Gamers have since been captivated by the expansive landscapes, rewarding building mechanics, and thrilling survival gameplay. While one can theoretically pour hundreds of hours into this massive digital playground of blocks, there will inevitably be those seeking similar content. What are some of the best games like Minecraft?
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Updated December 31, 2022 by Stephen LaGioia: Despite passing a decade in age, Mojang’s Minecraft continues to entice gamers (and non-gamers for that matter), with its onslaught of rewarding gameplay and a virtually boundless sense of freedom. A steady stream of updates have helped keep this blocky engine running, culminating with the robust and colorful added content, Caves And Cliffs.
But even now, with the game more expansive than ever, many still find themselves wishing to branch out further, and explore games that capture that Minecraft essence, but with their own distinct twists. And there are certainly many to choose from these days… So we decided to refresh and build upon this list.
15 Astroneer
While it’s not quite Minecraft in space as some might have gathered, this delightful indie brings a celestial twist to some of that game’s fundamentals. Astroneer features space-themed exploration, item crafting, assembly, and loads of survival gameplay to boot.
Set in the 25th century, this one goes well beyond the bounds of earth, as players assume the role of an astronaut set to explore, gather materials, and settle interplanetary. While not crawling with enemies like Mojang’s game, Astroneer tests players’ mettle in different ways, namely through the hostile environment. Everything from deadly plants to suffocation and active geysers can harm this brave astronaut.
14 CubeWorld
This voxel-based game immediately drew comparisons to Minecraft following its late 2019 release. It’s received some criticism for its spotty quality, balancing issues, and style that’s highly similar to Notch’s game almost to a fault.
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Still, CubeWorld should satisfy many fans given its similarities; and it does at least stand out with a slightly bigger RPG focus. Designer Wolfram von Funck cites games like The Legend of Zelda, Secret of Mana, and World of Warcraft as inspiration, and it certainly comes through. While it’s on the crude side, there is definitely potential to build on this blocky foundation via updates and patches.
13 Ark: Survival Evolved
Those into the more dangerous elements of Minecraft — ie roaming through the wilderness with few weapons and resources — should enjoy this far-flashier game. Dinosauric in scale and motifs, Studio Wildcard’s Ark provides a sense of wonder and heart-pounding thrills that’s rarely matched. Players will be on the edge of their seats fending off reptilians as well as other humans, often with simple, cobbled-together weapons.
Players can choose to venture through the hostile, prehistoric wilderness solo, or team up with others (even form large tribes online). Each mode has its own dynamic — but both prove fun and exciting in their own way. Ark players have to deal with a fairly steep learning curve and ample grinding, though Minecraft fans are no stranger to either. And really, the vulnerabilities early on just make Ark that much more rewarding when overcoming them.
12 Minecraft Dungeons
Given the source material, the inclusion of this spin-off might be a no-brainer, yet Minecraft Dungeons actually resembles isometric crawlers like Diablo and Gauntlet far more than its open-world cousin. At the same time, fans should appreciate the ample Minecraft references and charming blocky visuals, not to mention loads of combat and item gathering.
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While fairly simplistic and crude mechanically, this romp does just enough to get players hooked. The core game is somewhat short at five or six hours, but Minecraft Dungeons keeps players coming back with a cool magic system, rewarding progression, and vast dungeons crawling with foes. It doesn’t hurt that the sprawling DLC packs and tough Apocalypse mode add even more to the mix.
11 My Time At Portia
Pathea Games’ My Time At Portia is a cute take on Minecraft and The Sims, with some RPG elements tossed in for good measure. One wouldn’t know it from the whimsical themes, but the game takes place following the collapse of civilization, from which point, emerging from the (literal) underground, players must rebuild.
The goals are to collect resources to craft items, allowing advancement through better tools which give way to more goodies and town expansion. At the same time, players can gain wealth and town favor, as well as take on various dungeon foes.
10 Raft
As the name implies, this game takes place in a single, vulnerable location, which remains adrift in the hostile seas. Sweedish studio Redbeet Interactive takes the “craft desperately to survive” premise of Minecraft and whittles it down to a small and secluded — but exciting — raft setting for much of its gameplay.
Many of the thrills don’t necessarily involve this wooden lifeline itself, but rather, the action surrounding it. Players will scramble to build upon and reinforce their raft, all while hooking objects or diving in the water to get precious resources and stay alive—along with fending hungry sharks and other creatures.
9 Craft The World
Fans surely know of those particularly tense moments in Minecraft that involve scrambling to build a makeshift fortress in order to live out the hostile night. Well, they can look at Craft The World as a more fleshed-out, two-dimensional version of that experience, with some fun tower defense elements.
