Terraria has a lot to offer, but once you have gotten your fill of the game, you may want another game similar to the excitement that Terraria had to offer. This list is composed of different games that offer similar experiences to Terraria. The games offer their own unique experiences, but a lot of these games offer similar payoffs to Terraria.
Minecraft
If you enjoyed the building aspect of Terraria, love exploring new biomes, and gearing your character up to godlike capabilities, Minecraft is an obvious choice. Terraria is often hailed as 2D Minecraft, and while Terraria has more to offer in terms of boss fighting, Minecraft is simply a different beast to conquer. Building homes, bases, and castles in a 3D space is a unique experience that anyone who enjoys creative expression ought to try out.
The similarities to Terraria do not stop at the building aspect, there are many other similar game mechanics. You can fish, continue up tiers of equipment, conquer dark reaches of the world, and even wear wings and fly. The creative possibilities in this game are solely up to the player. Minecraft mostly focuses on the building aspect of Terraria, but there is a lot of progression found in this game that is similar to Terraria’s.
Don’t Starve
If you are looking for a challenging entry into survival crafting games look towards Don’t Starve. There are a lot of challenges built into this game by monitoring your sanity, health, and of course your hunger. You begin by gathering sticks and stones in the daytime and eventually tiering up your equipment to grand scale bases, filled with farms, defenses, and loot from exploring. Come nighttime you need to brave the terrors and nightmares that come to assault you. The world in Don’t Starve is filled with danger and harsh environments.
This is a game about advancing through tiers, tackling difficult challenges, and even surviving boss encounters. The art style is simplistic and the sound design is phenomenal. There are many characters that you can unlock and play as which can add some depth and unlock different playstyles. This is a game that feels rewarding to complete.
Starbound
Starbound is a procedurally generated game that offers a lot that is similar to the world of Terraria. Even the style in presentation is similar. You can build bases, explore dark depths of the world, gather NPCs in a village, and eventually tech your way up to extreme power levels. This game is more story centered but there is a wide world full of mysteries and dangers that you can conquer.
The differences to Terraria are how you find different planets to progress through the game. Your main base will be your starship that you move between planets and you maintain your gear between each planet, but you won’t be getting too cozy on each planet. If you enjoy the beginning of Terraria where you have to set up a base to set up shop you will most likely enjoy Starbound.
Stardew Valley
If you are interested in a more relaxing experience then Stardew Valley is the game for you. While most of the game is centered around building up a profit through farming, there is a lot of cave diving and challenges throughout the game. Stardew also got a big content update recently which includes an island towards the late-game that has tons of puzzles, secrets, and a volcano to reach the top of.
There are also over 20 NPCs that you can build a relationship with to unlock more events, receive crafting and cooking recipes, and even eventually marry. There is a story, but it is not a campaign, more so there to explain the background of Pelican town and the player character’s origin. There are many goals and collections to fill out, so if you are looking for a more relaxed collectathon with some challenge sprinkled in Stardew Valley is the perfect game for you.
Valheim
For a game more focused on adventuring and exploring lands then Valheim would be a good candidate. This is the most recent game that has been released on this list and it plays like open world Terraria. There are different biomes with different resources, mobs, and bosses to face; tiers of equipment gathered from progressively difficult areas; and a leveling system similar to Skyrim’s where you have to use your weapon of choice to become more proficient in using it.
Valheim is mostly centered on surface exploration. There are no mine shafts or deep caves to conquer, but there is a wide open world filled with danger that you can combat alone or with your friends. This viking styled game holds some similarities to Terraria with its base building and extensive combat. Give this one a try if the bosses and progression in Terraria was your favorite part.
