At the turn of the decade, a little game called Minecraft proved to be a revelation in videogames – inspiring a whole generation of players and developers in the process. Markus ‘Notch’ Persson created a blocky, sandbox world that essentially let us create anything we like and share it with our friends. It’s a cultural phenomenon that sold millions of copies before Mojang, the small studio behind it, was bought out by Microsoft in 2014.
There’s been a plethora of Minecraft clones over the years, but none really delivered the whole package like Minecraft does. On top of the vanilla experience, players have created Minecraft mods and Minecraft server plugins that expand its creative possibilities even further, from changing the Ender Dragon to letting you play as Thomas The Tank Engine, and even redesigning the entire game with modpacks like Feed The Beast.
Sometimes, though, you may only want part of the Minecraft experience, augmented with other flavours and moods. That’s where the best games like Minecraft come in. We’ve got nine games here that are similar to Minecraft in some fashion, be it the creative aspect, mining, exploration, or something else. Enjoy!
This Game Is Like Minecraft With Guns
The Forest
The Forest ( credits: GameSpot)
While The Forest does not feature zombies, it does have a ton of cannibals and mutants who want to kill you. So, that’s close enough.
The Forest ends up creating a much more sinister version of Minecraft. When a man’s plane crashes on an island and his son gets kidnapped by cannibals, he must do everything in his power to survive and find his son.
The game’s crafting interface is interesting and fun to master. It also allows the player to make impressive builds to keep out those cannibals.
Ark: Survival Evolved
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
While “Minecraft with dinosaurs” is probably a little too reductive of a description, it certainly gives you an idea of what to expect from Ark: Survival Evolved. You gain consciousness on the beaches of a mysterious island chock full of Jurassic beasts, but it’s not long before your skills in crafting and combat come in handy in the quest to become king of the jungle. Ark is a game obsessed with Darwinism and the hierarchy of nature. Start as naked prey, become an apex predator. The game slowly becomes less of a survival experience and more of a power fantasy, emulating the concept of evolution in a way that few other titles have.
Platforms: PC
Cube World has its roots in crafting and character progression, and takes place in randomly generated worlds full of blocks as far as the eye can see. There’s a strong focus on cosmetic customization, with characters able to modify their armor and other wearables for the sake of fabulous self expression. But Cube World cribs from games like The Legend of Zelda too. Inspired by such exploration-heavy games, Cube World gives players an arsenal of skills to better help them trudge through the endless world. Choosing a class and specialization for combat turns the game from a simple exploration simulator into a meaty RPG adventure, packed with missions, bosses, and creepy caves to explore.
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Trove is a voxel game, so its resemblances to Minecraft are immediately apparent, at least from a visual point of view. Trion World’s action-oriented MMO features mines and caverns crawling with enemies and the promise of untold rewards, letting players team up with friends to progress their character and conquer Trove’s sizeable to-do list. However, Trove is more concerned with being an MMO than a Minecraft clone, with its extensive range of classes designed to facilitate and encourage variation in playstyle. Its employment of loot, bosses and dungeons again draws from the well of RPG tropes to deviate from the conventions of its aesthetic inspiration.
Platforms: PC
The tagline for Starbound is a pretty good summation of what to expect: “survive, discover, explore, and fight.” Beyond that, an infinite universe means there are loads of possibilities in its generous heaps of 2D co-op gameplay, not least when it comes to shaping the world and discovering new locations to set up shop. Exploring the game with friends – whether its just to farm, try your hand at space exploration, or create weaponry for quests – is designed to be enjoyable in itself, rather than just a means to an end. And while it is an open-ended experience, the addition of quests and NPCs imbues the game with contextual purpose, unlike the narrative-free adventuring of Minecraft.
Platforms: PC
At first glance, Colony Survival is another game which could easily be mistaken for Minecraft (albeit Minecraft with some very nice shaders), but it’s actually a very different beast. An unusual blend of tower defence and survival strategy, you’re tasked with building a colony from scratch (or assigning your various colonists to build it for you) and defending it against the hordes of monsters that attack your settlement each night. The colonists are the core of the gameplay, able to be assigned by you to different roles including guards, farmers and miners, and generally being a lot more clever than your average mumbling Minecraft villager.
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
At its core, Minecraft is all about unleashing creativity and problem-solving. You need a bed, so you gather the materials, arrange them as needed, and construct a bed. Kerbal Space Program is much the same way. No, youre not out in the wilderness building massive replicas of famous locales, but youre using critical thinking skills to help cute cartoon critters survive the harsh reality of space travel. And, like Minecraft, Kerbal Space Program has been used by teachers in schools as an educational tool. See, games can be fun and educational!
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
The Creeper will always remain the king when it comes to survival crafting scares, but Don’t Starve (opens in new tab)’s consortium of creatures come pretty close to dethroning that Minecraft icon. The similarities also extends to Don’t Starve’s emphasis on staying alive through the crafting of tools and shelter, despite your incredibly limited resources. However, the game stands apart thanks to its wonderfully gothic aesthetic, which looks like a childrens book fused with H.P. Lovecraft. And, as the title implies, Klei Entertainment’s roguelike uses hunger as merely the first challenge for players to race against in a tough-as-nails survival experience. Staying nourished has never been so intense, and fire has never been a greater friend.
