- #1 Scrap Mechanic
96% matchVery Positive92% of 122,134 reviews2026
Dev: Axolot Games
Windows
Median: 11.4 hrsMean: 64.5 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Enter the creative paradise of Scrap Mechanic! Build fantastic machines, go on adventures with your friends and defend against waves of evil Farmbots in this imaginative multiplayer survival sandbox. With Scrap Mechanic’s powerful creation tools you can engineer your own adventures!
Why similar: Building 20.5%, Sandbox 18.9%, Open World 14.2%, Base Building 13.1%, Physics 12.6%
Why You'll Like It: It delivers the same joy of constructing functional machines in a physics sandbox, with lots of room for creative mechanical problem solving.
- #2 Trailmakers
97% matchVery Positive92% of 38,735 reviews2019
Dev: Flashbulb
Windows
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 15.5 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Build the ultimate vehicle and explore a vast open world filled with challenges and adventure. Play solo or team up with friends in multiplayer to conquer the toughest obstacles. With a thrilling campaign mode and endless creative possibilities, Trailmakers is the ultimate sandbox for adventurers.
Why similar: Flight 29.1%, Sandbox 16.5%, Building 15.3%, Open World 12.3%, Physics 11.6%
Why You'll Like It: Its snap-together vehicle builder, physics-driven handling, and ability to create cars, boats, and aircraft make it one of the closest all-around alternatives to Stormworks.
- #3 From the Depths
96% matchVery Positive89% of 12,793 reviews2020
Dev: Brilliant Skies Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 40.7 hrs≥1hr: 81%
Over 1000 unique components allow you to build and command voxel vehicles from the deep ocean to outer space! Forge strategies, allegiances and fleets strong enough to destroy eight deadly factions of the planet and reign supreme. A genre-defying mashup of simulation, building, RTS and RPG.
Why similar: Naval 34.6% ★, Sandbox 20.6%, Building 20.2%, Physics 13.9%, Survival 10.6%
Why You'll Like It: If you love building complex ships and aircraft block by block and then seeing how they actually perform, few games match its engineering depth.
- #4 Space Engineers
95% matchVery Positive89% of 134,313 reviews2019
Dev: Keen Software House
Windows
Median: 9.0 hrsMean: 96.4 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Space Engineers is a sandbox engineering game where you design and build ships, stations, and planetary bases in a fully destructible environment. Explore planets and space, mine resources, survive hazards, and engage in combat alone or with friends in Creative or Survival modes.
Why similar: Base Building 17.4%, Sandbox 16.5%, Building 15.4%, Open World 12.7%, Physics 11.6%
Why You'll Like It: Its mix of modular construction, simulation systems, and piloting custom vehicles captures Stormworks' build-test-iterate appeal in a space setting.
- #5 Juno: New Origins
94% matchVery Positive89% of 3,531 reviews2023
Dev: Jundroo, LLC
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.1 hrsMean: 13.6 hrs≥1hr: 51%
Bring to life anything you can imagine from rockets and airplanes to cars and more. Automate them with a visual programming language. Explore 3D planets and make your own. Share your creations online. Complete contracts, conquer milestones, and unlock technology in the newly added Career Mode.
Why similar: Programming 23.3% ★, Flight 15.8%, Automation 12.3%, Building 11.1%, Base Building 10.6%
Why You'll Like It: Building realistic craft and flying them in a full physics simulation makes it a great fit for players who enjoy Stormworks' engineering side.
- #6 Brick Rigs
93% matchVery Positive95% of 59,219 reviews2023
Dev: Fluppisoft GmbH
Windows · Linux
Median: 10.1 hrsMean: 77.8 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Do whatever you want in a physics sandbox full of chaotic destruction, endless player-made creations and unpredictable adventures. Build, destroy, roleplay and mess around solo or with friends!
Why similar: Sandbox 27.9%, Building 22.7%, Open World 18%, Physics 15.3%, Flight 12.3%
Why You'll Like It: Its vehicle creator and open-world sandbox let you build and directly operate all kinds of machines in a way Stormworks players usually appreciate.
