Games Like Return from Core

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.

Why similar: Base Building 22.2%, Survival 16.7%, Crafting 16.5%, Sandbox 15.4%, Building 11.1%

Why You'll Like It: It is the closest match for underground exploration, mining, and automation-heavy survival in a sandbox environment.

Factorio is a game about building and creating automated factories to produce items of increasing complexity, within an infinite 2D world. Use your imagination to design your factory, combine simple elements into ingenious structures, and finally protect it from the creatures who don't really like you.

Why similar: Automation 38.6%, Base Building 24.4%, Sandbox 11.4%, Crafting 11.1%, Survival 8%

Why You'll Like It: This is the definitive experience for players who want to master complex automation and production chains.

Travel to the desert community of Sandrock and take on the role of a fledgling Builder. Use your trusty toolset to gather resources, construct machines, and turn your run-down workshop into a well-oiled production facility to save the town from the jaws of economic ruin!

Why similar: Farming Sim 18.7%, Dating Sim 18.3%, Crafting 14.3%, Mining 13.4% ★, Sandbox 13.2%

Why You'll Like It: A strong focus on building, crafting, and developing meaningful social relationships within a desert community.

Slime Rancher is the tale of Beatrix LeBeau, a plucky, young rancher who sets out for a life a thousand light years away from Earth on the ‘Far, Far Range’ where she tries her hand at making a living wrangling slimes.

Why similar: Sandbox 38.8%, Exploration 25.1%, Adventure 12.2%, Simulation 10.8%, Singleplayer 9%

Why You'll Like It: It combines base-building and resource management with the joy of collecting and caring for unique creatures.

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!

Why similar: Automation 19.6%, Base Building 15.7%, Sandbox 15.2%, Survival 14.7%, Crafting 14.6%

Why You'll Like It: A top-down survival game that features base-building, NPC recruitment, and automation in a procedural world.

Craftopia is the brand new multiplayer survival action game made in Japan. We combined many features we find enjoyable, such as hunting, farming, hack-and-slash, building, automation to develop this game.

Why similar: Crafting 27.1%, Survival 23.7%, Sandbox 15.7%, Automation 14.3%, Building 10.1%

Why You'll Like It: This game offers a massive open world that mixes automation, survival, and RPG combat mechanics.

Nova Lands is a factory building, exploration, and island management game. Explore, engage in combat, and automate your industry. The planet you’re on is full of mysteries, creatures, people, and things to do. Welcome to your new home amongst the stars!

Why similar: Automation 27.8%, Base Building 18.1%, Sandbox 11.4%, Survival 10.3%, Crafting 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: A charming 2D game that streamlines automation and exploration, making it very accessible for sandbox fans.

As one of the last human survivors, you find yourself stranded on an uninhabited island. With a few other victims of the crash, can you craft, mine, and build your way to survival?

Why similar: Mining 24.7% ★, Base Building 24%, Survival 16.6%, Sandbox 13.2%, Building 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: It focuses on deep progression through mining and crafting while emphasizing the importance of building relationships with NPCs.

A base-building open-world survival shooter that replaces your typical base with a giant drill. Alone or with friends, explore an island plagued by eruptions, upgrade your drill, and fight robots to uncover what's been hiding beneath the surface.

Why similar: Base Building 23.8%, Crafting 17.6%, Survival 15.6%, Sandbox 15.5%, Building 11.2%

Why You'll Like It: This game features a unique underground drilling mechanic and automation-based base defense against volcanic eruptions.

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!

Why similar: Survival 20.4%, Crafting 20.2%, Farming Sim 16.3%, Base Building 15.3%, Sandbox 11.9%

Why You'll Like It: An addictive loop of gathering, crafting, and automating resources that keeps the player constantly progressing.

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!

Why similar: Automation 32.6%, Base Building 24.7%, Crafting 13.3%, Sandbox 9.7%, Building 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a high-fidelity 3D automation experience for players who love building complex, efficient factories.

Journey to the vibrant world of Rune Factory and experience the legendary fantasy farming adventure like never before!

Why similar: Farming Sim 44.9%, Crafting 18.2%, RPG 11.5%, Dating Sim 10.1%, Combat 8.4%

Why You'll Like It: It perfectly balances farming and combat with a deep dating-sim system that allows you to build bonds with characters.

