ISLANDERS: New Shores

39 Games like ISLANDERS: New Shores that you should try

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ISLANDERS: New Shores is hard to replace: few games combine puzzle design, vibe relaxing and sandbox world in quite the same way. We analyzed over 2,000 titles across 10 gameplay attributes and found 39 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Rusty's Retirement, Mini Motorways and shapez 2 - Factory lead the list, with Rusty's Retirement reaching a 94/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes ISLANDERS: New Shores special.

iRank96/ 100

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GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

Tags

RelaxingCasualSolo

Year 2025Dev The Station

Stores

Quick answer

The closest game to ISLANDERS: New Shores is Rusty's Retirement — scoring 94/100 on our similarity scale. Mini Motorways and shapez 2 - Factory follow close behind.

#1Rusty's Retirement94 #2Mini Motorways95 #3shapez 2 - Factory93 #4Minami Lane94 #5Children of the Nile97

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Games like ISLANDERS: New Shores

39 similar games found

#1Rusty's Retirement

94

iRank97

Rusty's Retirement

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualRelaxingSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometric

Steam👍 97%· 15K

Year 2024Dev Mister Morris GamesPlaytime ~18hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Fits the city builders cluster, with deep simulation, sandbox freedom and vibe casual

≠ Stands apart with cozy, relaxing feel, fantasy world and setting scifi, while skipping puzzle design

#2Mini Motorways

95

iRank90

Mini Motorways

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualRelaxingBase BuildingManagement

Steam👍 96%· 24KRAWG👍 92%· 132MC83OC81· 30

Year 2021Dev Dinosaur Polo ClubPlaytime ~5hOn PC · iOS · Apple Macintosh

✓ Fits the city builders cluster, with deep simulation, puzzle design and vibe casual

≠ Stands apart with resource management and visual topdown, while skipping turn-based strategy

#3shapez 2 - Factory

93

iRank97

shapez 2 - Factory

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualRelaxingSandbox WorldBase Building

Steam👍 97%· 14K

Dev tobspr Games · Gamera GamesPlaytime ~6hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Both are city builders — sharing deep simulation, puzzle design and sandbox freedom

≠ Stands apart with procedural generation, setting space and resource management, while skipping turn-based strategy

94

iRank92

Minami Lane

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualRelaxingBase BuildingIsometric

Steam👍 98%· 6.4KOC80· 10

Year 2024Dev DootPlaytime ~2hOn PC · Linux

✓ Fits the city builders cluster, with deep simulation, puzzle design and vibe casual

≠ Stands apart with cozy, relaxing feel, resource management and visual 2d, while skipping turn-based strategy

#5Children of the Nile

97

iRank80

Children of the Nile

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometricHistorical

Steam👍 85%· 465MC75IGDB75· 2

Year 2008Dev Tilted Mill EntertainmentPlaytime ~2hOn PC

✓ Fits the city builders cluster, with deep simulation, sandbox freedom and sandbox world

≠ Where it differs: brings historical setting and resource management, while skipping puzzle design

93

iRank93

Caesar III

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloBase BuildingIsometricHistoricalManagement

Steam👍 93%· 2.2K

Year 1998Dev Impressions Games · Sierra EntertainmentOn PC

✓ Fits the city builders cluster, with deep simulation, single-player focus and base building

≠ Where it differs: brings historical setting and resource management, while skipping puzzle design

#7Dyson Sphere Program

93

iRank93

Dyson Sphere Program

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloSandbox WorldBase BuildingOpen WorldSpace

Steam👍 98%· 91KRAWG👍 85%· 84

Year 2021Dev Youthcat Studio · Gamera GamePlaytime ~8hOn PC

✓ Same family of city builders: deep simulation, sandbox freedom and sandbox world

≠ Stands apart with open world exploration, setting space and setting scifi, while skipping puzzle design

97

iRank78

Tropico 3

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloSandbox WorldBase BuildingManagement

Steam👍 89%· 1.9KRAWG👍 60%· 273MC79

Year 2009Dev Haemimont Games · Kalypso MediaPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Xbox

✓ Same family of city builders: deep simulation, sandbox freedom and sandbox world

