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Planetbase similar games & best alternatives

Planetbase

PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Mac • 2015

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Quick resume

Guide a group of space settlers trying to establish a base on a remote planet. Grow food, collect energy, mine resources, survive disasters and build a self-sufficient colony in a harsh and unforgiving environment.

Global score

80/100

Genres

Indie, Simulator, Strategy

Similar games

    Pros

    • Challenging and rewarding survival gameplay
    • Immersive sci-fi atmosphere and graphics
    • Strategic resource and colony management
    • Responsive developer support and updates
    • Good value for price with many hours of play

    Cons

    • Limited late-game content and replayability
    • Colonist ai can behave irrationally causing frustration
    • Lack of multiplayer or social features
    • Minimal narrative or story elements
    • Some interface and quality-of-life improvements needed

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Leadership, Survival, Violence, Strategy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Violence, Story, Expression.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

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

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • 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.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players manage colony layout and resource allocation but individual colonists act autonomously with limited direct control"

    • Competence
      4

      "Requires strategic planning and problem solving to balance resources and survive harsh planetary conditions"

    • Competition
      -4

      "Focus is on personal colony management and survival without player-vs-player or leaderboard competition"

    • Continuation
      2

      "Addictive early and mid-game with some players returning repeatedly, but late game can become repetitive and lead to disengagement"

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Single player game focused on individual colony management without multiplayer or cooperative play"

    • Creativity
      2

      "Players design and build colony layouts but within fixed building types and limited customization"

    • Domination
      -5

      "No player dominance or power over others; gameplay is solo and non-confrontational"

    • Escapism
      4

      "Immersive sci-fi setting and survival challenge provide strong escape from real life"

    • Expectation
      -4

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

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Players experiment with colony layouts, resource management strategies, and adapting to planetary hazards"

    • Exploration
      2

      "Exploration is limited to selecting landing sites and managing different planets, but no open-world discovery"

    • Expression
      -2

      "Limited avatar or environment customization; expression mainly through colony design choices"

    • Fantasy
      3

      "Futuristic sci-fi setting with space colonization and survival on alien planets"

    • Fellowship
      -5

      "No social or community features; strictly single player experience"

    • Growth
      4

      "Players learn colony management, resource balancing, and survival tactics over time"

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved"

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires ongoing attention and management; not suitable for background or casual idle play"

    • Intimacy
      -5

      "No social or emotional relationship building; colonists act independently without interpersonal dynamics"

    • Leadership
      3

      "Player leads colony development and resource allocation but does not directly command individual colonists"

    • Progression
      4

      "Progression through expanding colony, unlocking buildings, and surviving increasingly difficult planets"

    • Relaxation
      2

      "Can be relaxing and immersive but also has moments of tension and challenge"

    • Sensation
      2

      "Pleasant graphics and sound design provide sensory enjoyment without intense stimulation"

    • Status
      -5

      "No social recognition or status systems; gameplay is individual and self-contained"

    • Story
      -2

      "Minimal narrative or plot; focus is on survival and colony management rather than story immersion"

    • Strategy
      5

      "Strong emphasis on strategic planning, resource management, and problem solving"

    • Thrill
      1

      "Some suspense from environmental hazards and colony survival but overall moderate tension"

    • Value
      4

      "Players report good value for money with many hours of engaging gameplay"

    • Violence
      -3

      "Limited combat elements; focus is on constructive colony building and survival"

    • Survival
      5

      "Core gameplay revolves around managing threats and keeping colonists alive in hostile environments"

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026