Games Like Minecraft: Block Building and Survival Online
Updated
Games like Minecraft let you break and place blocks, gather what you need and build whatever you want, or survive the night with what you have crafted. Minecraft is a sandbox game by Mojang Studios. Below are original browser games by independent studios that keep its two halves: free building and crafting survival.
What makes a game feel like Minecraft
Minecraft has two main modes. In survival mode you gather wood and stone, craft tools and blocks, and build a shelter, because monsters come out in the dark. A health bar and a hunger bar keep you busy. In creative mode every block is available, you place and break them instantly and you can fly, so the only job is building (source).
So a game like Minecraft needs at least one of these: a world made of blocks you can change, a loop of gather, craft and build, or a reason to fear the night. Here is which games below have which.
| What you like in Minecraft | Games that do the same |
|---|---|
| Place and break blocks freely, fly over your build | Pixel World, Voxelrift |
| Gather, craft, build a shelter | Everwild Survival, Raft Evolution |
| Hunger, thirst and a dangerous night | Everwild Survival |
Block building sandboxes
These are closest to creative mode: a block world and the tools to change it.
- Pixel World is a building simulation where you create and change a whole kingdom. W, A, S and D move you, the number keys 1 to 8 pick a block, left-click hits a block and right-click places one. F turns on fly mode, and Q and E take you up and down. L places a torch, and Y summons a deer.
- Voxelrift is a sandbox of floating cubic islands that you link up with your own builds, from castles to machinery. Left click removes a block, right click places one, Tab opens the inventory and Shift switches items. B changes the game mode.
- Fort Builder Sandbox is building with a purpose: put up a fort from three kinds of structure, then test it with the weapons. Keys 5, 6 and 7 pick a structure, the left mouse button places it or shoots, and 1 to 4 switch weapons.
- Physics Sandbox drops the blocks for materials. You draw powder and sand, liquids, lava, solids that split and gas, and watch how they behave. Left click draws and right click erases.
Crafting survival
These are closest to survival mode: gather, craft, build a shelter and stay alive.
- Everwild Survival strands you in the wilderness. Chop trees, mine materials, fish in rivers and hunt, then craft tools and build a shelter. You manage hunger, thirst, health and happiness, and at night predators roam, so the shelter is your safe place. W, A, S and D move you, Q and E rotate the camera, Space picks things up and C opens the menu.
- Raft Evolution moves survival onto the sea. Build a raft, use a grappling hook to pull in chests and boards, fish and cook, then explore the islands. You craft a workbench, a hat and a bed, and the day and night cycle makes you plan both. Y opens crafting and T the inventory.
- Wild Island Quest is the gentler one. Chop trees for wood, mine rocks for stone, earn new tools and craft items such as berry jam to finish missions. Rescued companions help with the work, and you travel on to new islands.
More games where the night is the enemy are in survival games, and the survival and pixel collections have plenty more to browse.
Tips for block and crafting games
- Build a small shelter before you build a big one. In Everwild Survival the night is when predators roam, and four walls are enough for the first one.
- Gather more wood than you think you need. Wood is the first material in every crafting game above, and tools come from it.
- Learn the place and break keys first. In Pixel World and Voxelrift the left and right mouse buttons do opposite jobs, and mixing them up deletes your work.
Games like Minecraft FAQ
Are there free games like Minecraft with no download?
Yes. Every game here plays free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
Which ones are pure building, with no survival?
Pixel World and Voxelrift are the closest to building for its own sake: place and remove blocks, and in Pixel World fly over what you have made. Physics Sandbox is a different kind of free play, with materials instead of blocks.
Can I play these on a phone?
The site works in the browser of a phone, a tablet and a computer, but games built around a mouse, such as Pixel World and Voxelrift, are easier on a computer.
Is Minecraft itself on Jumpcade?
No. Minecraft is a commercial game by Mojang Studios. The games here are original titles by independent studios that play in a similar way.
If your favorite part is the night after the first day, start with Everwild Survival; if it is the building, start with Pixel World.
