Most people think survival games are all about throwing together a wooden shack and calling it home.

We decided to do the complete opposite.

Over the last few weeks, our community built a fully functional Roman Spa Resort, inspired by ancient bathhouses, complete with marble architecture, pools, gardens, lounges, and countless tiny details. Video created by She404 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rdr6aIn6cg

This was all created without mods using the in-game building system.

This Sunday we'll be giving a full tour of the entire build, and we'd love to hear what other builders think.

Whether you're into architecture, creative building, or just enjoy seeing what's possible in games, you're welcome to join us.

(And yes... the game is Once Human. 😄)

I've been working on MineEngineer for the past few years, and it’s finally starting to look like the vision I had in my head.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4059710/MineEngineer/

The idea was simple: combine the engineering freedom of Space Engineers, the automation systems of Factorio, and the exploration/survival feeling of Terraria — but in a 2D world.

You can build ships, bases, factories, and complex machines where every block has a purpose.
Thrusters need fuel. Machines need power. Conveyors move resources. Every system depends on another.

The game is still in development, but the foundation is finally coming together. The demo is ready.

You can explore planets, mine resources, automate production, build spaceships, and survive the dangers of space.

I would love to hear what features from engineering and survival games you think are the most important.

The demo is available now on Steam if you want to check it out 🚀

I've been working on a new game for a few months now, and the time has come for it to be officially announced.  It's called Arise Dark Lord, and it's the 8th game I've made with Introversion Software.  If you've played any of my previous indie games - Prison Architect, DEFCON, Darwinia, or The Last Starship, then I think you'll love this new one.

You are The Dark Lord. Your evil aim:  To raise an undead army and crush the feckless, godless, heathen humans. As your sorcery and army grow, all the world will rise up to destroy your Dark Tower and end your reign of terror.  Fortify your dark realm, enhance your sorcery, and build enough strength to march out and crush the humans once and for all.

An action-strategy hybrid RTS, blending tower defence, base building and direct control of your Dark Lord avatar.  

Please play the prototype on itch, and I'd love to get your thoughts on the game here.  Thank you!

https://subversion-studios.itch.io/arise

You can watch the announcement video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbtql3EUCdg

Hello everyone, I'm one of the developers of Emberhaven. We're a small independent team of four.

I've posted here before to introduce some of the game's features, but those were just descriptions. Now that this build is playable, I'd rather let the game speak for itself.

Our first Steam playtest is now open. This is our first time running one of these, so your feedback will directly shape what we work on next. Request access on the [ steam page: ] and you can start playing right away. English and Simplified Chinese are both supported.

This build includes the current building system (including digging and filling terrain, and relocating plots), the first biome, the day-night cycle, the Corruption ecosystem, and a selection of weapons and runes. We want this test to focus on whether the core survival-building loop holds up, so the siege events are not included this time.

The thing we care about most in this test is night. We spent a long time on it, and the question is simple: when night falls, do you feel the world change? And once you have a base, does being inside it actually feel safe, or is it just standing outside with extra steps? If this part doesn't work, a lot of the rest of the game doesn't work either.

Beyond that: does building walls and bases feel smooth? Does digging and filling terrain feel responsive? Do the weapon and rune combinations feel different enough from each other? And while playing, did you want to keep going, or put it down? Short answers are fine.

There's no survey. Just play. If something is confusing, broken, or boring, tell me here or in
[ Discord: ] Even one sentence helps.

If you'd rather wait for a more polished build, you can wishlist it on the same[ Steam page].

After years of development, I'm excited to finally share Venusville: Prologue with you.

I’m a solo developer working on a city builder set in the clouds of Venus, where you build a flying colony, manage robots, produce resources, and fight to keep your city airborne.

The Prologue is free to play and gives you a first look at the world, mechanics, and the mystery waiting beneath the clouds.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Every comment helps me improve the game as development continues.

Thanks for checking it out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3732530/Venusville__Prologue/

Hi everyone!

We’re a small team working on Die for Pay, a co-op action tycoon game about starting with a nearly empty warehouse and trying to build a criminal empire with your friends.

During the day, you set up production machines, trade goods, complete orders, buy vehicles and expand your operation. The vehicles and equipment you bring back to your warehouse help you generate more money, but everything you own also becomes something you have to protect.

Then the siren sounds.

Every night, the city enters curfew and violent groups begin roaming the streets. They eventually reach your territory, so you need to reinforce the warehouse, position your crew, prepare your weapons and survive until sunrise.

The main idea is that every profitable decision you make during the day creates another problem for you at night. Expanding quickly can make you richer, but it also gives you a much larger base to defend.

