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Automation hidden gems on Steam
Every game here is tagged Automation on Steam, sits between 1,000 and 5,000 reviews, is rated at least 80% positive, and carries a catch drawn from its own negative reviews. All 22 of them. How these pages are made.
Autonauts90% positive from 4,940 reviews20192% finish itDeck Playable
Autonauts is a colony simulation game where players program workerbots using a visual language to automate tasks and build settlements. It offers a sandbox experience focused on creative problem-solving and resource management.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique, chill automation programming, comparing it to a simpler, cuter Factorio for basic programmers.
The catchYou must act out every bot instruction by hand, making repeat programming tedious.
Games like Autonauts →
Factory Town91% positive from 4,451 reviews20212% finish itDeck Verified
Factory Town is a peaceful city-builder focused on automating complex production chains with mechanical transport. Players build and optimize logistics systems to supply their growing civilization.
What players likedPlayers praise its relaxing, simple, and cute factory-building gameplay, with a unique mix of belts and NPCs, making it a peak in its genre.
The catchThe UI is clunky and poorly explained, which makes building feel like a chore.
Games like Factory Town →
This is an incremental tower defense game with idle elements. Players build a town, explore regions, and automate gameplay to construct a perfect tower.
What players likedPlayers praise its surprising depth and complex factory-building mechanics, offering an engaging idle experience with diverse mini-games.
The catchMechanics are opaque and barely explained in-game
Games like The Perfect Tower II →
A programming simulation game where you automate farming with Python-like code. The core loop involves writing scripts to manage resources and unlock technology.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a fun, satisfying, and addictive programming puzzle game, akin to learning Python fundamentals with visual feedback.
The catchquickly turns into an idle waiting game
Games like The Farmer Was Replaced →
FOUNDRY81% positive from 3,850 reviews20244% finish itDeck Playable
First-person voxel factory builder with creative freedom. Automate production, trade goods, and achieve galactic domination.
What players likedPlayers describe FOUNDRY as a 3D Factorio or Satisfactory with unique space station management and engaging optimization.
The catchControls and the belt system feel clunky and unintuitive
Games like FOUNDRY →
Opus Magnum97% positive from 3,557 reviews201714% finish itDeck Playable
Opus Magnum is an open-ended puzzle game where players design alchemical machines. It features a core loop of programming arms and tracks to transmute elements, offering a challenging and creative experience.
What players likedPlayers praise this Zachtronics game as a programming-like puzzle experience with endless optimization and high replayability.
The catchThe editor lacks copy-paste and step-by-step rewind, making solutions tedious to debug.
Games like Opus Magnum →
Sci-fi city builder simulation. Terraform a planet, manage resources, and build cities.
What players likedPlayers praise its satisfying terraforming and environmental engineering, offering a simpler, less polished logistics experience than Factorio.
The catchClumsy transport tools force constant rebuilding of supply chains as the map changes.
Games like Plan B: Terraform →
This is a car factory management simulation game. Players design and optimize production lines to build cars efficiently and profitably.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a fun and cool car manufacturing simulation game.
The catchA clunky UI with no scaling option remains unfixed on a long abandoned game.
Games like Production Line : Car factory simulation →
Nova Lands89% positive from 3,452 reviews202328% finish itDeck Verified
2D open-world automation game with exploration and base building. Automate production with helper bots to explore islands and encounter creatures.
What players likedPlayers say it's like Forager or a streamlined Factorio, praising its satisfying progression and simple, effective automation.
The catchLate game turns into waiting on glacial timers while bots trickle out resources.
Games like Nova Lands →
This is a business simulation game where players manage a recycling center. The core loop involves acquiring waste, sorting it, and processing it into new products to expand the business.
What players likedPlayers praise this addictive, chill simulator for its satisfying progression, automation, and engaging mini-games.
The catchManual repetitive sorting, not the automation game expected
Games like Recycling Center Simulator →
Astro Colony81% positive from 2,641 reviews20262% finish itDeck Playable
Automation and exploration game with destructible voxel planets and galaxy network building. Features base construction, resource management, and co-op multiplayer.
What players likedPlayers praise Astro Colony as a unique automation game, like Factorio or Satisfactory, for its freedom, depth, and dedicated solo developer.
The catchSingle player is fine but co-op is riddled with desync, crashes and missing objects.
