39 Games Like Minecraft
Our collection of games like Minecraft lists free, PC, iOS, Android and online sandbox games to build and create your own epic adventure.
The gameplay of Minecraft is open ended, allowing players to explore a randomly generated world while also building a thriving settlement and combating the creatures of the night. Due to its popularity many developers are mixing Minecraft's core gameplay with other genres and features which has created an array of alternative game options. Minecraft is set in a block based 3D game world with core gameplay mechanics of building, resource collection, exploration, crafting, survival and combat which players can experience in different ways through the included game modes.
The games like Minecraft here will get your creative juices flowing as you create, build and adventure through random game worlds and fight for survival in the process. The Minecraft clones here all add their own spin on the creative sandbox genre that is always popular with gamers. The intention of this list is to include Minecraft alternatives that you can play now. Games that are in early stages of development are excluded until enough core features are finished and available to the public.
Terasology
Terasology offers a beautiful open source project which combines sandbox mechanics and voxel design to create a Minecraft inspired engine that is designed with modding and creation in mind to extend the game through additional modules and thus expand on the base experience. Best of all is Terasology offers itself to gamers and modders alike for free where they can enjoy, create and break the engine as they see fit. Terasology is accordingly ideal for the gamer or creator who wants a free to play...[Read Review]
Roblox
Roblox is a free to play online game with a focus on building and user generated content that has exploded since its original release in 2005 to become the home of user created gaming. With thousands of worlds created by other players to experience alone, alongside friends and strangers the game targets primarily a teenager demographic with popular game modes such as battle royale, first person shooters, puzzles, mini games, role playing, survival games and tycoon games. Given the nature of the ...[Read Review]
Kerbal Space Program
Kerbal Space Program has you leading your own space program in a realistic single player sandbox environment that offers a wealth of space themed challenges to overcome. Whether you are a fan of the sandbox genre or have a keen interest in space travel you’ll find an enjoyable adventure as you lead the space program of the humanoid like green aliens referred to as Kerbals. With realistic physics underpinning everything within Kerbal Space Program it’s highly likely the game will also...[Read Review]
Lego Worlds
Pushing the ever increasing number of Lego games into a more sandbox environment, Lego Worlds gives you the goal of becoming a Master Builder as you explore a range of Lego themed worlds. This time around your Lego themed adventure is bigger than ever though with a mostly open world that is also procedurally generated with elements of building resulting in a Minecraft like experience. Lego Worlds starts your Master Builder adventure after a less than stellar landing into Pirate Playground where ...[Read Review]
Haven and Hearth
Haven and Hearth is a free to play survival based MMORPG for Windows that challenges you to fight for survival in an unforgiving game world with permanent death if you fail in the deadly environment. Fighting off animals, hunger and even other players due to the integrated PvP mechanics Haven and Hearth should not be entered lightly. Currently under development by a small team Haven and Hearth is fundamentally free to play with the full suite of game content available to players without paying a...[Read Review]
Starbound
Starbound is a 2D side-scrolling game that weaves together creativity, adventure, exploration and action into a galactic adventure. Not limiting itself to a single world Starbound encourages players to explore multiple procedural generated planets where you’ll find varied resources, inhabitants and other challenges. While Starbound features a number of sandbox design features the core experience still provides significant structure for those that want an overarching purpose to their advent...[Read Review]
Rust
Rust is a multiplayer survival game that encourages players to explore, build and survive. With threats coming from other players and the environment you’ll start with nothing as you build up your chances of survival by acquiring resources and equipment. Originally for Windows and Mac Rust has since expanded to the console realm with a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release in 2021. While Rust began it’s development cycle following the likes of DayZ over the years it has morphed and evol...[Read Review]
Terraria
Terraria is a 2D sandbox and exploration based title that was developed by Re-Logic and combines a number of different game genres including adventure, role playing and platforming into a single large scale adventure. Following its initial 2011 release on Windows the game has expanded to all popular game platforms which has been combined with regular updates to expand your adventure beyond the initial concept. This constant development cycle and growth in available platforms has resulted in Terr...[Read Review]
