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 21.9%, Survival 17.3%, Crafting 16.4%, Sandbox 15.2%, Building 11.1%

Why You'll Like It: This game is the closest match, offering a subterranean survival and automation experience with deep exploration and boss-fighting 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 26.3%, Base Building 18.5%, Sandbox 11.5%, Survival 10.6%, Crafting 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: This title excels at combining automation and base-building with exploration in a charming, colorful sandbox environment.

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: Dating Sim 19.2%, Farming Sim 18.5%, Crafting 14.2%, Sandbox 13%, Mining 12.8% ★

Why You'll Like It: This is a premier choice for players who enjoy the building and dating-sim aspects of the seed game.

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 29.2%, Base Building 19.5%, Building 16.5%, Sandbox 12.4%, Crafting 12.1%

Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on building and automation with a unique, creature-led approach that complements the companion-based mechanics of the seed.

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 24.3%, Sandbox 15.6%, Automation 13.4%, Building 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: It seamlessly combines automation, survival, and creature-collecting, mirroring the diverse gameplay loops found in the seed game.

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 26.3%, Base Building 20.8%, Mining 20.1% ★, Sandbox 12.4%, Building 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: It provides a deep, physics-based mining and automation experience that captures the satisfaction of building complex production lines.

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 20.6%, Crafting 20%, Farming Sim 16.2%, Base Building 15.3%, Sandbox 11.8%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a fast-paced loop of gathering, crafting, and automation that feels very similar to the core gameplay of the seed game.

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 24.4%, Mining 15.8% ★, Crafting 13%, RPG 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a rich farming and life-sim experience with deep dating-sim elements and fantasy-themed exploration.

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 20%, Base Building 14.4%, Farming Sim 12.2%, Crafting 10.4%, Survival 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: This sandbox survival game focuses on building and resource management across diverse, alien environments.

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 27.5%, Crafting 14.2%, Base Building 13.9%, Survival 13.9%, Sandbox 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: It combines automation and survival in a space-themed sandbox that emphasizes scavenging 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.

Why similar: Farming Sim 27%, Crafting 20.5%, Sandbox 17.6%, Building 13.1%, Exploration 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: It blends survival, base-building, and social interaction in a sandbox world that feels both relaxing and productive.

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 18%, Mining 16.1% ★, Base Building 15.9%, Crafting 11.3%, Survival 11.2%

Why You'll Like It: It provides a survival and mining-focused base-building experience that emphasizes story-rich progression.

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 23%, Mining 19.8% ★, Base Building 16.1%, Crafting 11.4%, Dungeon Crawler 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: It focuses on mining and automation with a cooperative-friendly design that fits well with the seed game's mechanics.

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 38.4%, Exploration 25.4%, Adventure 12.6%, Simulation 10.5%, Singleplayer 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: This game features automation and creature management with a charming aesthetic that mirrors the companion-focused feel of the seed.

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 37.1%, Base Building 25.1%, Sandbox 11.5%, Crafting 11.3%, Survival 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: As the gold standard for automation, it provides the ultimate challenge for players who want to optimize their base-building efficiency.

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 22.8%, Building 12.7%, Exploration 12.2%, Action 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a unique blend of strategy and mining-focused survival that captures the tension of underground exploration.

Explore and mine fully destructible worlds. Automate increasingly complex production chains. Delve deep to uncover an ancient civilization’s powerful secrets and learn to love the sand in this factory game where every pixel is a valuable resource.

Why similar: Automation 23.8%, Base Building 16.1%, Crafting 12.7%, Sandbox 11.9%, Survival 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: It provides a sandbox experience centered on crafting and automation in a vast, open world.

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 19.3%, Automation 14.1%, Survival 13.9%, Sandbox 13.6%, Crafting 11.9%

Why You'll Like It: This survival and base-building game focuses on thriving in a hostile alien environment.

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 25.2%, Mining 23.8% ★, Base Building 22.6%, Crafting 13.3%, Building 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a mining and base-building experience set in an underground environment that mirrors the seed game's setting.

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 25.1%, Base Building 18.1%, Crafting 15.3%, Mining 14.6% ★, Building 11.3%

Why You'll Like It: This title focuses on mining and resource management with a sandbox feel that emphasizes player-driven construction.

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.

