"automation"

2020 · Simulation / Strategy · PC / Steam

Factorio is one of the most polished and addictive games ever made in any genre. The factory-building loop is so well-designed that hours disappear without warning, and the mod support ensures the game can be whatever you want it to be. Combat is an afterthought and the visuals won't turn any heads, but neither of those things matters when the core gameplay is this tightly constructed. Wube Software built something that respects your intelligence and your time in equal measure. The Space Age expansion only confirmed what players already knew: this is a developer that understands exactly what makes their game work.

2024 · Factory Building / Simulation · PC / Steam

Satisfactory is the factory-building genre at its most polished and inviting. Coffee Stain Studios spent five years in early access refining every system, and the 1.0 release reflects that patience. Building your first smelter array feels good. Building your hundredth feels better, because by then you understand just how much optimization is still possible. The fluid system will frustrate you, the late game demands serious commitment, and there will be moments where the scale of what you've built overwhelms you. That's part of the appeal. Few games reward long-term investment this generously.