The Colonists

The Colonists PC is a settlement-building and colony-management game about self-replicating robots creating a new home among the stars. The current Steam and GOG storefronts still use the original name, with no verified rebrand or renamed definitive edition replacing it. Developed by Codebyfire and published on PC by Mode 7, it focuses on logistics, production chains, exploration, and carefully planned expansion rather than character-driven survival.

Build a robot colony through three technological ages

The main loop starts with a small group of robots and a limited supply of natural resources. You establish a settlement, harvest materials, construct production buildings, and expand the territory needed to reach new deposits. Resource collection is only the beginning: the real challenge is turning raw materials into a stable chain of food, construction goods, research materials, and advanced products.

Each bot has a practical role in the economy. Some gather resources, others work in production buildings, transport goods, build structures, or support exploration. The overhead presentation makes the colony readable as a system, allowing you to follow supply routes and identify where a shortage or bottleneck is slowing progress.

Progression is divided across three technological Ages. Early settlements rely on basic roads and simple resource processing, while later development introduces more sophisticated infrastructure and transportation. Road, boat, and train networks let the colony move materials across increasingly large maps, so expansion is tied directly to transport planning.

Logistics are the central puzzle

The Colonists is less about micromanaging individual units and more about arranging an economy that can keep itself supplied. Buildings need inputs, workers need access to the right production chains, and expanding too quickly can leave essential resources stranded far from where they are needed. Storage placement, route design, production priorities, and territory expansion all influence whether the colony runs smoothly.

Farming and food production provide the foundation for growth, while research unlocks additional technologies and building options. Expeditions push the colony outward and help discover new land, creating a steady tension between improving the existing settlement and investing in future territory.

Players who enjoy tracing production flows may find the logistics more compelling than the visual theme. The game shares some of its settlement-management DNA with classic economic strategy games such as The Settlers II, but replaces medieval workers with robots and places greater emphasis on transport infrastructure.

Campaign missions, sandbox maps, and combat tracks

The campaign contains 14 missions split between peaceful and military tracks. Peaceful scenarios emphasize colony growth, production efficiency, research, and reaching construction goals without direct conflict. Military scenarios add AI colonies and winner-takes-all objectives, making territorial expansion and defensive planning part of the economic challenge.

Outside the campaign, Sandbox Mode removes mission constraints and allows you to configure a more open-ended settlement. Procedurally generated maps provide additional starting conditions, while the map editor lets players create custom scenarios with their own victory conditions.

Combat is not a character-based tactical system. It is integrated into the wider settlement structure, with military missions asking you to manage expansion, territory, research, and production while competing against AI colonies. Players looking for a dedicated real-time battlefield may find the military content relatively restrained; the economy remains the main event.

Workshop content and New Lands expansion

The PC version includes an extensive map editor and Steam Workshop support. Community creations can add custom maps, objectives, and gameplay variations, extending the game beyond its authored campaign and random-map systems. Workshop integration also supports mods involving new buildings, resources, and research.

The paid base game is accompanied by The Colonists - New Lands, a separate expansion focused on additional content. Steam also lists a soundtrack as separate downloadable content, while the Complete Edition bundle combines the base game, New Lands, and the soundtrack. There is no free-to-play conversion or seasonal pass model presented on the current PC storefront listings.

For a more automation-focused comparison, production-chain city builders like Factory Town offer a useful point of reference. The Colonists is generally more mission-structured, while its editor, sandbox, and random-map tools give experienced players room to build beyond the campaign.

Who should play The Colonists?

The strongest audience is made up of players who enjoy economic city builders, visible production chains, and the satisfaction of fixing an inefficient settlement. The game is approachable at the start, but later scenarios demand closer attention to transport routes, resource availability, research order, and territorial growth.

It is a good fit if you prefer planning over direct unit control, enjoy watching automated workers carry out an expanding network of tasks, or want a colony builder with both peaceful and competitive options. The robot theme keeps the presentation light, but the underlying systems still reward careful organization.

Players who want deep character simulation, harsh survival events, or a large-scale military RTS may find the design too focused on logistics. The game is also built around individual maps and scenarios rather than one permanent colony that evolves indefinitely.

PC features, multiplayer, and localization

The PC release supports single-player, online co-op campaign play, and player-versus-player modes. Multiplayer lets friends work toward shared goals in cooperative missions or compete over territory and objectives. The official PC feature set also includes Steam achievements, cloud support, Workshop integration, and the level editor.

Steam is the primary launcher for the PC edition and is required for Steam-specific features such as Workshop distribution and platform cloud functionality. The GOG edition is listed as DRM-free and can be played without GOG Galaxy or a permanent online connection, making it the more self-contained storefront option.

PC localization includes English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Czech, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese text support. Full voice acting is not the defining presentation feature; the game communicates primarily through its interface, objectives, and management systems.

Similar PC games

The closest comparisons depend on which part of The Colonists appeals to you. Players who want a calmer, more modern colony-building experience with automation and long-term settlement planning may also enjoy resource-driven city builders like Timberborn, although Timberborn adds stronger environmental survival systems and vertical construction.

Those looking for a more traditional settlement economy should consider The Settlers II, while Factory Town is the better comparison for players primarily interested in moving goods through increasingly elaborate production networks. These games overlap in logistics and economic planning, but The Colonists stands apart through its robot population, three-Age progression, authored campaign tracks, editor tools, and integrated multiplayer.

The Colonists FAQ

Is The Colonists still sold under its original name?

Yes. The current Steam and GOG PC listings use The Colonists. No verified storefront rebrand or replacement definitive edition has been identified.

Does The Colonists have a campaign?

Yes. The PC version includes 14 campaign missions divided into peaceful and military tracks. It also offers sandbox play, random maps, Frontiers challenges, and community-created scenarios.

Does The Colonists support multiplayer?

Yes. The PC edition supports online co-op campaign missions and PvP modes. Multiplayer is separate from the solo campaign structure and adds shared or competitive objectives.

Does The Colonists have mods or a map editor?

Yes. The game includes a map editor, Steam Workshop support, and mod integration for custom maps, buildings, resources, research, and victory conditions.

What DLC is available for The Colonists?

New Lands is the main paid expansion listed for the game. The soundtrack is also sold separately, and Steam offers a Complete Edition bundle containing the base game, New Lands, and the soundtrack.

Is The Colonists DRM-free on PC?

The GOG version is listed as DRM-free and does not require GOG Galaxy. The Steam version uses the Steam platform for its storefront and platform services.