Evolution is like a broken phone. It is something fascinating. Whether you believe it all started with the Big Bang or through some other unseen force, the way animals and something as simple as the weather can change dramatically and survive great odds is amazing. There are many games where you can experiment with evolution, learn how it works and how nothing ever turns out the way you wanted.
Some of these games are heavier on gameplay, a fun genre at its core, like a strategy game or survival art. Others are strictly idle science games that let you explore DNA and how creatures may or may not advance to the next life. Regardless of your tastes, there’s a game on this list for every type of person curious about evolution.
10 Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
They say that monkeys are close relatives of humans. That we all started out as these furry but intelligent creatures somewhere in Africa a long time ago. In Ancestors: Humankind Odyssey, you control a monkey in Neogene Africa. It is a survival game where the more you explore and grow your character, the more you evolve and increase in intelligence and survival.
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is an intimate third-person survival game unlike any of its predecessors. Every choice you make will affect the future of your town, from your grandchildren to all the people who will come after you.
9 sapiens
It begins in the prehistoric era of human civilization, where cavemen and women learn to build from scratch. You start with a piece of cloth on your body and a wooden stick to invent new technology.
The map is procedurally generated, with several different temperatures and obstacles. You can choose where you want to start your civilization, and some are more difficult to survive than others. It’s a management game where you watch your people explore and learn. Control your tribe to explore, create and evolve into a bustling city.
8 Heliopedia
This is a cute point and click game about planets and ecosystems. Create new planets from scratch in your own solar system, then try crafting and combining materials to create different weather environments and a habitable planet.
You can make a green oxygenated planet full of animals, a planet full of lifeless ice, or a world infested with volcanoes. You can experiment with your materials and find out how water, carbon dioxide, and other elements in the atmosphere will create different life forms.
7 Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Civilization is a cult classic that everyone already knows. It is a turn-based strategy game about advancing your culture and your people. Evolving into technology and big cities is one thing, but having an army strong enough to win wars is another.
There are several games in the Sid Meier’s Civilization series, all of which follow the pattern of controlling a community that starts from scratch and goes all the way to the space age if you let them. The game also has multiplayer and modding for even more possibilities.
6 Spore
Spore is a much-loved old game that was originally released in 2008. It’s all about messing with the development of weird-looking creatures. Create strange looking monsters and watch them survive, fight and advance in life. It is quite a simple game that will never lose its creativity and fun, because of how silly and joyful the game and creature creation is.
Although trying to create the perfect monster is a big part of the game, you can also build your creature’s city. Create buildings and means of transportation to take your creatures beyond their homeland.
5 Ecosystem
Ecosystem is an evolution game set entirely underwater. Sometimes the mysteries of the deep blue sea are more fascinating than a man with a stick. You get virtual fish and creatures that will evolve and adapt to the environment you give them.
You can personally go into the DNA of these creatures and edit things to your liking, experiment and find out if your strange animal can survive the odds. They have children of their own and live their lives the way you created them.
4 Cell To Singularity – Evolution Never Ends
Cell To Singularity is a free to play idle game that revolves around the very beginning of human evolution and creation. Start in space and you can analyze the DNA and genetic makeup of individual animals on your planet.
From land animals and humans to fish in the sea and journeys to Mars, Cell To Singularity doesn’t miss a beat in the process of evolution. This is a point and click God game about our solar system.
3 creature creator
This game is mainly about shaping and creating your own creatures. Be your own God, with creation and evolution at your fingertips.
It’s kind of a multiplayer creature collector, except players create their own animals and can upgrade and evolve them. This is a low-priced, fun early access game about customizing your own creature.
two Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution
Species is a scientific and experimental sandbox in Early Access. It’s less about a nice game where you survive and create, and more about messing with genetics. This is a game for those who are interested in real genetics and how evolution works.
The goal is to experiment and play with evolution, something you’ll do more of in real time. The creatures will mate and create offspring that can be mutated, and natural selection will take place. You can watch your creatures fight or climb to the top of the food chain, or you can help guide your little creations from day to day.
1 Simmiland
Simmiland has a cute art style and lets you play God with cards. You have a small community on an island. The cards you play in the game will affect what happens on that island and the development of the community into a bustling civilization.
The game is all about experimenting and playing around with different options to see what you get. At the end of the game, there will be an apocalypse in which your city may or may not survive. It is a short and fun game with more than ten biomes, 20 cards and more.
