Games like Academia : School Simulator

School management sim where you lay out classrooms, labs and toilets, hire teachers by subject and degree, and keep students fed, clean and disciplined without blowing the budget.

86% positive from 3,037 · 2021 · 15% finish it · Steam Deck Playable · Lowest ever $4.99 (2026-06-01)

ManagementCity Builder Colony Sim Base-BuildingSimulationBuilding

Six games like Academia : School Simulator

Kingdoms Reborn

91% positive from 9,646 reviews20201% finish itDeck Playable

City builder with simulated citizens and procedural generation. Players research technologies and draw cards to expand their kingdom through different eras and biomes.

What players likedPlayers praise its blend of city-building and resource management, feeling like a mix of Cities Skylines and Civilization, offering a satisfying rags-to-riches progression.

The catchEarly access development has crawled for years with rare updates that add little.

Both are tagged Colony Sim, City Builder and Base-Building.

Games like Kingdoms Reborn →

Reus 2

95% positive from 1,477 reviews202429% finish itDeck Verified

Reus 2 is a god game where you shape worlds with elemental giants to foster human civilizations. Its core loop involves creating ecosystems and managing human development through strategic choices and emergent relationships.

What players likedReus 2 is a highly replayable God Game, improving on its predecessor with more freedom, less time pressure, and varied gameplay.

The catchIt is a shallow tile placement puzzle that shows everything it has within a few hours.

Both are tagged Colony Sim, City Builder and Base-Building.

Games like Reus 2 →

Flotsam

81% positive from 4,450 reviews20258% finish itDeck Verified

A survival city-builder where you recycle ocean trash into a thriving floating town. Explore, rescue survivors, and research tech to create a sustainable, feel-good apocalypse.

What players likedFlotsam is a charming and relaxing city builder with unique ocean-based survival, exploration, and resource management.

The catchVillagers get stuck doing nothing, forcing constant saves and reloads to unstick them.

Both are tagged Colony Sim, City Builder and Base-Building.

Games like Flotsam →

Founders' Fortune

80% positive from 2,184 reviews20203% finish itDeck Verified

A settlement simulation game where players design custom buildings, manage villager needs and emotions, and raise families. The core loop involves resource gathering, construction, and ensuring villager survival and happiness.

What players likedPlayers praise its building, farming, and research, comparing it to The Sims for its village expansion and micromanagement.

The catchColonists ignore assigned jobs, wandering far off or starving next to food.

Both are tagged Colony Sim, City Builder and Base-Building.

Games like Founders' Fortune →

Sapiens

83% positive from 2,137 reviews2022Deck Unsupported

A civilization-building simulation game where players manage individual sapiens to research, gather, and build. It features cooperative multiplayer and procedural generation for a sandbox experience.

What players likedPlayers praise its unique, relaxing, and playable nature, offering plenty to do and advance, similar to other survival/crafting games.

The catchDevelopment has stalled and the dev moved on, leaving it unfinished in early access.

Both are tagged Colony Sim, City Builder and Base-Building.

Games like Sapiens →

Clanfolk

92% positive from 3,917 reviews2022Deck Playable

Clanfolk is a multi-generational settlement simulation game focused on survival and legacy building. Players manage a family's daily life, resource gathering, and crafting to endure harsh winters and grow their homestead.

What players likedClanfolk is a cozy, combat-free colony sim like RimWorld, praised for its deep survival, family management, and active developer.

The catchThe pace is a crawl, with long stretches of gathering before anything gets built.

Both are tagged Colony Sim, City Builder and Base-Building.

Games like Clanfolk →

More like this: Colony Sim City Builder Base-Building Building

More about Academia : School Simulator

The catch

Depth runs out fast; once the school is built there is little left to manage.

Reviews: 86% positive from 3,037
Released: 2021
Finish it: 15% of players
Steam Deck: Steam Deck Playable
Price: Lowest ever $4.99 (2026-06-01)
Play: Single-player

It is here because it sits in the band this site looks at: well reviewed at 86% positive, but with 3,037 reviews, far fewer than the household names carry.

View Academia : School Simulator on Steam

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