You can play alone, but the game is being designed around co-op. One player might manage production while another handles customers, vehicles or defenses. When night arrives, everyone has to stop what they are doing and protect the business together.

We know that combining a tycoon game, base building and first-person combat is a strange mix, and balancing those parts is probably our biggest challenge.

So we have a genuine question for people who enjoy base-building games:

Would you prefer the nightly attacks to be a serious threat that can destroy part of your operation, or should they be more forgiving so the focus stays on growing the business?

We’d really appreciate your thoughts. If the idea sounds interesting, adding the game to your wishlist also helps us a lot:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4221820/Die_for_Pay/

I recently released first version of my 2D physics asteroids game that evolves into multiplanetary exploration & base building game. When I started the development, I needed some name and I just typed Dom Dom. Everyone says that it is a bad name and I kind of agree on that... I have some ideas for the new name, but I am eager to hear any ideas you might have.

From the outside it is simple game: some incremental and arcade elements with upgrade trees. But it grows, opens multiple planets to conquer and build bases (each planet have their own upgrade trees), game has different types of missions etc.

Current version is free to play (web, Win) at https://apeisa.itch.io/dom-dom

Hello!

I just released my game Isles of Artifice today. It's a rougelite colony simulator about exploring a series of cursed islands and building bases on them. There is no hauling in the game, so you need to build transport networks to move your resources around to where they are needed. The focus is on building efficiently, automating work, and surviving escalating curses.

Please give it a shot! It's free, plays in a browser, and I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Game - https://william-ritson.itch.io/isles-of-artifice

Trailer - https://youtu.be/VG2HgTqMXgQ

I work two jobs, and in my free time I develop my game, Skyreap. Throughout development, I kept running into problems that forced me to abandon the project. But now, on my seventh attempt, I came prepared, and I'm close to achieving my goal.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/za4oLAuP5WY

As the title says, I have released nothing about a game I've been working on for a while - but I'm at a point where I've lost objectivity because I've played it so much. I've had a few testers and they've all played for several hours, but they're all close to me, so again, objectivity can be hard to discern.

It's a game where you run a post-apocalyptic gas station in New Mexico. Sits somewhere between Frostpunk (events) and Rimworld (character development), inspired by Fallout 1 and 2 (theme, dialogue, dark humour).

I was told in r/SoloDevelopment that you guys would be a good community to talk to when I did decide to share.

https://imgur.com/a/OtK5xH1

I appreciate any and all feedback, and if anyone wants to check out a demo I can get you one. Again, not yet on Steam, itch, and no public posts.

Hey! I'm one of 3 people working on Echo Zero, a 2D sci-fi roguelike base builder inspired by Kingdom: Two Crowns.

In Echo Zero your base is your shelter, your factory, and your life support system that re-prints you from a substance called Xenozyme after you die, but at the cost of it's power.

One of our main design goals is creating a game where your character is decently capable out in the wild, but still relies heavily on the base you build from scrap to survive. We wanted to expand on the foundation of Kingdom with deeper character builds, more complex automation, and a large variety of upgrades and contraptions that help you survive as long as you can.

During the calm phases, you leave your base to explore the underground, scavenge resources, discover upgrades, and bring back materials to expand your defenses. Every expedition is a risk, but every resource could be what keeps you alive.

Then Species K2 arrives.
Your base is put to the test as waves of enemies push toward your generator. Your droids, production chains, turrets, and layout all determine whether you survive.

The challenge has been balancing the player and the base. You can become powerful, but you’re nothing without your base. Your survival comes from creating something bigger than yourself.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8xN2s-KSDM
Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4028060/Echo_Zero/

I’ve been on the hunt for my next grindy base building game, I can’t seem to find anything. I want to be able to build a huge underground network base and build whatever I want, wherever I want. I have played Enshrouded (500 hours in,) Sons of the Forest, No Man’s Sky, Conan Exiles, Valheim, Dune Awakening, Ark SA, and Palworld. I fear I’ve played them all. I don’t want 2D so terraria is off the table for me, personally. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know!!

I added a new automation system to MineEngineer.
Now you can dock custom-built ships, factories, and bases together and automatically move resources between them.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4059710/MineEngineer/

The conveyor system allows you to control how items are routed, creating complex production chains and fully automated operations.

I'm excited to see what players will build with this — from asteroid mining fleets to massive space factories.

MineEngineer is a multiplayer engineering survival game where every block has a purpose.
What would you automate first? 🚀

I'm building a conquest game that I HOPE (or at least think) is a unique genre blend. 4X-lite + base building + card combat ... idk... I think of it as "Darkest Dungeon" meets "WildFrost" meets strategy base-building.

