https://github.com/Revolutionary-Games/Thrive
This entertaining game aims to be a scientifically accurate evolution game, starting off as a single-celled organism and growing into more complex organelles, competing against other organisms in the environment.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1779200/Thrive/
It is still in active development and later stages aren’t fully fleshed out yet but the early stages can still provide a few hours of fun.
People mention Spore because the official FAQ mentions Spore.
People also mention Spore because this is exactly what the devs are envisioning. To quote the FAQ:
After watching open source game scene for decades, I’m quite sure Thrive will end up being a good game in “puddle” level, but it will never be more than that.
You’re correct. Thrive has been where it is now for like a decade.
I totally agree with you. I was just clearing up why people bring up Spore beyond just the first stage being similar.