IMHO.

Free games like Insect Empires

Below are 8 free-to-play Steam games similar to Insect Empires, ranked by player overlap and content similarity. No purchase or Steam login required to view the list. Every pick is a full free-to-play title — not a demo, trial, or time-limited giveaway. imho.run's catalogue refreshes daily, so newly free or newly popular titles surface here without manual editing.

Want the full alternatives list (paid + free + Steam Deck + cheaper picks)? See the parent games like Insect Empires page.

Ranked picks

  1. 1
    Magic Archery — Steam game cover

    Magic Archery

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window. Shares Simulation with Insect Empires.

    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 PlayableFree to playSimilar games →
  2. 2
    The Lab — Steam game cover

    The Lab

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window.

    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 PlayFreeFree to playSimilar games →
  3. 3
    Landfall Archives — Steam game cover

    Landfall Archives

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window. Shares Strategy with Insect Empires.

    Break into the Landfall Archives to steal and play previously unreleased games, demos, interactive slide shows, and even an unreleased version of Totally Accurate Battle Simulator from 2017!

    2023ActionStrategyIndieFreeFree to playSimilar games →
  4. 4
    SuchArt: Creative Space — Steam game cover

    SuchArt: Creative Space

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window. Shares Simulation with Insect Empires.

    Paint on any surfaces with numerous tools in Creative Space — a free sandbox version of SuchArt: Genius Artist Simulator. Create masterpieces, complete commissions, and decorate your studio in the most advanced artist sim!

    2021ActionIndieAdventureFreeDeck PlayableFree to playSimilar games →
  5. 5
    The Riftbreaker: Prologue — Steam game cover

    The Riftbreaker: Prologue

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window. Shares Strategy with Insect Empires.

    The Riftbreaker: Prologue allows you to experience the events taking place before the story campaign of the main game. Explore an entirely new world. Gather resources. Build up a base. Defend yourself from thousands of alien creatures.

    2020ActionStrategyIndieFreeDeck PlayableFree to playSimilar games →
  6. 6
    The Last Sovereign — Steam game cover

    The Last Sovereign

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window. Shares Strategy with Insect Empires.

    Explore a world torn between armies of lust and purity in which everything is more complex than it seems, deciding the fate of nations through might, politics, and finance. Every decision matters in an intricate saga that tracks thousands of variables.

    2025StrategyIndieAdventureFreeDeck VerifiedFree to playSimilar games →
  7. 7
    The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante — Chapter 1&2 — Steam game cover

    The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante — Chapter 1&2

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window. Shares Strategy and Simulation with Insect Empires.

    A narrative-driven hardcore RPG set in a gritty world where the gods are real. Set out on a challenging lifetime journey, where every choice you make has a price to pay and consequence to it. Will you become an inquisitor, a judge, or conspire against the old order? Dare to decide!

    2020StrategyIndieAdventureFreeFree to playSimilar games →
  8. 8
    Dota 2 — Steam game cover

    Dota 2

    Free-to-play alternative to Insect Empires — no purchase or trial window. Shares Strategy with Insect Empires.

    Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has taken on a life of its own.

    2013ActionStrategyFree To PlayFreeDeck PlayableFree to playSimilar games →