Choose Surviving Mars
Choose Surviving Mars if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 79% positive across 10,552 reviews.
Surviving Mars vs Aven Colony
Surviving Mars and Aven Colony 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. Aven Colony (2017) is 1 year older than Surviving Mars (2018). Surviving Mars scores higher on Steam reviews (79% positive) than Aven Colony (73.4% 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 Aven Colony
Choose Aven Colony if you want an Indie experience. 1,201 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Surviving Mars and Aven Colony 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 |  Aven Colony | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | Price unknown | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 79% positive (10,552 reviews) | 73.4% positive (1,201 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Haemimont Games, Abstraction | Mothership Entertainment LLC |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Aven Colony (2017) is 1 year older than Surviving Mars (2018).
- Surviving Mars scores higher on Steam reviews (79% positive) than Aven Colony (73.4% positive).
- Steam Deck: Surviving Mars is Deck Unsupported, Aven Colony is Deck Playable.
Surviving Mars vs Aven Colony — FAQ
- Which is better, Surviving Mars or Aven Colony?
- On Steam reviews Surviving Mars scores higher (79% positive) than Aven Colony (73.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Surviving Mars is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Surviving Mars or Aven Colony first?
- If you want chronology, Aven Colony (2017) came out before Surviving Mars (2018). 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 Aven Colony 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.