Manor Lords is the closest fit if you want a medieval town economy with territorial conflict and battles. Choose Foundation for relaxed, grid-free village design, Going Medieval for hands-on colony and castle construction, Kingdoms and Castles for a lighter kingdom-building loop, or Banished for survival-focused population and resource management.
Farthest Frontier centers on settling wilderness, growing food, crafting goods, trading, and keeping a community alive. It is medieval-inspired rather than tied to a specific historical place or era. Its difficulty options also let players turn off disease and combat, so the best alternative depends on which part of its settlement loop you want more of.
At a glance: which game should you play next?
| Game | Best for | How it differs from Farthest Frontier |
|---|---|---|
| Manor Lords | Town economy, territory, and battles | More emphasis on rival lords, regional holdings, and tactical conflict. Steam lists it as Early Access. |
| Foundation | Organic, gridless village design | Focuses on shaping a settlement freely, with adjustable difficulty and a Creative mode. |
| Going Medieval | Colony management and custom forts | Zooms in on individual settlers and detailed, multi-level stronghold construction. |
| Kingdoms and Castles | A clear, lighter kingdom-building progression | Builds from hamlet toward city and castle, balancing resources with threats. |
| Banished | Survival and population management | Prioritizes food, health, occupations, and resource risks over castle building or modern medieval presentation. |
What makes a game like Farthest Frontier?
Farthest Frontier combines settlement growth with practical survival pressures: food production, farming, crafting, trade, and the needs of a population living on a frontier. That mix is not the same as simply building a medieval-looking town. The alternatives below divide into distinct appeals: territorial warfare, freeform town layout, individually managed colonists, kingdom progression, and resource-balancing survival.
Farthest Frontier is available for PC and Steam lists its full release date as October 23, 2025, after Early Access began on August 9, 2022. Crate Entertainment describes its setting as inspired by medieval technology and feudal society, but not based on a particular real-world location or historical era. (Crate Entertainment: Farthest Frontier; Steam store page)
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Manor Lords: choose it for town life plus battles
Manor Lords is the closest pick if the appeal of Farthest Frontier is building a medieval settlement and its economy, but you also want rival lords, territorial stakes, and tactical battles. Its Steam description highlights gridless placement, growth shaped by roads and landscape, seasonal choices, production chains, trade, castles, and conflict. That combination puts greater emphasis on a lord’s territory and neighboring settlements than Farthest Frontier’s wilderness survival focus.
Steam lists Manor Lords as Early Access, with no set date for leaving that stage. Its store page notes that Early Access games are not complete and may change further. Steam lists April 26, 2024 as its release date. (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.
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Foundation: choose it for relaxed, organic town design
Foundation is the strongest option when the town’s shape and appearance matter more than a demanding survival challenge. It uses gridless placement and organic settlement growth, with modular buildings, villager management, production chains, trade, and monuments. Adjustable difficulty and Creative mode make it suitable for players who want room to experiment with layouts rather than focus chiefly on crisis management.
Steam lists Foundation’s release date as January 31, 2025. (Foundation 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.
Going Medieval: choose it for colonists and custom strongholds
Going Medieval shifts the scale from a broad town economy to a small colony and the stronghold you design for it. Its settlers have distinct traits, and construction is a major part of play: terrain tools let you shape multi-storey forts and underground spaces. The settlement must also withstand threats such as bandits and beasts, making defense part of the building problem.
Choose it if planning a bespoke castle or managing individual colonists sounds more appealing than running a larger town’s food and trade systems. The game supports modding, and Steam lists March 17, 2026 as its release date. (Going Medieval 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.
Kingdoms and Castles: choose it for a lighter kingdom loop
Kingdoms and Castles offers a legible progression from hamlet to city and castle. You lay out a village, gather resources, trade, and manage villagers, while preparing for threats that include raiders and dragons. Its Steam description says villagers and resources are individually simulated, giving the kingdom loop more detail than a purely decorative city builder without making castle construction as bespoke as Going Medieval.
Steam lists its release date as July 20, 2017. (Kingdoms and Castles on Steam)
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Banished: choose it for survival and population management
Banished is an older but relevant choice if what you want is the settlement’s struggle to feed and sustain its people. Its exiled population depends on food, health, occupations, trade, and careful management of risks and resources. It is less of a match for modern medieval presentation or elaborate castle design, but its focus on keeping a community viable makes it a natural fit for the survival side of Farthest Frontier.
Steam lists Banished’s release date as February 18, 2014. (Banished on Steam)
Choose by the part of the settlement loop you want
- For territorial conflict: Manor Lords combines town development and production with rival lords and battles.
- For visual freedom: Foundation and Manor Lords both describe gridless building; Foundation also offers a Creative mode.
- For vertical construction: Going Medieval supports shaped terrain, multi-storey forts, and underground spaces.
- For a smaller management scale: Going Medieval centers distinctive settlers and a designed stronghold.
- For survival pressure: Banished focuses on food, health, and resource risk. Farthest Frontier itself lets players adjust difficulty and disable disease and combat, according to its FAQ.
For current availability and regional pricing, check each linked Steam listing; store offers and availability can vary by territory.
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