5 Fun Alternatives to Minecraft

The unfathomable genius of Minecraft is that the game is a sandbox that gives the players some tools and lets you do what you want with that. Videogames (there are exceptions and quite a few) had largely become rule driven at the time Minecraft came out, and to this day more are authored experiences than are not. This is cool, there is a place for that and it shouldn’t (and isn’t) going away. However, allowing play in an open and constructive way is also a wonderful thing and in times like these, is an excellent way to stretch those thinking muscles. This is why it is worth checking out these fabulously fun alternatives to Minecraft!

Terraria

Available on numerous platforms, Terraria combines a retro platformer aesthetic with a little of that Minecraft magic. In it you fight, harvest and build your way to glory in its procedurally generated world. You can explore, build a city, do quests or simply defeat the numerous enemies of the world. It’s a deep sandbox experience with heaps to do.

No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky had a rocky launch as the developers overpromised somewhat on what the finished product would be, well, either that or what they released was not the finished product at all. Since its release in 2016 the game has continued to be expanded upon and made into a very unique experience.

The core gameplay elements of NMS are exploration, survival, combat and trade. In it you go between worlds, discover resources and lifeforms, uncover languages and history as well as gather resources, trade what you have found and build new ships and structures.

Roblox

Roblox is a free-to-play (with in-game transactions) experience that is a little different to the others on this list. Players can build and play their own games and games with others. It gets even more whacky in light of the global pandemic where this platform is even being used as a way for kids to stay in touch, there have even been birthday parties hosted within Roblox as result.

Starbound

Starbound is another 2D sandbox game with a lot of Minecraft DNA and in some ways it is Terraria meets No Man’s Sky. In it you are lost in space with a damaged ship and need to beam down to the nearest planet to survive. In it you explore a procedural generated universe and explore, loot, craft and fight your way to survival in whatever way you see fit.

Dragon Quest Builders /Dragon Quest Builders 2

Dragon Quest Builders is a sandbox action role-playing game where the focus is on building, crafting exploring and surviving. Much like other games on this list, the player is encouraged to resolve issues with creativity but this series is much more narrative driven.

It’s an alternate history series to the original Japanese Role Playing Games (JRPG’s) in which the heroes have failed and it falls on the player to rebuild the world to glory.

What I love is that there is so much humour, sarcasm and innuendo in these games in particular that make them a much more unique and memorable experience.