The wombo-combo of base-building and open-world settings is on the rise, particularly in the open-world survival crafting genre. It’s a match made in heaven: a huge world to explore, with multiple locations you can plop your base down. You choose not just a strategic location for yourself, but also the view. There’s something incredibly satisfying about all of that, and leaving your own personal mark on a vast world.
7 Best Open-World RPGs With Base-Building, Ranked
Settle down into your new home in these open-world RPGs that come packaged with their own base-building system.
While base building has been introduced in a ton of open-world games, even RPGs like Fallout 4 and Starfield, there are only a few select games that really stand out from the rest. For this ranking, we’ll focus on the games that deliver the most complete and fun experience, and feature in-depth base-building mechanics. We’ll rank them roughly by their overall quality, which combines both gameplay, their reception on Steam, and how good the building freedom really is.
Honorable Mentions:
- Icarus
- Project Zomboid
- Kenshi
- The Forest
- Windrose
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9
Abiotic Factor
SCP Meets Survival Base-Building
Starting off, we have Abiotic Factor. It earns a spot at the bottom here due to its slightly more limited base building, but it is more than worth mentioning because of how unique it is as an open-world game. The best way to describe Abiotic Factor’s vibe is to think of SCP mixed with Half-Life vibes, with a hefty serving of backrooms lore. It’s surreal, spooky, and there’s nothing quite like it. At least, not in the open-world survival craft genre.
You can set up a base in the various pre-existing locations, which can be anything from abandoned offices to mushroom-riddled lands. A lot of base-building revolves around furnishing these spots, so you won’t necessarily be building anything from the ground up, unless you count barricades as “walls.” Still, a worthy and quirky take on the genre that’s extremely beloved by players.
8
Enshrouded
Upgrade Your Flame Altar While Fighting The Shroud
Enshrouded is the perfect option if you’re more into traditional fantasy RPGs, but would like a lot more sandboxy gameplay thrown into the mix. One thing to note about this game is that it’s still in Early Access, so there’s definitely more to come. However, already, it shows a ton of promise. It has a really robust base-building system where you can put down a Flame Altar to claim a spot for your base.
You put down a total of 10 of these around the open-world environment, so don’t feel like you have to pick the perfect spot right off the bat. Then, you just upgrade the altar to increase the area it covers for your build. The construction is voxel-based, with pieces snapping together, so it’s pretty intuitive to get into, and you get a ton of options with various walls and structures. You can get incredibly creative with it.
7
No Man’s Sky
Settle Anywhere You’d Like In The Galaxy
Maybe fantasy isn’t your jam, in which case No Man’s Sky is the perfect next stop. Although it had a rough release, the game has really come a long way throughout the years, and is by far one of the most fun and complete sci-fi open-world survival crafts out there. You can build your own ships, go practically wherever you like, and do whatever you please, but the best part is picking a spot for you to call your home.
Games With Deep Base-Building Freedom
These games allow players to unleash their full creativity when building bases.
It’s a bit similar in some ways to Enshrouded, where you’ll have to first place down a base computer to claim your spot and gather resources to start crafting. The different modules and walls all snap together comfortably, so again, you won’t be too confused with its systems and can get sucked in easily, making the perfect space outpost of your dreams.
6
Grounded
Protect Yourself From Hostile Backyard Creatures
Back to something a little different, Grounded has one of the more unique concepts in open-world survival crafts. It puts you in the shoes of survivors shrunk to the size of small insects, trying to survive in the Backyard full of hostile and friendly critters. All the classic tropes of a survival game are here, including base-building, which will have you really scratching your head as you try to come up with the best way to keep out any dangerous critters.
You can get pretty wild with your designs, from huge, defendable fortresses to cozy little nooks, thanks to a commendable variety of walls and floors to keep things interesting. That said, don’t get too comfy in your new house. Always be prepared for bugs to raid your hideout, and make sure your structure is defendable and in a good spot.
