Manor Lords is the closest match if you want a medieval town economy with territorial conflict and battles. For more relaxed, gridless town design, choose Foundation; for detailed castle construction and small-colony management, choose Going Medieval. Kingdoms and Castles offers a lighter kingdom-building loop, while Banished focuses on survival and population management.
Which one suits you depends on what you want to carry over from Farthest Frontier: survival and farming, battles and territory, freeform building, or hands-on management of individual settlers.
What makes a game like Farthest Frontier?
Farthest Frontier is a PC settlement builder about establishing a community in the wilderness and keeping it going through food production, farming, crafting, trade, and survival. Crate Entertainment says the game is inspired by medieval technology and feudal society but is not set in a specific real-world place or historical era. Its settings let players lower the difficulty and turn off disease and combat, so the survival pressure is adjustable rather than mandatory. (Crate Entertainment: Farthest Frontier; Farthest Frontier FAQ)
That combination gives “games like Farthest Frontier” more than one meaning. Some players want a similar town economy; others want a medieval look, a difficult survival loop, a freeform town layout, or the added challenge of defending territory. The games below overlap with Farthest Frontier in different ways rather than reproducing it feature for feature.
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Best games like Farthest Frontier at a glance
| Game | Best for | What stands out | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manor Lords | A town economy combined with territory and battles | Gridless settlements, production chains, trade, castles, rival lords, and tactical battles | Steam labels it Early Access; there is no set date for leaving it. (Steam) |
| Foundation | Relaxed, organic medieval town design | Gridless village growth, modular buildings, production chains, trade, and Creative mode | Its appeal is visual freedom more than a survival challenge. (Steam) |
| Going Medieval | Small-colony management and custom forts | Distinctive settlers, terrain shaping, multi-storey construction, and underground spaces | Individual colonists and a designed stronghold take priority over a broad town economy. (Steam) |
| Kingdoms and Castles | A lighter, clear progression from hamlet to city | Village layout, resources, trade, simulated villagers, and threats such as raiders and dragons | It presents a more legible kingdom-and-castle loop. (Steam) |
| Banished | Survival and population management | Food, health, occupations, trade, and balancing resource risks | It is a useful match for the management core, not for modern medieval presentation or castle building. (Steam) |
Which game should you choose?
Choose Manor Lords for economy, territory, and battles
Manor Lords is the first choice if you want a medieval settlement game that expands into regional rivalry and combat. Its Steam description highlights gridless placement, growth shaped by roads and landscape, seasonal decisions, production chains, trade, castles, rival lords, and tactical battles. Compared with Farthest Frontier’s emphasis on settlers surviving in the wilderness, Manor Lords puts more weight on a lord’s territory, neighboring settlements, and armed conflict. (Manor Lords on Steam; Farthest Frontier)
The caveat is its development status: Steam marks Manor Lords as Early Access and says there is no fixed date for leaving that stage. Steam’s general guidance is that Early Access games are unfinished and may or may not change further. If you prefer a settled release, account for that before choosing. (Manor Lords on Steam)
Rank #2
- HISTORICAL SETTING: The Black Death ravages the city of Messina, it is up to you and your noble families to save as many lives as you can. Bring the people out of the city and into your estate to save them.
- SAVE & REBUILD: Guide your noble family through crisis—rescue citizens, build isolated communities, and later help repopulate Messina as the plague fades; a compelling arc of survival and restoration.
- SURVIVE & RETURN: Once the danger is gone you're also tasked with returning the population to the now sterile city of Messina. immersive gameplay that rewards thoughtful planning and adaptive tactics.
- A GRID MOVEMENT MEDIEVAL BOARD GAME for 1-4 players ages 12 and up. Explore your phylanthropic side with this strategy board game.
Choose Foundation for a freeform, less survival-focused town
Foundation is a strong fit if arranging an organic-looking medieval village is more important to you than managing severe survival pressure. Its gridless building and modular structures support a town that develops around its layout, while villagers, production chains, trade, and monuments provide the management side. Adjustable difficulty and Creative mode make it a flexible option for players who want to concentrate on designing a settlement. (Foundation on Steam)
Choose Going Medieval for a custom-built stronghold
Going Medieval narrows the focus from a broad town economy to a small group of settlers and the fortress they build. You manage distinctive colonists, face threats from bandits and beasts, and can shape terrain to create multi-storey forts or underground spaces. Pick it if construction itself—planning a defensible, three-dimensional stronghold—is a major part of what you want from the next game. (Going Medieval on Steam)
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Rank #3
- DEFEND CATAN FROM INVADERS: Transform your thriving settlements into majestic cities while mustering brave knights to protect against marauding invaders.
