Rank 01Games like Dwarf Fortress
- 32 games
- Updated Nov 9, 2026
Players who liked Dwarf Fortress also play
The closest matches to Dwarf Fortress: RimWorld, Kenshi, Caves of Qud, Oxygen Not Included, and Banished. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
- Rank 01
Rank 02
Rank 03Why this
Also Rogue-like and Procedural Generation, like Dwarf Fortress.
- $29.99 (Price checked Nov 9)
- Deck Verified
- 2024
Rank 04 
Oxygen Not Included
Why this: Also Colony Sim and Base-Building, like Dwarf Fortress.
Rank 05 
Banished
Why this: Also Colony Sim and City Builder, like Dwarf Fortress.
Rank 06 
Rank 07 
Rank 08 
KeeperRL
Why this: Also Dwarf and Base-Building, like Dwarf Fortress.
The full ranked list: top 24 games like Dwarf Fortress
Best match first, as plain text. The same list for AI assistants:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- Released: 2022
- Developer: Bay 12 Games
- Price: $23.99−20%checked Nov 9
- Steam Deck: Deck Playable
- 95% of 23,734 reviews
- Genres: Strategy, Indie, Simulation
- Metacritic 93
- Platforms: Windows, Linux
Players highlight
- Deep simulation rewards patience
- Dwarves feel alive with personalities
- Endless emergent stories
- Atmospheric
- Challenging
- Immersive
More games like Dwarf Fortress, sliced differently
Reviewers mention these as similar to Dwarf Fortress
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
Songs of Syx
Why this: Also Colony Sim and Base-Building, like Dwarf Fortress.
Project Zomboid
Why this: Shares procedural generation with Dwarf Fortress.
Elin
Why this: Same immersive mood as Dwarf Fortress.
UnReal World
Why this: Also Rogue-like and Procedural Generation, like Dwarf Fortress.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Dwarf Fortress at current Steam store prices.
203 new reviews this week- Trending
Frostpunk
Why this: Also Colony Sim and Base-Building, like Dwarf Fortress.
Aven Colony
Why this: Shares procedural generation with Dwarf Fortress.
85 new reviews this week- Trending
Gnomes
Why this: Also Dwarf and Colony Sim, like Dwarf Fortress.
Deep Among the Swarm
Why this: Also Base-Building and Rogue-like, like Dwarf Fortress.
Free alternatives
Free games the recommender matches to Dwarf Fortress, limited to titles with at least 500 Steam reviews and 80% positive.
Kingdom: Classic
Why this: Same atmospheric mood as Dwarf Fortress.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Why this: Also Base-Building and City Builder, like Dwarf Fortress.
Outpost
Why this: Also Procedural Generation and Building, like Dwarf Fortress.
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
RimWorld
Why this: Shares procedural generation with Dwarf Fortress.
Caves of Qud
Why this: Also Rogue-like and Procedural Generation, like Dwarf Fortress.
Oxygen Not Included
Why this: Also Colony Sim and Base-Building, like Dwarf Fortress.
KeeperRL
Why this: Also Dwarf and Base-Building, like Dwarf Fortress.
About Dwarf Fortress
The closest matches to Dwarf Fortress: RimWorld, Kenshi, Caves of Qud, Oxygen Not Included, and Banished. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
If Dwarf Fortress is your kind of game, the closest matches are RimWorld, Kenshi and Caves of Qud — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers describe it as atmospheric, challenging and immersive, and single out its dwarf needs management and economy simulation. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Dwarf Fortress is a procedurally generated strategy and simulation game released in 2022 by Bay 12 Games where players manage dwarven colonies through systems encompassing economic management, fortress defense, military tactics, and individual dwarf needs in a detailed fantasy world. Players and reviewers describe the experience as atmospheric, immersive, challenging, and occasionally stressful, with dwarves developing distinct personalities that make their community feel alive. The simulation rewards patience, and players note that extensive modding support combined with an active community continues to extend the game's lifespan. The game holds a 95 percent positive rating from over 23,000 Steam reviews and is playable on Steam Deck, though it presents a substantial learning curve.
About Dwarf Fortress: Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world. Keep your dwarves happy, grow their community and beware of digging too deeply. The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created.
Is Dwarf Fortress worth buying?
Players recommend it
A summary of what players say, not a promise you'll like it. Every signal is listed below.
- 95% of 23,734 Steam reviews are positive.
- Last 30 days: 92% positive across 88 new reviews, in line with its all-time score.
- Price: $29.99 (checked Nov 8).
- People who recommend it had played a median of 62 h when they wrote their review.
- Critics had played a median of 20 h before their negative review.
- Steam Deck Playable: works, with some rough edges.
What fans praise · Themes mined from positive reviews
- Deep simulation rewards patience
- Dwarves feel alive with personalities
- Endless emergent stories
- Losing is fun
Top critical reviews
The most up-voted negative English reviews in our sample, quoted as written.
“I just cant seem to get into the game. Too much micromanage is not my idea of fun. thousands of messages to read and not very clear what is happening. So many menus and no explanation of what they do or items needed to build things. Just…”
“I know everyone loves this game, but my god the controls and UI are terrible. I just couldn't get into it.”
People who play it also play: RimWorld, Kenshi, Caves of Qud
Frequently asked about Dwarf Fortress
Can I run it?
Does Dwarf Fortress run on Steam Deck?
Dwarf Fortress is rated Playable on Steam Deck — it runs, but expect some manual adjustments (control remapping, text size, or graphics settings) for the best experience.
How much does Dwarf Fortress cost?
Dwarf Fortress is listed on Steam at 23.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
What games are most similar to Dwarf Fortress?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Dwarf Fortress are RimWorld, Kenshi, Caves of Qud.
Who developed Dwarf Fortress?
Dwarf Fortress was developed by Bay 12 Games and published by Kitfox Games.