Navigating a place you’ve created from scratch is the most satisfying part, although by far the best part is collecting resources and discovering new ways to use them.
Scroll down to find out about the best video games where strategy and resource management skills are essential.
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lobotomy Corporation Monster Management Simulation | 2016-12-16 | Indie | Project Moon |
 | Rimworld | 2016-07-15 | Indie | Ludeon Studios |
 | Dyson Sphere Program | 2021-01-21 | Strategy | Youthcat Studio |
 | Frostpunk 2 | 2024-09-20 | Strategy | 11 bit studios |
 | Frostpunk | 2018-04-24 | Simulation | 11 bit studios |
 | Tropico 4 | 2011-09-01 | Simulation | Haemimont Games |
 | Planet Coaster | 2016-11-17 | Strategy | Frontier Developments |
 | Planet Coaster 2 | 2024-11-06 | Simulation | Frontier Developments |
 | Factorio | 2016-02-25 | Indie | Wube Software LTD. |
 | Farming Simulator 25 | 2024-11-12 | Simulation | Giants Software |
 | Oxygen Not Included | 2017-05-18 | Action & Shooter | Klei Entertainment |
 | Spiritfarer Farewell Edition | 2020-08-18 | Indie | Thunder Lotus Games |
 | News Tower | 2024-02-13 | Simulation | Studio Nul Games |
 | Ale Tale Tavern | 2024-09-05 | Base Building | Scienart Media |
 | Infection Free Zone | 2024-04-11 | Base Building | Jutsu Games |
Infection Free Zone
| Release date: | 2024-04-11 |
| Genre: | Base Building |
| Developer: | Jutsu Games |
Perhaps a common story in which a highly contagious virus has spread across the world; there is no water or electricity, and you can count the survivors on your fingers, but there is something unusual that will astonish you.
What if I told you that the game map incorporates 3D modifications of real-world map data, and you can choose any location to play? Strategic is key, find the best place to defend and build a base.
You can adapt abandoned structures, but be careful, the infected could have hidden there. Supplies are scavenged and there are other survivors, not always amicable, so mind your business or try to cooperate.
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Ale & Tale Tavern
| Release date: | 2024-09-05 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Scienart Media |
The tavern is your anchor, but the world is free to explore.
The game combines different genres, from a cooperative first-person to exploration and cooking.
Your place must be restored to its former glory, you can do it on your own or collect resources with the help of three extra pairs of hands in multiplayer mode.
Alongside cooking and serving meals to customers, you’ll also handle related tasks such as breeding animals, hunting, fishing, and growing plants. Stunning graphics will immerse you in a fantasy world that feels like it’s straight out of a fairy tale—though beware, monsters lurk there too, and weapons will prove essential.
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News Tower
| Release date: | 2024-02-13 |
| Genre: | Simulator |
| Developer: | Studio Nul Games |
Speaking of businesses, in News Tower, you can have your own printing house set in the 1930s.
What is strategic about it? Well, your readers need to enjoy your writing and if you step on a mafia’s foot, it will lead to the irrecusable offers (or impossible to refuse), so make your decisions deliberately.
Send your journalists to find more information about a particular topic and decide what to publish, whether it’s a sensation or just gossip.
In addition to assigning tasks to employees, you must meet their expectations, even a junior worker wouldn’t like to have his workstation near a stinky toilet.
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Spiritfarer Farewell Edition
| Release date: | 2020-08-18 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Thunder Lotus Games |
In this fairytale game with talking animals, the primary theme is death and you will guide souls aboard a ship on their final voyage.
Building resource management involves expanding your ship, you’ll collect the essential materials on islands full of colourful characters and lost souls.
As a ferrymaster, Stella, you’ll make friends, relive their touching stories and acquire food through farming, fishing or harvesting. The game takes approximately 30 hours to complete, and up to 50 if you want to experience everything.
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Oxygen Not Included
| Release date: | 2017-05-18 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Klei Entertainment |
The first thing you’ll have to think about is how to produce oxygen because on this planet there is none, but luckily, there are various resources to use.
The more you create, the more complex your base will be. You start building a safe space with three people. Later on, your community will expand, but their needs also must be met: leisure activities, accommodations and food are essential because each duplicant reacts differently to stress and nuisance.
Develop new technologies, monitor air and temperature levels, take care of your team, and gather resources to expand your community and overcome the hostile environment.
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Conclusion
Pick a game and test your planning and management skills, but most importantly, have fun!