Banished similar games & best alternatives
Banished
2014
Related articles
Quick resume
In this city-building strategy game, you control a group of exiled travelers who decide to restart their lives in a new land. They have only the clothes on their backs and a cart filled with supplies from their homeland. The townspeople of Banished are your primary resource.
Global score
90/100
Genres
Indie, Simulator, Strategy, Real Time Strategy (RTS)
Pros
- Challenging and deep resource management
- Immersive and relaxing atmosphere
- Random map generation
- Active modding community
- Long play sessions and replayability
Cons
- Limited building variety
- No multiplayer or social features
- Lack of narrative or campaign
- Performance issues at large population
- Some repetitiveness after extended play
Motivations
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Autonomy4
"Players have full control over settlement development, resource management, and labor assignments, with freedom to build and expand in any order."
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Competence4
"The game is challenging with complex resource balancing and survival mechanics requiring skillful management and strategic planning."
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Competition-4
"Focuses on individual city building and survival without player-vs-player or ranked competition."
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Continuation3
"Many players report long sessions and habitual play, though some find the game repetitive after extended play."
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Cooperation-5
"Entirely single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."
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Creativity3
"Players design and customize their settlement layout and resource strategies, though building types are limited."
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Domination-5
"No player dominance or power over others; interactions are with environment and resource management only."
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Escapism4
"Players use the game as a relaxing escape with immersive atmosphere and slow-paced survival gameplay."
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Expectation-4
"Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment, not due to obligation or external pressure."
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Experimenting3
"Players experiment with different strategies, resource allocations, and modded content to optimize settlements."
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Exploration2
"Random map generation offers some exploration and discovery of new terrain each playthrough."
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Expression2
"Limited avatar or character customization, but players express themselves through settlement design and layout."
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Fantasy-3
"Set in a realistic medieval-like survival scenario without fantasy or mythical elements."
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Fellowship-5
"No social or community features; strictly single-player experience."
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Growth4
"Players learn and improve resource management and survival skills over repeated playthroughs."
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Health-5
"Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."
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Idle-4
"Requires constant attention to resource and population management; not suitable for idle play."
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Intimacy-5
"No social interaction or relationship building beyond managing villagers as resources."
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Leadership3
"Players lead and manage their settlement and assign roles to villagers, guiding development."
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Progression3
"Players progress by growing population, expanding settlement, and acquiring resources and buildings."
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Relaxation3
"Many players find the game relaxing and immersive despite its difficulty and challenge."
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Sensation2
"Pleasant visuals and audio create a soothing atmosphere but sensory stimulation is moderate."
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Status-5
"No social recognition or status systems; achievements are personal and offline."
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Story-4
"No narrative or campaign; sandbox gameplay focused on survival and city building."
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Strategy5
"Heavy emphasis on strategic resource management, planning, and problem solving."
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Thrill2
"Some suspense from disasters and survival challenges, but overall a controlled environment."
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Value4
"Players report high value for money due to long playtime and mod support."
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Violence-5
"No combat or destruction; focus on constructive building and survival."
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Survival5
"Core gameplay revolves around managing threats like starvation, cold, disease, and disasters."
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Last update: 06/03/2026