The best automation games

Automation games are a subgenre of engineering games in which players assemble systems that run operations repeatedly. The motives for this and the resulting gameplay can vary greatly, but the joy of automation is commonly found in adjusting and improving the design of a system until you can eventually sit back and watch the smooth, mesmerizing execution of your own creation.

Automation is the mainstay of factory games such as shapez 2. In factory games, automation enables players to extract, transport and process resources in increasingly efficient ways. Basic building blocks are combined into more complex structures, which in turn make it possible to aim for even greater goals. Production lines are often meant to repeat their operations indefinitely.

Automation also plays a central part in many setup-and-play games such as Opus Magnum, but instead of being an expansion tool, the automation process is a puzzle in itself. Players are required to position processing units and transferring tools carefully so that the pieces coordinate in a proper sequence of operations and produce a specific output. The game may even run additional cycles to validate that the system keeps producing the same output. The Zachtronics studio was particularly influential in the design of such games, which have come to be known as “Zachlikes”.

The games listed below are the most favorited automation games in the Thinky Games database.