10 Best Base Building Games Of All Time

May 23, 2024, midnight

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10 Best Base Building Games Of All Time

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Summary Base builders blend relaxation with challenge, offering players opportunities to create grand projects or efficient structures.

Titles like Valheim emphasize realism in construction, while games like Satisfactory focus on industrial efficiency.

V Rising and Sons of the Forest add unique spins to base building, with Gothic and horror influences elevating the genre.

If there is any game genre known for making hours vanish, it would be the base-building genre with games like Sons of the Forest and Rimworld. Although it is rarely the only genre many games fall into, building mechanics allow players to channel their inner architects, undergoing grand projects at impressive scales with intuitive controls. Base building has become so popular that it has snuck its way into games that many players wouldn't expect to find them in, like Fallout 4.

Due to the association with survival or simulation games, base builders can either be a relaxing experience due to some kind of creative mode or a nerve-wracking one that results in player death if done poorly. This duality is what makes the genre so appealing. Players can take their time, plan projects, and spend dozens of hours constructing monoliths, or they can take a practical approach, ensuring that everything they build in their base is as efficient as possible.

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10 Satisfactory Adds Work Responsibilities To Base Building

An Early Access Title To Look Out For

Platform(s) Steam , PC Released March 19, 2019 Developer(s) Coffee Stain Studios Publisher(s) Coffee Stain Studios Publishing Genre(s) Sci-Fi , Simulation ESRB e10+ Expand

While most titles focus on making a base suitable for the survival of a player or a group of players, Satisfactory is unique. It focuses on making an efficient, industrial factory in an alien world, which makes players think about how to best automate their conveyor belt havens. The added element of exploration helps the overall experience, and the title having co-op definitely adds to its ability to eat away at time.

Currently, Satisfactory is an early access title that has received constant updates since it was released on Steam in 2020. It has a decent following, and the problem-solving element of its building provides an element of satisfaction to its construction, hence the name. It also adds stress since the factory bases have to work in a specific way, and with co-op, this can quickly turn into competitive and entertaining shouting matches over who did what wrong.

9 Valheim Adds A Norse Charm To The Genre

Building To Keep The Roof Up

Platform(s) PC , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S Released February 2, 2021 Developer(s) Iron Gate AB Publisher(s) Coffee Stain Publishing Genre(s) Survival , Sandbox ESRB M Expand

Valheim has taken the survival, base-building genre by storm ever since it was released as an early access title in 2021. The building mechanics are unique in that everything needs support, adding an element of realism to construction. As it is a harsher survival title, a home needs specific things in order to operate like one, such as a fire and a vent for that fire to stop players getting suffocated by the smoke.

Valheim is receiving continuous updates, with its Ashlands biome having recently been released on May 14.

The Norse setting, harsh difficulty and progression of Valheim help it be an entertaining time killer. The progression also extends to the building, giving players new options and defenses as they venture to new lands. Thanks to some console commands and cheats, the player can explore the building mechanics to its fullest, similar to Minecraft's Creative Mode, letting them construct some truly impressive structures, like massive, mountaintop fortresses or grand mead halls.

8 Rust Took The Genre By Storm

Build To Survive

Platform(s) PlayStation 4 , Xbox One macOS , PC Released February 8, 2018 Developer(s) Facepunch Studios Publisher(s) Facepunch Studios Genre(s) Survival , Shooter ESRB M Expand

Rust may not have an impressive Metacritic score of 69, but the impact it had on the genre cannot be denied. Having been released in 2018, the title is considered older than most in this genre and sets standards for other games. It benefits from being an incredibly addictive title with a strong online presence that is bolstered by crossplay between Xbox and PlayStation.

Building in Rust, like with many other titles, can quickly become a rabbit hole, sucking players into the addictive cycle of constructing a base capable of keeping out both mobs and other players. One issue is that bases can be raided and destroyed by other players while someone is offline, but to avoid this, people can always join a low population or PvE dedicated server. It should also be noted that although the base building is intricate, it isn't easy to make a pretty base, especially without DLC skins.

7 V Rising Lets Players Build Their Own Castlevania

A Gothic Edge To Base Building

Platform(s) PC Released May 17, 2022 Developer(s) Stunlock Studios Publisher(s) Stunlock Studios Genre(s) Open-World , Survival , Adventure , MMO , Action ESRB T Expand

Offering an isometric view and a strong, Gothic design, the recently released V Rising presents something different in an over-saturated genre. Although its combat is a highlight, being somewhat reminiscent of Diablo thanks to its aesthetic, the base building is an underrated element. Thanks to its Gothic design, players are able to construct their own horror-themed mansions and castles.

With an impressive Metacritic score of 82, V Rising seems as though it will carve out its own niche in the survival, base-building genre, especially enrapturing the creative players who want to construct their own version of Dracula's castle. There is plenty of flora for the plant lovers out there, despite it being a game about creatures who hate the sun. The ability to manage NPC servants in a player's base adds an element of liveliness that is tough to get in other base builders when playing solo.

V Rising had a run in early access, stretching from May 17, 2022, to May 8, 2024.

