Summary
- Immersive base-building games provide depth, survival, and creativity to players, offering more than just constructing a house.
- Developers constantly push boundaries to enhance the gameplay experience with innovative mechanics and diverse worlds.
- Engaging base-building involves strategic choices, survival tactics, and collaboration in a challenging yet rewarding environment.
When it comes to fully immersing oneself in a game, there are few genres or features that capture the same level of depth as base-building. The ability to construct large-scale structures from scratch to both survive and thrive in is always fun, and there are plenty of games that go above and beyond and really unlock the genre into something more than just building a house.
8 Best Survival Games With No Base Building
Base building is a common element of many survival titles, but these video games are the best survival games without any base building.
When it comes to an enjoyable base-building experience, there are many factors that go into the fun side of things, from creating a compelling gameplay loop to building out a diverse and unique world that no one has seen before. Developers are constantly pushing the boundaries when it comes to depth and scope, and every year, a new set of exceptional games gets added to the list, providing so much joy and fun for players of all kinds.
8 Enshrouded
Survival In A World Filled With Fog
Enshrouded
- Released
- January 24, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Keen Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Open-World, Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Enshrouded offers a compelling blend of survival mechanics and creative base-building, all set within a haunting fantasy world with more than a few secrets beneath the surface. Awakening in a misty world, players are forced to scavenge for resources and fight off corrupted creatures, all while attempting to create a safe haven to live in that starts out small and quickly grows into a sprawling fortress.
The best part is the fine balance between exploration and creation. Venturing out into the dangers is a necessity that brings the potential for plenty of resources and loot, but can also spell the end of the player's life. And the ability to play co-op makes the building mechanics all the more satisfying, as each decision becomes a shared and strategic one that feels purposeful with every step along the way.
7 7 Days To Die
Time Is Never On Your Side
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
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
7 Days to Die combines open-world survival, crafting, and tower defense into one relentless post-apocalyptic experience. As players follow the typical survival tropes of scavenging and hunting, they must also build and fortify shelters to withstand increasingly deadly hordes of zombies that attack every seventh night, which have a significant amount of depth just below the surface.
Base-building is not just cosmetic, it’s survival. Everything from wall reinforcement to strategic trap placement becomes a puzzle, especially as the undead grow stronger and smarter. The day-night cycle adds tension, turning even a half-finished barricade into a lifeline that can keep the player alive for an extra day. It's the high stakes and constant risk that make the building process truly and genuinely thrilling.
6 Core Keeper
A World That Glows Bright In The Darkness
Core Keeper
- Released
- August 27, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Pugstorm
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Sandbox
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Core Keeper is a pixel-art sandbox adventure set in a mysterious subterranean realm. Players must gather materials as a means to slowly light up the darkness as they expand their underground base and grow their sub-level fortress. The progression is linear and easy to follow, allowing anyone to jump in for the first time and immediately be hooked into the world in no time.
8 Best Isometric RPGs With Base Building, Ranked
These isometric RPGs feature sturdy base-building mechanics that allow players to leave a permanent mark in their respective worlds.
Base-building is both functional and aesthetic, as designing carefully laid-out rooms and areas creates a meaningful gameplay loop that satiates the fix for complex base mechanics and satisfying layouts. As players unlock new biomes and relics, the home base evolves from a scrappy tunnel network into a glowing hub of civilization, and its charm lies in its cozy atmosphere mixed with surprisingly deep systems.
5 Valheim
Norse Mythology With In-Depth Construction
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
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Norse-inspired base-building with significant amounts of replayability, Valheim tosses players into a deeply populated world teeming with danger and discovery. Constructing the perfect home relies on careful planning, as many aspects such as comfort and structural stability need to be factored in to create both a visually pleasing structure but also one that can be used to survive in.
Physics plays a big role in developing a suitable base, and players are really rewarded for making the most of their limited resources and using a bit of ingenuity along the way as well. Whether lumbering across the landscape with pockets full of ores or teaming up to take down one of the larger threats in the world, the game always delivers and is a real treat for anyone looking to build their perfect wilderness home.
4 Subnautica
Replacing The Safety Of Land With A Watery Abyss
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
When the land bases get boring, stepping into the ocean brings a whole new level to the concept of base-building. Subnautica is one of the most unique base-building games out there, set under the waves on an alien planet, with nothing but a ruined ship and the resources on the ocean floor to get by. There are so many things that need to be managed and thought about as trivial things like oxygen, which are often taken for granted, and now become valuable resources that need to be cared for.
Every piece of construction is done for a strategic purpose, and the corridors and piping need to be structurally sound and perfect to function well in the hostile water world. The game is both incredibly isolating and surprisingly freeing, as with a whole ocean full of trenches and undersea structures, the world feels alive, and exploration always brings something new to add to the ever-growing base.
3 Terraria
Two Dimensions Never Limit The Depth
Terraria
- Released
- May 16, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- 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
Just because the world is on a 2D plane doesn't mean the game can't have some of the most interesting and complex base-building on the planet. Terraria is a veteran in the genre and has consistently delivered and diverse experience that gives players complete control over every aspect of their construction process, involving specific decorations and area sizes to fully unlock the potential of the home.
The creative options are nearly endless, and it is hard to run out of blocks to place or materials to use when the world is just waiting to be scavenged. There is something for both the strategists and the decorators, and with so much content to add into a single structure, players can work for hours on end and never run out of things to do or build in a fantasy world that is more freeing than most.
2 Rimworld
Survival And Storytelling Blended Into One
RimWorld
- Released
- October 17, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
In RimWorld, base-building is about more than just walls and roofs, and becomes a battle to protect the lives of the colonists inside them. Each run begins with a crash-landing on an alien planet, and from there, players must build a sustainable colony while managing the basic necessities and the complex needs of their survivors.
Survival Games With The Best Base Building
In just about every survival game, you’re going to need a base. It's a spot to store items, and perhaps most importantly, stay safe from threats.
What elevates the experience is how the game’s AI storyteller creates emergent narratives that change with every session. A solar flare might knock out power, leading to a prisoner escape, followed by an animal attack that adds an extra level of danger and chaos into the mix. Bases must be planned with these unpredictable events in mind, making building both a tactical and narrative-driven challenge that challenges and tests the player throughout.
1 Satisfactory
Construction Never Felt So Rewarding
Satisfactory
- Released
- September 10, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Coffee Stain Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Coffee Stain Publishing
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, Sandbox, Base Building, Open-World, Management
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Satisfactory takes the concept of base-building into the realm of industrial megastructures. Dropped onto an alien planet, players are tasked with building automated factories that gather resources, refine them, and assemble increasingly complex items. Conveyors snake across valleys, machines tower above trees, and optimization becomes an obsession that can start out small but quickly grow into an addiction unlike any other.
The fun comes from turning chaos into order. Whether building a compact vertical factory or an expansive production empire, the game’s systems reward efficiency and creativity in a world that is more interested in seeing what the player is capable of than bombarding them with constant threats and assaults. Every belt rerouted, every machine calibrated is a small puzzle solved, and few games capture the joy of true mechanical mastery quite like Satisfactory.
The Best Games With Deep Base-Building Mechanics, Ranked
There are a lot of great base-building games out there, but some have much better mechanics than others. Here's a look at some of the best, ranked.