Automation video games, especially those with sci-fi settings, have totally blown up in popularity in recent years. Everybody knows about games with similar premises such as the space colony sim RimWorld, but titles like Dyson Sphere Program or the surprising Satisfactory have taken things into the realm of letting machines do the heavy lifting for humans. Now, Dawn Apart is venturing into this crowded space with a distinct angle.
Industrial Technology and Witchcraft, the developer behind the game, is open about the team’s intentions and the complex reality of game development: Dawn Apart will be in early access for roughly two years, evolving as it gets feedback from players. And so far, it’s off to a remarkable start with a ‘Very Positive’ rating on Steam. Based on my own experience with the current early access build of the game, I can see why.
While front-loaded when it comes to tutorials and figuring things out even before you can think about filling the scenery with conveyor belts, Dawn Apart isn’t heavy on the dreaded exposition which has no place in this genre. The pitch is simple: You work for a big company that’s expecting regular Lucrum ore shipments. On top of that resource, you’ll have to obtain other minerals and regular wood to both expand the facilities and complete secondary trade deals. This is all presented within the first hour of the game.
Though a bit stressful at first – at least until you’ve gotten used to the interface and the main orders you can directly issue – I’m inclined to say Dawn Apart is one of the more agile ‘automation sims’ (is this a thing?) I’ve played. As guaranteed by the very premise of the game, the colonists will take care of almost everything as long as you don’t mess up the priorities and schedules. Early on, you might want them chopping down trees and mining for the starting rocks and minerals. Soon, you’ll automate the extraction of most resources, so macro-managing accordingly should get them to work on the stuff cutting-edge machines can’t do. It’s more about making the right decisions when looking at the menus and stockpiles, and less about clicking on individual units and telling them to go pick up a bunch of copper.
One big criticism I have with the current onboarding (despite the many tutorials Dawn Apart throws at your face) is that learning which components you’re missing to build a thing that’s found in an entirely different submenu is a bit cumbersome and obtuse. We management and simulation enjoyers don’t mind doing reading and thinking through a long list of problems (it’s what the subgenre is all about), but clearer guidance and tips might be a good thing to look at as the game continues its development. Sure, I’ll end up memorizing what almost every major machine does through continued use, but the process can be disorienting during the early hours.
Regardless, getting things up and running is satisfactory, especially as more colonists join your capitalist efforts on a randomly generated world; you can type in a seed when creating them, as the Minecraft-inspired bits extend far beyond the pixelated look and voxel-based terrain. Yes, this also means you can destroy and exploit everything that surrounds your initial landing area.
The game (through the company) makes a point early on the most important thing in this far future is… automatization and optimization. Sounds eerily familiar? While its narrative side might be thin, Dawn Apart is tackling the matter of “Wait, aren’t these sim games keeping us inside the productivity spiral we’re trying to escape?” It’s been discussed to death in recent times, and it’s a discussion worth having, but I truly respect devs who embrace the irony of it all, both criticizing the loop and making it as enticing as possible.
This can eventually lead to… revolution. What happens when the needs of workers take priority over profits and keeping an enormous supply chain going? Can you, as the god-like and unseen manager, balance things out when conflict becomes inevitable? These are good questions the game resolves through pure, unfiltered gameplay. Like in every good automation title out there, systems, mechanics, and increasingly complex physical structures pile up until you forget about how things even started. Even after only a few hours, I can see its potential to both captivate and stress me the hell out. This is a good thing, I think?
Even in its greenish early access form, Dawn Apart is easy to recommend if you have any level of interest in colony sims with heavy automation elements. It nails the basics and gives players just enough reasons to put “only a few more minutes” into it. As the kind of person who’s actively avoided putting too many hours into these games because I fear what I might become, I can say, from a safe distance, this has, as the kids say, the juice. By the time it hits 1.0, we could be talking about a new classic of the genre.
Dawn Apart (early access) launched on Steam on July 14, 2025. It’s selling for $19,99, with a 10% off introductory offer taking it down to $17,99. This price might change over the course of development.
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