- ENHANCE YOUR CATAN GAME: Adds depth and strategy to the classic CATAN experience with new challenges, resources, and gameplay mechanics.
- BUILD AN ARMY OF KNIGHTS: Recruit, train, and deploy knights to safeguard your cities and the island, adding a layer of tactical planning to every turn.
- EXPAND YOUR CIVILIZATION: Balance city development with military strength as you race to advance your society while fending off invaders.
- REQUIRES BASE GAME: This is an expansion for the CATAN 6th Edition base game and is designed for 3-4 players, ages 12 and up, offering 90+ minutes of engaging gameplay.
Choose Kingdoms and Castles for a lighter kingdom-building loop
Kingdoms and Castles suits players who want an easy-to-follow arc from hamlet to city and castle. Its systems cover village layout, resources, trade, and individually simulated villagers, with threats that include raiders and dragons. It is a useful pick if you want a medieval settlement to grow into a kingdom without making detailed survival the central attraction. (Kingdoms and Castles on Steam)
Choose Banished for population and resource pressure
Banished is an older alternative built around an exiled population and the challenge of keeping a settlement supplied and healthy. Its description emphasizes food, health, occupations, trade, and balancing risks and resources. It is the best fit here if the part you want to repeat is the tough population-management loop, rather than medieval castle construction or a contemporary presentation. (Banished on Steam)
Rank #4
- CLASSIC TILE PLACEMENT: Draw and place landscape tiles to build cities, roads, fields, and monasteries, then deploy meeples as knights, farmers, and monks to claim features and score points.
- STRATEGY FOR ADULTS AND FAMILIES: Carcassonne pairs intuitive rules with meaningful decisions, making it accessible for ages 7+ while still engaging experienced adult board gamers.
- REPLAYABLE MEDIEVAL ADVENTURE: Randomized tile draws create a different landscape every game, bringing fresh puzzles and competitive fun to family game night and casual group play.
- TWO TO FIVE PLAYERS: Built for 2-5 players with an average 35-minute playtime, Carcassonne fits weeknight sessions at home, family gatherings on vacation, and adult board game evenings.
- INCLUDES MINI-EXPANSIONS: The base game comes with The Abbot and The River mini-expansions in the box, adding variety to the classic Carcassonne board game experience from the start.
Compare the games by what you want to manage
Survival pressure and combat
Farthest Frontier lets you reduce difficulty and disable disease and combat. Manor Lords makes battles and territorial conflict a more prominent part of its feature set; Going Medieval centers defense against raids and other threats. If you want pressure without the same emphasis on military conflict, Foundation’s adjustable difficulty and Creative mode offer a different direction. (Farthest Frontier FAQ; Manor Lords on Steam; Going Medieval on Steam; Foundation on Steam)
Building freedom
Foundation and Manor Lords explicitly describe gridless building, which suits players who want settlements shaped by roads, landscape, or organic growth. Going Medieval goes further in a different dimension: its terrain tools support vertical construction and underground spaces. The choice is between a town that grows freely across the landscape and a stronghold whose structure and height you design closely. (Foundation on Steam; Manor Lords on Steam; Going Medieval on Steam)
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Management scale and economy
Farthest Frontier foregrounds a town’s food, farming, crafting, and trade. Manor Lords extends the scale toward regional holdings and rival territory. Foundation emphasizes village production and trade; Going Medieval makes individual settlers and their stronghold central. Banished, meanwhile, concentrates on population needs and resource risks. Choose by the level you want to think at: household and supplies, village, fortified colony, or territory. (Farthest Frontier; Manor Lords on Steam; Foundation on Steam; Going Medieval on Steam; Banished on Steam)
Release dates and availability
The dates below are the release dates listed on each game’s Steam store page. Store listings establish availability there, but do not establish that every title is available on every platform or in every territory.
| Game | Steam-listed release date |
|---|---|
| Banished | February 18, 2014 (Steam) |
| Kingdoms and Castles | July 20, 2017 (Steam) |
| Manor Lords | April 26, 2024 (Steam) |
| Foundation | January 31, 2025 (Steam) |
| Farthest Frontier | October 23, 2025 (Steam) |
| Going Medieval | March 17, 2026 (Steam) |
Prices vary by region and promotion, so check the current authorized store listing for the price where you live rather than relying on a fixed figure.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