- #7 SimplePlanes
94% matchVery Positive93% of 10,898 reviews2015
Dev: Jundroo, LLC
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 12.6 hrs≥1hr: 74%
Build airplanes by snapping parts together, designing wing sections, and attaching engines. At any time, you can strap yourself into the cockpit and see how it flies with realistic physics. If you're not in the mood for building, over 100,000 airplanes are available to download for free.
Why similar: Flight 27.7%, Automation 19.3%, Sandbox 14.7%, Building 13.4%, Physics 10.2%
Why You'll Like It: It scratches the same custom-design-and-fly itch with accessible but surprisingly deep aircraft construction and good physics feedback.
- #8 Main Assembly
92% matchVery Positive83% of 1,351 reviews2021
Dev: Bad Yolk GamesPub: Team17
Windows
Median: 54 minMean: 7.0 hrs≥1hr: 49%
You’re the designer, engineer and architect if you can imagine it you can create it! Construct robots of any shape or size from eight-legged spider bots to eerie UFO contraptions.
Why similar: Programming 29% ★, Automation 16.1%, Sandbox 15%, Building 13.4%, Immersive Sim 9.8%
Why You'll Like It: This is a pure robot-building sandbox where designing, programming, and driving your own creations feels very much in Stormworks' wheelhouse.
- #9 Flyout
91% matchVery Positive82% of 2,273 reviews2023
Dev: Stonext Games
Windows
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 19.2 hrs≥1hr: 61%
Build and fly realistic aircraft. Use free-form fuselage and wing editor tools and tune your engines to recreate aircraft from any era or design your own.
Why similar: Flight 33.1%, Sandbox 23.9%, Building 17.9%, Physics 13%, Immersive Sim 12.1%
Why You'll Like It: For players who mainly love Stormworks' aircraft design and realistic flight behavior, Flyout offers a very detailed plane-building sandbox.
- #10 GearBlocks
89% matchVery Positive91% of 782 reviews2023
Dev: SmashHammer Games
Windows · Linux
Explore a world of creative building, interactive machines, and gears - lots of gears. Build all things mechanical: cars, trucks, cranes, tanks, gearboxes, engines, clocks, anything you can think of. Test your creations to destruction in challenging scenarios, and share them in the workshop!
Why similar: Building 23.8%, Sandbox 22.4%, Physics 16.7%, Immersive Sim 13.4%, Open World 10.6%
Why You'll Like It: Its emphasis on mechanical construction, moving parts, and functional physics systems will appeal to players who enjoy Stormworks as an engineering toybox.
- #11 NavalArt
90% matchVery Positive91% of 2,419 reviews2018
Dev: RigidbodyPub: RZ Entertainment
Windows
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 50.4 hrs≥1hr: 73%
Design your own warships, equip them with a variety of armament, and bring them out to the ocean!
Why similar: Naval 30.3% ★, Sailing 27.2% ★, Sandbox 24.1%, Building 18.5%
Why You'll Like It: Designing highly detailed ships and testing them on the water gives it a similar naval engineering appeal, even if it's more specialized.
- #12 Homebrew - Patent Unknown
91% matchMostly Positive72% of 974 reviews2014
Dev: Copybugpaste
Windows
Median: 54 minMean: 12.3 hrs≥1hr: 47%
Unleash your creativity and craft anything from flying cars to jet-powered toilets.Fair warning: there's a learning curve. But once you've got it, the sky's the limit for your creations!While active development is paused, we focus preserving the game and keeping it accessible.
Why similar: Programming 41.4% ★, Sandbox 15.9%, Building 14.4%, PvP 11.6%, Physics 10.9%
Why You'll Like It: This lesser-known sandbox is strongly focused on building modular vehicles and wiring up systems, which lines up well with Stormworks' tinker-heavy gameplay.
- #13 Sailwind
89% matchVery Positive89% of 2,349 reviews2021
Dev: Raw Lion Workshop
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 23.5 hrs≥1hr: 75%
Sailing simulator featuring realistic sailing physics and a vast open world to explore. Embark on cargo delivery missions, customize your boat, try fishing and cooking. A relaxing day sail, or an epic ocean voyage? Your sailing adventure starts here!
Why similar: Sailing 46.8% ★, Immersive Sim 15.1%, Open World 15%, Survival 11.3%, Exploration 6.3%
Why You'll Like It: While it drops the construction side, its immersive open-water sailing and weather-focused travel capture some of Stormworks' seafaring atmosphere.