Build your farm and relationships with townsfolk, or forge ahead on a quest of magic, monsters, and dragons. Level up through a skill tree in 8 person multiplayer, or adventure solo!

Why similar: Farming Sim 26.7%, Dating Sim 23.6%, Mining 16.5% ★, Crafting 13.3%, RPG 5%

Why You'll Like It: A fantasy-themed life-sim that adds RPG combat and dating elements to the traditional farming and building formula.

Hydroneer is a mining and base building sandbox. Dig for gold and other resources to turn a profit and enhance your mining operation. Build a base of operations, forge weapons, go fishing, and dig deep!

Why similar: Automation 27.4%, Mining 20.2% ★, Base Building 20.2%, Sandbox 12.2%, Building 8%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses heavily on the physical act of mining and setting up automated machinery to process resources.

Welcome to Keplerth! Try to survive on a hostile alien planet in this 2D sandbox RPG, where you can choose to live alone or fight side by side with your friends in the online multiplayer mode. Survive, build, farm, fight, and explore your way to victory in this open-world adventure!

Why similar: Sandbox 21.6%, Survival 21.4%, Building 14.3%, Base Building 13.1%, Crafting 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a vast, procedurally generated world with a heavy emphasis on survival, crafting, and exploration.

Dig, fight, explore, build! Nothing is impossible in this action-packed adventure game. Four Pack also available!

Why similar: Sandbox 28.2%, Survival 23.3%, Crafting 20.3%, Building 13.3%, Exploration 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: The quintessential 2D sandbox adventure that emphasizes mining, boss progression, and extensive base construction.

Coral Island is a vibrant, laid-back farm sim reimagined with multiplayer! Experience enchanting island life at your own pace: farm with friends, nurture animals, build relationships, hang out with a diverse cast of characters, and dive into the magical Merfolk Kingdom.

Why similar: Farming Sim 25.3%, Dating Sim 21.1%, Crafting 11.8%, Mining 11.7% ★, Sandbox 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: A modern, visually stunning life-sim that features extensive social interaction and environmental restoration mechanics.

Corporate greed meets strategic planet-mining in Drill Core! Drill to the heart of planets while managing workers, researching cutting-edge tech, and fortifying against alien attacks. Will you prioritize efficiency and risk your workers' safety, or focus on defense for survival?

Why similar: Base Building 46.5%, Sandbox 23%, Building 12.7%, Exploration 12.1%, Action 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: Combines underground mining with tower-defense mechanics to create a high-stakes survival experience.

Oddsparks is a blend of automation and real-time strategy for both the die-hard fans of the automation genre and the automation-curious. Explore a strange fantasy world, uncover the mysteries of the past, automate your workshops, and go on adventures with your odd & adorable Sparks!

Why similar: Automation 30.8%, Base Building 19.1%, Building 16%, Sandbox 12.2%, Crafting 12%

Why You'll Like It: Features adorable creature companions that help you automate tasks in a vibrant, explorable world.

Manage a Dwarven mining colony in the unexplored mountains of Mara. As conflict rages in the Overworld, you will need to craft, explore and fight as you provide the allies of your choice with the finest weapons and gear to assist them in the battle for glory.

Why similar: Automation 27.2%, Mining 19.8% ★, Base Building 19.8%, Crafting 13.2%, Building 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: A vertical colony-sim that tasks you with managing a dwarven underground base through mining and automation.

You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?

Why similar: Farming Sim 34%, Crafting 15.9%, Sandbox 14.5%, Dating Sim 13.9%, Building 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: The gold standard for life-sims, offering deep social bonding and farming mechanics that complement a relaxing gameplay loop.

Build a formidable factory and go dungeoning alone or with friends. Solve logic puzzles and automate resource collection and crafting, or venture into dungeons filled with dangers and rewards. Find your own ideal gameplay balance, as any unique path will advance the story!

Why similar: Automation 24.1%, Mining 20% ★, Base Building 15.8%, Crafting 11.3%, Dungeon Crawler 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: An automation-focused game that allows for cooperative play while you mine and build on alien worlds.

Transform your childhood home as you build brilliant factories and forge lifelong friendships, then reach for the skies and finally finish your family's dream - your mother's precious rocket ship. Roll up your sleeves, it turns out that saving this town really IS rocket science!

