Planetbase Thumbnail

Planetbase similar games & best alternatives

Planetbase

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

Related articles

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

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      3

      "Players have freedom to plan colony layout, manage resources, and choose strategies for survival and expansion."

      Capsule for Aven Colony Aven Colony

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

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "The game offers a challenging economic and resource management system requiring skillful balancing and strategic planning."

      Capsule for Ostriv Ostriv

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

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

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

      Capsule for Stranded: Alien Dawn Stranded: Alien Dawn

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

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      2

      "Players report addictive early gameplay and meta-progression motivating continued play, though mid-to-late game can feel repetitive."

      Capsule for Heretic's Fork Heretic's Fork

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

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Single-player experience focused on individual colony management with no multiplayer cooperation."

      Capsule for Oxygen: First Breath Oxygen: First Breath

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

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      2

      "Players can design colony layout and choose strategies, but building options and mechanics are somewhat predefined and limited."

      Capsule for Oxygen: First Breath Oxygen: First Breath

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

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for Battle Group 2 Battle Group 2

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

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

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

      Capsule for Surviving Mars Surviving Mars

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

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

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

      Capsule for Surviving the Aftermath Surviving the Aftermath

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

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

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      2

      "Exploration is limited to strategic map navigation and discovering new planets and encounters rather than open-world discovery."

      Capsule for Wild Bastards Wild Bastards

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

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -2

      "Limited avatar or environment customization; expression mainly through gameplay choices and upgrades."

      Capsule for 10,000,000 10,000,000

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

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      3

      "Set in a fictional sci-fi universe with imaginative planetary colonization and environmental challenges."

      Capsule for Imagine Earth Imagine Earth

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

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for Mech Armada Mech Armada

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

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players learn colony management, resource balancing, and strategic planning through gameplay."

      Capsule for Aven Colony Aven Colony

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

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved"

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

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved"

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires sustained attention and active management rather than background or idle play."

      Capsule for Farming Simulator 19 Farming Simulator 19

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

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No social or emotional relationship building; colonists have traits but no interpersonal player interactions."

      Capsule for Surviving Mars Surviving Mars

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

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      3

      "Players lead and manage their colony, assigning tasks and directing development."

      Capsule for Oxygen: First Breath Oxygen: First Breath

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

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Progression through unlocking buildings, technologies, and expanding colony capabilities."

      Capsule for Aven Colony Aven Colony

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

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      2

      "Atmospheric and immersive but includes moments of tension and challenge, balancing relaxation and engagement."

      Capsule for Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition

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

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      2

      "Pleasant visuals and sound design provide sensory enjoyment without overwhelming stimulation."

      Capsule for Good Company Good Company

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

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for Siege Survival: Gloria Victis Siege Survival: Gloria Victis

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

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      -2

      "Minimal narrative; focus is on puzzles and exploration rather than story immersion."

      Capsule for macdows 95 macdows 95

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

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      5

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

      Capsule for Slipways Slipways

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

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      1

      "Some suspense from environmental hazards but overall low tension and risk."

      Capsule for ASTRONEER ASTRONEER

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

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

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

      Capsule for Alina of the Arena Alina of the Arena

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

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -3

      "Minimal combat elements; focus on constructive building and management rather than destruction."

      Capsule for Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt

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

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      5

      "Core gameplay revolves around managing threats and keeping colony alive under harsh conditions."

      Capsule for Oxygen: First Breath Oxygen: First Breath

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

    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.

    Last update: 30/04/2026