Choose Dwarf Fortress
Choose Dwarf Fortress if you want a Strategy experience. 23,734 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dwarf Fortress vs Mason: Building Bricks
Dwarf Fortress and Mason: Building Bricks both land in 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 Indie, Simulation on Steam. Mason: Building Bricks (2020) is 2 years older than Dwarf Fortress (2022). Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Dwarf Fortress: 23,734 reviews, Mason: Building Bricks: 20). 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 Mason: Building Bricks
Choose Mason: Building Bricks if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Mason: Building Bricks launched in 2020.
Both Dwarf Fortress and Mason: Building Bricks sit in Indie and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95% vs 95% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Dwarf Fortress |  Mason: Building Bricks | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 23.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95% positive (23,734 reviews) | 95% positive (20 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Bay 12 Games | Telegmatic |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Mason: Building Bricks (2020) is 2 years older than Dwarf Fortress (2022).
- Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Dwarf Fortress: 23,734 reviews, Mason: Building Bricks: 20).
- Mason: Building Bricks is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Dwarf Fortress (19.99 USD vs. 23.99 USD).
- Dwarf Fortress is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Mason: Building Bricks has no Deck rating yet.
Dwarf Fortress vs Mason: Building Bricks — FAQ
- Should I play Dwarf Fortress or Mason: Building Bricks first?
- If you want chronology, Mason: Building Bricks (2020) came out before Dwarf Fortress (2022). 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 Dwarf Fortress and Mason: Building Bricks similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Does Dwarf Fortress run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Dwarf Fortress is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Mason: Building Bricks doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.