Choose Planetary Settlers
Choose Planetary Settlers if you want an Adventure and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 58% cheaper on the Steam Store. Planetary Settlers launched in 2018.
Planetary Settlers vs Rover Mechanic Simulator
Planetary Settlers and Rover Mechanic Simulator both land in Indie 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 are Indie games on Steam. Planetary Settlers (2018) is 2 years older than Rover Mechanic Simulator (2020). Planetary Settlers is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Rover Mechanic Simulator (4.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD). 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 Rover Mechanic Simulator
Choose Rover Mechanic Simulator if you want a Simulation experience. Rover Mechanic Simulator launched in 2020.
Both Planetary Settlers and Rover Mechanic Simulator sit in Indie 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
 Planetary Settlers |  Rover Mechanic Simulator | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Early Access | Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 11.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 9 reviews | 84.7% positive (177 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Leveler Games | ▲ Pyramid Games |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Planetary Settlers (2018) is 2 years older than Rover Mechanic Simulator (2020).
- Planetary Settlers is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Rover Mechanic Simulator (4.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Rover Mechanic Simulator is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Planetary Settlers has no Deck rating yet.
Planetary Settlers vs Rover Mechanic Simulator — FAQ
- Should I play Planetary Settlers or Rover Mechanic Simulator first?
- If you want chronology, Planetary Settlers (2018) came out before Rover Mechanic Simulator (2020). 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 Planetary Settlers and Rover Mechanic Simulator similar?
- They overlap on Indie 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.