Games Like Terraria: Dig, Mine, Craft and Build Games
Updated
Games like Terraria let you dig down, gather resources, craft gear, build a shelter and fight what comes at you. Terraria is a 2011 sandbox game by Re-Logic, set in a two-dimensional world. The games below are original browser games by independent studios, and each one covers part of that loop, from drilling underground to holding a base against raids.
How Terraria plays
Terraria puts you in a two-dimensional world that the game generates. It has no set goals: you explore, mine, craft equipment, build and fight. Ores lie in caves, monsters turn up depending on the time, the place and special events, and beating bosses, a tougher kind of enemy, leads you to more items and equipment. You can play alone or with others (source).
Most of the games below take one or two of those parts rather than all of them. This table shows which game asks for which.
| What you do in Terraria | Games that ask the same |
|---|---|
| Dig down and mine ore | Dig to the Weirdest World, Deep Fuel, Chop & Mine 2, Mine Keeper |
| Gather resources and craft | Survival RPG Island Escape, Lost Adventure New, Dungeon Miner - Idle Mining Game |
| Build a shelter or a base | Cowboy Survival Zombie, Clearfell: Forest Outpost |
| Fight monsters | Cowboy Survival Zombie, Slash Knight, Object 73: Survival Clicker |
Dig down and mine
These four put the digging first.
- Dig to the Weirdest World is a colorful 3D mining adventure. You steer a drill underground, collect discoveries and sell the cargo to upgrade power, energy and storage. It has eight drilling rigs, shockwave, turbo and scanner abilities, 29 underground worlds from crystal caves to lava landscapes, and 25 quests. WASD or the arrows steer and dig, Space digs on its own and E opens the upgrades.
- Deep Fuel is a 2D dive: you drill down with a machine and race against your fuel. Collect gold, oil and gems for score, keep away from walls and play against AI bots. The arrow keys or A and D move you sideways, the down arrow drills deeper, and E uses the active power-up. On mobile you tap the left or right side of the screen.
- Chop & Mine 2 is an idle game that splits the work: let your lumberjacks chop wood, or go underground yourself to dig and mine resources. Dynamite and bombs are the hazard, and the mining is generated without end.
- Mine Keeper makes you a dwarf lord who builds a town and mines deep for stones and gems. Take your troops along, because there are monsters in the mine. WASD or the arrow keys move you, you can drag with the left mouse button, and a phone has an in-game joystick.
Gather, build and survive
Survival and building are part of Terraria's loop. These games ask for the same.
- Cowboy Survival Zombie is a 2D game with a destructible world. You are a cowboy in the old west full of zombies: sow, harvest, eat, gather resources, build your shelter and shoot the zombies. The goal is to survive as many days as possible. A and D move, W jumps and climbs ladders, S climbs down, and Space or Shift picks up items, opens doors and uses wells and beds. The left mouse button shoots or uses an item, and the right one changes the build figure.
- Clearfell: Forest Outpost is an isometric 3D base-building survival game. You start with one tent, chop your way out, gather wood, stone, gold and iron, and build sawmills, mines, walls, turrets and mortars. Goblins raid your base every other night, and you fight back with guns and grenades. Hold E to chop or mine, press B or the number keys to build, R to rotate and F for the building menu.
- Survival RPG Island Escape makes you the last survivor on a mysterious island of pixels. You collect resources and make tools: water bottles hold water, knives are for defense and fruit gives energy. You play with a mouse click or a tap.
- Lost Adventure New begins with a plane crash. You gather resources from the wreckage, craft tools and cross the wild grass to rescue passengers on small islands. WASD or the arrow keys move you, and mobile has an on-screen joystick.
More games of this kind are in the survival games collection, and the survival games guide sorts them by what they ask of you.
Craft gear and fight
- Dungeon Miner - Idle Mining Game is a management simulation: your late uncle has left you a mine. Grab the pickaxe, delve into the areas of your land, craft new weapons and tools, explore dungeons for valuables and blueprints, fight creatures and upgrade your gear. You tap or click.
- Object 73: Survival Clicker is a survival clicker with idle and RPG elements. You explore the ruined laboratories of an underground complex, collect resources and fight mutants, rogue synthetics and combat drones. Defeated enemies drop materials you can use to craft weapons and upgrade equipment, and you attack by clicking on them.
- Slash Knight is a dungeon survival adventure. A knight trapped in a dangerous underground world explores dark rooms, avoids traps, battles monsters and collects weapons, armor and items. Enemies get stronger as you go, and you play it with the arrow buttons.
Open-ended games with no fixed goal, such as physics toys and builders, are in the sandbox games guide.
Tips for dig, build and fight games
- Sell before you dive again. In Dig to the Weirdest World a click sells your cargo for coins, and the coins go into power, energy and storage.
- Find the build keys first. In Clearfell, B or the number keys build, R rotates and F opens the building menu.
- Plan for the night. Clearfell sends goblin raids every other night, and Cowboy Survival Zombie asks you to last as many days as you can.
- Look for gear early. Dungeon Miner has you craft new weapons and tools, and Object 73 turns enemy drops into weapons and equipment.
Games like Terraria FAQ
Can I play games like Terraria on a phone?
Some of them. The site works in the browser of a phone, a tablet and a computer. Dig to the Weirdest World lists a direction pad and buttons for mobile, Deep Fuel taps on the left or right side of the screen, Lost Adventure New an on-screen joystick and Mine Keeper an in-game joystick. Cowboy Survival Zombie and Clearfell list keyboard and mouse controls only, so read each game's controls first.
Are there free games like Terraria to play online?
Yes. They play free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
Is there a 3D game like Terraria?
Clearfell: Forest Outpost is an isometric 3D game, and Dig to the Weirdest World is a 3D mining adventure. More are in 3D games.
Can I play games like Terraria with friends?
None of the games above describes a co-op mode, and Dig to the Weirdest World calls itself a single-player expedition. Games for several players are in multiplayer games online.
Pick the part of the loop you like, digging, building or fighting, and start with the game above that asks for it.
