There's something special about building a base, and doing it alongside friends transforms the entire process into something far more memorable. Survival and crafting games become less about checking boxes on a to-do list and more about laughing when someone accidentally chops down the support beam holding the roof, or celebrating when a ramshackle hut turns into a fortress. The best base-builders balance resource gathering and creativity with a looming danger of enemies, pushing players to coordinate and adapt as a team.
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Whether it's a rickety wooden shack held together by sheer willpower, or a sprawling, high-tech fortress that would make a Bond villain jealous, the act of creating a shared home in a hostile world is a brilliant, powerful kind of magic. Here are seven games where very wall, every trap, and every carefully placed torch carries the story of teamwork, making the act of building feel as alive as the dangers waiting outside.
7 Days to Die
Four Walls Are The Only Thing Between You and Certain Doom
7 Days to Die
- Released
- June 28, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- The Fun Pimps
- Platform(s)
- Linux, macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
Base building in this game isn't a leisurely pastime. It's a desperate, frantic scramble against the clock. The looming "blood moon" horde means that every single poorly placed wall, every weak support beam, could spell total, catastrophic disaster. And there's this shared, beautiful panic that comes from crafting defenses together, from scavenging for materials like madmen, and from desperately patching up the holes in your walls between waves of the undead.
The real fun is in that perfect, heart-pounding balance between the frantic preparation and the sheer, glorious relief of watching your hard work actually hold against a tidal wave of zombies. A safehouse here isn't a pit stop; it’s your entire world.
Valheim
Vikings With Power Tools
Valheim
- Released
- February 2, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- r
- Developer(s)
- Iron Gate AB
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
- Platform(s)
- Linux, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Valheim just strips away all the polish, all the modern conveniences, and just chucks you into a vast, mythic, and often beautiful wilderness. And building a base here feels… significant. Like you’re actually crafting a home that's worthy of the sagas.
Every single log cabin, every dock, every fortress stands as a testament to your group's teamwork and your stubborn, bloody-minded determination to survive against the wilds. And as you progress through new biomes, you're forced to build stronger and stronger defenses, making your little settlement feel like a living, breathing chronicle of your shared story. A story written in wood and stone.
ARK: Survival Evolved
Dinosaurs Make for Absolutely Terrible Neighbors
ARK: Survival Evolved
- Released
- August 29, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
In ARK, you're never just building for shelter. Oh no. You are staking a claim. You're planting a flag in a primordial land where giant, scaly, toothy predators lurk behind every single tree. And constructing a base with your friends can feel like you're running a prehistoric construction company, only your bulldozers have a habit of eating the new guy.
Best Co-Op Games That Are Easy To Pick Up And Play
No prior gaming experience is required for friends who want to pick up and play these fun co-op titles.
The sheer, unbridled freedom you have in the design, from cliffside fortresses to elaborate, city-spanning sky bridges, just makes the group projects endlessly, wonderfully engaging. And then, of course, you can tame the dinosaurs. So a good base isn't just walls and storage; it's pens, and watchtowers, and massive platforms for your T-Rex.
Grounded
Honey, I Shrunk The Homeowners
Grounded
- Released
- September 27, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, RPG
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
A blade of grass is a skyscraper. A forgotten soda can is a fortress wall. Grounded takes the most mundane, everyday setting, a suburban backyard, and transforms it into a sprawling, terrifying wilderness of danger and wonder. And building a base here is one part hardcore survival, one part childhood daydream.
Working together, you can design anything, from tiny little treehouse outposts to elaborate, spider-proof fortresses. And the charm is all in that wonderful, warped sense of scale. Sharing a laugh with your mates while you're reinforcing a fort, only to hear the sudden, terrifying hiss of a wolf spider somewhere nearby... That’s what makes for some truly unforgettable co-op moments.
The Forest
When The Woods Are Watching You
The Forest
- Released
- April 30, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Building a base in The Forest is a battle of nerves just as much as it's a test of your skill. That eerie, oppressive silence never, ever lasts. And every single structure you manage to raise just feels like it’s being silently, patiently observed by something that's hiding just out of sight, in the trees.
Gathering logs and constructing your defenses together carries this constant, simmering tension, especially when the pale, screaming mutants start to test the edges of your freshly built barricades. Unlike most survival games, building here doesn't bring comfort. It only heightens the unease. The campfire might provide some warmth, sure. But it also lets them know where you are.
Space Engineers
The Universe Is Your Construction Site
Space Engineers
- Released
- February 28, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Keen Software House
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, Sandbox
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Forget wood and stone. Your group is piecing together bases out of steel plates, whirring engines, and giant solar panels. And a "base" in this game can be pretty much anything you can imagine. A station, gracefully orbiting a distant planet.
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A sprawling, industrial refinery, dug deep into the heart of an asteroid. A massive, continent-sized battleship. The scope is just... Limitless. And collaboration becomes absolutely essential when your builds start scaling up into these incredible, floating megastructures. It's a game that scratches a very specific itch for both architects and tinkerers.
Palworld
Pocket Monsters Meet Pocket Blueprints
Palworld
- Released
- January 19, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Violence
- Developer(s)
- Pocket Pair, Inc.
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Shooter, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
Palworld will probably be remembered for its creature collecting, sure. But its base building absolutely deserves just as much attention. Because every single "Pal" you capture is more than just a cute companion; they can be assigned to automate your tasks, like crafting, farming, or guarding your settlement from raids.
And building with your friends just feels like you’re creating this perfect, miniature, self-sustaining economy, one that's fueled by your teamwork and by the adorable, indentured servitude of your Pals. One person can be designing the walls, while another is organizing the Pal workforce to churn out the resources. It’s both incredibly practical and, oddly, wonderfully heartwarming.
Best Co-Op Games On Steam To Play Right Now
From online multiplayer titles to local masterpieces, Steam has plenty of fantastic co-op games that cover a wide spectrum of genres.