The Automation Zone

Games about building systems that gather, craft, route, and optimize themselves.

Latest Standouts

Recent releases that landed well, newest first, filtered to games with enough reviews to trust the score.

Crack the Pack - Open booster packs, buy upgrades, and collect over 1001 cards and their variants. Build a true automated booster factory by endlessly multiplying production until you unlock cloning and nuclear fusion !
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Oct 2, 2026
97% 👍
of 160
IGTAP: an Incremental Game That's Also a Platformer - Players say: Run precision-platforming courses to earn power, improve your times, and send clones repeating your best routes for income. Players like: Responsive Platforming · Clever Genre Blend · Course Time Optimization ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Amass an army of clones to follow your tightly-optimised path. Generate massive amounts of power to upgrade your production and movement abilities.

Police Chief Simulator - Players say: Build a county police station, process cases, patrol Winston Springs, arrest suspects, and dispatch officers as you expand. Players like: Build Up The Station · Manage Police Staff · Relaxed Game Pace ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Welcome to Winston Springs, Officer! The local police station is in urgent need of a Chief of Police, and you’ve been chosen for the job! Handle incoming reports, renovate and expand the station, solve cases, and fight crime!

The Crust - Players say: Build a lunar colony by mining resources, automating factories, managing settlers, and trading with Earth in a story-driven sim. Players like: Lunar Atmosphere · Factory Planning · Earth-Market Contracts ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Build and automate a lunar colony that Earth depends on. Mine regolith, run conveyor-and-drone factories above and below the surface, manage colonists, trade with rival Earth factions — and play a story campaign with multiple endings.

Artillery Miner - An incremental mining game, where you mine through massive blocks using guns, fire, lasers and nuclear missiles. Discover new ores, unlock new worlds and weapons as you progress through the upgrades tree and become the ultimate Artillery Miner!
Code: Terraform - A deep automation and programming game on a frozen alien planet. Write real code to drive rovers, run power grids, fabricate parts, and fly drone fleets across the world. Your scripts run while you plan your next move. The more you terraform, the more the planet responds.
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Sep 9, 2026
85% 👍
of 296
Orc Incremental - Players say: Lead an orc warband through auto-fought waves, drafting units, setting formations, casting spells, and rebirthing for lasting upgrades. Players like: Satisfying Army Building · Distinctive Pixel Art · Rewarding Rebirth Loop ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Start with a single orc and build an unstoppable dark army to conquer the realms in this incremental auto battler. Perfect your formation, summon mighty beasts, unlock powerful upgrades, and grow stronger with each rebirth.

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Sep 8, 2026
83% 👍
of 266
Spellbound & Shelved - A wizard-academy library has vanished under its own books. Hire gnomes, unlock shelves, and let the tidying run itself — a cozy idle game about turning magical chaos into calm, one neatly filed spellbook at a time.
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Sep 7, 2026
88% 👍
of 385

On Sale Now

Discounted 25% or more right now, limited to well-reviewed games, steepest cuts first.

Production Line : Car factory simulation - Players say: Design a car factory, split assembly into specialized stations, and balance research, production costs, and sales to stay profitable. Players like: Factory Optimization · Visible Car Production · Research Progression ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Production line is the new car factory management/simulation/tycoon game that pushes your organisational and entrepreneurship skills to the limit. Can you build the ultimate optimised, free-flowing car production line whilst beating the competition and still turn a profit?

ASTRONEER - Players say: As a space explorer, reshape alien terrain, gather resources, build automated bases, and travel between planets alone or in co-op. Players like: Relaxed Planetary Exploration · Satisfying Terrain Shaping · Modular Base Building ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Interact with strange new worlds in a unique and tactile way, molding the environment itself as if it were clay in your hands. Build your base, master resource management, automate your production lines, and more as you unravel the mysteries of the universe, alone or with friends.

