What are the best management games on Steam?

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Apr 18, 2019

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Best management games on Steam	Price	Steam Rating	Platforms
92 Factorio	$20.00	Overwhelmingly Positive	Windows, Linux, Mac
91 Prison Architect	$29.99	Very Positive	Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox 360/One, Android
-- Cities: Skylines	$29.99	Very Positive	-
-- RimWorld	$30	-	-
-- Dwarf Fortress	-	-	-

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Prison Architect

Top Pro

Amazing depth

The game consists of a wide variety of overlapping systems that work together to create excellent depth. You have to figure out the layout of your prison, how to manage the needs of your inmates, how to earn enough money to expand and hire new staff, what to do in the case of a natural disaster, a riot or attempted escape and so on. Every decision you make will impact all other elements of the game. For example, instituting regular shakedowns will help prevent prisoners from carrying banned items like forks taken from cafeterias that can be used to dig tunnels, but will also make the inmates more angry and thus more likely to riot. You can decide to instead use tunnel-sniffing dogs set to patrol around the perimeter, but that will cost more money and if the inmates pick up on the patrolling patterns they will tunnel around them. Or you may decide to check each inmate individually to see who's tired from staying up late to dig while everyone else has been sleeping though that approach may not scale. See More

Top Con

Gameplay is poorly explained

The game does a poor job of explaining all the mechanics to the player when they begin the main game which leaves the player guessing as to what they need to do in order to be successful. See More

DelightfulAtabyrius's Experience

A really fun game, build, manage, and then, try t scape your own prison as one of the prisioners. Really fun. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

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Top Pro

Great freedom of playstyle

You can run the prison in the way that you see fit. You can put the wellbeing of prisoners at the top of the priority list by making sure their living spaces are comfortable, that they're well-fed, have the opportunity to educate themselves and often get to go outside in the yard to socialize and exercise or you can run the prison with an iron fist by instituting regular shakedowns, putting CCTVs, metal detectors, K-9 units and armed guards in every corner. Whichever play-style you choose, the game will offer challenges that will keep the game interesting. See More

Top Pro

You can check how the prison you built works from the other perspective

You can become a prisoner yourself in your self-made prison to see how it really is as a prisoner. See More

Top Pro

Relaxing to play

Building your prison is almost zen like. There are periods of stress when there are riots or things going wrong, but you can always pause to take your time and figure out a good solution. See More

Top Pro

Lots of mods available

A wide variety of user-created modifications to the game are available including mods that change the theme of the game, look of the game, add new objects, grants, programs, scenarios and new mechanics. They're listed in the game's wiki, here. See More

Top Pro

Developers are releasing free updates and additions to the game

Developers have been updating the game almost every month with new content, improvements and tweaks to the game. See More

Top Pro

Works great for both long and short play sessions

The gameplay lends itself well to both doing a couple of things around the prison every once in a while or setting up elaborate systems that can take hours upon hours of time. The game can be saved at any time so you don't have to make commitments in one way or another. See More

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12 Other Games Considered

RimWorld

Top Pro

Difficult in your hand

Game got few AI directors (some more are downloable as mods) which got few settings, but their description are easy to decode. See More

Top Pro

Mods

There are a lot of mods, some simple like new clothes or hairs, but there are more races, facilities, even features and helping addons like Moody. See More

Top Pro

Simple UI

For it's complex gameplay, the UI is quite simple. Yes, for beginners it could mean information meltdown, but after an hour or so you should know where to find everything you need. See More

Top Pro

Very complex and deep

If you like complicated games, this one is for you. As you get more people and more advanced research, you'll encounter more problems, with a lot of things to to learn from them. See More

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Dwarf Fortress

Top Pro

Sim-like "Fortress" and roguelike "Adventurer" modes

Dwarf Fortress offers two primary ways to play. In Fortress Mode, the player oversees a small group of dwarves who embark to build a new settlement. Individual dwarves cannot be controlled directly; instead, the player supplies objectives and constraints and the A.I. decides exactly what is done by whom. Adventurer Mode presents a more classic roguelike experience, wherein the player controls a single character and can explore the entire world (including previous player-made fortresses). Two secondary modes are also provided: Legends Mode, which allows you to browse through all of the notable people, places, objects and events in a particular world's history; and the Object Testing Arena, where AI combat scenarios can be played out with any arbitrary combination of creatures and weaponry. See More