Games like Astro Colony →
Eden Crafters86% positive from 2,512 reviews20262% finish itDeck Unsupported
A singleplayer/co-op open-world survival crafting game focused on terraforming and automating planets. Players build factories to transform hostile environments into habitable worlds.
What players likedPlayers praise Eden Crafters as a simpler blend of Satisfactory and Planet Crafter, offering diverse planets and enjoyable automation.
The catchJank and missing polish make it feel like it never left early access.
Games like Eden Crafters →
Automation and RTS game where you manage Spark traffic to build workshops and explore worlds. It features cooperative play and a cozy village growth element.
What players likedPlayers praise this charming automation game as a cute, engaging factory builder with rewarding logistics, similar to Factorio.
The catchFetch quests and constant back-and-forth running
Games like Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure →
SHENZHEN I/O95% positive from 2,229 reviews20162% finish itDeck Playable
A circuit design and assembly programming puzzle game. Players build and code devices with a challenging, technical feel.
What players likedPlayers praise the challenging, satisfying puzzles and the engaging solitaire minigame, reminiscent of real-world engineering.
The catchThere is no in-game tutorial, just a 47 page PDF manual you must read first.
Games like SHENZHEN I/O →
Beltmatic94% positive from 2,137 reviews20248% finish itDeck Playable
Beltmatic is a factory-building puzzle game where players extract numbers, perform operations with buildings, and deliver them via belts to progress. It features a strategic feel of optimizing complex production lines.
What players likedPlayers say it's like "Builderment" and "Shapez," praised for its fun factory gameplay and crafting objectives.
The catchDepth runs out fast and it becomes copy pasting the same setups for bigger numbers.
Games like Beltmatic →
Desynced80% positive from 1,989 reviews20260% finish itDeck Playable
Desynced is an automation strategy game where you build and manage drone logistics to survive on an alien planet. It features deep customization and scripting for a unique automation experience.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique automation programming and puzzle-solving, comparing it to RTS games and dynamic puzzle scripts.
The catchThe tutorial and documentation explain almost nothing about the core scripting systems.
Games like Desynced →
InfraSpace80% positive from 1,925 reviews20231% finish itDeck Playable
City-builder with complex production chains and traffic management. Players build infrastructure to support growing populations and resource transport.
What players likedPlayers praise InfraSpace as an addicting city-builder like Factorio or City Skylines, where managing traffic and supply chains is key.
The catchThe delivery AI sends trucks across the map past nearby depots, ruining any planning.
Games like InfraSpace →
Infinifactory95% positive from 1,789 reviews20152% finish itDeck Playable
A 3D first-person factory building sandbox puzzle game. Players design and optimize assembly lines for alien overlords.
The catchLater puzzles grow long and tedious rather than cleverer
Games like Infinifactory →
Last Call BBS92% positive from 1,574 reviews20228% finish itDeck Playable
This is a collection of retro-style puzzle games featuring logic, simulation, and card mechanics, offering a nostalgic and challenging experience.
What players likedPlayers praise this Zachtronics collection for its top-tier logical puzzle games, often compared to their other works, and its retro aesthetic.
The catchMinigames arrive with barely any instructions, and fake download timers make you wait.
Games like Last Call BBS →
EXAPUNKS96% positive from 1,368 reviews2018Deck Playable
Open-ended programming puzzle game where you write viruses to hack systems. Features competitive hacking and user-created puzzles.
What players likedPlayers praise EXAPUNKS as a challenging yet accessible puzzle game, comparable to Opus Magnum, that teaches programming and problem-solving.
The catchRules sit in an external manual you must alt tab to read, and tutorials barely teach.
Games like EXAPUNKS →
This is a factory simulation and life sim game where players build complex production lines and manage relationships with historical figures. It features automation, resource management, and social interaction in an ancient setting.
What players likedIt's a Stardew Valley-like automation factory builder with town relationships and combat, praised for its surprising depth.
The catchFactory building is clunky and shallow next to established automation games.
Games like River Town Factory →
A relaxing idle gardening simulation where players cultivate a magical oak tree and attract helper creatures. The core loop involves planting, harvesting, and expanding the garden to unlock new flora and fauna.
What players likedPlayers praise it as an improved, simple, cute, and smooth idle/clicker game with more content and upgrades than its predecessor.
The catchThere is little depth and everything is unlocked within a few hours.
Games like Plantera 2: Golden Acorn →