Big Pharma - Players say: Run a drug company by researching ingredients, tuning medicines, fitting production lines, and competing in a shifting market. Players like: Factory Layout Puzzles · Production Optimization · Business Strategy Mix ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

What if you had it in your power to rid the world of disease, to improve the lives of millions, to ease suffering and cure the sick… and earn a tidy profit? As the head of your own Pharmaceutical Conglomerate you have this power resting in your hands. Will you use it for good?

Havendock - Players say: Build an ocean settlement from floating debris, care for castaways, automate production, and explore islands and underwater sites. Players like: Engaging Early Loop · Cozy Atmosphere · Steady Unlocks ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Breathe easy and thrive in this cozy colony sim. Build a haven for castaways, manage resources, live your best life on the ocean. Lead your humble settlement into a high-tech society.

Dream Engines: Nomad Cities - Players say: Build an automated flying city, defend it from escalating Dream Plagues, and relocate across generated biomes to find resources. Players like: The mobile-city concept and mix of city building, automation, survival, and defense feel distinctive. · Managing resources, planning production, and adapting the city to new locations appeals to players who enjoy factory and base-building systems. · Some players enjoy the setting, art style, atmosphere, or story. ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

A survival city-building game with flying cities. Build, automate, and defend a flying city that travels between procedurally generated maps to survive in a wacky, nightmare-infested, post-apocalyptic world full of strange science and dreams.

Sixty Four - Players say: Break generated cubes, turn their resources into machines, and build a growing factory while uncovering messages in an abstract world. Players like: Distinctive Visual Style · Factory Layout Puzzles · Mysterious Story ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Dive into the world of Sixty Four, where you transform simple machines into a thriving factory.

Regular Human Workshop - Players say: Experiment in a 2D physics sandbox: manipulate human ragdolls, wire devices into machines, and test creations without set goals. Players like: Ragdoll Physics · Open-Ended Experiments · Easy Device Wiring ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Regular Human Workshop is a 2D physics simulation sandbox. There are no predefined goals or objectives. Simply throw objects into the world and interact with them in various ways.

The Wandering Village - Players say: Lead survivors building a village on a wandering giant, adapting its production and care to shifting biomes and toxic hazards. Players like: Unique Onbu Setting · Charming Art and Music · Relaxed, Accessible Management ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

The Wandering Village is a city-building simulation game on the back of a giant, wandering creature. Build your settlement and form a symbiotic relationship with the colossus. Will you survive together in this hostile, yet beautiful post-apocalyptic world, contaminated by poisonous plants?

Flotsam - Players say: Build a town on a drifting boat, salvage the flooded world, rescue survivors, and manage resources as you seek a way forward. Players like: Colorful Art Style · Cozy Building · Floating City Design ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Sail, scavenge, and rescue survivors in a vibrant floating city-builder. Captain your drifters across the endless garbage sea to uncover soaked ruins, rusting factories, and stories from the old world.

Slots & Diapers - Players say: Build an absurd casino by spinning slots, collecting payouts, hiring gamblers to automate machines, and rebooting for permanent upgrades. Players like: Addictive Slot Loop · Absurd Casino Humor · Rewarding Reboots ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Absurd incremental game where you turn even liquid assets into financial glory! Spin for jackpots and hire veteran gamblers to automate the madness. Use permanent upgrades and 'mishaps' to accelerate your progress! Simple. Messy. Addictive.

Farm to Table - Players say: Build an island restaurant from scratch, grow and gather its ingredients, then cook, serve customers, and manage staff. Players like: Satisfying Farm-to-Plate Loop · Cute Customers and Animals · Restaurant Customization ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

A farming & restaurant management sim with base building elements. Grow in backyard to cook & serve! Discover new recipes by exploring ingredients on the island; gather, fish, raise animals & produce with machines. Manage resources, hire staff & grow your organic business into a 5-star restaurant!

Idle Colony - Players say: Grow a fruit-producing colony, merge matching harvests into higher tiers for cash, and unlock upgrades that automate each run. Players like: Cute Colony · Relaxed Idle Play · Satisfying Fruit Merges ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

A condensed incremental experience, where you build a colony to collect and merge bigger and bigger fruits. Combine game-changing technologies and special upgrades to find the best synergies and take your cash flow to another dimension.