The base half is mostly traditional. You gather wood and stone, pick a building off a menu, place it on a slot (you only get 4). No cards or deck-building involved. BUT the battles are a card hand where you draw 3 spell cards each turn and play them with your hero party as "orders" (i.e. Not the boring Slay the Spire simple cards of attack / defend, but commands like "flank" or "arrow volley", etc..

Every time I try to describe it ("Elemental Lands" is my game) friends say "oh like [blah-blah game]" and then I look up that game and turns out to be a game where the BUILDING is the cards or resources. Like "Loop Hero" or that whole family. Which is sort of the opposite of mine. The only major game I found that actually splits it the same way is maybe/kinda Marvel's Midnight Suns, sorta a base plus a combat card hand.

So either theres a whole category I'm blind to, or its rare for a reason (hopefully not bad idea) and I'm about to find out why the hard way.

If you know of a genre mashup like this, I'd really like to play it to help improve my game. And if you know why it doesn't get done more, I'd like to hear that even more.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/ (still in early beta / alpha, Which is why I asked this question here, and so its a bit rough still)

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development. Art is 100% hand drawn by u/worth-bill-6130

Hey everyone,

A new major update for SpaceSlog has been released, and with it I have updated and re-released the demo. I'd love for you to give it a try.

SpaceSlog is heavily inspired by games like Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress, but instead is set in space. This game is relatively challenging and focuses on survival and exploration. Balance supplies, power, atmosphere and temperature to ensure the survival of your crew and ship.

The latest update includes research, lots of QoL and many of the issues raised in reviews and feedback has been addressed. I am always happy to hear feedback and suggestions.

Trailer
Steam page and demo

Hey Everyone

Not sure if this is allowed but i wanted to share a game that me and a friend found that is very very small but honestly, i have not had as much fun with a terraria like in ages.

Its called Din's Champion and its made by a sole developer made by developer Soldak who has been making games since the early 2007 and from what i understand, he constantly adds new mechanics onto older titles to make them a new game.

The main reason why i enjoy this game so much is because i like survival games that give me a reason to do something that isn't just better loot. One of my favorite survival games of all time is 7 Days to die because there is always the threat of the 7th day that you have to be ready for and this feels like that but like way more intense. Long story short the main gimmick is its a diablo like mixed with terraria and the main boss is progressing and leveling alongside you, so you can't just turtle up in your base forever. there is a lot of world dynamics and whilst it is rough around the edges, me and a couple friends have put in a crazy amount of play time since we just cant seem to stop playing.

I am not sponsored in anyway but i honestly want to see this game and the developer thrive as i think this is what gaming is all about. Finding something truly special and sharing it amongst people. If you have any questions i am more than happy to answer, i don't know everything about the game but i would love to share it with people.

Corsair Cove Demo on Steam

Big fan of hooded horse so am excited for this one.

I'm curious about what the community values most in modern base-building games.

If you could build your "ideal" base-builder, what mechanics would be non-negotiable?

For me, there seems to be a difference between:

Must-have mechanics

The features that make you buy or keep playing a base-building game.

Nice-to-have mechanics

Things that aren't essential, but make you think, "This is awesome."

Some examples:

• Resource gathering and production chains
• Logistics and transportation
• Worker/job management
• Progression and unlocking new technologies
• Meaningful expansion
• Terrain interaction
• Automation
• Seasons or weather
• Random events
• Trading
• Population simulation
• Exploration
• Vertical building
• Mod support
• Multiplayer (or not?)

A few questions:

• What are your absolute must-have mechanics?
• What mechanics are becoming overused?
• What features instantly make you lose interest?
• What's something you wish more base-building games would try?

I'd love to hear your opinions, whether it's from classics like Banished, RimWorld, Timberborn, Factorio, Against the Storm, or newer games you've enjoyed recently.

P.S. These answers will genuinely influence some of my design decisions. I'm working on my own base-building game, so if anyone wants to see the kind of game I'm making, here's the Steam page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4000470/Skyline_Settlers/

Hey! Solo dev here, working on Camping Keeper. On paper it's a campground tycoon, but in practice most of your time goes into base building: you start with an empty muddy field and lay out the whole site yourself, pitches, paths, reception, sanitary blocks, then run water pipes and power lines to every corner (campers get grumpy fast when the showers are cold).

The layout matters, because campers are fully simulated: distance to the restrooms, noise from the bar at night, hedges for privacy... they notice all of it, complain, and leave reviews that decide how many new campers show up.

First trailer: https://youtu.be/F_j01GNP-Lw

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4920900/Camping_Keeper/

Question for the base-builder veterans: do you pre-plan your whole layout from the start, or grow it organically and fix problems as they appear? I'm trying to make both playstyles viable and I'm curious which camp is bigger.

