IMHO.

Games like Kenshi

If Kenshi is your kind of game, the closest matches are RimWorld, Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation and Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its endless replayability with mods, highly immersive world and player driven story creation. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.

Get personalized picks →

Kenshi is a post-apocalyptic action-strategy RPG released in 2018, currently available for $29.99 USD. The game combines open-world exploration, base-building, procedural generation, and unit management mechanics in a harsh sandbox setting. Players can pursue various paths including trading, combat, farming, and survival, with the freedom to shape their own narrative through sandbox gameplay. The game is marked as playable on Steam Deck and holds a 95% positive rating based on over 46,000 Steam reviews. Players describe the experience as challenging and punishing, with reviewers highlighting its endless replayability with mods, highly immersive world, and player-driven story creation.

About Kenshi: A free-roaming squad based RPG. Focusing on open-ended sandbox gameplay features rather than a linear story. Be a trader, a thief, a rebel, a warlord, an adventurer, a farmer, a slave, or just food for the cannibals. Train your men up from puny victims to master warriors.

2018ActionStrategyIndieSimulationRPG29.99 USDDeck PlayableMetacritic 75Windowsby Lo-Fi Games
Kenshi — Steam game cover
Players highlight
Endless replayability with modsHighly immersive worldPlayer driven story creationChallengingPunishingBase building

Players who liked Kenshi also play

Steam players who put hours into Kenshi also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.

  1. RimWorld

    WHY THIS

    Shares procedural generation and a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Top pick for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Generates stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.

    2018StrategyIndieSimulation34.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation

    WHY THIS

    Shares base building and a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Second-strongest match for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    Build, scavenge, craft, and perform occult rituals to survive in a demon-infested, post-apocalyptic colony simulation. Will you survive Judgment day?

    2018StrategyIndieSimulation19.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville

    WHY THIS

    Shares base building with Kenshi.

    Third-strongest match for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    Rebuild a ruined city in this post-apocalyptic mix of strategy and simulation. Manage survivors, scavenge for food and supplies, deal with rival gangs, illness, interpersonal strife and zombie attacks.

    2015StrategyIndieSimulation14.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  4. Dwarf Fortress

    WHY THIS

    Shares procedural generation and a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Ranked #4 for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world. Keep your dwarves happy, grow their community and beware of digging too deeply. The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created.

    2022StrategyIndieSimulation23.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. The Last Haven

    WHY THIS

    Shares base building and a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Ranked #5 for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    The world after a nuclear war. Manage the settlement, learn technology, make decisions, produce weapons, ammunition, organize defense, raid for supplies on other areas, do not let residents die, survive the nuclear winter.

    2023StrategyIndieSimulation19.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  6. Sheltered

    WHY THIS

    Shares base building and a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Ranked #6 for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    Sheltered is a deep and emotional survival management game. You take on the role of protecting four family members who, after a global apocalypse, have found their way to a deserted shelter. 

    2016StrategyIndieRPG2.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. Dream Engines: Nomad Cities

    WHY THIS

    Shares a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Ranked #7 for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    A survival city-building game with flying cities. Build, automate, and defend a flying city that travels between procedurally generated maps to survive in a wacky, nightmare-infested, post-apocalyptic world full of strange science and dreams.

    2024StrategyIndieSimulation29.99 USDSteam ↗
  8. Endzone - A World Apart

    WHY THIS

    Shares a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Ranked #8 for Kenshi fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    Endzone is a post-apocalyptic survival city builder, where you start a new civilization with a group of people after an ecological disaster. Build them a new home and ensure their survival in a shattered world, threatened by constant radiation, toxic rain, sandstorms and droughts.

    2021StrategyIndieSimulation24.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Reviewers mention these as similar to Kenshi

Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.

  1. Mount & Blade

    WHY THIS

    Shares a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and RPG with Kenshi.

    Calradia is a land at war, offering great riches and even greater dangers to adventurers and mercenaries that flock to shed their blood on its soil. With courage and a strong sword, an unknown stranger can make a name as a warrior. Free-form sand-box gameplay.

    2008IndieRPG9.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  2. Elin

    WHY THIS

    Shares base building with Kenshi.

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    Successor to the roguelike RPG "Elona". Adventure, survival, crafting, home-building, myths passed down, and stories of humans and Elea spun. What scars will you leave on the land of Ylva?

    2024StrategyIndieSimulation19.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. RimWorld

    WHY THIS

    Shares procedural generation and a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Generates stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.

    2018StrategyIndieSimulation34.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  4. Starvector

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Strategy with Kenshi.

    Eat a snack while you watch an entire planet burn in your image.

    ActionStrategyIndieSteam ↗
  5. Dwarf Fortress

    WHY THIS

    Shares procedural generation and a challenging mood with Kenshi.