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Dec 16, 2024
82% 👍
of 576

Hidden Gems

Well-liked but under-played: strong scores, small review counts.

PRODUCER 2021 - a ~2 hour long graphic adventure novella. Tasked with disrupting the end of the world, you explore, investigate and produce your way through a strangely familiar world.
Freshly Frosted - Place conveyor belts to solve puzzles in the world's most adorable donut factory!                                       🏆 The 3rd-highest rated game of 2022 on OpenCritic.
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Jun 10, 2022
99% 👍
of 294
Star Stuff - Star Stuff is a deceptively cute programming puzzle game. Program and work alongside bots to tackle the most important (and undoubtedly safest) task in the galaxy: fixing a star factory. Ready for your first day on the job?
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Jun 7, 2024
99% 👍
of 189
Mashina - A little robot digs to repair her world. Dig, build, discover and mend in a chill, stop-motion world.
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Jul 31, 2025
98% 👍
of 201
Returns Outlet Simulator - Players say: Run a returns shop by unboxing mystery pallets, sorting and repairing goods, then stocking shelves and selling them for profit. Players like: Mystery Pallet Finds · Relaxed Shopkeeping · Repair And Salvage ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Returns Outlet Simulator is a relaxed first-person simulation where every aspect of operating your own shop springs to life.

The Last Clockwinder - Players say: In VR, record your movements as clockwork clones to solve production puzzles and restore a failing tree-bound clocktower. Players like: Clone Automation Puzzles · Physical VR Interaction · Satisfying Production Lines ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

A VR puzzle-automation game. Create intricate clockwork contraptions out of your own clones and restore life to an ancient tree using automation, a collection of rare plants from across the galaxy and a team of clockwork gardeners.

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Jun 2, 2022
96% 👍
of 801
GolfTopia - Players say: Design and manage a futuristic golf resort, balance golfers’ needs and finances, fight weeds, and play your own courses. Players like: Flexible Course Design · Terrain Sculpting Tools · Futuristic Golf Gadgets ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

DESIGN, BUILD and MANAGE your own futuristic golf course. Keep 200 persistent visitors fed, hydrated, and happy. Defend your creation from a growing infestation of weeds with robotic workers and defensive turrets. Evolve your course into a mega resort where nobody wants to go home, EVER!

Bombe - Minesweeper, but you only solve each situation once.
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Jun 4, 2023
96% 👍
of 385
Bone's Cafe - Bone's Cafe is a fast paced, 1-4 Players couch co-op, cooking game. Customize the layout of your kitchen to guarantee your success. Specialize your menu in ingredients and recipes to design your ultimate cafe. Put your necromancy skills to the test and raise your own undead kitchen staff.
The Neverland of the Mountain and Sea - Falling in love!! With a robot girl (fool)!!
Flippant - An abstract incremental game about flipping a coin and maybe some other things too
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
May 6, 2026
96% 👍
of 207

Top Rated

Defining examples of the genre, all rated 85%+ across 1,000+ reviews.

Schedule I - Players say: Start broke in Hyland Point, make and mix drugs, deliver orders, and grow a criminal operation with staff and automation. Players like: Growing Your Empire · Playing With Friends · Recipe Experimentation ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

From small-time dope pusher to kingpin - manufacture and distribute a range of drugs throughout the grungy city of Hyland Point. Expand your empire with properties, businesses, employees and more.

Factorio - Players say: Stranded on an alien world, mine resources, research technology, automate a sprawling factory, and defend it from hostile creatures. Players like: Factory Optimization · Satisfying Automation · Problem-Solving Depth ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Factorio is a game about building and creating automated factories to produce items of increasing complexity, within an infinite 2D world. Use your imagination to design your factory, combine simple elements into ingenious structures, and finally protect it from the creatures who don't really like you.

