Games like Opus Magnum
If you like Opus Magnum (puzzle, programming and optimisation), these 10 games are similar in what you do and how you play. They go from most to least similar.
Baba Is You
- In common: thinking and a challenge
- Difference: less building
When you want a pure mental challenge. A level can take five minutes or an hour of staring at the screen.
Mini Metro
- In common: thinking
- Difference: shorter sessions
When you have a short while and feel like thinking a little: each game lasts between 10 and 20 minutes.
Patrick's Parabox
- In common: thinking and a challenge
- Difference: less building
When you want a short mental challenge: each level takes a few minutes and leaves you smiling.
shapez
- In common: thinking and creating
- Difference: more progression
When you want to optimise without pressure: you can leave it and pick it up whenever you like without losing anything.
Mini Motorways
- In common: thinking and building
- Difference: shorter sessions
When you have 15-20 minutes and feel like thinking a little, with gorgeous visuals.
Oxygen Not Included
- In common: thinking and creating
- Difference: more management
When you have hours, a clear head and want to untangle complex systems.
Balatro
- In common: thinking and long sessions
- Difference: less creative
A full run fits into half an hour and you can pause between hands whenever you like. Thinking a little with no time pressure makes it perfect for the sofa.
Dorfromantik
- In common: building
- Difference: more relaxed
Ideal for 20-40 minutes of calm: each game builds a beautiful landscape and you always want one more tile.
Game Dev Tycoon
- In common: thinking
- Difference: more management
When you want a simple tycoon game for one or two afternoons, where every game you release is a small challenge.
Kerbal Space Program
- In common: thinking and creating
- Difference: more exploring
When you have hours, want to experiment and have the patience to fail many times with good humour.
How we pick them
We compare the tags the Steam community gives each game with our own classification: what you do (action, story, building…), the difficulty, how long sessions last and whether you play alone or with others. Nobody pays to appear.
About Opus Magnum
You design alchemical machines that turn ingredients into products. Any solution works, but when you finish you see histograms of cost, cycles and area compared with other players'. Optimising becomes addictive.
See the Opus Magnum pageNot sure which to pick today?
Tell us how much time you have and how you feel, and we'll tell you what to play right now.