Kenshi
ByYurii Luzhko
Kenshi artwork on PinDrop
  • Similar games
  • 6 ranked picks
  • Closest matches first

Games like Kenshi

Kenshi's pull is its freeform, no-hand-holding sandbox: build a squad, found a town, and survive a brutal open world with no set story. These games scratch the same itch — emergent squad survival, open-world sandboxes and deep base/faction systems.

The 6 best alternatives

Ranked by how closely each scratches the same itch — the closest match first.

  1. 1

    Bellwright

    Medieval survivalClosest matchOn PinDrop

    The closest fit we cover: recruit and equip followers, build up a settlement, and fight for territory across an open medieval world — Kenshi's squad-and-base loop in a grounded historical setting.

    Explore our Bellwright tools
  2. 2

    RimWorld

    Colony sim

    The king of emergent stories. You manage a colony of survivors whose relationships, injuries and disasters write their own narrative — the same "anything can happen" sandbox tension as Kenshi.

  3. 3

    Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

    Sandbox RPG

    Raise a warband, trade, and conquer castles in a living faction war. No fixed plot, real-time squad combat, and a world that moves without you — very Kenshi in spirit.

  4. 4

    Battle Brothers

    Mercenary RPG

    Lead a mercenary company across a procedural world with permadeath and hard tactical fights. The "grow a ragtag band from nothing" fantasy Kenshi players love.

  5. 5

    Wartales

    Squad RPG

    A medieval open world where you run a band of adventurers — survival, wages, prisoners and no chosen-one story, in a more structured package than Kenshi.

  6. 6

    Dwarf Fortress

    Simulation

    The deepest simulation ever made. If Kenshi's systems-driven world is the draw, nothing goes deeper — steep learning curve, endless emergent chaos.

Games like Kenshi — FAQ

What game is most like Kenshi?
For the squad-plus-settlement loop, Bellwright is the closest — recruit followers, build a base and fight for land in an open world. For emergent sandbox stories, RimWorld; for open-world warband combat, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
Is there anything exactly like Kenshi?
Not really — Kenshi's mix of freeform squad control, town-building, faction simulation and zero hand-holding is fairly unique. The closest experiences pick one or two of those pillars: RimWorld and Dwarf Fortress for simulation depth, Bannerlord and Wartales for open-world warbands, Bellwright for squad-plus-settlement survival.
Are there games like Kenshi on console?
Kenshi itself is PC-only, but several close alternatives are on consoles: RimWorld, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and Wartales all have console versions, so they're the go-to picks if you're not on PC.

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