Why similar: Base Building 22.6%, Automation 22%, Survival 14.7%, Crafting 13.5%, Sandbox 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: This survival game features heavy automation and terraforming elements that reward long-term base development.

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

Why similar: Farming Sim 44.5%, Crafting 17.9%, RPG 11.7%, Dating Sim 10.6%, Combat 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: This title perfectly balances action-RPG combat with deep dating-sim mechanics and character bonding.

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 26.5%, Dating Sim 22.2%, Crafting 12%, Mining 11.5% ★, Sandbox 9.9%

Why You'll Like It: This game provides a relaxing farming and dating-sim experience with a strong focus on community and island life.

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 29%, Base Building 26.2%, Crafting 17.2%, Sandbox 10.5%, Survival 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on complex automation and base-building with a strategic, top-down perspective.

Embark on a lifetime of adventure in a beautiful world of creativity and intrigue. Raise a family, customise your farm, run a business, craft items, and battle some marvellously malevolent monsters.

Why similar: Farming Sim 30.1%, Crafting 23.3%, Sandbox 21.9%, Exploration 7.8%, RPG 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: It is a life-sim that emphasizes social bonds and building mechanics within a persistent, evolving world.

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 47.3%, Mining 23.3% ★, RPG 12.7%, Action 7.6%, Adventure 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: This action-roguelike features mining and exploration themes that capture the spirit of subterranean adventure.

Build your own mining company from the ground up. Extract resources, operate heavy machinery, construct infrastructure, and grow from a laborer to the King of Klondike.

Why similar: Farming Sim 19.1%, Sandbox 17.9%, Mining 15.8% ★, Base Building 14%, Crafting 11.8%

Why You'll Like It: This simulation-heavy game focuses on the technical aspects of mining and sandbox construction.

Welcome to the eastern nation of Azuma! In this fresh take on Rune Factory, use your powers as an Earth Dancer to restore the land, its people, and even its gods. Along the way, battle corrupted monsters, rebuild seasonal farms and villages, and form bonds with the colorful locals.

Why similar: Dating Sim 27.6%, Farming Sim 23.6%, Crafting 17.5%, Action RPG 11.8%, Building 8.9%

A cozy 2.5D farm-life RPG that runs deep. Grow living soil into legendary harvests, romance 34+ villagers, breed magical animals, cook, fish, and dive the dungeons below for loot. No forced bedtime, no stress, just your dream farm at your own pace.

Why similar: Farming Sim 22.3%, Crafting 14.8%, Dating Sim 13.3%, Sandbox 12.6%, Mining 12.5% ★

Why You'll Like It: It is a farming-sim that incorporates dating-sim and RPG elements to create a well-rounded social experience.

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 19.5%, Mining 12.2% ★, Sandbox 10.1%, Building 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: This game is a classic in the building and social-sim genre, offering a charming world full of characters to befriend.

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 27.1%, Mining 17.1% ★, Base Building 14.8%, Crafting 10.8%, Sandbox 9.4%

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 23.1%, Base Building 22.8%, Survival 12.8%, Sandbox 12.3%, Dungeon Crawler 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: It combines base-building and tower defense with a survival focus in a 2D environment.

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 22.8%, Sandbox 17.8%, Survival 16.6%, Building 12.5%, Base Building 10%

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 23.1%, Base Building 18.2%, Farming Sim 14.5%, Sandbox 11.3%, Crafting 11.3%

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 29.4%, Dungeon Crawler 18.4%, Action RPG 14.3%, Building 14.2%, Exploration 6.6%

Play as a young scavenger and construct your vertical farm one platform at a time under extreme weather. Evolving from a scrap-gathering survivor into an easygoing farming tycoon. Transform the climate, and remake the wasteland into your personal Eden.

Why similar: Farming Sim 28.9%, Crafting 23.3%, Building 16.3%, Exploration 7.3%, Combat 7.1%

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 28.9%, Base Building 21.3%, Crafting 15.2%, Sandbox 14%, Building 10.5%

Rome has fallen! Rebuild civilization in this action-adventure survival game for 1-8 players. Fight hordes of the walking dead, build settlements, restore the Roman gods... or kick back and farm with friends.

