Upload Labs casts you as a system architect in a sci-fi setting: you connect nodes, route downloads, code automations, and gradually evolve an AI.
It mixes the satisfyingly mechanical logic of automation sims with the easygoing pace of idle games. If that kind of cerebral “watch-and-tweak” loop appeals to you, there’s a whole field of games doing similar things—some deeper, some more relaxed, all sharing that sweet spot between thinking and letting time pass.
If you’ve finished Upload Labs and want something similar, here are games that capture the same magic.
The Farmer Was Replaced
Release Date: October 10, 2025
Genres: Puzzle, Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Factorio
Release Date: August 14, 2020
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Dyson Sphere Program
Release Date: January 21, 2021
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Satisfactory
Release Date: June 08, 2020
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie
Foundry
Release Date: May 02, 2024
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Kaizen a Factory Story
Release Date: 2025 (TBA)
Genres: Simulator, Automation, Indie
Captain of Industry
Release Date: May 31, 2022
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure
Release Date: April 24, 2024
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie
Platina Lab
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Mindustry
Release Date: September 26, 2019
Genres: Puzzle, Strategy, Indie
Cookie Clicker
Release Date: September 01, 2021
Genres: Point-and-click, Simulator, Strategy, Indie
AdVenture Capitalist - Savvy Investor Bundle
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Genres: Idle, Simulator, Strategy
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms - Starter Pack
Release Date: March 07, 2018
Genres: Idle, Strategy, RPG
Melvor Idle
Release Date: November 18, 2021
Genres: Idle, RPG, Strategy, Indie
Rusty's Retirement
Release Date: April 26, 2024
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Nomad Idle
Release Date: 2024 (TBA)
Genres: Idle, Adventure, Strategy, Indie