Factorio like building game Shapez 2 lands to stellar Steam reception

Although factory games are a somewhat niche genre, Shapez 2 simply isn’t interested in being limited by classification alone. The new strategy game from tobspr Games is captivating players with its out-of-the-box style, opting for more abstract ways of creation. Despite launching just a few days ago, Shapez 2 is already quickly climbing the Steam charts.

At first glance, it’s pretty clear why Shapez 2 would rapidly climb the Steam charts. The Factorio-adjacent building game removes some of the typical limitations you’d find in other factory games.

Shapez 2 strips out the typically required resource element, as there is no cost to building. It replaces that challenge with creating the correct shapes in the proper colors and setting them on a path precisely where they need to go. Tobspr Games’ latest release is as much a puzzle-solving game as anything and encourages flexing those creativity muscles.

Despite its initial complexity, especially for newcomers to the genre, Shapez 2 maintains a zen-like atmosphere with a smooth soundtrack and the satisfaction of seeing a well-optimized production line run its course.

Clearly, fans of the building games genre were buzzing about this, as it already has over 18,000 concurrent players on Steam, according to stat tracking site SteamDB. Shapez 2’s all-time peak sits at 18,806 as of writing this, comfortably placing it within the top 100 games concurrently played on Steam.

Even more underlying stats show how beloved Shapez 2 is rapidly becoming. The management game has over 2,300 reviews on Steam, with 98% being positive, a number not often seen on the digital platform.

Despite it being early days, it does seem like a new juggernaut sandbox game is on the horizon, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

While we’re on the topic, why not look at our guide to the best management games you can play and our top recommendations for the best sandbox games in 2024.

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