Stranded 2
Stranded 2 is a free to play 3D game that challenges you to survive by yourself on an island as you explore and craft to improve your chances of survival. Building on the original Standard game by offering improved graphics, larger islands, additional items and higher levels of randomisation you’ll get plenty of more hours of Stranded gameplay with this sequel. Allowing players to play either through the story mode that gives you goals and objectives to achieve over four islands or the sandbox m...[Read Review]
Cubic Castles
Embark on your own free to play cube adventure in Cubic Castles, in a game world built by players one custom cube at a time. Designed with community in mind Cubic Castles allows players to make friends, gather resources, farm, trade, build, quest and compete in platforming challenges within the 3D MMO inspired world of Cubic Castles. Cubic Castles is a sandbox multiplayer game that puts you in complete control of your cube adventure as you create an account and claim your own piece of the cube g...[Read Review]
Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve is a single player survival game that has many unique features and a dark art direction that makes it a stand out open world survival experience. The game was released in April 2013 by Klei Entertainment with a standalone expansion pack released in 2016 under the name Don’t Starve Together which introduces multiplayer to the Don’t Starve universe. While this review here does not cover this expansion in particular the mechanics discussed below are all applicable to the ba...[Read Review]
Cube World
Cube World aims to stand out in the saturated voxel based sandbox game market by focusing in on the RPG features and a diverse roster of mechanics to be a well rounded adventure. Following a long development cycle (which started in 2011) the game was eventually released in 2019 on Steam allowing players to create their own procedurally generated fantasy world of voxels full of challenges and co-operative gameplay. Describing itself as a a voxel-based action RPG with a focus on exploration your f...[Read Review]
Kogama
Kogama offers a social based building experience for your browser or Android device that encourages the player community to create their own virtual worlds to house adventures, games, chat, story and everything in between. Similar to Roblox, Kogama is built on this design your own level principle which are then made accessible to others in the community to experience. While not as popular as it’s popular rival of Roblox, Kogama has maintained a consistently strong audience of players and c...[Read Review]
Survivalcraft
Survivalcraft is a highly popular mobile game that offers a similar experience to Minecraft and as a result it is often compared to the franchise. Offering many of the features of Minecraft: Pocket Edition along with some different mechanics at around half the price Survivalcraft has been able to capture a sub section of the sandbox survival genre on mobile. With over a dozen releases since the original release in 2011 Survivalcraft is a game in constant development ensuring players have a reaso...[Read Review]
Junk Jack
Junk Jack is a sandbox adventure title that has its roots in the mobile space where the first game was released in 2011 (now known as Junk Jack Retro). This 2013 version of Junk Jack serves as a sequel with a similar core gameplay loop while also expanding the series to computer and the Nintendo Switch. Offering a randomly generated game world for players to explore while you craft, build and hopefully survive in a pixelated game world. The core gameplay of Junk Jack focuses on exploration, with...[Read Review]
Wurm Online
Wurm Online is a sandbox style MMORPG that has a creative focus allowing you to create your own adventure in a medieval themed world. Players can play Wurm Online with a basic account for free but to remove some restrictions you will have to commit to a subscription based premium account. Following the initial 2012 release a stand alone paid version was launched in 2015 known as Wurm Unlimited gives players the toolkit they need to have their own single player adventure or host a multiplayer ser...[Read Review]
Block N Load
Block N Load blends sandbox with the class based shooter to create a strategic 5 on 5 FPS where you’ll get to remake the environment to meet your needs while also playing as a host of colourful characters. With the ability to reshape the game maps every single time you play Block N Load offers more map variety which is limited only by the creativity of players. Gameplay in Block N Load is split into two distinct game phases; the build phase and then the attack phase. During the first of th...[Read Review]
Block Story
Block Story adds role playing elements to the sandbox and combat gameplay loop popularised by Minecraft and other building based block games. Available on Windows (paid) and Android (free and paid) Block Story was one of the leading choices across these platforms on initial release surpassing many other games that had attempted to replicate the Minecraft formula at the time. Block Story is designed to give players complete control of the landscape before them with a freedom to build and battle a...[Read Review]
CastleMiner Z
