Choose Surviving Mars
Choose Surviving Mars if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 10,552 Steam reviews back the pick.
Surviving Mars vs Planet Factory
Surviving Mars and Planet Factory both land in Strategy, 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, Simulation on Steam. Surviving Mars (2018) is 6 years older than Planet Factory (2024). Planet Factory scores higher on Steam reviews (87.5% positive) than Surviving Mars (79% 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 Planet Factory
Choose Planet Factory if you want an Indie and Casual experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Planet Factory launched in 2024.
Both Surviving Mars and Planet Factory sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam, 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
 Surviving Mars |  Planet Factory | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2024 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 79% positive (10,552 reviews) | 87.5% positive (24 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Haemimont Games, Abstraction | SupremeGuardianGames |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Surviving Mars (2018) is 6 years older than Planet Factory (2024).
- Planet Factory scores higher on Steam reviews (87.5% positive) than Surviving Mars (79% positive).
- Surviving Mars is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Planet Factory has no Deck rating yet.
Surviving Mars vs Planet Factory — FAQ
- Should I play Surviving Mars or Planet Factory first?
- If you want chronology, Surviving Mars (2018) came out before Planet Factory (2024). 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 Surviving Mars and Planet Factory similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, 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.