Dwarf Fortress Alternatives
Dwarf Fortress is described as 'single-player fantasy simulator. You can control a dwarven outpost or an adventurer in a randomly generated, persistent world'. There are more than 10 games similar to Dwarf Fortress for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Steam, Mac, Linux and Wine. The best alternative is RimWorld. Other Dwarf Fortress like games are Gnomoria (Paid), Stonehearth (Paid), Prison Architect (Paid) and Oxygen Not Included (Paid).
- RimWorld follows three survivors from a crashed space liner as they build a colony on a frontier world at the rim of known space. Inspired by the space western vibe of Firefly, the deep simulation of Dwarf Fortress, and the epic scale of Dune and Warhammer 40,000.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Steam
RimWorld vs Dwarf Fortress opinions
Rimworld is just a perfect game. There's a lot of complexity, yet it's still way more accessible than DF. It's hard to say how good this game is with just words unless it's a full 4 hours speach, so I'll just say I could marry this game.Nowhere near as difficult of a learning curve, but has a lot of the same mechanics, with added futuristic sci-fi events. Can micromanage and prioritize down to a tee, main gripe with it is there's UP/DOWN to the world, so you can't build towers or bases deep undergroundNo depth to the gameplay. Small maps. No Z-levels.Just awesome world, better graphics and "personally" in the characters. Super game.Having played both Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress, this is a simpler far more accessible sci-fi version of Dwarf Fortress, but with plenty of modding to add more complexity. Rimworld has a far more consistent UI and UX, but lacks Z dimension (other than a simplistic roof/floor).This game is nowhere as near as any other Colonization games i've ever seen,never gets boring,Excellent gameplay,complex gameplay,and much more,I'd recommend it 11/10Though lacking in any z-levels (no stairs, it's all on one and a couple almost-layers: floors, walls, and roofs) it does an excellent job of simulating complicated anatomical combat and giving personalities to your colonists. - Gnomoria is a sandbox village management game where you help lead a small group of gnomes, who have set out on their own, to thrive into a bustling kingdom!.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Windows
- Steam
Discontinued
No updates since release, also see Steam reviews: http://store.steampowered.com/app/224500/
Gnomoria vs Dwarf Fortress opinions
It is the best alternative - but that said it has only about 30% of the depth and breadth of DF. And DF is getting deeper and broader every few months whereas Gnomoria development stopped almost 4 years ago. There is a fan reboot of Gnomoria called ingnomia that is still being worked on however at the time of writing this it is still very fa short of playable in for anything more than an hour or two. Dwarf Fortress is unique. All the other games here are very (VERY) much simpler.While I prefer Rimworld as a Dwarf Fortress alternative, this is closer to DF. The world, the gnomes, the z-levels, all these make Gnomoria one of the best Dwarf Fortress clones. However, it's not being updated anymore, and it kinda feels like a less complex version of DF, but with better graphics and UIGnomoria IS basically a simplified version of Dwarf Fortress it cloned the game mechanics very wellGnomoria is basically dwarf fortress with better graphics.You have to grow food,make an army to defend yourself,and make a home for your gnomes.However this game lacks some features that dwarf fortress has and this game can become quite boring after awhile.Yes, very straightforward clone. - Stonehearth is a game of exploration and survival in an epic fantasy setting. Build your town, care for your hearthlings, and defend against marauding invaders.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Windows
- Linux
- Wine
- Steam
- Amazon
- Build and manage a Maximum Security Prison. As the sun casts it’s early morning rays on a beautiful patch of countryside the clock starts ticking.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Steam
Prison Architect vs Dwarf Fortress opinions
its quite literally about building a prison, there are no elements of survival at allIt's a simulation game like DF which runs itself. Player changes the environment but doesn't directly control any of the humanoids.Completely different stories, controls, graphics, goals, and gameplay. - Oxygen Not Included is a space-colony simulation game. Manage your colonists and help them dig, build and maintain a subterranean asteroid base. You'll need water, warmth, food, and oxygen to keep them alive, and even more than that to keep them happy.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Steam
- In this city-building strategy game, you control a group of exiled travelers who decide to restart their lives in a new land. They have only the clothes on their backs and a cart filled with supplies from their homeland.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Windows
- Wine
- Steam
Banished vs Dwarf Fortress opinions
Banished is much more of a city building game. It lacks the feature of micro managing individuals and even if it was implemented, you just end up with too many people after 2 years to even make that feasible. Basically, think of sim city, but with the difficulty of Dwarf Fortress (not exactly, but almost)Dwarf Fortress aims to simulate life to the point where it's more of a story than a game. Banished is very much "a game", and shares more in common with titles such as Civilization or Sim City. - Discover your evil side as you build your own underground kingdom. Carve out a living, breathing world and attract a host of devilish creatures to swell the ranks of your dark hoards.
Discontinued
Discontinued but available at GoG: https://www.gog.com/game/dungeon_keeper_2
Dungeon Keeper 2 vs Dwarf Fortress opinions
Dwarf Fortress is a simulator, Dungeon Keeper 2 is real time strategyThis game is a harsh reminder that cause a game was once great, that it will have a game just good or better as its predecessor. - Take on the role of a colonial bureaucrat sent to build a steampunk colony in the far corners of the world faced with threats of Lovecraftian horrors and cults, all the while dealing with complex AI colonists with their own quirks and personalities.No screenshots yet
- A Dwarven Prince on a quest to reclaim his people’s stolen land will take you on a great journey. Explore a continent filled with buried treasures and unearth mysteries that have laid hidden since the Great War.
- Craft The World is a unique sandbox strategy game, the mix of Dungeon Keeper, Terraria and Dwarf Fortress. Explore a random generated world populated by dangerous creatures, build a dwarf fortress, gather resources, and craft all the items, weapons, and armor you need.