Welcome back. In recent years, automation has become not only a key aspect of industry but also a new subgenre in the world of video games, offering players the opportunity to create and manage complex production and logistics systems. Despite their seemingly simple premise, these games often captivate users, consuming their free time as they spend hours designing efficient automated chains.

In this write-up, I will discuss some of the most fascinating automation games available today.

1. Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure

This game is a mix of automation and real-time strategy. Players explore a quirky fantasy world, uncover ancient mysteries, automate their workshops, and embark on adventures with amusing creatures. Instead of traditional conveyor belts, Sparks are managed to optimize movement and efficiency. The game features diverse biomes, procedurally generated worlds, and unique enemies, with both solo and co-op modes supporting up to four players.

2. Hydroneer

In Hydroneer, players reshape a vast landscape to create an extensive network of caves, quarries, and spoil heaps to accelerate production and material gathering. Construction is based on a modular system that provides great freedom and creativity, allowing players to design pipeline networks to manage water flow and power equipment. Resources gathered can be used to craft new materials, weapons, and upgrades.

3. Techtonica

A first-person factory-building simulator set beneath the surface of an alien planet. Players gather resources, mine minerals, and build industrial systems to optimize production chains. The game supports online multiplayer, allowing for cooperative exploration and construction.

4. Captain of Industry

A colony and factory simulator where players start with a small team of survivors on an abandoned island. The goal is to rebuild the settlement, ensure its survival, and transform the island into a leading industrial hub. The game features fully modifiable terrain, detailed production processes, and complex logistics systems involving conveyors and pipes.

5. Factory Town

In this open-world game, players automate and optimize factory operations. Starting from a small cabin in a forest, they develop an automated factory comprising mines, sawmills, furnaces, carts, and conveyor belts. An extensive technology tree enables the unlocking of new buildings and mechanisms without the worry of enemy invasions or resource shortages.

6. Timberborn

A city-building simulator featuring intelligent beavers who have taken over after humanity’s extinction. The objective is to stockpile food and water while advancing technology. Players progress from basic survival to developing complex machinery and turning resources into power stations and industrial equipment.

7. InfraSpace

A sci-fi factory-building simulator focusing on creating a utopia outside the solar system. Players start from scratch, developing their colony by establishing resource extraction and production processes. Logistics routes must be built to ensure efficient transportation of goods, resembling conveyor belts that evolve into a network of complex intersections.

8. Infinifactory

A puzzle-based factory-building game where players design and assemble products that meet alien supervisors’ quality standards. The game features a story campaign with over 50 puzzles, a sandbox mode, and Steam Workshop support for creating and sharing custom levels.

9. Railgrade

A railway network management simulator set on an extraterrestrial colony. Players act as administrators tasked with restoring infrastructure, laying out complex multi-level tracks, and optimizing train routes for efficient resource delivery and city development. The game includes a ranking system that encourages replayability.

10. Mindustry

A unique combination of resource management and tower defense. Players build industrial complexes using conveyor belts to transport ammunition and resources while strategically placing turrets to fend off invaders. The game also features a powerful map creation tool for customized gameplay.

11. Astroneer

A space exploration game that takes players to vibrant alien worlds. The gameplay revolves around crafting research bases, power stations, and oxygen pipelines while terraforming the landscape. Gathered resources are used to expand bases and build ground and space vehicles.

12. Dyson Sphere Program

An economic simulator of interplanetary construction. Players act as space engineers tasked with building massive orbital structures that absorb solar energy and convert it into an infinite power source. The game emphasizes automation, interstellar transport, and logistics.

13. Factorio

One of the most renowned automation games, Factorio challenges players to transform an uninhabited alien planet into an industrial empire. Starting with manual labor, they gradually automate production processes, unlocking new technologies on a planetary scale. Factorio has set a high standard, inspiring many subsequent automation games.

14. Satisfactory

A visually impressive open-world game focused on exploration and industrial automation. Players gather resources, build, and optimize production chains using conveyor belts, pipelines, trains, and drones. The game offers both single-player and cooperative multiplayer modes. I consider this the best automation game to date due to its diverse gameplay experience.

Conclusion

Automation games provide an engaging and immersive experience, allowing players to create intricate industrial systems while solving logistical challenges. With a variety of titles offering different gameplay mechanics and themes, the genre continues to evolve, capturing the interest of gamers worldwide.