Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Starbound (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Starbound on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: Terraria, which both open world, survival and atmospheric.
- Starbound is tagged Open World Survival Craft, Sandbox, Survival, Space, Adventure, Crafting, Pixel Graphics, Online Co-Op by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 2 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
Terraria
Why it matched: both open world, survival and atmospheric; shares 11 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Sandbox and Survival.
Dig, fight, explore, build! Nothing is impossible in this action-packed adventure game. Four Pack also available!
Terraria at a glance Released 2011 Studio 505 Games Player sentiment 97% positive of 1,550,032 Price $9.99 Open World Survival CraftSandboxSurvival2DPixel GraphicsCraftingBuildingExploration
- 2
Core Keeper
Why it matched: both open world, survival, atmospheric and relaxing; shares 10 player tags including Pixel Graphics, Open World Survival Craft and Online Co-Op.
Explore a vast cavern of creatures, relics and resources in a mining sandbox adventure for 1-8 players. Mine, build, fight, craft and farm to unravel the mystery of the ancient Core.
Core Keeper at a glance Released 2024 Studio Pugstorm Player sentiment 93% positive of 66,196 Price $19.99 Pixel GraphicsOpen World Survival CraftOnline Co-OpSandboxSurvivalCraftingExploration2D
- 3
Astroneer
Why it matched: both open world, survival, science fiction and atmospheric; shares 9 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Space; released around the same time (2016).
Interact with strange new worlds in a unique and tactile way, molding the environment itself as if it were clay in your hands. Build your base, master resource management, automate your production lines, and more as you unravel the mysteries of the universe, alone or with friends.
Astroneer at a glance Released 2016 Studio System Era Softworks Player sentiment 92% positive of 139,052 Price $29.99 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalSpaceExplorationSandboxBuildingCraftingSci-fi
- 4
Necesse
Why it matched: both open world, survival and atmospheric; shares 11 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Sandbox and Pixel Graphics.
Build, quest, and conquer across an infinite procedurally generated world. Play alone or with friends as you establish a settlement and explore deep dungeons, fight monsters and bosses, mine rare ores, craft magical equipment, recruit specialists for your colony, and more!
Necesse at a glance Released 2025 Studio Fair Games ApS Player sentiment 93% positive of 28,893 Price $14.99 Open World Survival CraftSandboxPixel GraphicsIndieSurvivalCraftingRPGBuilding
- 5
Forager
Why it matched: both open world, survival and relaxing; shares 10 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Pixel Graphics; released around the same time (2019).
The highly popular and quirky "idle game that you want to actively keep playing". Explore, craft, gather & manage resources, find secrets and build your base out of nothing! Buy land to explore and expand!
Forager at a glance Released 2019 Studio HopFrog Player sentiment 89% positive of 43,976 Price $19.99 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalPixel GraphicsCraftingIndieSandbox2DBuilding
- 6
No Man's Sky
Why it matched: both open world, survival, science fiction and atmospheric; shares 8 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Space and Exploration; released around the same time (2016).
No Man's Sky is a game about exploration and survival in an infinite procedurally generated universe.
No Man's Sky at a glance Released 2016 Studio Hello Games Player sentiment 85% positive of 414,641 Price $59.99 Open World Survival CraftSpaceExplorationSci-fiSurvivalSandboxCraftingIndie
- 7
Subnautica
Why it matched: both open world, survival, science fiction and atmospheric; shares 7 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Exploration; released around the same time (2014).
Descend into the depths of an alien underwater world filled with wonder and peril. Craft equipment, pilot submarines and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and more - all while trying to survive.
Subnautica at a glance Released 2014 Studio Unknown Worlds Entertainment Player sentiment 97% positive of 379,053 Price $29.99 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalExplorationCraftingSci-fiSandboxIndie
- 8
Breathedge
Why it matched: both open world, survival, science fiction and atmospheric; shares 8 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Space and Survival.
Survive in outer space! Together with your immortal chicken, discover the truth behind your sudden spaceship crash. Craft tools, pilot vehicles, and even control space stations to survive and explore the wreckage.
Breathedge at a glance Released 2021 Studio RedRuins Softworks Player sentiment 81% positive of 17,816 Price $2.49 Open World Survival CraftSpaceSurvivalSandboxIndieSci-fiCraftingExploration
- 9
My Time at Portia
Why it matched: both open world, survival and relaxing; shares 8 player tags including RPG, Crafting and Building; released around the same time (2019).
