Similar games

Games like Thrive

2010PC, Steam Deck playable92 % positive3.99 €

Thrive is a free, open-source game about the evolution of life, taking a species from a single cell up to a cosmic civilization. It focuses on simulation and creation tools, and is still a work in progress.

Sandbox with your own goals
Deep systems to master
Strong character progression
Sci-fi setting

＋ Combine with my games

Where to buy

Steam PC 3.99 € Go to shop
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In short: Games like Thrive

Each of these 10 games shares something of what makes Thrive special. The reasons are listed right on each game.

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Not for me Exclude horror, turn-based combat, pixel art …

Games where this is clearly part of it are left out, no matter how well the rest fits.

Horror Turn-based combat High difficulty Roguelike runs Shooter Pixel art Grind Survival PvP Open world Card game

Best match

The Universim

89 %Match

2024PC, Steam Deck playable79 % positive−50 % ~~27.99 €~~ 13.99 €

A god-game city builder where you guide a small civilization from the stone age to space travel while managing a living, ever-changing planet.

Where to buy

Steam PC · 12 days left 13.99 € ~~27.99 €~~ −50 % Go to shop
Instant Gaming* PC Price in shop Go to shop

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Similar games →

X3: Reunion

Systems like Thrive

A vast space sandbox where you fly ships, trade, build factories and stations, and carve your own path within a living simulated economy.

Perpetuum

Systems like Thrive

A single-server sandbox MMORPG where you pilot mechs, harvest an alien planet's resources and build power through trade, terraforming and infrastructure. The player-driven economy and fights over territory are at the core.

X3: Terran Conflict

Systems like Thrive

A vast space sandbox where you fly ships, build trading empires and factory complexes, and get drawn into conflicts between rival races. Freedom is huge, but the learning curve is steep.

Factorio

Sandbox with your own goals

Stranded on an alien world, you grow a crude mining operation into a sprawling automated factory, endlessly optimizing belts, production chains and logistics. All the while you must defend it from native creatures angered by your spreading pollution.

Eve Online

Sandbox with your own goals

A vast, persistent space sandbox MMO where players shape trade, mining, warfare and politics in a fully player-driven economy. The steep learning curve and costly losses give every decision weight.

Oxygen Not Included

Sci-fi setting

A deep colony sim inside an asteroid where you keep your Duplicants alive by managing oxygen, heat, food and waste through interlocking physics-like systems. Spectacular failures are part of the fun, often with dark humor.

Plague Inc: Evolved

Systems like Thrive

You evolve a pathogen with the goal of wiping out humanity while governments worldwide scramble to respond. A clever strategy simulation where every mutation and spread decision determines whether you win or fail.

X: Beyond the Frontier

Systems like Thrive

A classic space sandbox where you play a stranded pilot who trades, fights and grows a personal empire of ships and stations. Freedom and a living economy matter far more than the story.

Dune: Spice Wars

Systems like Thrive

A real-time strategy game with 4X elements on the desert planet Arrakis, where you lead a Dune faction, harvest spice, survive sandworms and storms, and fight for dominance through politics, espionage and war.