CastleMiner Z is a sequel to the popular Xbox Live Indie Game of CastleMiner while also bringing the series to the computer environment via Steam. While the original CastleMiner was a creatively focused experience the sequel pushes the game into survival orientated gameplay instead aligning it with other games in the genre that offer a survival sandbox experience in a block based game world. This CastleMiner Z block based gameplay also features mechanics that are familiar to the genre with zombi...[Read Review]
Delver
Delver is a dungeon crawler with randomised levels and rogue like elements where you’ll explore dungeons as you hunt for loot to improve your chances of survival. Available for Windows, Mac and Linux Delver was in development from 2012 as an Android game (since discontinued) before a final 2018 release on the Steam platform. Delver is played in a first person perspective in a relative simple game environment that is reminiscent of the original Doom and other 90 first person shooter titles ...[Read Review]
Blockland
Blockland is a multiplayer focused experience that offers a large number of custom developed game worlds created by the community to be explored and interacted with. With a clearly Lego inspired feel to the gameplay and steadily growing community of over 50,000 users you’ll find all sorts of Blockland creations suitab...[Read Review]
Krafteers: Battle For Survival (Tomb Defenders)
Krafteers: Battle For Survival (originally Krafteers: Tomb Defenders) attempts to blend several genres together into a single survival adventure. From collecting resources from the game world, to exploring the strange locations and crafting tools everything in Krafteers is designed with survival in mind. While the game starts out as a RPG like survival game (reminiscent of Minecraft) the end game is more akin to a real time strategy (RTS) title where gameplay is focused around your built fortres...[Read Review]
Minetest
Minetest (previously Minetest C55) is heavily inspired by the popular sandbox building game of Minecraft but instead offers a free price tag and larger game worlds alongside a deeper focus on making modding friendly to both creator and player. While Minetest lacks the significant bells and whistles that games such as Minecraft have developed over years of consistent development Minetest contains to grow (since 2010) in features and offers the majority of fundamentals either through the base game...[Read Review]
Portal Knights
Focusing on the adventure and survival elements as you explore a world separated by portals is Portal Knights a game that is available as both a single player and multiplayer adventure. Whether you fight alone or with friends you’ll select from one of the game classes, customise them for your preferred playstyle, craft items, fight boss monsters, destroy blocks and construct through a range of fantasy biomes. Portal Knights takes inspiration from the likes of Minecraft but implements a num...[Read Review]
Dragon Quest Builders
Progressing the Dragon Quest franchise by blending new sandbox mechanics into the core satisfying adventure you’ll find a unique journey ahead on your PlayStation or Nintendo console. With a familiar game world to explore, enemies to defeat and a town waiting to be restored Dragon Quest Builders has a number of familiar design tropes from other popular titles. Dragon Quest Builders takes players back to Alefgard which is the world of the original Dragon Quest video game where the player ac...[Read Review]
Crashlands
Crashing into the sandbox role playing genre Crashlands takes players on a crafting adventure where you’ll progress your available arsenal of weapons while you fight and even tame a diverse roster of alien beasts. Originally an exclusive title to PC and mobile the game was later ported to a number of console platforms allowing all gamers the opportunity to push through the survival story driven adventure. Crashlands opens with players hurtling through space on a delivery contract with thei...[Read Review]
Unturned
Focusing on zombie survival the free to play multiplayer game known as Unturned spent 3 years in Early Access before its final release on the Steam platform in July 2017. Since release the game has not only proved popular in its core gameplay but also the Arena mode which is similar to battle royale titles such as PUBG. In November 2020 the game was expanded to consoles with releases on PS4 and Xbox One as a paid experience. Regardless of the game mode players opt for the same basic premise rema...[Read Review]
Trove
Trove brings the blocky sandbox genre into the MMO arena with an expansive loot based title that mixes two leading game genres. In Trove players will select from several classes which will be your avatar for the adventure filled with making friends, exploring dungeons, enhancing your equipment and even building up your very own corner of the game universe. The pillar of this adventure is your selected class which each come with their own variant of a basic attack and a range of abilities (usuall...[Read Review]
FarSky
Offering a short ocean themed survival game FarSky explores what would happen if your submarine crashing into the bottom of the ocean. Playing as Nathan FarSky challenges players to survive through exploration, crafting and building necessary structures on the ocean floor. While a shorter gameplay loop than other sandbox survival games the randomly generated maps are designed to encourage players to continually challenge themselves with a new adventure. Diving into the ocean depths players will ...[Read Review]
