By Lately, I’ve been going on a factory automation gaming spree.
After getting addicted to Schedule I, I went looking for other similar games and ended up playing a whole bunch of factory automation games.
Before long, I was totally addicted to this genre of games. The funny thing is, I never even considered playing games like these before. But now, I fire up one of these at least once per day, just to check on my factories.
If you’re like me and enjoy a game with a grind that also gives you a reason to jump back in every day, then this is the genre you’re looking for.
These are the top picks that I personally believe to be the best factory automation games you can play right now. See if you can find something that suits your addiction.
1. Satisfactory
There are two incredible factory automation games that hold the throne in this genre. While both are fantastic in their own unique ways, I prefer Satisfactory solely because of the first-person view.
Being able to explore and walk through my factory on foot offers a truly immersive experience unlike any other factory automation game. Even after you unlock everything, you can keep going, building massive factories.
Some players have built huge mega industrial cities in Satisfactory. The game keeps getting updated with new content as well, adding more components and machines to build and experiment with.
Satisfactory is also very beginner-friendly, and I highly recommend newcomers to try this game to test out the genre.
2. Factorio
Factorio is the other king of factory automation games. Some even consider this to be the best in the genre for its complex mechanics. The main difference of this game is that it’s played in a top-down view.
This approach is preferred by some players. With a top-down view, you can have a much wider view of your factory, and it allows easier planning and placement for building more efficient factories.
I enjoy playing both Factorio and Satisfactory. I just prefer the first-person view over the top-down view. However, I admit that sometimes it can be tiring to go through a big factory in first-person mode.
Factorio was a bit more intimidating for me than Satisfactory. It has somewhat of a learning curve. But this game has more depth and freedom than Satisfactory.
3. StarRupture
StarRupture is the latest game that’s going after the Satisfactory throne. Ironically, this was my first experience in an actual factory automation game.
StarRupture shares many of the core concepts of Satisfactory. It’s also in first-person view and features similar factory automation systems. One big feature in this game is the solar storms that happen from time to time, which you have to be aware of when out exploring.
StarRupture does explore much better than Satisfactory. It also has better combat and weapons that appeal to the FPS fan inside me. There’s some lore to keep you engaged with the game concepts as well.
For an early access game, StarRupture is already looking a great competitor/alternative to Satisfactory. But it has a long way to go to reach the same level of content and polish of Satisfactory.
4. Captain of Industry
Captain of Industry is one of the lesser-known factory automation games that actually deserves recognition.
This game has a quite different vibe and feel than most other factory automation games because it combines automation with base building and resource management systems to offer a unique experience.
In this game, you get to build an entire city with automated factories, farms, and even transportation systems. You can fully dig and excavate the terrain to form it however you want to setup train tracks and build massive factories.
Then you get to setup transportation systems with trucks and trains to deliver products across the map. Captain of Industry has more than It’s truly a hidden gem of an automation game.
5. The Crust
After spending quite some time in early access, The Crust is finally out in 1.0 with a complete and polished factory automation experience.
The Crust takes you to the moon to let you build machines to mine resources and factories to produce components and send them back to Earth. It shares many similarities with games like Factorio but with its own unique spin.
The best part of The Crust is its story campaign, which not only makes it easier to get started in the genre but also makes the entire experience more engaging. The story has multiple endings as well.
6. Schedule I
Schedule I is not exactly a factory automation game. It’s a drug dealer simulator. But the game’s endgame is all about automating your drug production system.
In Schedule I, you start off by producing and dealing various types of drugs. At first, you must do it by yourself. As you progress and level up, you get to hire workers and expand into bigger storage areas.
The production automation system in Schedule I is not very complex. But there are ways you can set up production to create different types of drugs with unique formulas.
Producing, delivering, and dealing with customers is what makes Schedule I so much fun. You’re not just producing stuff and ship them off into space; you are actually selling it and making money with it.
7. Alchemy Factory
Most of the factory automation games on this have futuristic themes, but this game takes a completely different approach. In Alchemy Factory, you get to setup factory automations in a medieval fantasy world.
Instead of producing technology components and machines, in this game, you produce potions, relics, and jewelry items. You get to either sell these items or use them to fulfill commissions from customers.
Despite the time period, Alchemy Factory has complex factory-building systems, including conveyor belts and even magical machines. The game is ideal for a whimsical and fun factory automation experience.
8. Dyson Sphere Program
Dyson Sphere Program takes factory building and automation into the next level by allowing you to build massive-scale factories spanning across entire planets.
In this game, your goal is to build an industrial network across multiple planets, which will then turn into a Dyson sphere around the star. If you’re unfamiliar, a Dyson sphere is a structure that wraps around a star to capture its energy.
Much like other factory automation games, Dyson Sphere Program also has all the basic gameplay systems like mining, smelting, and assembling components. In terms of scale, this is the biggest automation game on the list.
9. Timberborn
On the surface, Timberborn is actually a city-building game with a twist. But its main endgame is all about factory automation.
In Timberborn, your goal is to build and maintain a colony. And it gives you full sandbox freedom to build a city of your choice. More importantly, you get to do all that with a whole society of loyal beavers. Who needs humans anyway, right?
When it comes to factories in Timberborn, you get to plan it out carefully with relays and sensors to create precise systems and factories that function and produce on their own.
What makes the game even more fun is its community of modders who have created loads of amazing mods that expand the game beyond its limits.
10. shapez 2
This is a very unique factory automation game that’s all about creating factories to produce shapes.
Your main goal is setting up automated factories with conveyor belts and extractors to reshape the shapes to deliver production orders.
This game may seem a bit dull at first, but it has automation systems inspired by games like Factorio that offer a highly addictive experience. It even allows you to build multi-layer factories to create complex automations.
11. Sandustry
Sandustry may not appeal to all types of gamers due to its old-school cartoony graphics, but it’s one of the highest-rated automation games on Steam.
The biggest selling point of Sandustry is its destructible, physics-based world, where you get the freedom to build factories on your own terms. The physics system lets you think creatively to build automations and structures that work with various resources.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the 2D cartoon look of the game. However, it does offer some unique factory automation systems that I haven’t seen in other games.
12. The Planet Crafter
Planet Crafter is mainly a sci-fi survival game with a first-person view. It also includes some basic automation systems as well.
The main goal of Planet Crafter is to build and terraform a planet while also surviving its dangers. This involves planning and building your base, farming resources, building machines, and expanding it further as you progress.
The automations in Planet Crafter are not as complex as factory automation games, but it becomes an important part of the gameplay loop as you level up and terraform the planet.
