Looking for games like Dwarf Fortress that offer complex simulation, survival, and base-building challenges? This article covers the top Dwarf Fortress alternatives in 2025 that are perfect for strategy lovers and city-building fans.
These Dwarf Fortress like games offer the same thrill of managing a colony, surviving harsh environments, and building from scratch.
1. RimWorld
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Release Year: 2018
Why Play: A sci-fi game where artificial intelligence creates dynamic colony stories with unique playthroughs every time.
Best For: Fans of deep strategy and survival.
RimWorld is a sci-fi colony simulation game where every decision impacts your colonists. The game uses a smart AI storyteller that creates unexpected events like raids, illness, and disasters. Players build, survive, and manage people with unique traits. If you love games like Dwarf Fortress, RimWorld is a top pick for its deep strategy and strong storytelling.
2. Oxygen Not Included
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2019
Why Play: Manage colonists in an underground base with limited resources and oxygen.
Best For: People who enjoy micromanagement and systems planning.
Oxygen Not Included wants you to control a team that is trying to survive inside an asteroid. You must build machines, create oxygen, manage food, and keep your colony alive. It’s a challenging base-builder that focuses on systems management. Perfect for players looking for detailed, Dwarf Fortress-like games with survival elements.
3. Stonehearth
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2015
Why Play: Manage colonists in an underground base with limited resources and oxygen.
Best For: People who enjoy micromanagement and systems planning.
Stonehearth combines city-building, collecting resources, and fighting in a vibrant 3D world. You guide settlers, build homes, fight off enemies, and grow a village. It’s simpler than Dwarf Fortress but offers a rich experience. Great for those wanting a 3D Dwarf Fortress like game with creative freedom.
4. Banished
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2014
Why Play: Build a medieval village from scratch and manage people through tough seasons.
Best For: City-builder fans who want a challenge.
In Banished, you start with a few people and must build a working town from scratch. There are no money or tech trees—just raw survival through farming, trade, and smart planning. It’s a realistic, tough city-builder game like Dwarf Fortress, where every decision matters.
5. Gnomoria
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2016
Why Play: Very close to Dwarf Fortress but with simpler visuals and controls.
Best For: Beginners looking for a lighter Dwarf Fortress alternative.
Gnomoria is a sandbox village management game where you control a group of gnomes. It’s very close to Dwarf Fortress but has better visuals and easier controls. You build, dig, craft, and defend your kingdom. A great option for players who want a less complex, Dwarf Fortress alternative.
6. Going Medieval
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2021
Why Play: Build and protect a medieval colony in a world hit by plague.
Best For: Players who enjoy building castles and defending against raids.
Set in a post-plague medieval world, Going Medieval lets you build multi-level bases, manage villagers, and survive attacks. The 3D visuals and smooth interface make it more beginner-friendly than Dwarf Fortress. It’s one of the best base-building games in recent years with solid colony simulation.
7. Against the Storm
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2023
Why Play: A roguelike city-builder with fantasy elements. Build in harsh conditions.
Best For: Fans of strategy and risk-reward gameplay.
Against the Storm is a dark fantasy city-builder with roguelike gameplay. You create settlements in dangerous environments and make decisions that affect each run. With changing weather, species diversity, and fast-paced sessions, it offers a fresh spin on the Dwarf Fortress-like game formula.
8. Frostpunk
Platform: PC, Console
Release Year: 2018
Why Play: A survival city-builder set in a frozen world where choices matter.
Best For: Those who like moral decisions and resource crisis.
Frostpunk is a survival city-builder set in a frozen world. You manage resources, make moral choices, and try to keep your people alive during a brutal winter. The game blends storytelling and survival perfectly. A good fit for those who enjoy decision-heavy Dwarf Fortress alternatives with emotional depth.
9. Caves of Qud
Platform: PC
Release Year: Early Access (2015), Full Release (2024)
Why Play: A retro sci-fi roguelike with deep lore and turn-based gameplay.