Infiniminer
Infiniminer’s claim to fame is that it inspired Notch to create Minecraft. With the success that Minecraft achieved and likely will continue to achieve going forward Infiniminer offers a unique insightful experience into the gameplay and design that lit a spark of an idea in Notch for the Minecraft behemoth to be created. Despite being one of the first to offer such mechanics Infiniminer has lacked significant updates and its current state is far from a polished finished game leaving the c...[Read Review]
Farm For Your Life
Farm For Your Life is an interesting indie experience that combines zombies, farming, tower defence and even running your own restaurant into a single game experience. All of these gameplay elements are wrapped together into a cute graphical package and an affordable price that encourages gamers of all backgrounds to step into the colourful world. Set in a game world where a heavy storm has struck your quiet town and in turn unleashed the living dead it’s up to you the player and the few survivo...[Read Review]
Lunacraft
Lunacraft joins the rapidly growing number of smartphone games that draw inspiration from Minecraft but alter the formula slightly by offering new settings, new mechanics and more importantly a free to play price tag. Designed solely for iOS devices Lunacraft challenges players to survive and thrive in a space environment that encompasses the same premise as other sandbox games focusing on infinite exploration, crafting and random discoveries. In the story mode of Lunacraft you’ll explore ...[Read Review]
Proteus
Proteus joins the ranks of other video games that aim to offer an artistic exploration experience rather than traditional gaming. Like others in this gaming niche though it still manages to offer an impressive, immersive and engaging adventure as you explore a randomly generated game world. With no other objective other than to take the time to enjoy your surroundings players can create their own stories from adventuring over hills or finding new unique biomes. If you enjoy going on exploration ...[Read Review]
Craft The World
Craft The World is a sandbox game with strategy elements for PC, Mac and iOS whereby players will be creating their own dwarven colony from humble beginnings. Mixing elements from a range of titles in similar genres Craft The World’s overall experience is a gaming treat and offers replayability at the same time. Craft The World puts you in charge of your own dwarf society that grows from a single dwarf to a thriving community of adventurers (often 12-14 depending on your level completion t...[Read Review]
Creativerse
With a free price tag Creativerse takes the gameplay of Minecraft and pushes it into a more modern setting for Windows and Mac sandbox gameplay. Starting on Early Access through Steam in late 2014 the game was eventually turned into a full release in May 2017 and continues to receive game updates, seasonal events and tweaks years later. Despite using the Minecraft template Creativerse seeks to offer more than the original Minecraft experience with your first taste of this being your character c...[Read Review]
8BitMMO
8BitMMO is a free to play game that connects you with players from around the world while you work together to build the world of 8BitMMO, one block at a time. The game is basically one huge construction sandbox that lets you run wild with other players. On top of the core sandbox gameplay players will also have a wealth of quests and combat to participate in while enjoying the humorous undertones of the game in general. Combat is a mixture of PvE (against lawyercats and hipsters) and PvP conten...[Read Review]
Block Earth
Block Earth is one of the growing number of simple block building games developed off the success of Minecraft. Without a survival element Block Earth is solely a creative gameplay experience which is available on your iOS device with free and paid options. With a free install you’ll get the bare bones of gameplay although you’ll still have no problem creating your own customised worlds. However, paying players no doubt have a leg up in terms of usability (e.g. jetpack) and variety (...[Read Review]
World of Cubes
Enter a world full of cubes and build your own creations in World of Cubes, a game for iOS (free) and Windows with multiplayer support for your cube building adventures. Offering a mixture of free and paid entry points World of Cubes allows players to unleash their creativity in the sandbox mode or fight for survival in survival mode to cater to all both sides of the coin. The inspiration from the likes of Minecraft is obviously there from the graphics and gameplay in World of Cubes but it isn&#...[Read Review]
Block Craft 3D
The free to play Block Craft 3D has amassed over a hundred million installs the Android and iOS App stores on the back of Minecraft popularity which makes it one of the most populated alternatives in the mobile sandbox creative genre. Emphasising the creative side of the genre Block Craft 3D lacks a survival game mode which means there are no enemies to combat or adventures to be had. Instead your time with Block Craft 3D will focus on bringing your own imagined designs to life, sharing them wit...[Read Review]