Top Con

ASCII text-based display (alternatives available via mods)

Top Pro

"Starter Pack" offers a streamlined introduction

The DF Starter Pack, formerly Lazy Newb Pack, is a collection of community-created enhancements to the interface and visual presentation of Dwarf Fortress. Find it here. See More

Top Con

Controls are complex and often counterintuitive

New players are advised to read the Quickstart Guide. Dwarf Fortress takes a lot of patience to learn. Even something as basic and early as world creation might take a guide to understand the first time around. It doesn't really matter how experienced of a gamer you are; if you try to play this game without a guide, you're going to have a hard time. See More

Top Pro

Continuous active development is planned for decades to come

Dwarf Fortress was started in 2002 and first released in 2006. Tarn and Zach Adams, its creators, have estimated that version 1.0 will be done in "about twenty years" and development will continue beyond that point. See More

Top Con

No inherent goals or objectives

Simulation, and the resulting emergent stories, are (by design) all there is to the game. Adventurers can die and fortresses can fall, but there is no such thing as winning. See More

Top Pro

Base game is free (supported by donations)

From the Bay 12 Games donations page: Bay 12 is dedicated to providing original games free of charge, but that doesn't mean it is free for us to make them. We've been online since December 2000, and you can help Bay 12 Games continue to thrive. If you've enjoyed any of our games, and you are able to give, we accept financial support. See More

Top Pro

Renowned for depth of simulation and emergent gameplay

The ultimate goal of Dwarf Fortress is no less than a total fantasy world simulator. Its simulated systems include geology, metallurgy, fluid pressure, temperature, combustion and phase transitions (melting, evaporation, etc.), shear and tensile strength, ballistics and gravity, anatomy and tissue damage, growth and maturation of animals and plants, emotional states, life goals, and alcohol dependence. See More

Top Pro

Massive randomly-generated worlds persist across multiple games

Estimating one meter per tile, the smallest possible Dwarf Fortress world is roughly 13 kilometers on each side, and about 400 layers deep. The largest world is about 197 kilometers (123 miles) on each side. Each world has its own randomly-generated history with thousands of notable figures, warring factions, and numerous settlements of various races. Any number of fortresses and/or adventurers can be played in a particular world, though only one at a time. See More

Top Pro

Lots of ways to die, no ways to win

Starvation, riots, goblins raiders stealing your babies, goblin war parties stealing your lives, elephants, vampires, werewolves, werebears, werebadgers, carp, digging into an aquifer, digging into lava, digging into the nesting area of a Forgotten Beast, selling wood to hippies, insanity, drowning in knee-deep water, and being attacked by your own dismembered finger. There are a lot of ways for dwarves to die. Age really isn't one ever heard of. After playing this game long enough, you'll realize why dwarves don't like going outside. Everything from harpies to dangerous man-eating carp is everywhere. Some of them are humorous, but most are a lesson. The entire game acts as a massive learning experience. Don't tell your dwarves to fish; they don't know how to swim. Wall off your fortress or a necromancer will make your lunch attack you. Don't dig too far down, or something scary will follow you back up. There is no victory, only glorious deaths. What goals you set in the game are up to you. Make small, simple goals that you know you can complete. "Surviving for 100 years" is like "curing cancer". Not technically 'impossible', but it might just be easier to settle on building a bridge for now. See More

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Tropico 5

Top Pro

Allows for choice in play

There is a mission mode (which is great for those that want to learn the ins and outs of the game through progression) and a sandbox mode (which is more like a city builder where it is up to you how to create your civilization). This makes for a good choice of different play depending on what the user wants at the time. There is also a multiplayer mode that works through competition (who can export more cigars, build a bigger plantation, etc.) that can extend the endgame content when the player feels they have experienced all the single player has to offer. See More

Top Con

Poor representation of changing times

The art in the game does not represent different time periods very well. The game starts out in the early 20th century and eventually builds up to the modern era. It does not matter what time period the player is in, little in the design of the games is representative through graphics changes. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

