The Colonists

The Colonists

Released Oct 2018

Build a new home for your team of robots as they begin a new life for themselves on a distant planet where they can fulfil their ultimate dream: to be human.

85% positive · 1,244 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development

Where to buy

Steam $24.99 Green Man Gaming Steam key $24.99
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Evaluation

The Colonists launched in October 2018 and has received a steady stream of updates ever since. The developer — a solo developer operating as Codebyfire — shipped a major mod support update in December 2022, followed by the first paid DLC (New Lands) in March 2024, and then a full multiplayer mode (co-op and PvP) in May 2024. Both DLC entries are fully released with no unreleased items remaining in the store listing. Beyond those major milestones, the developer runs a recurring monthly "Frontier" event — a new challenge map released every month with custom rules and leaderboards. These have been running continuously since at least 2021 and the most recent patch (June 3, 2026) delivered the June 2026 Frontier, confirming the developer is actively engaged with the game. In a New Year's post on January 1, 2025, the developer explicitly outlined plans for 2025: continued monthly Frontiers, new maps, multiplayer stability improvements, randomly generated multiplayer maps, and ongoing quality-of-life work. This demonstrates a clear, ongoing commitment to the game well beyond simple maintenance. Monthly patch posts have continued through June 2026 with no indication of the update cadence ending.
Evidence
V1.9.26 patch delivered the June 2026 Frontier challenge — the most recent developer communication, confirming ongoing active engagement.
news post · Jun 3, 2026 source development ongoing
high
Developer's New Year post explicitly commits to continued monthly Frontiers in 2025, plus new maps, multiplayer stability improvements, randomly generated multiplayer maps, and ongoing quality-of-life updates.
news post · Jan 1, 2025 source content planned
high

Content

2 of 2 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Mode 7
Achievements
27
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · Co-op · PvP

About this game

The Colonists is a relaxing settlement building game inspired by classic titles like The Settlers and the Anno series.

Take on a series of individual campaign missions, play randomly generated maps, compete on player-designed creations or build your colony unfettered by any constraints in the sandbox mode.

You take control of a team of self-replicating robots built to simulate human civilisation. After escaping Earth, The Colonists are now free to roam the galaxy in search of a new home and construct their dream settlement.

You'll advance through three different Ages as you build infrastructure for your colony by constructing road, boat and train transport systems.

Harvest natural resources, set up farming and food production, create expeditions to discover new lands and research new technologies.

With two separate mission tracks, The Colonists lets either you create sprawling settlements in peace or race to compete against AI colonies in military winner-takes-all scenarios.

Explore, research, manage, tweak and refine to your heart's content.

An extensive map editor and Steam Workshop support is included, so you can create, share and play custom maps.

Features

  • Campaign: 14 missions split into separate peaceful and military tracks

  • Random Maps: Play on a near-infinite amount of procedurally generated maps

  • Sandbox Mode: Customize various game settings to play the game how you like

  • Multiplayer: Join forces with your friends to play the co-op campaign or battle against them in PvP mode

  • Map Editor: Create, play and share your own custom maps with your own victory conditions

  • Steam Workshop: Play hundreds of player-generated custom maps

  • Frontiers: Play and compete for the best time in a brand new map every month

  • Challenge Trophies: Special speed-run challenges which test the most expert colony builders

  • Mod Support: Play with new buildings, new resources, new research and more with Steam Workshop mod integration

Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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