Star Merchant vs Planet Factory
Star Merchant and Planet Factory 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. Star Merchant (2017) is 7 years older than Planet Factory (2024). Planet Factory scores higher on Steam reviews (87.5% positive) than Star Merchant (62.5% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Side-by-side comparison
 Star Merchant |  Planet Factory | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 62.5% positive (72 reviews) | 87.5% positive (24 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | SimProse Studios | SupremeGuardianGames |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Star Merchant (2017) is 7 years older than Planet Factory (2024).
- Planet Factory scores higher on Steam reviews (87.5% positive) than Star Merchant (62.5% positive).
- Planet Factory is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Star Merchant (0.99 USD vs. 0.99 USD).
Star Merchant vs Planet Factory — FAQ
- Should I play Star Merchant or Planet Factory first?
- If you want chronology, Star Merchant (2017) 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 Star Merchant and Planet Factory 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.