Games like Banished
Discover new adventures that match what you love.
The survival city-builder urtext: a band of exiles, one harsh valley, and population math where every death is a laborer, a parent and a future gone. Banished's brutal simplicity - no tech tree, no enemies, just winter - spawned a whole genre and still teaches its coldest lessons.
Similar-game research
If you love the survival city-building and population management of Banished, these six games all start from its core loop but head in distinct directions. Some deepen the systems, some add politics, some focus on family warmth, some are full of Viking drama, and one strips away the harshness entirely. Each retains the joy of building and managing, but offers something uniquely memorable. You'll find your next town to pour your heart into.
Settlement Survival
Base BuildingSimulationRelaxing- Why it's similar
- The skeleton of guiding exiles through seasonal survival is the same as Banished, but trade routes and tech trees add depth, and management expands from mere food to even citizens' dental health.
- Choose it when
- If Banished's endgame left you wanting more to manage, this extends your town's ledger further.
- But
- After opening it, you'll find crop rotation is just the start; more complex production chains and era-spanning research await, making the difficulty curve longer and tougher.
Farthest Frontier
Base BuildingSurvivalSimulation- Why it's similar
- You still face harsh environments, gather resources, build homes, and secure food, but here the simulation dives down to each field's fertility and villagers' disease prevention.
- Choose it when
- If you want to take farming management to the extreme and find joy in soil and sickness details, this is for you.
- But
- From the start you'll notice terrain details and soil data; crop rotation and root cellars become routine, and optional raider threats add extra layers of operation depth beyond the original.
Patron
Base BuildingSimulationSurvival- Why it's similar
- The base survival gameplay remains, with towns still braving harsh winters, but citizens now have classes and memories; every policy you enact affects their happiness and votes.
- Choose it when
- For mayors who, beyond stable town management, want to experience faction politics and the weight of promises kept or broken, this offers ample room for scheming.
- But
- Upon entering, you'll find yourself not just managing resources but balancing class grievances; policy trees have teeth, making political maneuvering a daily affair.
Clanfolk
Base BuildingSimulationSurvival- Why it's similar
- The urgency of winter preparation and population growth mirrors Banished, but the focus shifts from a town to a multi-generational clan, with domestic details magnified down to candles and lofts.
- Choose it when
- If you've ever named every villager and felt their losses, this offers a full family saga.
- But
- You manage not abstract citizens but named individuals who marry, age, and die; every candle and bed matters for the family's survival, and warmth replaces raw numbers.
Land of the Vikings
Base BuildingSimulationSurvival- Why it's similar
- Like Banished, you build a fjord village and survive harsh weather, but villagers' moods, feasts, and blood feuds are as crucial as firewood.
- Choose it when
- If you love seeing stories unfold among your people, or fancy a mayor with a longship ready to raid, this won't disappoint.
- But
- There are no nameless settlers; each Viking's feelings affect productivity, saga-like events and feuds constantly stir trouble, and you can even organize raids to solve hunger.