Start a new life in the enchanting town of Portia! Restore your Pa's neglected workshop to its former glory by fulfilling commissions, growing crops, raising animals, and befriending the quirky inhabitants of this charming post-apocalyptic land!
My Time at Portia at a glance Released 2019 Studio Pathea Games Player sentiment 91% positive of 44,284 Price $29.99 RPGCraftingBuildingSandboxIndieRelaxingExplorationSurvival
- 10
The Planet Crafter
Why it matched: both open world, survival and science fiction; shares 9 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Online Co-Op.
A space survival open world terraforming crafting game, designed for 1 to 10 players. Alter the ecosystem of an inhospitable planet to render it habitable for humanity. Survive, gather resources, and build your base. Then, generate oxygen, warmth, and pressure to create a brand new biosphere.
The Planet Crafter at a glance Released 2024 Studio Miju Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 73,208 Price $23.99 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalOnline Co-OpBuildingCraftingExplorationSpaceSandbox
- 11
ARK: Survival Evolved
Why it matched: both open world, survival and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Crafting; released around the same time (2017).
Stranded on the shores of a mysterious island, you must learn to survive. Use your cunning to kill or tame the primeval creatures roaming the land, and encounter other players to survive, dominate... and escape!
ARK: Survival Evolved at a glance Released 2017 Studio Studio Wildcard Player sentiment 83% positive of 776,582 Price $9.89 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalCraftingBuildingSandboxRPGSci-fiIndie
- 12
Planetbase
Why it matched: both open world, survival, science fiction and atmospheric; shares 7 player tags including Space, Survival and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2015).
Guide a group of space settlers trying to establish a base on a remote planet. Grow food, collect energy, mine resources, survive disasters and build a self-sufficient colony in a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Planetbase at a glance Released 2015 Studio Madruga Works Player sentiment 80% positive of 10,438 Price $7.49 SpaceSurvivalSci-fiBuildingIndieSandboxCrafting
- 13
Oxygen Not Included
Why it matched: both open world, survival and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Survival, Building and 2D; released around the same time (2019).
Oxygen Not Included is a space-colony simulation game. Deep inside an alien space rock your industrious crew will need to master science, overcome strange new lifeforms, and harness incredible space tech to survive, and possibly, thrive.
Oxygen Not Included at a glance Released 2019 Studio Klei Entertainment Player sentiment 97% positive of 143,589 Price $24.99 SurvivalBuilding2DSandboxSpaceIndieSci-fiExploration
- 14
Abiotic Factor
Why it matched: both open world, survival and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Survival, Online Co-Op and Open World Survival Craft.
Abiotic Factor is a survival crafting experience for 1-6 players set in the depths of an underground research facility. Caught between paranormal containment failure, a military crusade, and chaos from a dozen realms, the world’s greatest minds must survive against the universe’s biggest threats.
Abiotic Factor at a glance Released 2025 Studio Deep Field Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 58,569 Price $34.99 SurvivalOnline Co-OpOpen World Survival CraftCraftingSci-fiExplorationSandboxBuilding
- 15
Subnautica: Below Zero
Why it matched: both open world, survival, science fiction and atmospheric; shares 7 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Exploration.
Dive into a freezing underwater adventure on an alien planet. Below Zero is set two years after the original Subnautica. Return to Planet 4546B to uncover the truth behind a deadly cover-up. Survive by building habitats, crafting tools, & diving deeper into the world of Subnautica.
Subnautica: Below Zero at a glance Released 2021 Studio Unknown Worlds Entertainment Player sentiment 90% positive of 108,227 Price $29.99 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalExplorationIndieCraftingSci-fiSandbox
- 16
Empyrion - Galactic Survival
Why it matched: both open world, survival and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Space and Survival; released around the same time (2020).
Build and explore in a true space sandbox survival adventure. Construct mighty capital vessels, sprawling planetary settlements, and vast space stations in your galactic journey to discover the mysteries of Empyrion!
Empyrion - Galactic Survival at a glance Released 2020 Studio Eleon Game Studios Player sentiment 78% positive of 34,399 Price $19.99 Open World Survival CraftSpaceSurvivalBuildingExplorationSandboxSci-fiCrafting
- 17
Cubic Castles
Why it matched: both open world, survival and relaxing; shares 8 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Building and Sandbox; released around the same time (2014).
