Merchant of the Skies similar games & best alternatives

Merchant of the Skies

Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Linux, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S • 2020

Should you play it?

Become the captain of a flying ship! Sell items, gather resources and build your own trade company in the clouds!

What works
  • Charming art and music
  • Relaxing and accessible gameplay
  • Engaging trading and production mechanics
  • Light narrative and worldbuilding
  • Active developer support and updates
Things to keep in mind
  • Short campaign and limited replayability
  • Some ui and control clunkiness
  • Lack of challenge in late game
  • No multiplayer or social features
  • Occasional crashes and minor bugs

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Before We Leave

  • Reus 2

  • I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival

  • Ale Abbey - Monastery Brewery Tycoon

  • Grow: Song of the Evertree

  • Laundry Store Simulator

  • Kubifaktorium

  • Strange Horticulture

  • Let's Build a Zoo
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Penko Park

  • To Be or Not To Be

  • Chocolatier®: Decadence by Design™
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Progression

    Fishing: Barents Sea
  • Autonomy

    Dustland Delivery
  • Escapism

    Carto

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).

Merchant of the Skies: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Thrill.

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 have freedom to choose routes, crew, trading strategies, and playstyle (trader, combat, city builder)."

    Capsule for Dustland Delivery Dustland Delivery

    "Players have freedom to choose trade routes, production chains, and progression pace with no forced combat or external interference."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    3

    "Game is challenging and requires tactical skill in ship positioning and weapon management; players improve through experience and unlocking better ships."

    Capsule for Battlevoid: Harbinger Battlevoid: Harbinger

    "Players engage in managing trade, upgrading ships, and optimizing supply chains with some challenge early on, though late game becomes easier."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -4

    "Focus is on personal progression and self-set goals; no mention of PvP or ranked modes."

    Capsule for To The Core To The Core

    "No PvP or ranked modes; focus is on personal progress and self-set goals without comparison to others."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    2

    "Players report addictive gameplay with long sessions possible, but some mention limited replayability and dwindling community."

    Capsule for Altitude Altitude

    "Some players report addictive gameplay and long sessions, but others note limited replayability and short campaign length."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Single-player experience focused on individual management and goals without multiplayer or teamwork."

    Capsule for Chocolatier®: Decadence by Design™ Chocolatier®: Decadence by Design™

    "Single-player experience focused on individual trading and management without multiplayer or team-based goals."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players can build and customize trade routes, production facilities, and cities, allowing creative economic planning."

    Capsule for Port Royale 2 Port Royale 2

    "Players create and manage production chains, customize trade routes, and upgrade ships and islands, allowing creative economic strategies."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are with NPCs and environment only."

    Capsule for Broken Reality Broken Reality

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are with NPCs and environment only."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Provides a relaxing, charming world that offers a pleasant escape from real life stress."

    Capsule for Carto Carto

    "Relaxing, charming world with whimsical elements provides a pleasant escape from real life stress."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily for enjoyment and relaxation rather than obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for House Builder House Builder

    "Players engage voluntarily for enjoyment and relaxation rather than obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    3

    "Players explore new islands, try different classes, weapons, and crafting recipes, though some find late game repetitive."

    Capsule for Portal Knights Portal Knights

    "Players explore new islands, try different trade routes and production setups, and discover game mechanics progressively."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    4

    "Exploration of procedurally generated maps and discovery of resources and secrets is a core gameplay element."

    Capsule for As Far As The Eye As Far As The Eye

    "Exploration of a procedurally generated map with discovery of islands, resources, and secrets is a core gameplay element."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Some customization of ship appearance and character naming, but limited cosmetic personalization."

    Capsule for Scavenger SV-4 Scavenger SV-4

    "Some customization of ships and islands, but limited character personalization."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    3

    "Imaginative floating islands and surreal environments create a fictional, fantastical setting."

    Capsule for Islands of Insight Islands of Insight

    "Set in a whimsical floating archipelago with fantastical creatures and airships, providing an imaginative fictional setting."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "No social or community features; gameplay is solitary and focused on individual progression."

    Capsule for Path of Achra Path of Achra

    "No social or community features; gameplay is solitary and focused on individual progress."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Players develop skills in economic management and strategic planning, with a steep learning curve and ongoing personal development."

    Capsule for Victoria 3 Victoria 3

    "Players learn economic strategies, optimize trade, and develop production chains, showing clear personal development."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

    Capsule for Dungeons 3 Dungeons 3

    "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires continuous attention to micromanagement and resource logistics; not suited for idle or background play."

    Capsule for Cultures - Northland Cultures - Northland

    "Requires active management and attention to trading and resource logistics; not designed for idle play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -5

    "No close social relationships or emotional sharing; minimal NPC interaction."

    Capsule for Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight

    "Minimal social interaction or emotional connection beyond NPCs; no close relationships formed."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    2

    "Players manage their own trading company and make strategic decisions, but no group leadership."

    Capsule for Gazillionaire Gazillionaire

    "Players manage their own trading company and direct production, but no leadership over other players."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    5

    "Strong focus on accumulating money, upgrading boats, unlocking licenses, and expanding fleet."

    Capsule for Fishing: Barents Sea Fishing: Barents Sea

    "Strong focus on accumulating money, upgrading ships, buying islands, and expanding production capabilities."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    4

    "Calm pacing, soothing music, and chill gameplay create a relaxing experience."

    Capsule for Technotopia Technotopia

    "Generally relaxing and chill gameplay with soothing music and no high pressure or combat."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    2

    "Pleasant visuals and music provide sensory enjoyment, though not highly stimulating or intense."

    Capsule for Patron Patron

    "Pleasant visuals and music provide sensory enjoyment, though not highly stimulating or intense."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

    "No social recognition or status systems; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

    Capsule for Chroma Zero Chroma Zero

    "No social recognition or status systems; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    3

    "Engaging narrative with quests, characters, and world-building."

    Capsule for Wild Indigo Ranch Wild Indigo Ranch

    "There is a light narrative with quests and worldbuilding that unfolds during gameplay."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    3

    "Players plan routes and upgrade builds, requiring mental challenge and problem solving."

    Capsule for Kitten Burst Kitten Burst

    "Players plan trade routes, resource production, and upgrades requiring mental challenge and problem solving."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    -3

    "Low risk and tension; gameplay is calm and predictable without suspense or danger."

    Capsule for Cloudpunk Cloudpunk

    "Low risk and tension; gameplay is calm and predictable without suspense or danger."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    3

    "Players feel the game offers good value for its price, especially on sale, given quality and length."

    Capsule for Olija Olija

    "Many players find good value for price given gameplay length and quality, especially on sale."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -5

    "No combat or destruction; gameplay centers on constructive economic and production activities."

    Capsule for Prosperous Universe Prosperous Universe

    "No combat or destruction; gameplay centers on constructive trading and production."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    -3

    "Generally low-risk, stable conditions without survival or failure avoidance mechanics."

    Capsule for Tabletop Simulator Tabletop Simulator

    "Some risk of bankruptcy early on, but overall stable conditions without threats or failure pressure."

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Last update: 01/06/2026