5
The Planet Crafter
Turn The Planet Into A Paradise
Back to the world of sci-fi, we have The Planet Crafter. This game has become a fast favorite for many fans of the open-world survival genre due to its addictive gameplay loop. Your mission is to turn a planet into a livable place by slowly terraforming it over time, and of course, building your new base on its surface. That process is insanely satisfying, even when you’re hours into gathering materials to construct the base of your dreams.
Starting out, you have a few simple modules you can put together to get going, but as you progress in the tech tree, you unlock more things to add on to your base. With relatively low graphical requirements and the possibility to enjoy this game with over 10 people in co-op, it’s easy to see why so many have fallen in love with the game. Simple, yet impossible to put down.
4
Subnautica
An Incredible Underwater Playground
Not many open-world games have managed to nail underwater worlds as magnificently as Subnautica has, and with the sequel right around the corner, we’re all excited to see what more has been cooked up. In the first game, your job was to find a way off the planet you had crashlanded on, but you could also just stick around forever after building a massive, huge underwater outpost.
Location is key again, and you’ll be combining different modules as you slowly expand your new aquatic home. There have been some pretty crazy designs throughout the years, like players building their homes in the Dead Zone to admire the absolutely terrifying views in there. A good challenge for any veteran builders!
3
Valheim
From Biome To Biome, Viking-Style
Valheim has turned into a bit of a phenomenon throughout the years, and it’s easy to see why. It boasts charming old-school graphics, a compelling Viking setting with progression like bosses and skills, and the building is actually quite deep. While it does have its limitations in terms of structural integrity and all that, the possibilities are impressive.
8 Most Fun Base Building Games, Ranked
The base-building subgenre has grown a lot in recent years, but nothing beats the fun factor in these base builders in particular.
Plus, as you progress from one biome to another to gain access to rarer resources and defeat the game’s bosses, you’ll have to face off against new limitations, which will also make you view the base-building part as a strategic task, too. It’s no wonder this game is a big favorite among players on Steam, who praise it for being a cornerstone of the open-world survival crafting genre.
2
RimWorld
For The Honor (And Efficiency) Of Your Colony
Another phenomenon of a game, RimWorld is something that any player who cares about base building should try at least once. It’s quite different from the rest of the games here, leaning more into colony simulation and strategy. You randomize yourself and open-world, procedurally generated planet, and pick where your first colonists (which you also get to create and name!) will spawn.
The freedom in this game and the depth of it are staggering. Base-building is not only there for you to keep your colonists somewhat sane and alive (or not, depending on what kind of story you want to tell), but it’s also strategic. Enemies will attempt to raid your home, and if you’re looking to keep things running smoothly, knowing where to place certain areas and how is key. At the same time, RimWorld is a storytelling game, so even if you’re not min-maxing to perfection, you’ll have a great time growing your colony and unlocking new tech.
1
Minecraft
A Limitless Experience
No base-building list would be complete without mentioning the king of all building games, Minecraft. Although everything in Mojang’s game is made of blocks, the possibilities in its Survival and Creative modes are staggering, and one could even say, overwhelming. With well over three hundred blocks available, featuring varying textures and colors, you can make some pretty wild-looking megabases and starter houses.
You also get a variety of biomes to choose from, either building into a mountain, a jungle, a cherry blossom forest, or even underwater in the middle of a coral reef. With redstone, you can also automate doors and railway systems for your base. Whether you enjoy messing around with the game in Creative mode or you’re a Hardcore player, Minecraft’s building system is intuitive and fluid enough to keep you thoroughly entertained for years. Its longevity is a testament to that, even if its latest update, which featured sulfur, didn’t get the greatest reception.
9 Best Open-World Games That Let You Reshape The World With Creativity, Ranked
From Valheim to Fallout, these open-world games give players the power to reshape terrain, build from scratch, and leave creative marks on worlds.
