Empires of the Undergrowth similar games & best alternatives

Empires of the Undergrowth

PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux, Mac • 2024

Should you play it?

Command swarms of warriors at an unprecedented scale of warfare in this blend of RTS and base-building. Lead ant colonies against the many fearsome threats of the insect world, while building intricate nests, developing pheromone-based tactics, and evolving to meet growing dangers.

What works
  • Unique and immersive ant colony rts gameplay
  • Engaging narrative with excellent narration
  • Detailed and realistic ant behaviors and animations
  • Strategic depth with colony building and resource management
  • Active and passionate developer support
Things to keep in mind
  • Limited content and levels currently
  • No multiplayer or cooperative modes yet
  • Steep learning curve and challenging difficulty spikes
  • Some ui and control limitations
  • Long wait times between updates

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • War on the Sea

  • Codename: Panzers, Phase Two

  • Mech Engineer

  • Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)

  • Hegemony III: Clash of the Ancients

  • Cold Waters

  • Grand Ages: Rome

  • Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail

  • Regiments
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Codename: Panzers, Phase Two

  • Second Front

  • Rogue State Revolution
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Strategy

    Evil Bank Manager
  • Survival

    ARK: Survival Evolved
  • Autonomy

    Ratopia

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

Empires of the Undergrowth: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Survival. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    4

    "Players control a single avatar (the queen rat) directly and can intervene in colony tasks, combining indirect colony management with direct action."

    Capsule for Ratopia Ratopia

    "Players direct ant groups via pheromone markers with some indirect control, allowing strategic freedom within constraints"

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    4

    "Game offers challenging RTS and tower defense mechanics with skillful resource management and strategic planning."

    Capsule for Creeper World 4 Creeper World 4

    "Challenging RTS gameplay with strategic resource management and colony building requiring skill and adaptation"

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -2

    "Focus is primarily on single-player scenarios and personal strategic mastery; multiplayer is planned but not yet implemented."

    Capsule for Sea Power : Naval Combat in the Missile Age Sea Power : Naval Combat in the Missile Age

    "Focus is mostly on single-player campaign and personal progression; multiplayer not yet implemented"

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    4

    "High replayability with many levels, challenges, and achievements encouraging long play sessions and repeated attempts."

    Capsule for Bloo Kid 2 Bloo Kid 2

    "Highly engaging gameplay and replayability with long sessions and repeated attempts to overcome challenges"

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -3

    "Primarily a single-player experience with limited social or cooperative multiplayer features."

    Capsule for Slime Rancher 2 Slime Rancher 2

    "Primarily single-player experience with limited social or cooperative multiplayer features"

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players build and customize colony layout, policies, and strategies, though within predefined game systems."

    Capsule for Ratopia Ratopia

    "Players design and upgrade their nest layout and manage colony growth with some freedom"

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -3

    "Interactions emphasize survival and cooperation rather than exerting control or superiority over others"

    Capsule for The Last Plague: Blight The Last Plague: Blight

    "Interactions emphasize survival and strategy rather than exerting superiority or social dominance"

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Engaging story and immersive world provide escape from real life."

    Capsule for Runaway: A Twist of Fate Runaway: A Twist of Fate

    "Immersive nature setting and engaging story provide a strong escape from real life"

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment of strategy games."

    Capsule for Through the Ages Through the Ages

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and passion for ants and strategy games"

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    3

    "Players experiment with building designs, defense strategies, and resource management to optimize their colony."

    Capsule for Colony Survival Colony Survival

    "Players try different ant species, strategies, and nest designs to overcome challenges"

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    2

    "Players explore different maps and environments with some discovery elements."

    Capsule for Sneak Thief Sneak Thief

    "Players explore different maps and environments with unique challenges and enemies"

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Some customization in colony design and dome layouts allows personal expression, though cosmetic options are limited."

    Capsule for Surviving Mars Surviving Mars

    "Some customization of colony layout and upgrades allows personal expression"

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    -1

    "Anthropomorphic characters and some supernatural elements exist, but story grounded in realistic emotional themes."

    Capsule for Night in the Woods Night in the Woods

    "Grounded in realistic ant biology and behavior with some fictional narrative elements"

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -4

    "Solo play with minimal social interaction; community mostly outside the game."

    Capsule for Fretless - The Wrath of Riffson Fretless - The Wrath of Riffson

    "Minimal social interaction; mostly solo play with community engagement outside the game"

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Players develop skills, learn mechanics, and improve colony capabilities over time."

    Capsule for Noble Fates Noble Fates

    "Players learn game mechanics, improve strategies, and develop colony management skills"

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of RTS games with no physical activity component."

    Capsule for Syrian Warfare Syrian Warfare

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of RTS games with no physical activity component"

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention during missions and management phases."

    Capsule for Granvir Granvir

    "Requires continuous attention and active management during missions"

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -4

    "Social interactions are surface-level and limited to community forums; no close relationships formed in-game."

    Capsule for Weed Shop 3 Weed Shop 3

    "No close social relationships formed within the game; limited to community forums"

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    3

    "Players lead and manage their colony, assigning roles and directing overall strategy."

    Capsule for Colony Survival Colony Survival

    "Players lead and manage ant colonies, making strategic decisions and directing units"

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Strong progression through tech tree, unlocking new ants, trails, and buildings to enhance colony."

    Capsule for Microtopia Microtopia

    "Players accumulate resources, upgrades, and unlock new ant species to strengthen colony"

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    2

    "Some players find the game relaxing and immersive, though it can be challenging and tense."

    Capsule for Panzer Corps 2 Panzer Corps 2

    "Some players find the gameplay satisfying and immersive, though it can be challenging and tense"

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    2

    "Atmospheric music and visuals provide sensory engagement, though animations sometimes awkward."

    Capsule for Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo

    "Enjoyable visual and auditory experience with detailed animations and atmospheric music"

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -3

    "No social status or ranking systems; focus on personal achievement"

    Capsule for Gunner, HEAT, PC! Gunner, HEAT, PC!

    "No in-game social status or ranking systems; focus on personal achievement"

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    4

    "Engaging sci-fi narrative with character-driven plot and atmospheric storytelling."

    Capsule for Halfway Halfway

    "Engaging narrative with documentary-style narration and characterful scientists"

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    5

    "Strong emphasis on strategic planning, resource management, and tactical decision-making."

    Capsule for Evil Bank Manager Evil Bank Manager

    "Strong emphasis on strategic planning, resource management, and tactical decision making"

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    3

    "Tension from survival challenges and risk of colony failure create suspense."

    Capsule for Oxygen Not Included Oxygen Not Included

    "Tense moments managing colony survival under threat provide excitement and suspense"

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    3

    "Good perceived value especially given single developer and price; some frustration noted."

    Capsule for Silence of the Sleep Silence of the Sleep

    "Good perceived value for price given quality, depth, and ongoing developer support"

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    3

    "Combat involves shooting and destruction in a cartoonish ant warfare setting."

    Capsule for Formicide Formicide

    "Combat and predation are core mechanics involving ants fighting other insects and predators"

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    5

    "Central motivation is to avoid death, manage resources, and overcome environmental threats."

    Capsule for ARK: Survival Evolved ARK: Survival Evolved

    "Central motivation is to keep colony and queen alive against environmental threats"

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Last update: 01/06/2026