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They Are Billions similar games & best alternatives

They Are Billions

PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4 • 2019

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Quick resume

They Are Billions is a Steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. Build and defend colonies to survive against the billions of the infected that seek to annihilate the few remaining living humans. Can humanity survive after the zombie apocalypse?

Global score

85/100

Genres

Strategy, Indie, Role-playing (RPG), Real Time Strategy (RTS)

Similar games

    Pros

    • Challenging and rewarding gameplay
    • Unique blend of rts and survival
    • High replayability with randomized maps
    • Immersive steampunk zombie atmosphere
    • Pause feature allowing strategic planning

    Cons

    • No mid-mission save feature causing frustration
    • Steep learning curve and punishing difficulty
    • Limited campaign content and repetitive hero missions
    • Poor unit pathfinding and some ai quirks
    • Lack of multiplayer or social features

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have significant control over their actions and decisions, including resource management, building placement, and settler task assignments, with some freedom to progress at their own pace."

      Capsule for Havendock Havendock

      "Players have significant control over base building, unit placement, and strategic decisions, with freedom to plan and react, including pausing the game to issue commands."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      5

      "Game is challenging with a steep learning curve, requiring skillful play and rewarding mastery."

      Capsule for Stoneshard Stoneshard

      "The game is highly challenging, requiring skillful resource management, multitasking, and strategic planning with steep learning curve and rewarding mastery."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is primarily on solo play and personal progression; no mention of ranked modes or direct player-vs-player competition."

      Capsule for Nightmare Reaper Nightmare Reaper

      "Focus is primarily on solo play and personal improvement; no multiplayer or ranked modes, and no direct player-vs-player competition."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Many players report long play sessions, replayability, and habitual return to the game despite its difficulty."

      Capsule for Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

      "Many players report long play sessions, high replayability, and habitual return despite frustration from difficulty and restarts."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "The game is single-player focused with no cooperative multiplayer or team-based mechanics."

      Capsule for Evil Defenders Evil Defenders

      "The game is single-player focused with no cooperative multiplayer or team-based gameplay."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Players can design and build bases with flexible layouts, customize loadouts, and experiment with different strategies."

      Capsule for The Riftbreaker The Riftbreaker

      "Players design and optimize base layouts and defenses with some freedom, though building placement is constrained by spacing rules."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -4

      "Interactions are with AI zombies and environment; no player-vs-player dominance or social power dynamics."

      Capsule for Deadly Days Deadly Days

      "Interactions are against AI zombies, no social dominance or player hierarchy; gameplay is individual and cooperative social features are absent."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game as a challenging distraction with immersive visuals, story, and intense gameplay to escape real life."

      Capsule for Sine Mora Sine Mora

      "Players use the game as a challenging distraction and immersive experience, escaping real life through intense strategic gameplay."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic enjoyment and challenge, not due to obligation or pressure."

      Capsule for EVERSPACE™ EVERSPACE™

      "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic challenge and enjoyment, not due to obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Players explore tech trees, new mechanics, and optimize layouts, showing experimentation within game systems."

      Capsule for Havendock Havendock

      "Players experiment with base designs, tech tree upgrades, and strategies to overcome waves and optimize resource management."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      2

      "Maps are reused but players explore large battlefields with multiple objectives and dynamic events, encouraging some discovery."

      Capsule for SAMURAI WARRIORS 4-II SAMURAI WARRIORS 4-II

      "Some exploration of randomized maps and clearing areas is involved, but maps are often reused and gameplay is focused on defense."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -2

      "Limited character customization or self-expression; focus is on gameplay evolution rather than avatar personalization."

      Capsule for Evoland Legendary Edition Evoland Legendary Edition

      "Limited character customization or cosmetic expression; focus is on strategic gameplay rather than avatar personalization."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      3

      "Zombie apocalypse setting with fictional elements and exaggerated gameplay mechanics."

      Capsule for BrainBread 2 BrainBread 2

      "Steampunk zombie apocalypse setting with fantastical elements, but grounded in plausible survival and RTS mechanics."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -4

      "Minimal social interaction or community feeling within the game; mostly solo play."

      Capsule for Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 Car Mechanic Simulator 2018

      "Minimal social interaction or community feeling within the game; primarily a solo experience."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players learn complex mechanics, improve strategies, and develop skills over time; tech tree and progression systems support growth."

      Capsule for Kingdoms Reborn Kingdoms Reborn

      "Players develop skills, learn from failures, and improve strategies over time; tech tree progression supports growth."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -4

      "Sedentary gameplay with potential for frustration and stress; no physical activity or health benefits."

      Capsule for A Bastard's Tale A Bastard's Tale

      "Sedentary gameplay with long sessions and high mental stress; no physical activity or health benefits."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention and micromanagement; pausing is possible but gameplay is not idle or background."

      Capsule for Darfall Darfall

      "Requires constant attention and micromanagement; pausing is available but gameplay is not designed for idle play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No social or emotional connections formed; no multiplayer or social features."

      Capsule for Hatred Hatred

      "No meaningful social or emotional connections formed in-game; no multiplayer or social features."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      3

      "Players lead colonies, manage resources and military forces, making strategic decisions and guiding development."

      Capsule for Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization

      "Players lead and manage their colony and army units, making strategic decisions and directing troops."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Strong focus on accumulating resources, upgrades, and expanding the colony."

      Capsule for Ratopia Ratopia

      "Strong emphasis on accumulating resources, unlocking tech, upgrading units, and expanding the colony."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      -3

      "Gameplay is tense and challenging with frequent failures and high stakes, not focused on relaxation."

      Capsule for Stationeers Stationeers

      "Gameplay is tense and stressful with high stakes and punishing difficulty; not designed for relaxation."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Strong atmospheric audio and visual design create immersive sensory experiences."

      Capsule for Liquidators Liquidators

      "Visual and audio design create immersive and intense atmosphere with satisfying sensory feedback."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

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

      Capsule for Papa's Pizzeria Deluxe Papa's Pizzeria Deluxe

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

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      1

      "Campaigns provide some narrative context, but story is minimal and secondary to gameplay."

      Capsule for Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)

      "Campaign provides some narrative context but is minimal and often criticized; gameplay is primary focus."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      5

      "Core gameplay revolves around mental challenge, resource management, and tactical problem solving."

      Capsule for Creeper World 4 Creeper World 4

      "Core gameplay revolves around mental challenge, planning, resource management, and tactical problem solving."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      4

      "Suspenseful campaign moments and intense Zombies waves provide excitement and tension."

      Capsule for Call of Duty®: Black Ops Call of Duty®: Black Ops

      "High tension and suspense from impending zombie waves and risk of catastrophic failure."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      3

      "Players report many hours of gameplay and replayability, justifying the price especially on sale."

      Capsule for Afghanistan '11 Afghanistan '11

      "Players report many hours of gameplay and replayability, though some feel content is limited and price high without sales."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      4

      "Combat against zombies and players is central; destruction and violence are core gameplay."

      Capsule for Unturned Unturned

      "Combat against zombies is central, with emphasis on destruction and defense against hordes."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      5

      "Survival against waves of enemies and resource management under threat is the main gameplay driver."

      Capsule for Grim Nights Grim Nights

      "Survival against overwhelming zombie threats is the main gameplay driver, requiring resource and defense management."

    Analysis

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

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 30/04/2026