- #14 TerraTech
88% matchVery Positive91% of 24,920 reviews2018
Dev: Payload StudiosPub: Mythwright
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 8.0 hrsMean: 32.5 hrs≥1hr: 90%
TerraTech is an open-world, sandbox adventure game, where you design and build your own creations through a mix of crafting, combat and discovery. Design vehicles from a huge library of blocks. Scavenge, craft and buy new parts to survive and become the ultimate planetary prospector.
Why similar: Open World Survival Craft 27.6% ★, Building 19%, Sandbox 18.1%, Open World 13.1%, Survival 6.6%
Why You'll Like It: It offers open-world modular vehicle building with a strong test-and-improve loop, even though it's more arcadey than Stormworks.
- #15 Sea of Craft
87% matchMostly Positive74% of 455 reviews2023
Dev: Wizard Games
Windows
Hello! Captain! “Sea Of Craft” is a sandbox ocean-building game with realistic physics simulation. In “Sea of Craft”, you can build your exclusive ship with hundreds of materials, and explore intriguing stages on planet Beella as well as adventures of wonders in the great ocean!
Why similar: Naval 23.8% ★, Sandbox 14.2%, Open World 14.1%, Building 12.8%, Base Building 11%
Why You'll Like It: Its ship-focused builder and buoyancy-based physics make it a natural recommendation for anyone who especially enjoys Stormworks' maritime side.
- #16 Kerbal Space Program
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 146,254 reviews2015
Dev: SquadPub: Private Division
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.4 hrsMean: 66.1 hrs≥1hr: 84%
In Kerbal Space Program, take charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecraft that flies (or doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics.
Why similar: Sandbox 36.4%, Physics 23.6%, Building 22.5%, Open World 12%, Exploration 5.4%
Why You'll Like It: It shares Stormworks' spirit of building complex vehicles, wrestling with real physics, and learning through spectacular trial and error.
- #17 Mars First Logistics
83% matchVery Positive95% of 3,744 reviews2025
Dev: Shape Shop
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 10.4 hrs≥1hr: 80%
Build physically simulated rovers to transport awkwardly shaped cargo across the rugged terrain of Mars. Earn funds, unlock new parts, and use your ingenuity to help the Martians establish a new home. Playable solo or in online co-op!
Why similar: Sandbox 27.1%, Building 25.3%, Open World 19.5%, Physics 18.9%, Exploration 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: Designing oddball functional rovers to haul cargo over rough terrain taps into the same practical vehicle-engineering mindset.
- #18 Make Sail
86% matchMixed55% of 110 reviews2018
Dev: Popcannibal
Windows · Mac · Linux
Make boats and sail them. Survive an ocean of storms and beasts to find better pieces to make your ship bigger, faster, stronger, prettier, stranger, wilder: more yours.
Why similar: Sailing 30.2% ★, Naval 22.4% ★, Building 17.2%, Physics 14.8%, Sandbox 10.6%
Why You'll Like It: Building your own craft and venturing across water in a physics-heavy sandbox makes it a niche but relevant fit for Stormworks fans.
- #19 TerraTech Worlds
84% matchMixed63% of 2,287 reviews2024
Dev: Payload StudiosPub: Mythwright
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 22.0 hrs≥1hr: 85%
TerraTech Worlds is an open world, build-craft adventure game, set on an uncharted alien world. Play solo or with friends, explore your surroundings, craft unique vehicles, construct automated bases, and battle your way through hazards and enemies to harness the power of your environment
Why similar: Open World Survival Craft 23.6% ★, Base Building 14.9%, Sandbox 12.9%, Automation 11.8%, Building 11.4%
Why You'll Like It: Like TerraTech, it focuses on modular vehicle building in an open environment, with more survival and exploration layered on top.
- #20 Starbase
84% matchMixed56% of 6,753 reviews2021
Dev: Frozenbyte
Windows
Median: 14.3 hrsMean: 91.6 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Starbase is a hybrid voxel/vertex-based space MMO with a fully destructible and infinitely expanding universe, with a focus on building and designing spaceships and stations, exploration, resource gathering, crafting, trading, and combat.
