Terraria is an indie gem with an immense following. With more than 44 million copies sold, it’s not hard to see why it had so much success. The gameplay mechanics are engaging, the crafting and building is immersive, and the world design is superb.
If you’ve played Terraria, you’ll know that there’s lots of replay value in the game. That being said, even the best games can feel old after some time. If you’re looking for more games like Terraria, we’ve got you covered.
We searched the internet to find the best games that offer similar gameplay to Terraria, including some from different subgenres and styles. Here are the best 8 games like Terraria to check out if you’re looking for more games to add to your collection.
Noita
Noita is an action-adventure roguelike game that takes pixel art to the next level. Every pixel in this world is physically simulated. In other words, each pixel reacts to the materials and circumstances around it.
Let’s go through an example just to demonstrate how thought out this mechanic is. You can use fire to melt ice. That’s what’s possible in most games. But in Noita you can then use fire to turn the water you got from melting ice to turn it into steam. If there is a heat source nearby, the steam will rise to the ceiling. In essence, the physics in the game mimics the real world.
This game comes from indie Finnish studio Nolla Games. It came out in 2020 and is available only for Windows. If you’re into games like Terraria, then you’re going to love Noita.
The vibrant environment around you is not the only engaging part of Noita.
You can experiment with countless combinations of wands and spells. You can create your own magic by combining different spells. One spell might give you semi-autonomous spider legs while another will create a black hole.
One notable feature in Noita is permadeath. And you should be ready to die often until you master the mechanics in the game. There are so many different ways to die in the game, from falling into lava to turning into a random defenseless creature.
Starbound
Starbound is often described as Terraria in a space setting.
It comes from the indie studio Chucklefish. This is an action-adventure game set in a procedurally generated universe that came out in 2016. You can play Starbound on Windows, OS X, and Linux. The game supports both single-player and multiplayer modes.
As a fan of games like Terraria, you’ll likely enjoy getting lost in the absolutely enormous world of Starbound.
The story is set after the destruction of Earth. You are inside a spacecraft that ventures into deep space. You will use this vehicle to explore the universe and find habitable planets. There are both story-driven missions and various side quests in Starbound.
There are so many different activities in the game that will keep you engaged. Activities include crafting, construction, exploration, and combat. You should also expect to do a lot of tunneling when you visit a new planet.
The spacecraft you use to explore the universe is fully customizable. There are countless items that you can place in it. Apart from that, you can also farm and sell crops to earn money. Players also have the ability to charge rent to tenant NPCs after constructing buildings.
The multiplayer mode is a lot of fun as you can customize your bases faster. Each one of the players in your group can go in their own direction and by the time you’re finished exploring certain areas, you’ll have a lot of loot you can use to spruce up your base.
Forager
Forager is an open-world adventure game from HopFrog. The game came out in 2019 and received positive reviews from many publications. It features only a single-player mode. You can play Forager on Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Some of the main inspirations behind Forager include classic games like Terraria, Stardew Valley, and Legend of Zelda.
What makes this gameplay in Forager extremely engaging is the freedom it gives to players in a wide array of play styles. You can become an adventurer, builder, cook, merchant, farmer, and gatherer.
The world is big and you’ll have a different way of experiencing it based on the role you choose for your character.
For instance, if you decide to become a gatherer you will explore different biomes in search of various resources. To gather a variety of resources, you will have to farm, forage, mine, hunt, dig, and fish. The rarest discoveries you make can be put in a museum and you’ll earn rewards for them.
The resources in Forager respawn at a very fast rate. In the beginning, you will collect them on your own. As you gain experience, you’ll be able to make automated systems for collecting resources.
Whenever you gather resources, craft items, defeat enemies, and engage in other activities, you will gain experience points. Leveling will allow you to unlock a wide array of perks.
This is one of the best open-world games on Steam, and fans of games like Terraria are sure to fall in love with it.
Core Keeper
Terraria has had such a big impact on the gaming industry that it has inspired a lot of clones. Most of the games that came out with extremely similar gameplay to Terraria didn’t leave a good impression on players.
Then, we have Core Keeper, which rejuvenated the sandbox survival simulation formula.
Coming from the team at Pugstorm, this is a game that successfully blends several genres. Apart from drawing inspiration from Terraria, it also shares some similarities with Stardew Valley and Forager. You can play Core Keeper on Windows and Linux.
The story follows an explorer who wakes up in an ancient cavern after looking for a mysterious relic. That’s about it as the story goes, which is completely fine – Core Keeper doesn’t need a detailed story for the game to make sense.
You can play Core Keeper in single-player mode or with up to seven other players.