Why similar: Automation 40.2%, Crafting 19%, Sandbox 15.7%, Building 13.4%, RPG 6%

Why You'll Like It: Blends automation and building with RPG elements, perfect for players who enjoy technical progression.

Grab your jetpack and explore procedural asteroid fields, derelict spaceships and abandoned outposts. Build and automate your Space Rig to process scavenged trash. Craft, trade and fight your way home in this interstellar, open-world survival sandbox.

Why similar: Automation 29%, Crafting 14%, Base Building 13.7%, Survival 13.4%, Sandbox 11.4%

Why You'll Like It: Combines survival and automation in a unique space setting where you must build and maintain your own station.

You have crash-landed into a mini-verse of tiny planets. Welcome to Minicology! Embark on an interstellar survival sandbox journey. Use your crafting, combat, and automation skills to survive the many challenges this mini-verse throws at you.

Why similar: Automation 21.3%, Base Building 14.2%, Farming Sim 12.1%, Crafting 10.4%, Survival 10.1%

Why You'll Like It: A space-themed survival game that emphasizes automation and crafting on small, procedurally generated planets.

The charming and relaxing stone-age farming sim where you live in a thriving community exploring the wonderful world of Pacha. Discover "ideas," domesticate crops, befriend animals, and help your village grow. Play co-op with friends or explore the early days of civilization in single-player.

Why similar: Dating Sim 23.3%, Farming Sim 23%, Crafting 16.9%, Sandbox 13.5%, Building 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: A community-focused farming sim that emphasizes social progression and technological discovery in a prehistoric setting.

I Am Future is a relaxing single-player survival game about building a cozy rooftop camp amid a flooded post-apocalyptic city. Set up a farm, go fishing, tinker with gadgets, craft new tools, manage a team of cute robots to automate and expand your base, explore the mysterious world, and chill out!

Why similar: Farming Sim 17.7%, Base Building 15.8%, Crafting 15%, Sandbox 13.8%, Survival 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: A relaxing take on the survival genre that focuses on base-building and automation in a post-apocalyptic setting.

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.

Why similar: Farming Sim 27%, Crafting 20.7%, Sandbox 17.7%, Building 13%, Exploration 5.6%

Why You'll Like It: A survival and building game set in an Australian-inspired wilderness that encourages community development.

Explore a vast underground world to mine and craft hundreds of items while building up your modular Outpost on the surface, to prospect for gems, refine resources and farm hydroponic crops in this top-down sci-fi survival-crafter where the story always provides a reason to dig deeper.

Why similar: Automation 19.1%, Mining 16.3% ★, Base Building 15.7%, Crafting 11.2%, Survival 10.8%

Spiritfarer® is a cozy management game about dying. As ferrymaster to the deceased, build a boat to explore the world, care for your spirit friends, and release them into the afterlife. The Spiritfarer Farewell Edition includes the heartwarming base game and three major content updates.

Why similar: Crafting 25.2%, Building 24.7%, Farming Sim 20.8%, Exploration 10.1%, Cartoony 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on management and base-building while emphasizing emotional, character-driven storytelling and social bonds.

Orebound is a dwarven themed factory automation game. Play alone or with friends as you build, mine, craft and explore a voxel generated world! Build your fortress, expand your factory, fight off creatures who dwell beneath the mountains and embark on a journey of greatness.

Why similar: Automation 25%, Mining 16.3% ★, Base Building 15.5%, Crafting 12.3%, Sandbox 9.8%

Restore the former glory of Border Town in an open-world sandbox RPG set in a fantastical realm. Explore the world, craft tools and weapons, cultivate fields, and socialise with your neighbours while dealing with dark forces that threaten to destroy everything you have built.

Why similar: Farming Sim 23%, Sandbox 18.1%, Survival 16.5%, Building 12.5%, Base Building 10.1%

After crash-landing on a mysterious island with no memories of the past, set out to explore the island and scavenge for resources to build automated production lines and repair the damaged ship.

Why similar: Automation 24.4%, Base Building 17.9%, Farming Sim 14.3%, Sandbox 11.2%, Crafting 11.2%

Design and build a factory deep underground in this physics-based automation sandbox. Mine resources, buy machines and master the chaos as you become the ultimate Mine Mogul!