Why similar: Programming 23.4% ★, Building 19.5%, Sandbox 17.5%, Open World 16.5%, Open World Survival Craft 16.2% ★
Why You'll Like It: Its detailed ship construction and system-heavy simulation will appeal to players who like building large functional vehicles piece by piece.
- #21 Spaceflight Simulator
82% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 9,683 reviews2022
Dev: Team Curiosity ✦
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 15.2 hrs≥1hr: 83%
In Spaceflight Simulator, you will get to build your rockets, plan launches and flights, attempt landings, deploy payloads and explore new worlds.
Why similar: Sandbox 45.3%, Building 17.1%, Physics 13.1%, Exploration 12.8%, Open World 11.7%
Why You'll Like It: Its simpler 2D format still delivers the same satisfaction of designing craft and proving them in a physics-driven environment.
- #22 Stationeers
82% matchVery Positive88% of 9,229 reviews2017
Dev: RocketWerkz
Windows
Median: 10.2 hrsMean: 85.3 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Stationeers puts you in control of the construction and management of a space station to run by yourself or online with your friends. Complex atmospheric, electrical, manufacturing, agriculture, and gravitational systems require your thought and management at all times!
Why similar: Automation 24.2%, Base Building 19.3%, Sandbox 17.1%, Building 16%, Physics 12.5%
Why You'll Like It: This leans more into logic, engineering, and simulation systems, making it a good pick for Stormworks players who enjoy the technical side most.
- #23 Besiege
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 53,170 reviews2020
Dev: Spiderling Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.4 hrsMean: 18.7 hrs≥1hr: 71%
Besiege is a physics building game about constructing medieval machines to annihilate armies, obliterate castles and overcome challenging obstacles. Conquer the campaign or skirmish with friends in Multiplayer!
Why similar: Flight 28.5%, Sandbox 22.4%, Building 20.4%, Physics 15.8%, PvP 12.9%
Why You'll Like It: If your favorite part of Stormworks is inventing contraptions and solving physical challenges with custom machines, Besiege is a strong match.
- #24 Cosmoteer: Starship Architect & Commander
79% matchVery Positive94% of 12,820 reviews2022
Dev: Walternate Realities
Windows
Median: 19.2 hrsMean: 41.1 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Design and simulate the starships of your dreams! Command your ship or fleet in epic battles and manage your crew while exploring a dangerous galaxy. Play alone or with friends, test your ships in online PvP, and let your imagination reach for the stars!
Why similar: Building 53.3%, Survival 29.1%, Exploration 17.6%
Why You'll Like It: Its ship design, subsystem layout, and hands-on testing provide a satisfying engineering sandbox even if the perspective and genre are different.
- #25 BeamNG.drive
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 415,472 reviews2015
Dev: BeamNG
Windows
Median: 10.3 hrsMean: 97.7 hrs≥1hr: 87%
A dynamic soft-body physics vehicle simulator capable of doing just about anything.
Why similar: Sandbox 32.3%, Physics 27%, Open World 25%, Third Person 7.3%, First-Person 5.8%
Why You'll Like It: It lacks Stormworks' building depth, but its outstanding vehicle physics make it a good fit for players who care most about believable machine behavior.
- #26 Aviassembly
77% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 9,371 reviews2025
Dev: Jelle Booij
Windows
Median: 6.2 hrsMean: 7.4 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Build and fly your own airplane! Complete missions to earn money, upgrade your plane, and discover new locations in an open world.
Why similar: Flight 28%, Building 21.6%, Sandbox 19.4%, Physics 14.6%, Open World 10.5%
- #27 Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor
80% matchMostly Positive79% of 2,164 reviews2020
Dev: Stray Fawn StudioPub: Stray Fawn Publishing
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 5.1 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Command the Nimbatus and craft drones out of hundreds of different parts. Survive unknown threats in a fully destructible, procedural universe, compete against other players in different arenas or enjoy complete creative freedom in the sandbox.
Why similar: Programming 30.3% ★, Automation 16.1%, Sandbox 12.1%, Building 11.2%, Open World 9%
Why You'll Like It: Its modular drone building and scripting-heavy sandbox play nicely with Stormworks' love of automation and custom machinery.
