There isn’t a gamer alive that hasn’t heard of Minecraft. As the best-selling video game of all time, Minecraft continues to capture the imaginations of millions of people, young and old, every day.
There’s no other game where you can spend one afternoon recreating Hogwarts School, and another building your own mining colony in the bowels of a mountain.
Also Read: 26 Cool Minecraft Builds You Have to See
You could play Minecraft forever. But, if you did, you’d be missing out on a ton of awesome games like Minecraft. From JRPGs to 2D adventure games, there’s loads of games out there that feel different but share Minecraft’s DNA.
If you love Minecraft but are looking for new games to try, here’s 10 games you should start with.
Roblox
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Mobile, Xbox One
Behind Minecraft, Roblox is one of the most popular voxel games around today, and the aesthetic is instantly recognisable to gamers that have spent a lot of time with Minecraft. In reality, Roblox is more of a platform than a game, as the vast majority of content is user-generated, similar to Garry’s Mod.
This means that there’s a near endless amount of content to discover, and as users create new content with the Roblox engine, you’ll always have something new to check out. Thankfully, the user-generated content is pretty well curated, so it won’t be like searching for a needle in a haystack as you look for new content.
Whether you want live out an alternative lifestyle in a life-sim, solve murder mysteries, or raise your own animals, you can easily sink 1000s of hours or more into Roblox.
Terraria
Platforms: All of them, literally.
Essentially a 2D Minecraft, Terraria takes everything great about its 3D counterpart and repackages it into a two-dimensional setting. Saying that, Terraria is by no means a rip-off or clone, and does more than enough to carve out a unique offering with fantastic exploration, RPG progression, and a deep crafting system.
Also Read: 8 Games Like Terraria that You’ll Love
In fact, Terraria leans far more heavily into the exploring and fighting side of things than Minecraft ever did. As you delve into the subterranean depths, you’ll find plenty worth discovering, from dozens of bosses with unique mechanics, hidden chests with unique loot, and loads of cool, unique stuff that we’d never want to spoil here.
Trove
Platforms: Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Trove is a voxel RPG that is focused on exploring new worlds, fighting new enemies, and acquiring better loot. It has quite a few similarities to Minecraft, both aesthetically and how you interact with the world, but Trove is more about growing your character’s power than crafting the most impressive base.
You’ll pick one of 18 starting classes that all have their own abilities and unique playstyles, and then head to ‘The Hub’, an area where you can meet other players and access portals to different worlds. As you level up and get better loot, you’ll unlock new portals and new adventures.
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a voxel game like Minecraft, except it’s got a pretty damn good JRPG story thrown into the mix. Somehow, the team behind Dragon Quest Builders 2 have managed to create a story-driven game that still manages to evoke a similar level of freedom as Minecraft does.
As you progress through the story, you’ll unlock heaps and heaps of craftable items and room blueprints. Building rooms to the specifications of a blueprint means that the people living in your town can utilise the space for a specific purpose, creating a similar but ultimately different feeling to Minecraft. There’s also RPG-lite and basic combat mechanics to break up the building and resource gathering.
No Man’s Sky
Platforms: Windows, Mac, PS4 / 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Like Minecraft, No Man’s Sky is a sandbox survival game where crafting takes the centre stage. However, while Minecraft’s feet are placed firmly in the fantasy setting, No Man’s Sky takes the player to space, and, thanks to some neat procedural generation, gives them a literal galaxy to explore.
The first few hours of No Man’s Sky see you repairing your ship and building a basic base, but what you do from there is completely up to you. Tame and ride alien fauna, explore the underwater depths in your submarine, customise and collect starships, uncover the secrets of the universe and, of course, build the best base possible.
Subnautica
Platforms: Windows, Mac, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
If No Man’s Sky is ‘Minecraft in Space’, then Subnautica is ‘Minecraft underwater’. In Subnautica, you crash land on an alien ocean planet alone and with very few supplies. It’s a survival game set almost entirely underwater, with the aim of the game being to use the resources at your disposal to go deeper and deeper below sea level. You’ll do this by scouring the depths for resources and blueprints, crafting underwater gadgets and vehicles, and creating sophisticated underwater bases.
Subnautica is a beautiful game to look at, with plenty of weird and wonderful underwater biomes that pop with detail. It’s also quite scary at times, as the deeper you go, the more dangerous – and otherworldly – the seas become.
Conan: Exiles
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Based on the popular mythos of Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard, Conan: Exiles is another survival sandbox, this time set in an incredibly harsh desert environment (with other biomes to explore in later DLCs). Just like Minecraft, there’s plenty to see, build, and collect, although there’s more of a combat focus in this title.
It’s a blood-thirsty world, where you’ll have to defend yourself against all the usual fauna you’d expect like crocodiles and hyenas, and also some fantastical creatures like dragons and the undead. You’ll also need to manage your hunger, thirst, and equipment to survive.
Kerbal Space Program
Platforms: Platforms: Windows, Mac, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
While Kerbal Space Program doesn’t give you a fantasy world to explore, it does give you the chance to harness your creativity and imagination. It’s all about building rockets, ships, rovers, and other vehicles to complete your own goals or goals set by the game. This might include reaching a certain altitude or getting into orbit.
The physics engine that powers Kerbal Space Program is widely considered to be one of the best in gaming, and has been praised by gamers and scientists alike for its real-world accuracy. It’s even been used by teachers as a learning material, both in schools and universities!
Lego: Worlds
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
There was always going to be a Lego game on this list, and Lego: Worlds probably has the most similarities to Minecraft. It’s effectively a level creator, where you’re able to build entire worlds out of lego. Every single thing you make is compiled using Lego, from towns to vehicles, jungles to islands, and whatever else pops into your imagination.
While the Sandbox Mode is what’ll likey draw most Minecraft players in, there’s also an Adventure Mode that follows similar footsteps to the more traditional Lego games. If you want a cheap way to build the Lego creation of your dreams, Lego: Worlds is the place to do it.
Eco
Platforms: Windows, Mac
Like Minecraft, Eco is a sandbox game about survival. However, day-to-day survival is not the focus here, as instead you’ll be researching and crafting new technologies to help destroy a meteor that is hurtling towards your planet.
Interestingly, Eco tries to make you scavenge and craft in a sustainable way. Build too many factories or cut down too many trees and air quality will suffer. Overfish the rivers or hunt too many animals and certain species may go extinct. It’s a balancing act, as if you go too hard too quickly, the planet will be ruined long before the meteor arrives.
Final thoughts
With the popularity of Minecraft, there’s no shortage of fantastic games out there that draw heavy inspiration from it. All the games we’ve shared today are a pathway to letting your imagination run wild, which, in our view, is what Minecraft is all about.
