Colony 37

About

Colony 37 is a single player survival simulation game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Valen and was released on September 23, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Dig deep down the abandoned planet to find it's secrets and earn cash by collecting resources. Spend your money on buying various trinkets and instruments that will help you along the way to earn even more profit.

Skip User Reviews

98%Audience ScoreBased on 124 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Deep and addictive mining gameplay with satisfying progression and a variety of tools, equipment, and upgrades that allow for meaningful player customization and playstyles.
Strong atmosphere and immersive underground exploration enhanced by effective lighting, sound design, unique biomes, and a subtle, intriguing storyline.
Excellent value for the price with a responsive developer who actively updates the game, fixes bugs quickly, and listens to community feedback.

Early Access state results in some incomplete features, rough edges, technical issues, and occasional bugs affecting gameplay and quality of life.
Controls and interface can feel clunky or awkward at times, with limited tutorials and accessibility options, making the learning curve steeper for new players.
Some gameplay elements can become repetitive over long sessions, and certain mechanics like combat and environmental hazards may feel too punishing or underdeveloped.

gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
56%
9%
The gameplay centers on a satisfying resource-gathering and survival loop enriched by progression through upgrades, exploration of diverse biomes, and managing oxygen mechanics that create early tension. While controls can feel awkward and the structure somewhat repetitive over time, the balance of survival challenges and rewarding advancement keeps the experience engaging and immersive. Despite some technical roughness, the core gameplay is praised for its depth, compelling progression, and unique atmosphere.
- “Although its presentation initially appears simple and minimalist, the game quickly reveals an addictive gameplay loop centered on gathering resources, upgrading equipment, and surviving increasingly hostile conditions beneath an abandoned colony world.”
- “What makes the experience engaging is how effectively it combines survival mechanics with rewarding long-term progression, creating a constant desire to push further into the unknown despite the growing dangers waiting underground.”
- “The core gameplay revolves around mining valuable resources from procedurally generated cave systems while managing environmental threats and limited supplies.”
- “Gameplay was a bit frustrating at first with such little oxygen and poor visibility, and I feared load after load of low-yield ore was going to prove endless grinding.”
- “Certain controls and movement mechanics can also feel awkward at times, and some technical issues may interrupt the otherwise immersive gameplay loop.”
- “The gameplay structure can also become repetitive during extended sessions.”
story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
66%
10%
The story is subtle and atmospheric, focusing more on environmental mystery and world-building than direct narration, which many players find intriguing and well-integrated with gameplay. While the current story content and quests are limited due to early access status, the existing plot and thematic setting receive praise for adding depth and motivation to the mining and exploration mechanics. Some players note the slow progression and repetitive mission loop but appreciate the promising foundation and ongoing development potential.
- “All in all, the game proves that 90s era graphics don't matter so much when the gameplay and story are addictive and compelling.”
- “The UI elements are charming, build making/balancing with the clashing up and down stat increases/decreases of equipment is very unique, and the little bits of dialogue/world building you get when entering a deeper underground layer are intriguing due to how this game treats its subtle yet dark story/setting.”
- “My one complaint is, of course, since it's so early in development, progression seems very slow considering not many quests right now.”
- “The game's story remains relatively subtle, focusing more on environmental mystery than direct narrative storytelling.”
- “While new biomes and progression systems help maintain interest, players seeking highly varied mission design or heavy narrative focus may eventually notice the repetitive nature of the loop after many hours.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The graphics feature a distinctive retro, 90s/PS2-era art style with a grungy, cozy atmosphere that complements the game's horror and mining themes well. While not graphically advanced and sometimes criticized for pop-in and visual bugs, the procedural environments and creative biome designs help maintain immersion and charm. Overall, the art style effectively supports the game's unique character and storytelling despite some technical limitations.
- “The art style fits the game perfectly and when combined with the creative changes to the biomes does a great job of making the game feel like a horror game at times.”
- “The art style and content already stand out and give it real character.”
- “Playing on 'high' graphic settings, but the game actually looks worse than the Steam pictures.”
- “The controls are very floaty, the visuals are pretty terrible, especially with the pop-in and every time I open a door in the mine, a different location is inside.”
- “The environments may not be graphically advanced, but the procedural cave systems and environmental effects create enough variation to maintain immersion.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
56%
The atmosphere in Colony 37 is highly praised for its effective use of lighting, sound design, and subtle storytelling, creating a tense yet cozy underground sci-fi environment. Its simple art style combined with immersive audio and ambient details fosters a compelling and relaxing exploration experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere significantly enhances its mining and survival gameplay, making it both charming and engaging.
- “The atmosphere underground and through the facility is truly amazing!”
- “Visually, Colony 37 uses a relatively simple block-based style, but it makes excellent use of lighting and atmosphere to create tension underground.”
- “Sound design also plays a surprisingly important role in building atmosphere.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Grinding in the game is balanced, feeling time-consuming but not overly tedious, rewarding careful preparation and exploration. While resource gathering can feel slow initially due to limited oxygen and visibility, the game avoids excessive micromanagement. However, some players find waiting during certain processes, like elevator rides or equipment credit generation, somewhat tedious.
- “The game is dirt cheap price-wise and great. It was somehow grindy but not grindy if you get what I mean; it took time unless you really tried, then it was a "wow I have this already" kind of thing, which was nice. They really have done a good job; it was fun and time just flew by.”
- “Get the plastic shovel ASAP; it helps a lot. Make sure you have a good way out. Don't fear if you don't because you can always go get your body back. You don't lose tools or gear, just the ores.”
- “The game ran perfectly even with everything cranked, no bugs, glitches, or crashes in 2 hours of play. It throws you in there, trying to direct you along, but you can get distracted going around talking to everyone and breaking boxes when you get the pickaxe.”
- “Gameplay was a bit frustrating at first with such little oxygen and poor visibility, and I feared load after load of low-yield ore was going to prove endless grinding.”
- “The game does not run in the background/not a true windowed game, making waiting for elevators, processors, or specific equipment's credit generation incredibly tedious.”
- “Stuff was somehow grindy but not grindy if you get what I mean; it took time unless you really tried, then it was a 'wow, I have this already' kind of thing.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game runs smoothly and performs well on Legion Go Extreme at level 2 performance, with only minor issues reported. Overall, users are satisfied with its stability and optimization.
- “Played 15 hours on Legion Go Extreme running Bazzite mostly at level 2 performance.”
- “Very smooth performance-wise.”
- “I've encountered a few minor issues but so far I'm pretty happy with the performance and stability.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game runs smoothly without bugs, glitches, or crashes, delivering a stable and polished experience even with maximum settings. Players appreciate its reliability and solid performance, making gameplay enjoyable and uninterrupted.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor aspect is noted for its unexpected and amusing glitches, such as falling out of the map yet still progressing in the game, providing a lighthearted and entertaining experience for players.
- “Near the final structure at the bottom there was nothing but open space to the left side of the door, so I fell out of the map which was kind of funny because if I look at the PC in my room now it says I reached the core and progressed to over 16,000 meters.”
- “Very funny.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game emotionally fulfilling and express surprise at the depth and completeness it offers for such an affordable price, highlighting the developers' genuine and wholesome approach.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is minimal and unobtrusive, focusing instead on ambient sounds like tool noises and environmental effects, enhancing immersion without overwhelming the player.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel the monetization leans into the FOMO-driven digging game trend but stands out by offering more genuine value and soul compared to typical cash grabs.