Why similar: Base Building 18.6%, Crafting 17%, Survival 15.6%, Sandbox 11.3%, Dungeon Crawler 9.6%

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 21.4%, Base Building 14.6%, Mining 14.6% ★, Crafting 12.2%, Survival 11.6%

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 55%, Dungeon Crawler 17.7%, Base Building 12.3%, RPG 12%, Singleplayer 1.5%

Explore, Build, Farm, Craft and Fight in this survival sandbox adventure for 1-8 players. Delve deep to uncover the secret of the invading 'Faults' and restore stability to the land.

Why similar: Farming Sim 18%, Survival 14.2%, Sandbox 13.8%, Crafting 13%, Base Building 11.9%

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 27.6%, Sandbox 19.6%, Base Building 18.7%, Crafting 18.2%, RPG 6.7%

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 29.2%, Crafting 18.5%, Mining 16.9% ★, Building 12.1%, Sandbox 9.8%

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 23.7%, Farming Sim 22.9%, Crafting 16.7%, Sandbox 13.4%, Building 10.4%

Build a living factory and automate the Swarm. Harvest resources, construct mega factories, and grow a colony of specialized biomechanical bugs. Balance growth, efficiency, and creep spread before hostile robots squish you for trying to consume their world.

Why similar: Automation 31.9%, Base Building 19.1%, Survival 13.5%, Mining 11.9% ★, Crafting 10.9%

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 31.6%, Cartoony 21.3%, Action-Adventure 19.3%, Action 13%, Adventure 10.5%

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: Farming Sim 23.9%, Mining 23.1% ★, Crafting 19%, Action RPG 9.4%, Building 8.6%

Awaken from an abandoned stasis pod and discover a doomed mining camp on Titan in an uncompromising turn-based survival RPG. Survive the evolving horrors that lurk below and craft equipment, research new gear, fight against overwhelming odds, or even discover your true fate.

Why similar: Survival 36.6%, Crafting 27.5%, RPG 12.1%, Exploration 11.2%, Action-Adventure 9.6%

Ore Factory Squad is a co-op mining and factory-building game with procedural mining and fun at its core! Play alone or with friends, buy properties, dig deep for valuable resources, complete contracts, upgrade and automate production lines and grow your factory from zero to industry!

Why similar: Automation 27.8%, Mining 23.1% ★, Sandbox 14.3%, Base Building 11.3%, Building 7.7%

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 24.2%, Base Building 19.4%, Crafting 12.8%, Sandbox 12.7%, Survival 11%

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: Dating Sim 24.3%, Farming Sim 24.2%, Sandbox 19%, Building 14.3%, Action-Adventure 7.1%

In this cozy creature collector, your creatures aren't for battling. Restore lost species, build habitats around their needs, teach them the skills to thrive, and release them into the wild. Explore town life and dive into shifting roguelite dungeons to discover the next Nimbit.

Why similar: Dating Sim 22.1%, Farming Sim 19.6%, Base Building 14.8%, Sandbox 13.9%, Dungeon Crawler 12.1%

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 15.5%, Dating Sim 13.5%, Crafting 12.7%

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 14.9%, Sandbox 13.7%, Survival 11%

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 31.2%, Base Building 25.4%, Crafting 13.5%, Sandbox 9.8%, Building 8.3%

The world has ended. You are deep underground, and all alone with a cheery AI companion. You will have to mine and build to survive, and search for other survivors to help you. Will you be able to reach the surface? And what will you find when you get there?

Why similar: Automation 23.8%, Base Building 19.7%, Sandbox 15.6%, Crafting 11.7%, Survival 11%

You are trapped in an endless labyrinth. You must find hidden resources scattered throughout the labyrinth to craft your own sword. Overcome the dangers of the labyrinth with your crafted sword, survive, and escape.

Why similar: Crafting 25.1%, Survival 24.5%, Dungeon Crawler 15.8%, Combat 8.3%, Exploration 7.1%

Ascend from your shelter. Ruin everything. Escape the wretched island. ⚔️🔨🎣🌱🌵🍰 Explore. Fight. Level up. Survive. Gather. Craft. Harvest. Hunt. Build. Farm. Solve puzzles. Fish. Cook. Live. Enjoy the bittersweet post-apocalypse.

Why similar: Base Building 24.6%, Survival 23.5%, Crafting 20.5%, Sandbox 12.1%, Exploration 5.2%

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 19.6%, Mining 17.5% ★, Base Building 17.3%, Crafting 12.7%, Survival 9.3%