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world. Keep your dwarves happy, grow their community and beware of digging too deeply. The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created.

    2022StrategyIndieSimulation23.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  6. The Matchless Kungfu

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy and Indie with Kenshi.

    The Matchless Kungfu is an open world sandbox RPG game based on a WuXia background. You can play any martial arts role you imagine in this wild world. Travel through the great wilderness, or be the leader of the group. The most important thing is, build your own story and live the experience!

    2024StrategyIndieRPG10.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. The Sims™ Legacy Collection

    WHY THIS

    Shares open world exploration with Kenshi.

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Simulation with Kenshi.

    The original game you know and love. For Windows 10/11. Create a neighborhood of Sims and guide their lives through careers and romance. Or create chaos with open-ended gameplay that lets you shape their destinies.

    2025SimulationCasual11.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  8. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of Kenshi cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares RPG with Kenshi.

    The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition includes Morrowind plus all of the content from the Bloodmoon and Tribunal expansions. The original Mod Construction Set is not included in this package. An epic, open-ended single-player RPG, Morrowind allows you to create and play any kind of character imaginable.

    2009RPG14.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Cheaper alternatives

Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Kenshi at current Steam store prices.

  1. Terraria

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~67% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Kenshi.

    Dig, fight, explore, build! Nothing is impossible in this action-packed adventure game. Four Pack also available!

    2011ActionIndieAdventure9.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. Garry's Mod

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~83% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Kenshi.

    Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play.

    2006IndieSimulationCasual4.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. Stardew Valley

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~50% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Kenshi.

    You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?

    2016IndieSimulationRPG14.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  4. Lethal Company

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~67% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Kenshi.

    A co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.

    2023ActionIndieAdventure9.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. Left 4 Dead 2

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~67% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Action with Kenshi.

    Set in the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 is a co-operative action horror FPS takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.

    2009Action9.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. Bloons TD 6

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~53% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Strategy with Kenshi.

    The Bloons are back and better than ever! Get ready for a massive 3D tower defense game designed to give you hours and hours of the best strategy gaming available.

    2018Strategy13.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. Hollow Knight

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~50% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Kenshi.

    Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.

    2017ActionIndieAdventure14.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  8. People Playground

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~67% under Kenshi on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Kenshi.

    Shoot, stab, burn, poison, tear, vaporise, or crush ragdolls in a large open space.

    2019ActionIndieSimulation9.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Free alternatives

Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.

  1. Ultimate Custom Night

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Kenshi.

    Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!

    2018ActionIndieFree To PlayFreeSteam ↗
  2. Bongo Cat

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Kenshi.

    Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find?

    2025IndieSimulationMassively MultiplayerFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. NGU IDLE

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Kenshi.

    NGU Idle is a Free To Play Idle game that's full of weird humor, tons of upgrades and hundreds of hours of content! Try out NGU Idle today and experience the joy of Numbers Going Up!

    2019IndieAdventureSimulationFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  4. Grimm's Hollow

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and RPG with Kenshi.

    A spooky, freeware RPG where you search the afterlife for your brother. Reap ghosts with your scythe, explore haunted caves, and eat ghostly treats on your journey through death.

    2019IndieAdventureRPGFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. The Expendabros

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Kenshi.

    The Expendabros have assembled and set their sights on the forces of ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks in the forests of Eastern Europe.

    2014ActionIndieAdventureFreeDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. Steam Engine Simulator

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Simulation with Kenshi.

    The Steam Engine Simulator shown on AngeTheGreat's YouTube channel.

    2023SimulationFreeDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  7. Magic Archery

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Kenshi.

    Train a commoner to become the greatest archer in this short incremental game! Increase your stats, gather wealth from quests, buy upgrades, and infuse your arrows with magic.

    2024IndieSimulationRPGFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  8. The Lab

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it.

    Welcome to The Lab, a compilation of Valve’s room-scale VR experiments set in a pocket universe within Aperture Science. Fix a robot, defend a castle, adopt a mechanical dog, and more. Still not sold? It’s free!

    2016Free To PlayFreeSteam ↗

Frequently asked about Kenshi

Does Kenshi run on Steam Deck?
Kenshi is rated Playable on Steam Deck — it runs, but expect some manual adjustments (control remapping, text size, or graphics settings) for the best experience.
How much does Kenshi cost?
Kenshi is listed on Steam at 29.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
What games are most similar to Kenshi?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Kenshi are RimWorld, Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation, Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville.
Who developed Kenshi?
Kenshi was developed by Lo-Fi Games.

imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on Kenshi.

For library-aware picks tuned to your specific taste, sign in with Steam on the home page.