Best For: Players who enjoy text-heavy exploration and character builds.
Caves of Qud is a retro-style sci-fi roguelike with weird creatures, rich storylines, and turn-based battles.You can mutate, explore, and build your own story in a rich, open world. It’s a top pick for fans of old-school, text-heavy Dwarf Fortress like games with exploration at the core.
Why Play: With the right mods (like “Colony Survival”), Minecraft can become a base-building survival game.
Best For: Sandbox lovers who crave creativity and colony management.
With the right mods like Colony Survival, Minecraft becomes a full-on colony sim. You can assign roles, automate building, and defend your base. The sandbox freedom combined with survival makes it a flexible Dwarf Fortress alternative that can be customized to suit your play style.
Why People Love Base-Building & City-Builder Games Like Dwarf Fortress
Here are the reasons that make people love Dwarf Fortress like games:
Freedom to Build: Players design everything from layouts to defenses.
Random Events: No two games are alike.
Challenge: You must manage food, morale, defense, and disasters.
Storytelling: Many games generate unexpected stories through simulation.
Final Words
These alternatives capture a piece of what makes Dwarf Fortress special. Whether it’s emergent storytelling, brutal survival, or deep management mechanics, these games have it all. Each title reflects the creativity and vision of a skilled video game developer, offering unique experiences within the base-building genre. There’s a game that suits your style. Pick your favorite alternative and immerse yourself in a world shaped by strategy, complexity, and innovation.
If you’re planning to develop a game similar to Dwarf Fortress, choosing the right video game development company is crucial. BR Softech stands out as one of the best Mobile game development companies, offering expertise in complex simulation, survival mechanics, and deep world-building, perfect for projects inspired by Dwarf Fortress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What type of game is Dwarf Fortress?
Ans. Dwarf Fortress is a base-building and survival simulation game with procedural world generation and deep mechanics.
Q2. Are there any 3D games like Dwarf Fortress?
Ans. Yes, Stonehearth, Going Medieval, and modded Minecraft are the top 3D Dwarf Fortress-like games.
Q3. What is the best Dwarf Fortress alternative for beginners?
Ans. Gnomoria and Stonehearth are easier to learn than Dwarf Fortress, but still offer rich gameplay.
Q4. Which city-builder games are like Dwarf Fortress?
Ans. Games like Banished, RimWorld, and Frostpunk focus on resource management and survival, similar to Dwarf Fortress.
Q5. What are some top games like Dwarf Fortress?
Ans. Top games like Dwarf Fortress include RimWorld, Frostpunk, Stonehearth, Banished, Gnomoria, Going Medieval, and modded Minecraft. These games offer similar gameplay with base-building, survival, and city management features.
Q6. Which genre is Dwarf Fortress?
Ans. Dwarf Fortress belongs to multiple genres, including simulation, roguelike, and base-building. It combines resource management, survival elements, and procedurally generated worlds, making it a unique and complex colony simulator.
Q7. Is Dwarf Fortress a sandbox game?
Ans. Yes, Dwarf Fortress is an open-ended sandbox game, especially in Fortress Mode. There are no fixed objectives. Players can build, explore, and manage their colony freely, making each playthrough different.
Nitin Garg is a seasoned tech entrepreneur and the visionary founder of BR Softech, a globally recognized leader in game development. With over 13 years of industry experience, he has been instrumental in transforming BR Softech into a powerhouse of innovation, offering cutting-edge solutions in Video Games, Blockchain Games, NFT Game Development, and card games like Poker, Rummy, and Teen Patti.
Nitin’s deep expertise in emerging technologies, combined with a sharp business acumen, has helped position BR Softech as a trusted name in the international gaming arena. Under his leadership, BR Softech has built a global clientele of 3,000+ satisfied customers and scaled a dedicated in-house team of 180+ skilled professionals.