This colorful romp by Dekovir is described as a blend of Dungeon Keeper, Terraria, and Dwarf Fortress, yet there’s a prominent feel of Notch’s game, given the versatility in the building and survival features. Craft the World offers tons of rewarding gameplay as players command a band of dwarves to craft, build, and fend off the things that go bump in the night.
8 Eco
The rampant success of Minecraft has inevitably brought a slew of imitators, or at least efforts that resemble it. For the sake of avoiding repetition, this piece won’t be highlighting most of these more direct 3D clones. Yet, it would seem a disservice to not give a shoutout to 2018’s Eco.
This sophisticated social game brings a collaborative premise, and a slew of activities to take part in within the vast digital wilderness. Eco is akin to a more passive version of Minecraft mixed with The Sims, as player will interact with one-another, managing their character, and generally just go about their day. The end game is to evolve one’s society to prepare companions (and oneself) to weather an incoming meteor strike.
7 Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley’s gameplay flourishes in its dynamic, open-ended traits, along with its emphasis on social gameplay that encourages collaboration. However, this one veers from 3D realism and embraces the nostalgic bliss of 2D sprites and vibrant visuals.
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Like Minecraft, this one started out with fairly humble origins on PC, before blowing up in popularity and finding its way onto almost every major platform of the last several years. Stardew Valley melds Harvest Moon-style farm management with crafting, quests, combat, and other more traditional RPG features. The result is a super addictive 80+ hour romp, which can be enjoyed solo or with a friend.
6 Lego Worlds
It might make sense to give a shot to a Lego-themed title, given Minecraft’s Lego-like formations, as well as mechanics of assembling blocks. But really, the similarities extend beyond the visuals and environment manipulation. The large scope and flexibility in the gameplay make it easy to enjoy as players can take part in tons of activities — whether a fan of these colorful toys or not.
The game emphasizes the building side of Minecraft, though players can also engage in satisfying demolition, management, and thrilling dungeon crawling.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Those who fancy the exploration, item gathering, and combat of Minecraft should find much to love about Nintendo’s epic Zelda for Switch. This 2017 title drew from the open-world RPG traits of games like Skyrim while adding unique touches, detailed physics, and majestic Zelda flair.
The game contains a true sense of freedom and wonder as Link journey across the lands of a ruined Hyrule. While building is absent, Breath of the Wildoffers an array of diverse actions to engage in like item crafting, along with versatile mechanics and much exciting combat. The more threatening conditions during the night — and the Blood Moon in particular — is also akin to Minecraft’s day-night cycle.
4 Starbound
This odyssey by Chucklefish shines as one of the most ambitious 2D romps ever with its depth and free-roaming gameplay. The game rolls with a similar system of randomly generated worlds with unique biomes that serve as a blank slate from which to build upon, and which are crawling with critters to fight.
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Starbound feels like a virtual Star Trek quest as much as a Minecraft-like journey, as players have a central ship hub used to fly to unique lavish worlds. In Mojang fashion, the game is vast with its array of weaponry, items, and cool settings. Yet, it also takes a more streamlined approach than Terraria or Minecraft with endearing storylines and quests.
3 Fortnite
Like Mojang’s project, Fortnite by Epic Games helped pioneer a new style of games with its free-to-play model and battle royale premise in a sandbox setting. The game emphasizes building on the fly, evasion, and swiftly shooting foes with a range of weapons.
Despite these distinct traits, the open-ended mechanics of crafting coupled with thrilling combat will likely scratch the itch of Minecraft fans. The constant struggle to survive is a key theme in Notch’s project, and it’s one that Fortnite similarly leans on in its own gripping way.
2 Dragon Quest Builders 2
In 2016, Square Enix managed to put a creative spin on both Minecraft and their established JRPG, Dragon Quest, with this PC and console game. They did this by melding qualities from both titles while bringing sim management elements and a cute aesthetic charm. With the follow-up in 2019, they took this a step further by adding more content, larger areas, and appealing new multiplayer features.
This time, up to four players could partake in quests, combat, and building in this colorful fantasy world; locally or online. As a neat bonus, a first-person perspective was also added for a greater sense of immersion, and underwater journeying was enabled, adding to the diverse settings.
1 Terraria
While it may not quite look the part, Terraria’s about as close to a Minecraft experience as one can get in a 2D space. The game similarly uses a deceptively simple retro vibe for its visuals. Yet, beneath the basic surface lies an insanely robust and addictive adventure; one that elevates the “Metroidvania” style to the next level.
Like Minecraft, there’s an array of tasks to partake in, lands to explore and plunder, and enemies to defeat. Players can mine their way into the depths of the ominous Underworld and slay bosses, travel generated worlds and nab goodies, or build a large, thriving home base. Despite being a 2011 release, Terraria still feels as wondrous as ever, especially with its recent updates—and more on the horizon.
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