6 Grounded: Build Massive Bases On A Tiny Scale

Obsidian's Own Survival Title

Platform(s) Xbox Series X/S Microsoft Windows , Xbox One Released September 27, 2022 Developer(s) Obsidian Entertainment Publisher(s) Xbox Game Studios Genre(s) Survival , MMO ESRB T Expand

Grounded excels with its charming aesthetic and setup. Players take control of shrunk-down teenagers, who are now smaller than ants and are thrown into a backyard and forced to survive. This makes rather mundane insects terrifying threats and adds a fun, urban feeling to the survival, base-building genre. Although it can be played solo, the game was made with co-op in mind and was developed by the renowned Obsidian Entertainment.

Thanks to its backyard setting, the buildings that can be constructed have a wonderful tree house aesthetic about them, using twigs and leaves. This is a little deceptive, however, as these bases can be built to an incredible scale, with players constructing villas and castles. It's no wonder that the title was able to earn an impressive Metacritic score of 83, keeping players coming back ever since it was released in 2022.

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5 Sons Of The Forest Adds A Horror-Filled Edge

A Worthy Sequel To The Forest

Platform(s) PC Released February 23, 2023 Developer(s) Endnight Games Publisher(s) Newnight Genre(s) Survival Horror ESRB M Expand

Sons of the Forest is a sequel to The Forest, and it is certainly a worthy one. It is a survival horror title where players are put on an island of cannibals in order to find a missing billionaire. Due to the emphasis on horror, the bases in Sons of the Forest usually have practicality and defense in mind, although that hasn't stopped players from constructing creative buildings, like bases that float on water.

Sons of the Forest began as an early access title that was released on February 23, 2023. It received a full release on February 22, 2024.

The survivalist, island nature of Sons of the Forest is amplified by the game's buildings using whole logs throughout construction. It adds a barbaric and tribalistic aesthetic to bases that fit the survival horror genre well, especially when players have gone out of their way to build giant log castles. The title is a great one for those looking for a survival game to play with friends that has a horrifying edge, having earned a Metacritic score of 86.

4 Oxygen Not Included: Deep-Space Building

Build A Space Colony To Survive

Platform(s) macOS , PC Released February 15, 2017 Developer(s) Klei Entertainment Publisher(s) Klei Entertainment Genre(s) Survival , Indie ESRB e10+ Expand

Oxygen Not Included has a delightful, hand-drawn aesthetic similar to Don't Starve's, but with a sci-fi twist. The game is focused around helping a space colony survive on an asteroid by building up an efficient base while catering to the inhabitants. Building a base is vital to ensuring that the colony succeeds, with players having to manage power, food, water, oxygen, and the stress of the colony members.

Although most base builders have survival roots and the maintenance of a base is a second thought, Oxygen Not Included's simulation roots mean that a base has to be well constructed and easy to maintain. It takes some getting used to, especially with all the micromanaging needed, but the charming animations and sprites help make the extensive base-building mechanics feel well worth the effort. The game struck well with critics, having earned an impressive score of 86 on Metacritic.

3 Subnautica Puts Base Building Under The Sea

A Safe Space In A Sea Of Nightmares

Subnautica may best be known for its exploration and fear-inducing Leviathans, but the base building is nothing to sneer at. Thanks to the game's underwater setting, bases are already more unique in Subnautica than other titles and act as a safe space in an unsafe ocean. These bases need to be attached to something, usually the ocean floor, but sometimes they can be attached to floating rocks to sit them closer to the surface.

Subnautica: Below Zero is a sequel to the first Subnautica and is known for its snowy environments along with the underwater segments.

Subnautica benefits from being simple and easy to use. Players can make functional bases without much effort, although, as with every good base builder, if players wish to, they can create grand monoliths. The use of glass throughout base construction is a great addition to a title all about underwater construction, and the overall aesthetic of using modular tubes helps cement the title as a space exploration one. Subnautica has a superb Metacritic rating of 87.

2 Rimworld: A 2D Top Down View On Base Building

An Addictive Colony Sim

Rimworld is somewhat of an underground hit in the base builder space, being a colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. It is a top-down title with a simple yet charming drawn aesthetic, but this charm is deceiving. This game is brutally fun, with players needing to manage the survivors in their base while keeping them alive against armies of raiders. It's a lot to manage, which is why a well-constructed base is vital.

With all that a player has to manage, including the dynamic nature of survivors, the construction of the base is one of the few things that players can entirely control, but it has to be both defensible and livable. The problem-solving element of colony sim base building always adds an extra layer and with the sprawling freedom of a top-down builder, there ends up being a lot of problems to solve. The gameplay loop is clearly a solid one, given the immense Metacritic score of 87 that Rimworld has earned.

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1 Minecraft Has Achieved Iconic Status

There Will Never Be Another Game Like Minecraft

There are very few people in the world who haven't heard of Minecraft. It is the biggest game in the genre by far, having captivated the attention of several generations. Despite its age, the constant updates, additions, and appeal to audiences, young and old, have kept it as king of the survival, base-building genre. With both a Survival and Creative Mode, it is a game made for almost anyone, especially with the number of servers that help make it a template for any kind of game.

Minecraft's ability as a base-building game is well-documented. YouTube creators have made a living off building in Minecraft while others have banded together to undergo monstrously sized projects, like Minecraft Middle Earth. In general, the game does brilliantly with large-scale buildings due to its simplicity and almost every block being the same scale. This works less well for smaller-scale buildings, like those with furniture, but the variety of building materials allows players to get creative in making up for this. Minecraft has a Metacritic score of 82.

Sources Metacritic (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)