Why similar: Automation 27.7%, Mining 17.3% ★, Base Building 14.5%, Crafting 10.7%, Sandbox 9.2%

In XenoHaven, gather resources to build shelters, enslave alien beasts to work for you, and run restaurants and shops. Delve into dark underground dungeons, defeat swarming insectoids and mighty bosses, and craft powerful gear to conquer the alien world.

Why similar: Base Building 20%, Automation 15.7%, Sandbox 14.2%, Survival 14.2%, Crafting 12.4%

Destroy massive swarms of monsters to grind and grow stronger in this Open-World Sandbox RPG. Build automated systems that farm monster drops for you, defeat bosses, and descend deeper into an interconnected underworld.

Why similar: Automation 28.2%, Crafting 14.7%, Sandbox 13.1%, Base Building 11.6%, Building 9.7%

Pilot your drill deep below the surface of a remote planet, to mine ore to refine into resources, which will be used in drill upgrades and construction of your homebase. Upgrades will allow you to drill deeper to find more types of ores. Explore caves to uncover mysteries and secrets.

Why similar: Automation 26.6%, Mining 24% ★, Base Building 22%, Crafting 13%, Building 6.2%

Lantern Forge is a sandbox survival game with building, crafting, and RPG elements. Mine and forage for resources to build a home, plant crops, and craft weapons and armor. Then venture out to explore the wilderness, find hidden dungeons and temples, fight unique monsters, and collect the treasures they guard.

Why similar: Crafting 28.6%, Sandbox 27.9%, Survival 27.6%, RPG 10.9%, Adventure 5.1%

Why You'll Like It: A classic sandbox survival game that focuses on crafting and exploration in a dangerous, monster-filled world.

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!

Why similar: Farming Sim 24.1%, Crafting 19.6%, Mining 12.6% ★, Sandbox 10.1%, Building 8.8%

A casual heavy equipment experience. Mine ore, Move dirt, Build and repair.

Why similar: Farming Sim 19.3%, Sandbox 17.9%, Mining 15.5% ★, Base Building 14%, Crafting 11.9%

A sandbox crafting adventure with quests, magic, automation, and exploration. Gather resources, build your base, unlock new technologies, and shape your own path through a world full of secrets and progression. Inspired by classic Minecraft modpacks with many new and unique features.

Why similar: Automation 22.6%, Mining 14.7% ★, Base Building 14.4%, Crafting 12.1%, Sandbox 11.4%

Embark on an explorative RPG hack-and-slash adventure where you attempt to re-establish a haven for the lost dwarven civilization. Journey across varied lands, help those in need, gather resources and fight off goblins and monsters as you slowly rebuild a home for your people.

Why similar: Base Building 29.8%, Dungeon Crawler 18.4%, Building 14.3%, Action RPG 14.1%, Exploration 6.5%

Let's use existence and freedom as stakes, block everything, and explore the ancient legends of the Fallen Star Village, digging out the truth buried in the long river of history.

Why similar: Dating Sim 54.9%, Dungeon Crawler 17.7%, Base Building 12.6%, RPG 11.9%, Singleplayer 1.5%

Take part in healing after the Great Calamity. Tend your farm, complete quests for the villagers, and explore dungeons filled with challenge and treasure in this cozy, solo-developed farming sim. Build a new life in a recovering world with your fluffy Spellbook Companion.

Why similar: Farming Sim 28.9%, Crafting 18.6%, Mining 17.3% ★, Building 11.9%, Sandbox 9.9%

You and allies, avian inhabitants of Sanctree City, build structures and production lines on the tree, crafting weapons to fend off subterranean insects. Defense is just the start—dig deeper, destroy nests, fortify new defenses against escalating threats for an impregnable stronghold.

Why similar: Automation 24.6%, Base Building 22.6%, Survival 12.4%, Sandbox 12.2%, Dungeon Crawler 9%

Build relationships and homes with sexy monster girls while you fight to survive. After your ship was raided, you find yourself on a mysterious island. Gather materials, craft weapons and tools. Decorate & build your home. Let your desires be fulfilled in ways only monster girls can.

Why similar: Survival 27.1%, Sandbox 19.7%, Crafting 18.7%, Base Building 18.7%, RPG 6.7%

Build, explore, fight! ReFactory is a 2D strategy game with a focus on construction and logistics where you build an automated mega-factory on an alien planet.