- #28 Sprocket
78% matchVery Positive93% of 12,843 reviews2021
Dev: Hamish Dunn
Windows
Median: 6.0 hrsMean: 38.2 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Carefully balance mobility, firepower and armour in a dedicated tank designer. Then uncarefully put them to the test in a series of combat scenarios progressing through the ages of the tank. Here, your limit is what you can fit inside your hull and turret while still being able to move forwards.
Why similar: Sandbox 35.4%, Building 31.2%, Physics 15.2%, Character Customization 10.5%, Third Person 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: Players who love refining vehicle designs for performance and realism may enjoy its detailed tank-building approach.
- #29 Medieval Engineers
81% matchMixed52% of 7,324 reviews2015
Dev: Keen Software House
Windows
Median: 2.0 hrsMean: 16.9 hrs≥1hr: 64%
Medieval Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction and the maintenance of architectural works and mechanical equipment using medieval technology. Players build castles; construct mechanical devices and underground mining. There is an entire planet to explore!
Why similar: Building 28.8%, Sandbox 27.1%, Open World 17.9%, Physics 16.7%, Survival 9.5%
Why You'll Like It: Although themed differently, its physics sandbox and construction-first mindset can scratch a similar experimental engineering itch.
- #30 The Last Caretaker
76% matchVery Positive86% of 13,056 reviews2025
Dev: Channel37 Ltd
Windows
Median: 19.6 hrsMean: 36.3 hrs≥1hr: 93%
Explore a drowned Earth, restore lost systems, and raise the last human seeds in this first-person survival-crafting adventure. Build, scavenge, defend, and launch humanity back to the stars.
Why similar: Sailing 21.4% ★, Automation 15.8%, Base Building 12.5%, Sandbox 11.3%, Open World 8.9%
- #31 SimplePlanes 2
75% matchVery Positive92% of 1,301 reviews2026
Dev: Jundroo, LLC
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.7 hrsMean: 7.8 hrs≥1hr: 58%
SimplePlanes is back! Build planes, cars, or anything else using powerful procedural parts! Explore detailed environments with friends in multiplayer, cause chaos, or download 1,000,000 community crafts for free.
Why similar: Programming 29.6% ★, Automation 19.3%, Sandbox 17.2%, Building 15.7%, Open World 13.1%
- #32 Ships At Sea
77% matchMixed69% of 2,703 reviews2024
Dev: Misc Games
Windows
Median: 6.3 hrsMean: 13.1 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Build your maritime career and grow your fleet in a next‑generation ship simulator set in an expansive open world of Norway’s Lofoten region. Command service, cargo, and fishing vessels in singleplayer or online co‑op, mastering realistic ship handling, dynamic weather, and professional jobs at sea!
Why similar: Sailing 29.2% ★, Naval 24.5% ★, Sandbox 12.8%, Immersive Sim 10.7%, Character Customization 7.5%
- #33 Reassembly
78% matchVery Positive94% of 4,094 reviews2015
Dev: Anisoptera GamesPub: Indie Voyage
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 26.1 hrs≥1hr: 84%
A spaceship building and universe-exploration game. Collect resources, expand and grow your fleet, and conquer your personal galaxy. Stellar ambience by Peaks.
Why similar: Building 41.4%, Sandbox 37.6%, Open World 11.7%, Exploration 4.9%, Physics 4.4%
Why You'll Like It: This focuses on designing your own ships from parts and immediately flying the results, echoing Stormworks' iterative creation loop in a lighter form.
- #34 Railroads Online
76% matchMostly Positive75% of 6,018 reviews2024
Dev: Stefan KelnbergerPub: astragon Entertainment
Windows
Median: 10.0 hrsMean: 64.8 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Build your dream railroad across a huge open world! You can build tracks and stations, drive detailed locomotives, and transport goods to earn money and experience. Play exciting Online Multiplayer sessions with your friends or create your very own sandbox!
