8 Games Like Terraria: Delve Into the Sandbox

Terraria? Never heard of it.

Naseer Abbas
Naseer Abbas
9 Min Read

Terraria is incredible to the point even a negative review can’t deny praising it. The only downside would be that it’s difficult to get into. But after your figure out the basics, it’s a good time waiting to happen. But if you still can’t bring yourself to play Terraria, maybe check out these 8 other Games like Terraria.

1

Darkout

Release Date: December 4, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Darkout is Terraria in space or a distant relative of Starbound for that matter. You’re stranded on an alien planet, Ilium where your goal is to gather resources, build shelters, and craft weapons. Yep, sounds like Terraria in single-player mode.

What really took me on a ride were the incredible visuals of this 2D sandbox game, but the beauty of it all is merely skin deep. It starts to fall off when you delve into the story, which can be a hit or miss.

Combat is pretty lackluster, but the beautiful sound design and visual aesthetic make up for most gripes. The biomes can be incredibly dangerous, which poses an unintended limitation on the exploration bit. Darkout has loads of potential but falls short of its promises.

2

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Release Date: December 20, 2018
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, 

DQB2 dives deeper into the story aspect, unlike Terraria which slowly touches upon a story that you can gladly ignore. But this doesn’t fare well in Dragon Quest Builders 2 favor as the game can slow down quite a bit.

Unlike Terraria’s 2D sidescroller element, you can build and explore in 3D in DQB2. But the gameplay look feels ultimately much more rewarding in Terraria’s case. Though armor builds in Terraria aren’t all that pleasing to look at since you’re forced to build for function, unlike DQB2.

DQB2 offers less content variety in contrast to Terraria, so if you’re in town for an experience lasting thousands of hours, then this might just not be for you.

3

Don’t Starve

Release Date: April 23, 2013
Platforms: Android, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, iOS, Linux

Terraria is basically a sandbox RPG game but Don’t Starve takes a deeper dive into the harsher elements of the survival genre. You build and craft but the key goal is to not starve or go nuts. They are equally difficult in their own realms, especially when you consider Terraria in hardcore mode with revivals disabled.

In Don’t Starve, you can unlock character abilities but Terraria is more focused on combat and weapon variety. With that said, if you’re looking for a Terraria-ish experience with a granted, more jarring focus on survival elements, then Don’t Starve is a must-play.

4

Necesse

Games Like Terraria

Release Date: December 12, 2019
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS

Necesse is like a top-down Terraria and act’s like a welcome side of fries to your meal. If you’re looking to take a break from Terraria and try out something new, but slightly familiar, then Necesse takes the cake.

Albeit, it’s a step down from Terraria when you peer your eyes at the in-game content. It’s relatively sparse. Combat is not as fleshed out as Terraria and the bosses aren’t that challenging. 

What’s strange is that late-game weapons and armor fall flat, causing a big spike in difficulty toward the end. Then there’s the colony management aspect which feels a lot like Rim World. All in all, Necesse hits different.

5

Crea

Games Like Terraria

Release Date: June 9, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows

I can only say with certainty that Crea is the closest thing you’re getting to a Terraria clone. Even the developers stated that their Kickstarter project was inspired by Terraria. Like Terraria, it’s got a tad touch of story and adventure added into the mix with a deeper dive into sandbox elements like gathering resources, building, and crafting.

The combat system is equally compelling and all in all, it’s a game that you can get lost in, just like Terraria. Crea doesn’t do anything new or groundbreaking for that matter but the gist of it is that it’s a game that I’ll personally be getting back into in the future.

6

Starbound

Games Like Terraria

Release Date: July 22, 2016
Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation, macOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows

Where Terraria dives deeper into combat and boss battles, Starbound gets decorating, building, and exploration just right. I couldn’t really help myself but go with Starbound when it came down to the art style, but hey, that’s just my two cents.

But the main gripe I have with Starbound is that there’s not a lot of reason to build in the game. Sure, you could build a base, but what good will that do if you’re using your ship to navigate? You could build houses for NPCs, but they don’t really provide essential services as they do in Terraria. But then again, I like to build for my own reasons, so that really didn’t bother me particularly.

Progression in Starbound is on par with Terraria for the most part. Starbound offers a tiny ounce of adventure paired with buildings things here and upgrading your ship there. If you’re looking for a relaxing time, then this might just be the game for you.

7

Stardew Valley

Games Like Terraria

Release Date: February 26, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, Linux, Android, Nintendo Switch

Unlike Terraria, Stardew Valley likes to take its time. It’s chill and laid back for the most part. You spent most of your days farming, building relations, and getting it on with the townsfolk. But Terraria is a more combat-intensive action-adventure game.

It’s not wrong to say that both games share a resemblance in the whole pixelated 2D visual aspect. They’re both charming. While Terraria is procedurally generated and features multiple biomes to explore, Stardew Valley has a static map where you spend your days running errands for the townsfolk.

8

Factorio

Games Like Terraria

Release Date: February 25, 2016
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux

Factorio, also known as Cracktorio, is a game you won’t put down so easily after you first get into it. Factorio takes a deep dive into base-building and resource-gathering. You set up factories to collect resources. Problems will arise in the form of puzzles, and you’ll have to figure out solutions on your own to sap the world of its resources, and eventually, you’ll get lost in it.

Unlike Terraria, Factorio is daunting to get into initially. You might log off, but it’s worth the second chance. There aren’t a lot of games that give Terraria a run for its money, but if there ever was one, Factoria tops the list.

Conclusion

Nothing can really top a sandbox survival game with a decent endowment in the combat aspect quite like Terraria. But these 8 games like Terraria aren’t quite afraid to shoot their shot!

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Med Student by day, writer by night, Naseer's all about trying out everything and anything he can. He loves the finer things in life and seeks to live life to the fullest.
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