Satisfactory - Players say: As a FICSIT employee on an alien world, explore for resources and build first-person factories that automate production. Players like: Factory Optimization · Rebuilding Production Lines · Conveyor-Belt Networks ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Satisfactory is a first-person open-world factory building game with a dash of exploration and combat. Play alone or with friends, explore an alien planet, create multi-story factories, and enter conveyor belt heaven!

Dyson Sphere Program - Players say: As the mech Icarus, automate factories across planets and star systems, then harness a star by building a Dyson Sphere. Players like: Factory Optimization · Interstellar Expansion · Dyson Sphere Spectacle ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire.

shapez 2 - Factory - Players say: Build a multi-level space factory that cuts, paints, stacks, and routes geometric shapes to meet changing production orders. Players like: Relaxed, No-Pressure Play · Factory Optimization · Smooth Building Controls ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Dive into a factory-building game with the focus on just that – building huge space factories! Design sprawling multi-level factories and satisfying production lines without limits. Tackle progressively challenging automation goals at your own pace, without the threat of enemies.

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Apr 23, 2026
97% 👍
of 15k
Rusty's Retirement - Players say: Guide Rusty’s desktop farm by planting crops, making biofuel, and adding helper robots as the fields gradually automate. Players like: Relaxing Screen Companion · Cute Pixel Art · Satisfying Automation Progress ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

A relaxing idle-farming simulator that sits at the bottom of your screen while you do other things.

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Apr 26, 2024
97% 👍
of 14k
Opus Magnum - Players say: As an alchemist-engineer, program mechanical arms and tracks to turn reagents into products, then refine each machine for efficiency. Players like: Open-Ended Solutions · Satisfying Optimization · Mechanical Animations ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Opus Magnum is the latest open-ended puzzle game from Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem, Infinifactory, and SHENZHEN I/O. Design and build machines that assemble potions, poisons, and more using the alchemical engineer’s most advanced tool: the transmutation engine!

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Dec 7, 2017
97% 👍
of 7.3k
Outpath: First Journey - Players say: Gather and craft in a first-person island-building prologue, upgrading tools, automating production, and expanding across biomes. Players like: Relaxed, Low-Pressure Pace · Satisfying Progression · Charming Visual Style ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Outpath: First Journey is a prologue chapter of the main game, Outpath. An experimental clicker base building game. Craft, gather & manage resources, build your base and buy more islands to exploit and expand!

TIS-100 - Players say: Repair a fictional computer by programming its grid of tiny nodes to process data under tight instruction and timing limits. Players like: Constrained Code Puzzles · Solution Optimization · Satisfying Breakthroughs ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

TIS-100 is an open-ended programming game by Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem and Infinifactory, in which you rewrite corrupted code segments to repair the TIS-100 and unlock its secrets. It’s the assembly language programming game you never asked for!

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Jul 20, 2015
97% 👍
of 4.1k
Nova Lands: Emilia's Mission - Players say: After landing on Nova, Emilia gathers resources, builds and automates a base with helper bots, and explores connected islands. Players like: Relaxed, Simple Play · Building and Logistics · Technology Exploration ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

Nova Lands: Emilia's Mission is a prologue chapter of the main game, Nova Lands. Learn your way around the planet you've landed on, build your base, and automate it with your helpful bots!

The Planet Crafter - Players say: Stranded on a barren planet, gather resources, craft survival gear, and build machines that gradually create a living world. Players like: Visible Planet Transformation · Relaxed No-Combat Survival · Satisfying Progression ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

A space survival open world terraforming crafting game, designed for 1 to 10 players. Alter the ecosystem of an inhospitable planet to render it habitable for humanity. Survive, gather resources, and build your base. Then, generate oxygen, warmth, and pressure to create a brand new biosphere.

Mindustry - Players say: Mine resources, automate supply chains, and build defenses and armies to hold sectors or capture enemy bases across two campaigns. Players like: Factory Optimization · Automation-RTS Blend · Long Campaigns ·
Read More ▶Less ◀

An open-ended factory management game with RTS and tower defense elements.

Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
Sep 26, 2019
96% 👍
of 28k