Is Oxygen Not Included hard?

By George In The Meta · 25 Oct 2026

Short answer: Oxygen Not Included can be very hard, but only until a point. After that it feels like you just can't fail. It's easier to get into than RimWorld, but it doesn't have RimWorld's depth.

What killed my first Oxygen Not Included colony?

My first colony died because they were pissing everywhere. It just got worse and worse, and their morale got worse with it.

Does Oxygen Not Included get easier?

Yes, Oxygen Not Included gets easier, and that's the problem I found with it. It's hard until a point, and then it feels like you just can't fail. Your guys are alive, and they're probably not going to die anytime soon. You're not really progressing very quickly, but there's nothing making you fail quickly either.

Is Oxygen Not Included harder than RimWorld?

No, it's not RimWorld levels of hard. There are very few points in RimWorld where you can sit back, let your colony run and nothing will happen, and you won't lose. You do need to be doing stuff.

I've got 1,208 hours in RimWorld and only 16 in Oxygen Not Included, which surprised me. I could have sworn I'd played more than that. Why did I stop? I play RimWorld, and Oxygen Not Included is another RimWorld-type game. If it has to compete with RimWorld for someone with a thousand hours in it, it's going to find it hard to keep them, because RimWorld has a depth that Oxygen Not Included doesn't.

Who is Oxygen Not Included for?

I do prefer Oxygen Not Included's look, and I prefer how easy it is to get into. So it's for someone who wants a colony game that's easier to get into than RimWorld. If you've already got a thousand hours in RimWorld, it'll struggle to keep you.