Choose shapez
Choose shapez if you want the Subtitle Options, Playable without Timed Input, and Keyboard Only Option side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 92% cheaper on the Steam Store. 8,214 Steam reviews back the pick.
shapez vs Automate It: Factory Puzzle
shapez and Automate It: Factory Puzzle both land in Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam. shapez (2020) is 5 years older than Automate It: Factory Puzzle (2025). shapez scores higher on Steam reviews (96.4% positive) than Automate It: Factory Puzzle (76.2% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Automate It: Factory Puzzle
Choose Automate It: Factory Puzzle if you want the Adjustable Difficulty side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Automate It: Factory Puzzle launched in 2025.
Both shapez and Automate It: Factory Puzzle sit in Strategy, Indie, and Simulation on Steam and both list Adjustable Text Size, Color Alternatives, and Camera Comfort, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 shapez |  Automate It: Factory Puzzle | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2025 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 12.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.4% positive (8,214 reviews) | 76.2% positive (42 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Tobias Springer | South Blue Moon |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- shapez (2020) is 5 years older than Automate It: Factory Puzzle (2025).
- shapez scores higher on Steam reviews (96.4% positive) than Automate It: Factory Puzzle (76.2% positive).
- shapez is currently ~92% cheaper on Steam than Automate It: Factory Puzzle (0.99 USD vs. 12.49 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
shapez vs Automate It: Factory Puzzle — FAQ
- Should I play shapez or Automate It: Factory Puzzle first?
- If you want chronology, shapez (2020) came out before Automate It: Factory Puzzle (2025). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are shapez and Automate It: Factory Puzzle similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.