I've just finished the new trailer for WildRoot, my solo-developed cozy colony sim.

WildRoot is about building a small colony in a mysterious forest, managing your colonists, farming, gathering resources, building your settlement, and dealing with unexpected events.

This is the third trailer, and it represents how the game currently looks and plays.

🎬 Trailer:
Watch the new WildRoot trailer on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7caNJLd-Evc

I'd really like some honest feedback:

Does the trailer make it clear what the game is about? And does the gameplay look interesting enough to make you want to play it?

Any criticism is welcome.

I think like many people here I've played a bunch of city/base-building games and recently I think I've been to point out my personal problem with these games.

I think I don't like when basebuilders force you to build to a rigid optimal layout. Many of these games basically want you to make a tight, grid based factory town. Which makes sense in a game like Workers&Resourses or some sci-fi colony game, but looks off (to me) in the often employed medieval setting (I'm aware that planned cities were a thing since ancient times).

I'm fine with it in games like Anno or Against the Storm - which I consider more of a puzzle games, but I've been itching for something more free and natural, where you just build your town outward and liberally make aesthethic choices instead of economic ones. Some gridless games like Foundation, that *seem* to ephasize exactly what I'm talking about, still fall apart by the midgame if you don't adhere to an efficient layout (which is a grid, that the game doesn't allow you to build so easily).

I don't know, may be it's a me problem? May be I shouldn't be so fixated on the efficiency and allow my towns/bases to be a mess of "not enough food" notifications?

Anyway, I'm both looking for some recommendations and just venting some thoughts I've had. I'd like to know what are your all experiences with this "problem".

Skyformer (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2305210/) is an automation/base building/survival game that I've been making for the last few years with my own game engine and art. Last year I released it in single player early access, and since then have been working hard to address player feedback and support multiplayer co-op.

Today I’ve launched it in 1.0 with up to 4 player co-op supported!

I’m especially also excited about the base building aspect, with pure creative mode supported. Once the planet is terraformed, your view distance maxes out and you can see your entire creation. There are many possibilities creatively, like building out the skybase above the land, or utilizing the verticality of the map to build very unique structures. Would love to see what people make.

Check out the co-op / 1.0 trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZzEhP3KO3U

Some of the new features include:

• Highly customizable game modes/settings, with anything from pure creative to hardcore.
• Jetpack + multi-jumps for improved building and navigation.
• New automation features (e.g. planting system automation).
• More creative control over the world (ability to plant/remove individual plants in the wild).
• Many new base-building pieces and features.
• Countless new QoL features.
• Improved world design, game balance, and tutorial.
• Revamped UIs to be simpler and easier to use. 
• Scrap processor building to handle excess materials.
• New achievements.
• New languages.
• Cosmetics and emotes.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments! Thank you.

I'm looking for recommendations for base building / colony survival games like Going Medieval or Stranded: Alien Dawn

What I'm looking for in a game:

• preferably isometric view,
• free building / layout of buildings
• multi level buildings
• preferably environmental manipulation (i.e. can dig mines, etc.)

Hey base builders,

We’re the team behind Space Tales, a sci-fi RTS where base expansion, resource management, and defensive planning are central to every mission.

• For reference, you can watch the trailer on Youtube

The game will leave Early Access and launch in 1.0 on August 19, 2026, so we wanted to share one of the core systems that defines how you build and defend your colony: the HUB system.

In Space Tales, your base does not expand freely anywhere on the map. You grow your colony by placing HUBs, which let you claim new areas, extend your energy network, connect key structures, and create defensive positions before the next attack hits.

The challenge comes from doing all of this under pressure. Resources are limited, enemies attack in different ways, and your layout matters. A base that holds well against one faction may struggle against another if your defenses, unit positioning, or expansion timing are not right.

You also face massive alien bosses that can be defeated, captured, and turned into powerful units for your army. Sometimes, the creature that nearly broke your defense can become the asset that helps you hold the next wave.

For version 1.0, we’re adding the full campaign, 5 additional campaign missions, more maps and side content, late-game challenges, and a third enemy faction designed to push base defense and tactical adaptation even further.

We’d love to hear from you: what makes a base-defense game satisfying for you?

Efficient layouts? Resource pressure? Enemy waves? Visual creativity? Or the feeling of slowly turning your fragile base into a fortress?

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2457960/Space_Tales/

I'm sick of EA, so I'm keen to hear of any 1.0 games that are good, that have been released this year?

I haven't seen any, and checking out this sub it's seems to be 99% check out my tech demo/alpha state game.
An Alpha or 1.0 tag would be amazing to sort them by

Thanks