Why similar: Automation 30.4%, Base Building 25.6%, Crafting 16.9%, Sandbox 10.4%, Survival 8.4%

An action-adventure roguelike with a bit of RPG tossed in. Adventure deep into the UnderMine and discover powerful relics, deadly enemies, hidden secrets, and a few friends to help along the way.

Why similar: Dungeon Crawler 48%, Mining 22.7% ★, RPG 12.8%, Action 7.5%, Adventure 5.5%

A 2D automation sandbox adventure. Build an automated factory with Mana-powered machines, progress through an expansive tech tree, explore a vast and wonderful world, upgrade yourself with ancient technologies, and defend it all from invasions.

Why similar: Automation 29.9%, Base Building 20%, Crafting 14.3%, Sandbox 13.2%, Building 9.5%

Return to Abyss is a mowing survival game with Rogue-Lite elements, upgrade your weapons and use your fighting skills to fight through over 10,000 monsters on screen until defeat the culprit who brought chaos!

Why similar: Action RPG 31.7%, Cartoony 21.5%, Action-Adventure 19.2%, Action 12.9%, Adventure 10.4%

Embark on a magical journey in this captivating life simulation game. Escape to a welcoming valley, farm with spells, and master skills like fishing, crafting, and cooking. Engage in epic battles, strengthen the bonds with your companions, and build your dream home to achieve Immortal Life!

Why similar: Mining 23.7% ★, Farming Sim 23.7%, Crafting 19.1%, Action RPG 9.2%, Building 8.5%

If possible, would you like to go back to ancient times to start a factory, refine oil, or even build a large computer? With the accidental fall of a meteorite, you traveled back to River Town a thousand years ago and became a workshop owner. And the story will begin from here……

Why similar: Automation 31.5%, Base Building 21.5%, Sandbox 13.3%, Crafting 10.8%, Survival 9%

Click, craft and collect your way to alchemical mastery. Progress through a branching skill tree and explore the forbidden woods. Collect resources and build machines of magic. Slay monsters, farm crops and automate your production to become the all-powerful Forage Wizard!

Why similar: Automation 20.1%, Base Building 17%, Crafting 13.6%, Sandbox 12.1%, Farming Sim 11.5%

Land on a distant planet in this chill resource management game. Harvest alien resources, build and automate machinery, uncover secrets across the stars and strike shipping deals with distant colonies for exclusive rewards!

Why similar: Automation 25.7%, Base Building 19.1%, Crafting 12.7%, Sandbox 12.6%, Survival 10.7%

Moonstone Island is a creature-collecting life-sim set in an open world with 100 islands to explore. Make friends, brew potions, collect Spirits, and test your strength in card-based encounters to complete your Alchemy training!

Why similar: Farming Sim 24.3%, Dating Sim 24%, Sandbox 19.3%, Building 14.2%, Action-Adventure 7%

A space survival crafting mining base building and star system building game. Craft rockets to create planets and Dyson Rings, mine and craft advanced materials, terraform the terrain, manage electricity, farm food, and more as you watch the star system evolve into stunning, ever-changing views.

Why similar: Automation 20.7%, Mining 17.7% ★, Base Building 17%, Crafting 12.5%, Survival 8.9%

Eden Crafters is a solo or co-op open-world survival, crafting, and factory-building game where you transform a hostile planet into a habitable haven for humanity. Build, automate, and terraform. Control the climate, create a breathable atmosphere, and turn toxic lakes into water: shape a new world!

Why similar: Automation 29.5%, Base Building 19.4%, Crafting 13.7%, Sandbox 11.6%, Survival 10.8%

An alien world sometimes needs a farmer’s touch to bring it to life. In this sci-fi, colonization-life sim, terraform a barren world: turn wastelands into verdant landscapes while exploring, farming, building, and unlocking all the mysteries of this strange new planet.

Why similar: Farming Sim 21.8%, Base Building 19.1%, Sandbox 15.6%, Dating Sim 13.3%, Crafting 12.9%

Idle Deepcore is an incremental mining game where you dig ever deeper, smelt ore into ingots, upgrade your pickaxe and machines, and grow several mines in parallel to build a vast underground industry.

Why similar: Automation 40.5%, Mining 26.4% ★, Crafting 18.1%, Simulation 13.7%, Singleplayer 1.3%