≠ Its own twist: resource management, while skipping puzzle design

#9Tropico Reloaded

97

iRank77

Tropico Reloaded

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometricManagement

Steam👍 88%· 971RAWG👍 57%· 47IGDB82· 2

Year 2003Dev Frog City Software · Kalypso MediaPlaytime ~1hOn PC

✓ Same family of city builders: deep simulation, sandbox freedom and sandbox world

≠ Its own twist: resource management, while skipping puzzle design

91

iRank96

shapez

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometric

Steam👍 96%· 15K

Year 2020Dev Tobias Springer · PrismatikaOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Same family of city builders: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and puzzle design

≠ Where it differs: brings open world exploration, procedural generation and resource management, while skipping turn-based strategy

#11Dorfromantik

93

iRank88

Dorfromantik

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualRelaxingSandbox WorldBase Building

Steam👍 96%· 29KRAWG👍 80%· 220OC83· 30

Year 2022Dev Toukana InteractivePlaytime ~3hOn PC · Nintendo

✓ Both are city builders — sharing puzzle design, deep simulation and turn-based strategy

≠ Its own twist: card game strategy, procedural generation and combat tactical, while skipping visual isometric

Steam GOG Nintendo

91

iRank95

WorldBox

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloRelaxingSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometric

Steam👍 95%· 54K

Year 2018Dev Maxim KarpenkoOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ Fits the city builders cluster, with sandbox freedom, deep simulation and vibe relaxing

≠ Stands apart with deep RPG systems, cozy, relaxing feel and procedural generation, while skipping puzzle design

#13Mad Games Tycoon

93

iRank87

Mad Games Tycoon

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometric

Steam👍 91%· 4.4KRAWG👍 79%· 70IGDB90· 1

Year 2016Dev Raylight Games · Toplitz ProductionsPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of city builders: deep simulation, sandbox freedom and vibe casual

≠ Where it differs: brings strong narrative focus, setting cartoon and resource management, while skipping puzzle design

#14Two Point Hospital

92

iRank89

Two Point Hospital

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometric

Steam👍 92%· 35KIGDB87· 10OC84· 127

Year 2018Dev Two Point Studios · SegaOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Same family of city builders: deep simulation, sandbox freedom and vibe casual

≠ Where it differs: brings resource management, while skipping puzzle design

#15Cities: Skylines

93

iRank86

Cities: Skylines

GenreStrategySubgenreCity Builder

SoloCasualSandbox WorldBase BuildingIsometric

Steam👍 93%· 289KRAWG👍 87%· 1.5KMC85IGDB76· 13OC83· 91

Year 2015Dev Colossal Order · Paradox InteractivePlaytime ~9hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are city builders — sharing deep simulation, sandbox freedom and vibe casual

≠ Stands apart with resource management, while skipping puzzle design

Steam Epic Xbox

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Rankings in the same genre

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to ISLANDERS: New Shores?: The closest game to ISLANDERS: New Shores is Rusty's Retirement, scoring 94/100 on our similarity scale. They share 8 gameplay attributes, including deep simulation, sandbox freedom and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like ISLANDERS: New Shores?: The three closest games to ISLANDERS: New Shores are: 1. Rusty's Retirement (94/100, 8 shared attributes) 2. Mini Motorways (95/100, 6 shared attributes) 3. shapez 2 - Factory (93/100, 8 shared attributes). All share ISLANDERS: New Shores's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 39 candidates across 10 dimensions.
Is Mini Motorways similar to ISLANDERS: New Shores?: Yes, very much so — Mini Motorways scores 95/100 similarity to ISLANDERS: New Shores. They share 6 attributes, including deep simulation and puzzle design. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Puzzle games are similar to ISLANDERS: New Shores?: The best Puzzle games similar to ISLANDERS: New Shores are Mini Motorways, shapez 2 - Factory, Minami Lane and shapez. All share the Puzzle genre alongside other key ISLANDERS: New Shores attributes like deep simulation, sandbox freedom and single-player focus.
How is similarity to ISLANDERS: New Shores calculated?: We compare ISLANDERS: New Shores against every game in our catalog using 10 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the ISLANDERS: New Shores experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.
Are there free games similar to ISLANDERS: New Shores?: Yes — Business Tour - Board Game with Online Multiplayer is free and scores well on similarity to ISLANDERS: New Shores. It's a great way to test whether the play style clicks before investing in other paid titles.