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Punch Club

Top Pro

Satisfying management challenge

Each and every day in-game revolves around how well you are able to handle and manage your time and resources. Only by keeping a close eye on your health, happiness, hunger, and mood will you be able to progress your character and beat new opponents. A fine balance will have to be maintained through such things as working out, earning cash, completing quests, keeping your girlfriend happy, and making sure to stay well fed and rested. You most likely won't have time to do all of that in one day, so it's up to the player to determine which aspects are most important at any given time and act accordingly. If you put too much effort or time into one area, you'll lose out in others, resulting in a satisfying challenge that really boils down to how well you can multitask and manage the various aspects of gameplay. See More

Top Con

Fights aren't interactive enough

The fights themselves are computer controlled, with the player only choosing the moves they want to use on a round by round basis. The player is then forced to sit and watch the computer control the entirety of the fight, resulting in a boring fight experience. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

Top Pro

Draws heavily on pop culture

Much of the game's story and characters are steeped in pop culture relating to video games, movies, and martial arts, and make references to such things as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bruce Lee, Fight Club, Street Fighter, and more. The game's major characters are based on people such as Tyler Durden from Fight Club, Rocky's trainer from the Rocky films, and various action movie characters played by actors such as Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van-Damme. Some of the environments are based on other fighting games, with one of the fights taking place over a backdrop that draws heavy inspiration from Mortal Kombat. See More

Top Con

All punch and kick animations are the same

All the punches and kicks look exactly the same, even when using special moves, which is a huge let down after grinding out a new skill and expecting some fancy animations. See More

Top Pro

Branching storyline adds more depth to the simulation aspect

Punch Club follows our hero as he attempts to solve his father's murder. This may not sound too interesting on the surface. However, the story is far more than just superficial - it goes deep by featuring multiple branching paths which are heavily reliant on the player's choices and actions. This is a great addition in a game that is otherwise simulation-based. The choices you make, such as which fighting leagues you decide to participate in, will lead to interactions with different characters. All of these characters have their own view on the mystery surrounding your father's death, which sends you down a variety of different story arcs. These different stories will result in various dialogues, quests, and side plots, giving the game a nice degree of replayability just through its story alone. See More

Top Con

Not a great gaming experience for the first hour

The game takes an hour or so to really get the player into a groove, and tends to start out rather slow paced while the player adjusts to the nuances of play. More of the game unlocks and becomes available later on, but that first hour tends to lean on the boring side as not everything is available from the start. See More

Top Pro

Varied and unlockable skill trees offer a lot of depth

The game features a very in-depth skill tree that unlocks a wide variety of different fighting moves that you can unleash during the game's simulation fights. Skill points are earned via gameplay, and then used to learn new fighting techniques that are based around your character's strongest stat. Depending on which stat you focus on (strength, agility, or stamina), you will gain access to different skill trees that provide both offensive and defensive moves, techniques that help to recover energy during fights, and wear your opponent down over time. This helps keeps the fights feeling fresh as you are constantly learning new moves that you can use to fine tune and adjust your fighting strategies. It also encourages multiple playthroughs as you can focus on a different stat each time you start a new game and experiment with new skill trees and techniques. The end result is a very deep skill tree with plenty of variety, builds, and ways to defeat your opponents. See More

Top Con

Music is repetitive

After a while, the same, washed out chipset music starts to get old. The same short tracks are looped over and over, and lose their appeal quickly. See More

Top Pro

Great art style

Punch Club is a joy to look at. The pixel style art is retro and colorful, resulting in plenty of eye candy for players. The backgrounds and various areas of the game are highly detailed with shadow and light, and it's clear that a lot of work went into getting the most out of each and every pixel. Character animations are nicely done, with a good variety of movements and frames. Even the text on the menu screens and during the fight sequences are retro, resulting in a true old-school gaming look painted onto the frame of a modern game. See More

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Frostpunk

Top Pro

Engaging moral choices

You can enact and carry out laws in your city that will affect both the survival and happiness of your citizens in interesting ways. These moral choices add an entertaining and engaging depth to gameplay. For example, if your workers are frostbitten, you can house them in hospitals which costs resources. Otherwise, you can choose to amputate them which effectively takes them out of your workforce, yet they still have to be housed, kept warm, and fed. Children can be kept protected and warm, or you can send them off in the frozen wasteland to work like the adults. Every single action you take affects how content or upset your population is. Whether you keep them safe and warm, or make tough calls in the name of survival is your choice. These systems must be carefully balanced if you want to succeed. All in all, Frostpunk offers no shortage of interesting moral choices for you to make. See More

