Why the two names are searched together
Both games arrived on the same day, so they appeared next to each other on Steam's new-release shelves and in launch-week coverage. Each features a colony of a sort: penguins on the ice in one, tiny settlers on a whale in the other. There is no shared developer, publisher, bundle or story connection.
Penguin Colony comes from ORIGAME DIGITAL and Fellow Traveller. Beyond These Stars comes from Balancing Monkey Games and is published by Hooded Horse. Confusing them on a store page is easy, so check the developer name before you buy.
What Beyond These Stars is
Beyond These Stars is a city builder in which you guide tiny people as they settle on Kewa, a lonely space whale. You manage supply chains and your citizens' needs, build outposts and meet aliens as the journey continues. Its Steam tags emphasise colony simulation, resource management and replay value.
The studio decided to skip early access and launch straight into version 1.0. At our check it cost $29.99 with a 20% introductory discount until October 30. Steam users rated it Mostly Positive, with 77% of 48 reviews recommending it.
What Penguin Colony is
Penguin Colony is a narrative cosmic horror adventure based on At the Mountains of Madness. You waddle, slide and swim across 1939 Antarctica and switch between penguin species to reach new routes. Human expeditions arrive searching for an ancient being, and you watch the consequences unfold.
It cost $14.99 with a 10% launch discount at our check and held a Positive Steam rating. Metacritic listed a 76 Metascore. Reviewers estimate around three hours for a run, with secrets encouraging replays.
Side-by-side differences
The biggest difference is pacing. Beyond These Stars is an open-ended management game designed for long sessions and repeated runs, while Penguin Colony is a short, authored story with a clear end. One asks you to plan systems; the other asks you to explore and interpret.
Tone differs too. Beyond These Stars presents a whimsical science-fiction premise, whereas Penguin Colony carries content warnings for blood, gore, violent deaths, self-harm and suicide. Both are single-player Windows games on Steam.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Beyond These Stars if you enjoy city builders and want dozens of hours of optimisation. Pick Penguin Colony if you prefer a compact narrative experiment, Lovecraft references or unusual animal protagonists. If both appeal, the shorter Penguin Colony is easy to finish before settling into a longer build.
Penguin Colony also offers a free demo, which is the quickest way to test its movement. Our review roundup and how-long-to-beat page give more context. Prices and review scores here are a launch-week snapshot.