The best games like Minecraft are:
Trove contains all the cubey characters and building mechanics you’ve grown used to but throws in some of the structure from free MMOs to vary and guide your playing experience. Players have heaps of classes to pick from – like a Neon Ninja or a Dino Tamer – and can select from three different crafting specialities. All these variations have their quirks, strengths, and weaknesses, which makes for more effective team building.
Here’s one we made earlier: The best crafting games on PC
There are also different levels for you to craft through, and they each vary in difficulty and reward. Don’t worry, though, at the centre of this game and its variations is the same spirit of craftsmanship and creativity.
The pitch behind Roblox will immediately sound familiar if you’ve spent any time with games like Minecraft. David Baszucki’s build ‘em up game-creation platform contains all the map manipulation you’ve grown used to. However, there are also more options in place so you can shape the games people play on your map, which means you can craft anything from a simulation to a racing game. That’s what makes it one of the best building games you can play.
Related: The best free Minecraft games on PC
You’ll quickly notice though that the aesthetic is slightly different. While everything in Minecraft is block themed, Roblox looks more like Lego brought to life. There’s also a bit of economy to Roblox, as players can buy, sell, and create virtual items. You can even buy clothes, too, though you’ll need a Builders Club membership to sell them.
After a controversial launch on PC and PS4 in 2015, the small team behind No Man’s Sky has put a great deal of effort into delivering the dream game many hoped it would be originally. It’s closer than ever now due to a series of expansions that have added base building, survival mode, and 30 hours of story. The most significant addition, however, is online multiplayer – which for many people finally makes No Man’s Sky the game they always wanted it to be.
Limitless adventure: The best open world games
So what is No Man’s Sky? Looking at the larger picture it’s about exploration. You go on a personal journey through multitudes of galaxies and planets as you make your way to the centre of the universe. But that end goal of eventually reaching the centre is merely the driving force for you to experience just how much of the game there is. You can meet other intelligent species, bump into hostile robots, document docile creatures, and get into space wars.
If you were put off by the reception No Man’s Sky initially received, but still harbour some fondness for that original vision, then you should give it a second chance. The game’s 2.0 update, Beyond, added far more content to the multiplayer experience and massively improved elements such as base building and missions, to great success. It’s changed significantly and could even be considered a successor to Minecraft: you can build a home, farm and harvest crops, and turn your excavation of natural resources into factories.
Currently on Steam Early Access, Deep Rock Galactic takes the core concept of mining for ores and valuables and has created an entire game around it, while upping the sense of peril. Of course, mining is a huge part of Minecraft, but if you’re playing vanilla, there’s little more to it than digging a series of tunnels in hopes of striking gold… well, diamond.
Deep Rock Galactic expands on that greatly. It lets you choose your preferred class, team up with three friends, and then delve into the “most hostile cave systems in the galaxy.” More than a mining simulator, it’s a first-person shooter in which each cave you venture into is procedurally generated. So, just like in Minecraft, you’ll experience something new every time you play.
You can drill straight down to your objective or choose to create branching paths, exploring as much of the underground as possible. What may sway your decisions are the hostile creatures that will stand in your way. You’ve got a vast arsenal of weapons to deal with these threats, but you’ll only be able to hold them off for so long before you’ll be forced to rush to the surface with as many of your treasures as you can carry.
Farming in Minecraft is one of the most relaxing activities… until a creeper comes along and blows up a large chunk of your land, that is. If you often find yourself tending to your crops instead of building and mining then Stardew Valley will be right up your stree… err, planting row.
It starts out as you inherit your grandfather’s old farm, which gives your character a reason to leave the city behind, and try to make it on their own in the countryside. Outside of your customisable house you’re given a vast plot of land to work with, which you can clear and develop as you wish, making space for a multitude of crops and animals. Venturing outside of your farm introduces you to the village where you can meet villagers, go shopping, fishing, and even mining. Getting to know the locals builds up relationships and, eventually, you’ll be able to marry the love of your life.
The other way to stave off any loneliness as you earn money by selling crops and livestock is to make the most of Stardew Valley’s multiplayer. It’s certainly handy to have a few more, erm, hands as you venture into the mines and face hostile monsters. Besides that, Stardew Valley is one of the most relaxing games on PC, and an experience that’ll help make the days fly by.
A list like this couldn’t exist without including Terraria, could it? It’s been famously referred to as ‘2D Minecraft’ for as long as the sun has been burning. The fact of the matter, however, is that it’s got a lot more going for it than that.
The concept is ultimately the same, as you create your own objectives: build an impressive mansion or base of operations, explore the far reaches of the land, or delve deep into the underground hunting for riches. As you explore further and learn more about Terraria you’ll quickly discover there’s a lot more at play.
Related: Here are the best survival games on PC
By completing specific goals, you can unlock NPCs that’ll stay and work in your base, such as a nurse or a wizard. They each have varying benefits and are necessary if you’re to defeat bosses, progress further into the Underworld, and eventually unlock expert mode – more bosses, enemies, biomes, and items. While Terraria’s creative freedom isn’t as open as it is in Minecraft, it offers much more when it comes to combat, and you’ll sink a lot of time into it if you want to complete everything.
FAQ
Which game is most similar to Minecraft?
- Trove.
- Roblox.
- No Man’s Sky.
- Deep Rock Galactic.
- Stardew Valley.
- Terraria.
- Fortnite: Save the World.
- Starbound.
Is there a game like Minecraft but more realistic?
What is a game like Minecraft but free?