Top Con

Camera zoom may ruin immersion for some

After building up your city, you can't zoom in to see workers headed down the bustling streets or admire the fine details on the cyberpunk style buildings. You're stuck with a zoomed out camera, which can sometimes ruin immersion. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Genre:City-building, Survival

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Top Pro

Unique premise

Frostpunk takes place in a steampunk-themed 1886 England. A freak snowstorm has wiped out most of the world's population and plunged Earth into a deep freeze. As the last remaining bastion of humanity, you'll be building and managing an outpost as you fight the weather and human nature itself. It's out of this dark and desolate post-apocalyptic premise that allows the game to offer a lot of grim, yet interesting gameplay choices. See More

Top Con

Not much replayability

Due to no open sandbox/endless mode, a large amount of scripted events that will play out the exact same in every playthrough, and skill trees that essentially accomplish all the same end goals, there's not much replayability. See More

Top Pro

Balanced simulation experience

Overall, the simulation aspects are handled quite well, and there is a lot to micromanage. Resources such as lumber and coal must be harvested and managed to construct buildings and keep your city warm. Rationing and finding food is important too, as your citizens need to eat to work. You will also be managing your "hope" and "discontent" metrics which is a general indicator of your population's happiness. Overwork them and they may revolt or die of exhaustion. Underwork them and they may starve or freeze to death. Finding this delicate balance between survival and keeping people content is where the game truly shines. See More

Top Con

Limiting experience overall

Frostpunk's main scenario only runs about 45 in-game days (6-12 hours). There is no sandbox mode where you can keep growing and building indefinitely, making it a rather limited simulation experience overall. This may be disappointing to those who would prefer to keep their city going as long as possible. See More

Top Pro

Captures the grim reality of survival incredibly well

As the world lies in a deep freeze and your city is just barely clinging to life, many situations will arise where tough choices have to be made in the name of survival. When facing a shortage of adult workers, you may opt to send children to work, and possibly their death, out in the wasteland collecting coal and lumber. When people die, you can bury the dead or, in the most dire of times, use them as a food source. When coming across survivors, you have to weigh the benefits and downsides of taking them in. They may provide extra labor, but it's just another mouth to feed. As the temperature plummets, you can order workers to double shifts to keep the heating going, but it puts them at risk for starvation and exhaustion. There are just so many little decisions that add up to driving the point home that you are really in the middle of a crisis and its captured incredibly well in-game. See More

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Anno 2070

Top Con

Uplay

Though the game itself is fun, then the Ubisoft launcher, which is by far the worst thing about this game, can ruin the experience. See More

Top Pro

Addictive gameplay

This game is easy to find yourself sucked into. Many in game events that alter the environment for the good or the worse and each has their own consequences. Thus your city building must have prior planning to make sure it is the most productive and does not cause disasters. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Negative

Top Con

A little long

While the game is fun, the match times require a few hours or multiple game sessions just to get anywhere. See More

Top Pro

Focus on efficient building placement

Your economy will rely on the placement of your buildings, farms, etc. See More

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Motorsport Manager

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Concrete Jungle

Top Pro

Deep gameplay

How the puzzle aspect is implemented allows for a lot of depth to the strategy gameplay See More

Top Con

Games can last a long time and difficulty is unknown until level is started

Not knowing how long a game will last can be frustrating for those just looking for a quick sessions. On top of this the terrain will not be known until a round is started, which means it could potentially be stacked against the player, which makes for unknown difficulty before a round is started. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Campaign mode that eases the player into the gameplay

By playing the campaign mode users can easily get used to the game at a comfortable pace, with new elements getting introduced the further one makes it. This is a great way to learn the gameplay as it can get complex. See More

Top Pro

Great mix of strategy and puzzle

Concrete Jungle mixes city building strategy with aspects of line clearing puzzlers such as Tetris in a very original way. See More

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