There is a lot to do in the game, from building bases to mastering different skills. There is something for every type of player. You can focus on farming resources or you can engage in combat with a variety of monsters. You can also craft many different weapons and tools. Players even have the option to become a cook at the start of the game.
The replay value of Core Keeper is one of its strong points. There is so much content in the game that it will take truly a long time before it becomes old.
Portal Knights
Portal Knights is the only game on this list set in a 3D environment.
Despite not sharing the two-dimensional aesthetic of most games like Terraria, it provides a lot of gameplay similarities to it. There is a lot that you can do in this 3D sandbox action RPG.
One of the main focuses of the gameplay is exploration. Visit dozens of procedurally generated islands filled with various enemies. There are a lot of quests you can do on each island. In most cases, the quests won’t be complex. They mostly serve the purpose of encouraging you to explore the world around you.
When you start the game, you’ll have the option to choose between three character classes – warrior, ranger, and mage. As you level up, you’ll be able to learn and master many skills.
The RPG mechanics in Portal Knights are prevalent, but there are also other gameplay elements. For instance, you’ll have a lot of materials at your disposal that you can use to build structures. You can even build your own castle on a private island and use it to store the loot you acquire on missions.
You can explore the world in Portal Knights by yourself or with friends. The local split-screen co-op mode is great, but the online multiplayer mode that supports up to four players is even better. Not to mention that playing with friends will make it easier for you to defeat the vicious boss creatures.
Crea
Crea is a 2D sandbox game from Siege Games that came out in 2016. When you start playing Crea, it seems like just another Terraria clone. But as you dig deeper and explore the world more, you find that there’s more to it than meets the eye.
What Crea does best is build on the blueprint of Terraria to provide players with engaging gameplay. There are so many interesting adventures that you’ll go on. As you gain experience by completing missions, you’ll have a ton of options for how you’ll spend your skill points.
The leveling system in the game has been developed to perfection. You can boost a variety of skills dedicated to everything from mining to melee combat. There are more enemies in Crea than in most other games, and each of them has unique offensive and defensive moves.
Despite all of these great mechanics, what makes Crea so special is its intricate research and crafting system.
Whenever you level your character, your research and crafting abilities will improve. The cohesive nature between these two systems provides a seamless experience for players.
The world in Crea may not be as big as in some of the other games on this list, but it does contain a lot of content. One of the notable mechanics that the game shares with Terraria is its day and night cycle.
Necesse
This is an open-world survival sandbox game that comes from one person, Mads Skovgaard. It’s a passion project that combines gameplay elements from both Rimworld and Terraria and stirs it in a pot with Mads’ own unique ideas.
If you were to judge Necesse by looking at its graphics and world design, you would think it doesn’t bring anything that isn’t already in Terraria. But that’s why you never judge a book by its cover.
Recruiting NPCs to do repetitive tasks while you focus on other things is what you can expect in Necesse. This is a genius way to keep players engaged by allowing them to focus only on the activities they’re interested in. However, if the repetitive but calming tasks are what you enjoy, there’s no reason why you couldn’t focus on them.
The game allows you to adjust the difficulty on the fly. This way, you’re guaranteed to keep the gameplay challenging at all times.
The combat mechanics are fluid in Necesse and many of the monsters you’ll run into can put up quite a fight. The boss creatures take the challenge to the next level, so you better have really good weapons and armor before you decide to take them on.
The most rewarding part of Necesse is the freedom to focus on the gameplay elements that interest you. If you enjoy games like Terraria, you’ll love this.
Dig or Die
Dig or Die is an indie action RPG from Gaddy Games. It came out in 2019 and is available for macOS and Windows. While the game is clearly inspired by Terraria, its gameplay mechanics are more similar to Starbound. But that doesn’t mean Dig or Die doesn’t have any unique gameplay elements.
You take on the role of an unnamed character working for a corporation called CRAFT & Co. It’s your job to visit various planets across the galaxy and sell fancy machines called auto-builders. One day, you crash on an alien planet with only the AI of your spacecraft and a small set of tools.
There are strong strategy elements in Dig or Die. Building is an important mechanic and you will need to be careful how you construct structures. The in-game physics will make your structures collapse if not built right.
Apart from the classic single-player and multiplayer story experiences, there are multiple custom game modes in Dig or Die.
An interesting mode is Base Defense, where you won’t do any exploring. Your only objectives will be to build bases and defend them from enemies. You can also try the Under the Sea mode which has you start the game in a cave underneath a huge ocean.
Your ultimate objective in the story mode will be to construct a rocket ship that will allow you to leave the planet you crashed on.
