. Dwarf Fortress
- Genre: Fortress management sim
- Release: Dec 6, 2022
- Steam reviews: Very Positive (31,590)
- Developer: Bay 12 Games
- Get it: Steam
Dwarf Fortress has you build a fortress and help your dwarves survive in a deeply generated world. You keep them happy, grow the community and avoid digging too deep.
The Steam edition added graphics to a game famous for being hard to approach. The simulation underneath is still enormous, and it is one of the lowest spec requirements in this list, with 500 MB of storage. Expect a steep learning curve and a lot of tangents, which suits patient players more than casual ones.
6. They Are Billions
- Genre: Zombie survival strategy
- Release: Jun 18, 2019
- Steam reviews: Very Positive (51,553)
- Developer: Numantian Games
- Get it: Steam
They Are Billions is a steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. You build and defend colonies against billions of infected who want to wipe out the last humans.
Walls, towers and careful layout decide everything, because one breach can snowball into a lost colony. It is closer to a tense tower defense builder than a relaxed city planner. Players who dislike losing progress to a single mistake should be cautious.
7. Sons of the Forest
- Genre: Survival horror
- Release: Feb 22, 2024
- Steam reviews: Very Positive (323,167)
- Developer: Endnight Games
- Get it: Steam
In Sons of the Forest you are sent to find a missing billionaire on a remote island and end up in a cannibal-infested survival horror. You craft, build and struggle to survive, alone or with friends.
Building is a survival tool here: shelters, defenses and a base to retreat to between expeditions. The tone is scary, which sets it apart from calmer colony games. Steam lists 12 GB of RAM and 20 GB of storage as the minimum. Avoid it if horror is not your thing.
8. Project Zomboid
- Genre: Zombie survival RPG
- Release: Nov 8, 2013
- Steam reviews: Very Positive (489,248)
- Developer: The Indie Stone
- Get it: Steam
Project Zomboid is a zombie survival game where you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish. It pairs a hardcore RPG skillset with a vast map and a highly customizable sandbox.
Securing a house, boarding windows and stocking supplies is a core part of staying alive. It can be played solo or in multiplayer. Its steep difficulty is intentional, so it is best for players who accept dying often.
9. Kenshi
- Genre: Squad-based sandbox RPG
- Release: Dec 6, 2018
- Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (117,441)
- Developer: Lo-Fi Games
- Get it: Steam
Kenshi is a free-roaming, squad-based RPG built around open-ended sandbox play rather than a linear story. You can be a trader, thief, rebel, warlord, adventurer or farmer, and train your people from weak victims into master warriors.
Base building is only one thread, but it lets you turn a ruined outpost into a home for your squad. The world is harsh and unforgiving. It suits players who want freedom more than guidance, and it asks for 14 GB of storage.
10. Going Medieval
- Genre: Medieval colony sim
- Release: Mar 17, 2026 (1.0)
- Steam reviews: Very Positive (21,539)
- Developer: Foxy Voxel
- Get it: Steam
Going Medieval has you build and manage a castle settlement in a land reclaimed by wilderness. It combines detailed management, survival strategy and a moddable sandbox world.
Construction is three dimensional, so walls, floors and towers matter when your settlers need to defend themselves. It leans on the colony sim formula that RimWorld popularized, with a medieval setting. It is a good option for players who want a gentler start in the genre.
11. Dyson Sphere Program
- Genre: Space factory sim
- Release: Jan 20, 2021
- Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (92,005)
- Developer: Youthcat Studio
- Get it: Steam
Dyson Sphere Program is a space simulation strategy game about building the most efficient intergalactic factory. You harness the power of stars, collect resources and design production lines.
It scales from a small space workshop up to a galaxy-wide industrial empire, which is an unusually big canvas for a factory game. It is still in Early Access on Steam. Players who find Factorio too flat may prefer it, though both reward patience.
12. Space Engineers
- Genre: Space engineering sandbox
- Release: Feb 28, 2019
- Steam reviews: Very Positive (134,581)
- Developer: Keen Software House
- Get it: Steam
Space Engineers is a sandbox engineering game where you design and build ships, stations and planetary bases in a fully destructible environment. You can mine resources, survive hazards and fight, alone or with friends.
Creative and Survival modes let you either design freely or build under pressure. It lists a 35 GB storage minimum, the heaviest install here. It is best for players who enjoy engineering puzzles over structured goals.
Which Base Building Game Should You Play First?
If you want the best base building games for a first run, start with RimWorld for colony stories or Factorio for pure automation. Oxygen Not Included suits players who like systems puzzles, Going Medieval is the gentler medieval option, and Sons of the Forest or Project Zomboid fit anyone who wants their base to double as a survival shelter. Dwarf Fortress is the one to save for when you want depth over polish.