5 best alternatives to Minecraft that players can try in 2022

Minecraft is a great game but sometimes players need an alternative - for a change of pace or just to take a break from the game.

Its success has led to a surge of open-world survival crafting games, and today, gamers have numerous options. With so many choices, some fans may have their hands full picking the right alternative for them.

Fortunately, a good number of survival crafting games have drawn away from the pack and enjoyed considerable success. These games may differ in their presentations, but they can all provide similar levels of enjoyment.

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Minecraft: 5 of the top survival crafting alternatives

#5 - 7 Days to Die

7DTD takes survival crafting to the zombie apocalypse (Image via The Fun Pimps)

Having spent a considerable amount of time in early access, 7 Days to Die is technically unfinished, but it is one of the most popular survival crafting games in recent memory.

Players are thrown into the fall of civilization as the ravenous undead slowly but surely take over the world. The core objective in 7DTD is to survive for as long as possible. To accomplish this, players can scavenge for supplies, craft tools, weapons and items, build shelters and weather the elements.

Players' basic bodily needs are a big part of gameplay as well, meaning they'll need to stay fed and hydrated to live, as well as avoid illnesses and extreme temperatures.

7 Days to Die still has a fair amount of bugs and isn't as polished as some other survival crafting games. However, it's worth noting that developer The Fun Pimps is a small indie studio, and has dedicated its time and resources to the game.

Hop in and try to survive solo or with friends, but be careful. As time passes, the zombies get more dangerous. Hordes can attack your shelter, and mutated zombies exist as well. Even other players on any given server can't be trusted.

#4 - Dragon Quest Builders 2

Dragon Quest Builders 2 blends light-hearted survival crafting with additional RPG elements (Image via Square Enix)

Square Enix's Dragon Quest Builders 2 also provides a Minecraft-esque experience. Combining building/harvesting as well as light survival mechanics, DQB2 is sheathed in the time-tested visuals of the Dragon Quest RPG series. The visuals, created by Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump creator Akira Toriyama, help maintain a pleasant appearance without taking itself too seriously. The world is still composed of blocks, in keeping with Minecraft's conventions.

The game takes place after the events of Dragon Quest II. The player is tasked with rebuilding the world after an age of war and monsters, and the defeat of evil lords Hargon and Malroth by Dragon Quest II's Luminaries.

Players will visit multiple islands, learn new recipes, battle monsters, and make new friends along the way. The game is quite forgiving for a survival crafter, and fans of Dragon Quest or RPG games should enjoy it.

#3 - Green Hell

Green Hell has a very high difficulty curve and is quite unforgiving (Image via Creepy Jar)

A survival crafter for hardcore survival enthusiasts, Green Hell takes Minecraft's straightforward survival mechanics and pushes them to their logical extremes. The game's story centers around a researcher named Jake Higgins, who joins his wife in studying the indigenous tribes of the Amazon Rainforest.

After a run-in with one of the tribes, Jake is injured and his wife goes missing. Keeping in touch with her via radio, he must survive the perils of the rainforest and reunite with his wife.

In addition to the game's single-player sandbox, the game has multiplayer mode too. Green Hell's survival gameplay is intense when compared to Minecraft. A single wound can fester and kill the player with a fever from infection.

Players must not only eat and drink, but keep track of their macronutrients to ensure they are consuming a balanced diet. Dangerous animals like jaguars, panthers, caimans, rattlesnakes, and poisonous insects await around every corner. Even more concerning are the nearby indigenous tribes, who will actively hunt down the player, who they consider a trespasser on their land.

Green Hell is a far cry from Minecraft, but it can still draw in players who want an incredibly challenging and realistic experience.

#2 - Don't Starve Together

Don't Starve Together's visual style is incredibly unique (Image via Klei Entertainment)

A survival crafting game reminiscent of Minecraft but sporting a Tim Burton-esque presentation, Don't Starve Together is a standalone expansion of the hit survival game Don't Starve.

Opening the game up for multiplayer enjoyment, Don't Starve Together drops players into a procedurally-generated and biome-rich world full of dangers, including monsters. Players will need to fight, build, and farm to survive, and they can accomplish this with friends.

While its survival mechanics possess plenty of depth, one of the largest draws of this game is its macabre atmosphere. It takes what makes Minecraft's survival so enjoyable and amplifies it without becoming overly complex.

#1 - Rust

Rust combines intense PvP combat with survival crafting (Image via Facepunch Studios)

Featuring Minecraft-style crafting and survival elements as well as robust PvP, Rust is a multiplayer-only survival game (though players can host solo servers). It is reminiscent of Minecraft and other popular titles such as DayZ and Arma.

Players need to address their hunger, thirst, and overall health levels while contending with dangerous animals like bears and wolves. NPCs are capable of roaming servers and attacking players that are adequately armed, and the threat of other players is always present as well.

To protect themselves, players will start out with basic weapons and armor like leather and bows before moving on to firearms and other powerful gear. Players can build shelters and band together in clans for mutual survival, and raiding enemy players is standard practice.

Being so heavily multiplayer-focused, the game may not be to everyone's preference, but fans of Minecraft PvP will surely derive plenty of satisfaction from Rust. There's a lot to enjoy and the game's modding community takes the experience up a notch, not unlike Minecraft.