Oxygen Not Included
In the space-colony simulation game Oxygen Not Included you’ll find that scarcities of oxygen, warmth and sustenance are constant threats to your colony's survival. Guide colonists through the perils of subterranean asteroid living and watch as their population grows until they're not simply surviving, but thriving… Just make sure you don't forget to breathe. Build Extensive Bases and Discover What it Takes to Survive: Everything in your space colony is under your control, from excavation and resource allocation right down to plumbing and power systems. Resources will begin depleting with your first breath, however, so be sure to dig fast if you want to live. It’s Mind Over Matter with Stress Simulations: Keep the psychological impact of survival at bay with fun leisure activities, great accommodations and even better food for your colony. Duplicants each have different and potentially destructive ways of reacting to stress, so be sure to always keep them happy. Whatever the cost. Avoid Boiling with Thermodynamics:
Game Discussion
Steam User 198
So I've played this game a bit.
A lot of people are saying this is a hard game, and while I don't disagree, I want to clarify the difficulty comes from the learning curve. Like most colony sims, it is a cliff: there's a bunch of mechanics that are not really explained well in game, and you have to rely on tutorials to fully grasp them.
Once you understand the mechanics, the game is brilliant. There's no random enemies or events, and the game gives you as much time as you want to tackle new projects and deal with its difficulties. That's part of the beauty: if you end up in a bad situation, 90% of the time it's because you put yourself there. The remaining 10% is because there's a cool steam vent that's overheating your base, so watch out for those.
The replayability of the game comes from the worldgen seeds and traits, and the different starting asteroids. The former changes your run slightly, making you adapt to the lack of water sources or giving you an opportunity with extra oil reservoirs; The latter can completely change your build order and meta.
I speak of replayability, but you can just run with the same save for months. Run a colony for long enough, eventually the game turns from a survival colony sim into a sandbox vanity project simulator.
On a side note, the game is regularly updated. Free QoL updates come once or twice a year with balance changes, and small-ish DLCs are planned to be released periodically. There's also some incredible animated shorts released every once in a while, which is pretty neat as well.
I honestly don't think I can convey how truly unique this game is. It has carved a niche spot in a niche market that I don't think another game could possibly fill. 10/10 would and WILL sink another 2k hours.
Steam User 136
Oxygen Not Included isn’t just a game for me—it’s been so much more than that. During one of the darkest, most painful times in my life, it became my escape, my distraction, and honestly, my reason to keep going.
There were days when it felt like I couldn’t handle the weight of everything happening around me, but this game gave me something else to focus on. It’s not just about building or surviving; it’s about creating something out of chaos, and that’s exactly what I needed.
I don’t know where I’d be without it. This game has kept me grounded when everything else felt like it was slipping away. If you’re looking for something challenging, rewarding, and unexpectedly comforting, I can’t recommend Oxygen Not Included enough. For me, it’s not just a game—it’s been a lifeline.
Steam User 65
This game is helping me through tough times.
Ever since I was little, I have always been looking for activities to fill my time, whether it be drawing or playing various video games. I've never wanted to be alone with my thoughts. As I am approaching 21, I need that more than ever. This game is not only providing me with an escape but also helping me find motivation to solve difficult problems in my real life.
"Oxygen Not Included" can be very daunting to a new player, I won't deny that. However, this game gives you all the tools you need to be successful, and being able to make mistakes and grow from them is a fun and engaging process. This is crucial because, just like in the real world, you are going to make mistakes along the way. The game rewards you for never giving up. Even if you fail one colony, you always learn something new to make the next one even stronger. You will have dupes die, feel that loss, and feel like there is no way of pulling your colony back on its feet. However, you can never lose unless you give up, which I think is a mindset I didn't fully understand before playing.
Not only that, but the community is still thriving. You can always find ways other people tackled hard problems, which never fails to fill me with inspiration. I find myself constantly asking how I can implement various newfound builds and ideas into my colonies to make them even slightly more efficient.
This game is extremely rewarding because you are playing against yourself. The main obstacle is your lack of understanding and fear of messing up. If you can conquer that, you can conquer anything this game can throw at you. You just need to push yourself.
Thank you, Klei, for teaching me this, and thanks for making an awesome game.
Steam User 54
Oxygen not Included is a great survival simulator with a robust set of map and character options allowing everyone to play to their own tastes. The dev team is highly involved and constantly adding new content to keep older players engaged while, at the same time, they continue to make small balance adjustments to keep play even. As someone who started playing this game back in the before times, I really appreciate their work on it. The game is fun, the difficulty ranges from challenging to relaxed, the humor is right up my alley, and the DLC is high quality and affordable. I rarely post like this, but Klei deserves a pat on the back and an attaboy. Good job, and thank you for an amazing game.
Steam User 37
Nearly 1200 hours and counting. I can't believe this game even exists and I dread the day I may not be able to play it. Honestly it's a base building colony game with so much depth, freedom, and complexity to thrill a wide range of gamers. Beyond that it lets me express creativity and pushes me to problem solve in a way that truly satisfies.
Maybe not for everyone but I truly think this game is a marvel and I've encountered few games that rival it's longevity and charm.
Steam User 88
If you like Dwarf Fortress or similar types of games, then you might like this. The similarities include:
... You will not be told how you should build your base.
... You will find out you built your base wrong.
... You will find this out when the people you were tasked with protecting meet horrible fates.
... You restart the game for the tenth time, with the newfound knowledge that you should not irrigate your food supply with excrement water.
... You've barely scratched the surface of what you need to know.
Steam User 62
Best present ever.
The first 200 hours were done in a ridiculously short amount of days as I got hypnotized by this game.
Also, taught me a bunch of things, and knocked my ego down several times. If you played Don't Starve (base game) and you think yourself smart or resourceful, this game will remind you, that was just the tutorial and nothing can prepare you for this.