A settlement game about robots with a human dream
The Colonists is a settlement building game where you take charge of self-replicating robots that have left Earth to build a new home on a distant planet. Your goal is to construct a colony that lets them pursue their dream of becoming human. The game is inspired by classic building and strategy titles, and it leans toward a relaxed pace rather than constant pressure. You will harvest natural resources, set up farming and food production, build road, boat and train transport systems, send out expeditions to discover new lands, and research new technologies. Progression moves through three different Ages, and you can explore, research, manage and refine your settlement as much as you like.
Playing together with your group
The Colonists supports online co-op and online PvP, so your group can decide whether to work together or compete. In co-op, you can join forces with friends to play the co-op campaign. In PvP, you can battle against each other instead. The campaign contains 14 missions split across two separate tracks: a peaceful track where you create sprawling settlements, and a military track where you race to compete against AI colonies in winner-takes-all scenarios. Beyond the campaign, you can play on procedurally generated maps, take on randomly generated challenges, or compete for the best time on a new map each month in Frontiers.
What to know before starting
There are several ways to play, so it helps to agree on a mode first. Sandbox mode lets you customize various game settings to play the game how you like, which suits groups that want to build without constraints. Random maps give you a near-infinite supply of procedurally generated maps to explore. The map editor and Steam Workshop support let you create, share and play custom maps, including maps with your own victory conditions, and there are hundreds of player-generated custom maps available. Steam Workshop mod integration also lets you play with new buildings, resources and research. Challenge Trophies offer special speed-run challenges aimed at expert colony builders, so expect those to be tighter and more demanding than the standard missions.