ⓘ Team17, Gleamer Studio

In Settlement Survival, players take charge of a small group of settlers who have to start practically from scratch in a procedurally generated wilderness. They build houses and production facilities, assign jobs to residents and make sure there is enough food and raw materials to go around. As the name suggests, however, there is a little more to Settlement Survival: Disasters such as typhoons, droughts and snowstorms can turn the idyllic city-building experience into crisis management in no time and throw even the best-laid plans into disarray.

Gameplay revolves around meeting the needs of a steadily growing population. Farming and hunting put food on the table, while wood, ores and other raw materials are gathered and processed into various goods. As the settlement grows, so do the available options: Agriculture, mining, trade, education, construction and logistics can all be expanded strategically, allowing for different approaches. Players can, for example, aim for maximum self-sufficiency – or focus on producing certain goods and simply acquire missing resources through trade. Even the landscape can be adapted to suit individual plans: Terraforming allows players to connect rivers and even create new lakes.

As much control as players have over their settlement and its surroundings, not everything can be planned. However, they can at least prepare for impending disasters, for example with flood defenses, earthquake-resistant buildings or appropriate fire-prevention measures. Those looking for even more crisis management can take on special challenge scenarios. One of them, for instance, confronts the settlement with the plague.

German gaming magazine PC Game Hunters awarded the game 70 out of 100 points in its review, particularly praising the well-designed research system, extensive production chains and trading system, which allows players to earn faction rewards such as unique buildings. The rather basic graphics and lackluster sound design were less well received. Progress can also feel quite slow at times, so players should bring a little patience.

Settlement Survival fares considerably better on Steam: 85% of more than 8,000 user reviews are positive. On the Steam Deck, Gleamer Studio's city builder is rated as “Playable.”

Settlement Survival was released in October 2022 and normally costs $19.99 on Steam. A 75% discount, however, brings the price down to $4.99 until August 24. According to SteamDB, the current deal matches its previous all-time low, last reached in early June.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.

As a child in the 90s, my Gameboy was my steady companion. After school, the PlayStation was fired up. When I finally got my first PC, I was completely hooked. My passion for gaming has never waned since. For me, writing for Notebookcheck means reporting on topics that are really close to my heart - in addition to gaming, I also like to write about e-mobility, photovoltaics and innovative gadgets. When I'm not sitting at my computer, I'm probably on water rescue duty on the Baltic coast or trying to counteract the downsides of my geek life - namely sitting for long periods - at the local swimming pool.