Summary
- Map seeds are vital for generating game worlds, affecting everything from biomes to enemy placement.
- Games like 7 Days To Die & Valheim heavily rely on map seeds, impacting boss locations & more.
- Researching good map seeds online can improve gameplay experience in games with procedural generation.
Map seeds are used by game developers to seed the RNG algorithms that drive procedural generation of maps and game worlds. Not every game uses map seeds, but those that do often offer a much higher level of replayability, as each new seed changes most aspects of the game.
Best Dungeon Crawlers With Procedural Generation
Players who are looking to immerse themselves in the dangerous randomness of dungeon crawlers can seek out these entries.
Some games that use map seeds can be tough if a player is unlucky enough to use a bad one. Therefore, in order to enjoy a good playthrough, it can pay to take time to research good map keys, and there are usually resources for this to be found online.
8 7 Days To Die
Classic Zombie Survival
7 Days to Die
- Released
- June 28, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- The Fun Pimps
- Platform(s)
- Linux, macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
7 Days To Die spent over a decade in early access. The result of this extended development cycle is a highly polished game, that is fun and often frantic zombie survival game. The balance between resource gathering, building, crafting, and combat is perfect. Gameplay can be further extended by the hundreds of mods that exist for this game.
7 Days To Die: Best Base Locations
When deciding where to build a top-tier base in 7 Days to Die, be sure to check out these excellent locations.
The map seed is very important when playing 7 Days To Die. The map seeds drive where each biome will be located, the places that traders spawn, and which POIs are available in a local area. Map seeds can also set the size of the map, from tiny to absolutely huge.
7 Terraria
2D Sandbox Game
Terraria
- Released
- May 16, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Re-Logic
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Vita, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, 3DS, Stadia, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Terraria has been something of an unexpected indie hit since its release in 2011. It still has a loyal following over a decade later. This is a 2D game which combines a number of core gameplay mechanics. These include combat, building, crafting, resource gathering, and exploration.
The map seed for Terraria is used to drive the procedural generation of the game map, and this has an impact on every aspect of the game. The seed impacts NPC placement, the map terrain, where dungeons are placed, and everything else. Finding a good map seed for Terraria can make the game much easier to play.
6 Factorio
Manufacturing And Supply Chain Simulation
Factorio
- Released
- August 14, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Factorio is a fun game, even though it is rather complex, and can take some time to master. However, it starts off quite simple, and is easy to learn while playing. The game revolves around mining resources, and maintaining large integrated supply and manufacturing chains. Construction takes place on a massive scale, with manufacturing installations spread across much of the terrain.
The map seed for Factorio determines all of the key aspects of the game world, and it is well worth trying to find some good map seeds to make gameplay easier. The seed impacts where enemies spawn, the terrain, and most importantly, which resources spawn where.
5 Valheim
Viking Survival Game
Valheim
- Released
- February 2, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Iron Gate AB
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Platform(s)
- Linux, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Valheim is a survival game that is based loosely on Norse mythology and vikings. It combines fun combat, with base building, crafting, resource gathering, and exploration. Progression is driven by defeating a series of bosses to unlock new recipes and equipment.
Pro Tips For Valheim You Need To Know
Players may be ready to jump into Valheim as soon as possible, but that may not be the best idea. Here are some pro tips you need to know first.
The map seed is very important when playing Valheim. Most notably, because it drives the placement of all of the bosses on the game map. A good map seed will have all bosses easy to access without having to travel too far across the ocean. Luckily, there are some third-party seed generators available, that can help players find the perfect Valheim seed.
4 Stardew Valley
Much More Than A Farming Game
Stardew Valley
- Released
- February 26, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Stardew Valley is the second surprise indie hit on this list. It continues to grow in popularity, even though it was released way back in 2016. Exploration is a huge part of this game, to uncover the game map. But of course, it is the farming simulation that forms the core of this game.
The Stardew Valley map seed has an impact on every part of the game. The shape and size of the terrain is based on the map seed, along with where resources are placed, where every POI is located, and where the best fishing spots are.
3 Don’t Starve
Quirk Survival Game
Don't Starve
- Released
- April 23, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Klei Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, Nintendo Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PC
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Management
Don’t Starve is a survival game that features a hand-drawn style of art and game assets, and a very dark and forboding gameworld. Players have to survive in this rogue-like game by fighting off enemies, gathering resources, and crafting equipment and tools. And of course, a lot of the gameplay revolves around not starving, as the name suggests.
The map seed for Don’t Starve can be critical. A bad map seed can result in a very tough game, if not outright failure. It impacts all aspects of the game world, and a good seed can make the game easier, especially at the start.
2 RimWorld
Sci-Fi Colony Simulator
RimWorld
- Released
- October 17, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
As colony simulation games go, RimWorld has its own special ambience, focusing as it does on comic style graphics, which are quiet simple. The premise of the game is that the player has to help a group of crashed survivors to thrive. This means building a sustainable colony whilst fighting off raiders and dealing with challenges such as extreme weather.
Rimworld: 10 Steps To Build A Prison And Recruit Prisoners
Follow these easy steps to build a prison then arrest and recruit a prisoner to your Rimworld colony.
It is the RimWorld map seed that ensures no two playthroughs of the game are the same. Depending on the map seed used, the player will have to adapt the way they build their colony. This is because not every type or shape of terrain is suitable for every proven colony design.
1 Minecraft
Popular Voxelized Building Game
Minecraft
- Released
- November 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Mojang
- Platform(s)
- 3DS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Minecraft is a game that likely needs no introduction. It is one of the most successful games of all time. This block-based building and survival game is popular with players of all age ranges. Online play is also very popular, and there are hundreds of free servers to choose from, many of which are heavily modded, adding new gameplay features.
Of all the games on this list, Minecraft is the one that can really benefit from using a good map seed at the start of the game. A good map seed will mean that all resources are easy to get at, to make starting off easier. Luckily, there are whole repositories of good map seeds to be found online.
6 Earliest Games That Used Procedural Generation
Procedural generation has been in vogue recently, thanks to titles like Minecraft and Starfield, but few know it was also used in the earliest games.