Your blocks, your castle, your world! Build anything you can dream up and explore with other players! Cubic Castles is a mini-MMO that combines the best of block-building and 3D platform action! Create fantastic parkour challenges, explore worlds made by other players, or even make friend!
Cubic Castles at a glance Released 2014 Studio Raptisoft Player sentiment 74% positive of 4,276 Price Free Open World Survival CraftBuildingSandboxCraftingSurvivalIndieRPG2D
- 18
Universe Sandbox
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction, atmospheric and relaxing; shares 6 player tags including Sandbox, Space and Relaxing; released around the same time (2015).
Create & destroy on an unimaginable scale with a realistic physics-based space simulator. Explore the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Use science to bend the laws of gravity, collide planets, boil away oceans, fire epic space lasers, and customize your universe.
Universe Sandbox at a glance Released 2015 Studio Giant Army Player sentiment 96% positive of 32,082 Price $20.09 SandboxSpaceRelaxingSci-fiIndieExploration
- 19
Endless Sky
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and relaxing; shares 7 player tags including Space, Sci-fi and 2D; released around the same time (2015).
Endless Sky is a 2D space trading and combat game inspired by the classic Escape Velocity series. Work your way up from a relatively wimpy shuttle, cargo ship, or fighter, to a highly upgraded and customized flagship or to a massive fleet of warships or freighters.
Endless Sky at a glance Released 2015 Studio Michael Zahniser Player sentiment 92% positive of 7,092 Price Free SpaceSci-fi2DRPGExplorationIndieSandbox
- 20
Satisfactory
Why it matched: both open world, survival and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Crafting, Building and Sandbox.
Satisfactory is a first-person open-world factory building game with a dash of exploration and combat. Play alone or with friends, explore an alien planet, create multi-story factories, and enter conveyor belt heaven!
Satisfactory at a glance Released 2024 Studio Coffee Stain Studios Player sentiment 97% positive of 278,668 Price $39.99 CraftingBuildingSandboxExplorationOpen World Survival CraftSurvivalSci-fiIndie
- 21
Dinkum
Why it matched: both open world and relaxing; shares 9 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Relaxing and Crafting.
Dinkum is a survival life simulation game set on an island inspired by the rugged Australian outback. Farm, hunt, mine, fish, and forage to gather resources, expand your town, and discover what makes Dinkum so special—either solo or with friends.
Dinkum at a glance Released 2025 Studio James Bendon Player sentiment 92% positive of 29,091 Price $15.99 Open World Survival CraftRelaxingCraftingSandboxRPGIndieBuildingOnline Co-Op
- 22
ICARUS
Why it matched: both open world, survival and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Survival, Open World Survival Craft and Online Co-Op.
ICARUS is a solo or multiplayer PvE survival game. Explore a savage wilderness in the aftermath of terraforming gone wrong. Complete narrative quests as either Open World operations or Individual Missions. Explore, build, craft and hunt while seeking your fortune and prospecting for exotic matter.
ICARUS at a glance Released 2021 Studio RocketWerkz Player sentiment 75% positive of 67,694 Price $8.74 SurvivalOpen World Survival CraftOnline Co-OpCraftingExplorationBuildingSpaceSandbox
- 23
The Forest
Why it matched: both open world, survival and atmospheric; shares 7 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Crafting; released around the same time (2018).
As the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest battling to stay alive against a society of cannibalistic mutants. Build, explore, survive in this terrifying first person survival horror simulator.
The Forest at a glance Released 2018 Studio Endnight Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 680,814 Price $19.99 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalCraftingBuildingExplorationSandboxIndie
- 24
Project Zomboid
Why it matched: both open world and survival; shares 8 player tags including Survival, Open World Survival Craft and Sandbox; released around the same time (2013).
Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in MP: you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, massively customisable sandbox and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary. So how will you die? All it takes is a bite..
Project Zomboid at a glance Released 2013 Studio The Indie Stone Player sentiment 94% positive of 476,732 Price $24.99 SurvivalOpen World Survival CraftSandboxCraftingBuildingIndieRPG2D
Common questions
What game is most like Starbound?
Terraria, on the evidence we have. It both open world, survival and atmospheric. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to Starbound" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with Starbound. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.