Why similar: Trains 33.4% ★, Sandbox 13.4%, Building 12.9%, Open World 11%, Immersive Sim 10.8%
- #35 Space Engineers 2
75% matchMostly Positive75% of 5,449 reviews2025
Dev: Keen Software House
Windows
Median: 1.9 hrsMean: 11.1 hrs≥1hr: 64%
Space Engineers 2 is a playable Early Access Alpha sandbox focused on engineering, exploration, and colonization in a fully destructible universe. Design and build ships, stations, and planetary bases while uncovering the story of Miro and Ivan Sokol. Help shape the future of the Almagest system.
Why similar: Sandbox 24.5%, Building 22.3%, Open World 16.4%, Physics 15.3%, Survival 14.3%
- #36 Lakehopper
73% matchVery Positive88% of 473 reviews2026
Dev: Photon Games
Windows · Linux
Take flight in a seaplane flight simulator through a rugged world where you are responsible for the care and maintenance of your plane. Deliver cargo between far-flung communities in a flooded landscape that challenges your piloting skills! Fix your plane and keep flying!
Why similar: Flight 39%, Immersive Sim 15.6%, Sandbox 13.2%, Physics 10.4%, Open World 10.3%
- #37 ASTRONEER
73% matchVery Positive92% of 139,015 reviews2019
Dev: System Era Softworks
Windows
Median: 11.5 hrsMean: 44.6 hrs≥1hr: 87%
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.
Why similar: Open World Survival Craft 28% ★, Base Building 13.1%, Open World 12.4%, Sandbox 11.4%, Survival 9.6%
- #38 RoadCraft
71% matchMostly Positive75% of 16,200 reviews2025
Dev: Saber InteractivePub: Focus Entertainment
Windows
Median: 12.8 hrsMean: 34.6 hrs≥1hr: 94%
As the leader of a company specialized in restoring sites devastated by natural disasters, use your construction machinery to restart the local industry. Clear debris and faulty equipment, rebuild roads and bridges damaged by weather, and much more!
Why similar: Automation 27.4%, Building 24.4%, Physics 16.7%, Immersive Sim 12.8%, Base Building 12.1%
- #39 Ylands
74% matchMixed64% of 8,445 reviews2019
Dev: Bohemia Interactive
Windows
Median: 54 minMean: 9.9 hrs≥1hr: 46%
Adventure awaits you and your friends in the world of Ylands! Gather resources, craft tools, construct anything and everything, and explore the lands! Build a ship and set sail, encountering mythical animals, a wide variety of sea-life, enemies of all kinds and much more!
Why similar: Sailing 28% ★, Open World Survival Craft 24.2% ★, Base Building 13.3%, Building 10.2%, Open World 9.2%
- #40 Breakwaters: Crystal Tides
74% matchMixed62% of 1,000 reviews2021
Dev: Soaring Pixels Games
Windows
Median: 1.5 hrsMean: 3.4 hrs≥1hr: 66%
Survive in a world ravaged by massive Titans and an ever changing ocean sim. Displace water to find resources for building and crafting unique items. Swim, sail, and fly to explore new islands and fight Titans.
Why similar: Sailing 25.3% ★, Sandbox 15.3%, Building 14.8%, Open World 12%, Survival 10%
- #41 Avorion
72% matchVery Positive90% of 14,549 reviews2020
Dev: Boxelware
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 18.8 hrsMean: 99.5 hrs≥1hr: 90%
A procedural co-op space sandbox where players can build their own space ships out of dynamically scalable blocks. Fight epic space battles, explore, mine, trade, wage wars and build your own empire to save your galaxy from being torn apart by an unknown enemy.
Why similar: Flight 28%, Sandbox 21.1%, Building 19.1%, Open World 15.2%, Third Person 9.1%
- #42 OUTBRK
71% matchVery Positive82% of 3,477 reviews2024
Dev: Sublime
Windows
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 18.6 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Storm Chasing Simulator
Why similar: Open World 38.6%, Immersive Sim 36.5%, First-Person 12.7%, Exploration 12.2%
- #43 Sandustry
68% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 3,449 reviews2026
Dev: Lantto GamesPub: Hooded Horse
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.9 hrsMean: 12.1 hrs≥1hr: 87%
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: Open World Survival Craft 21.9% ★, Automation 17.7%, Sandbox 13.7%, Base Building 12.8%, Building 12%
- #44 Brickadia
70% matchVery Positive81% of 1,421 reviews2025
Dev: Brickadia, LLC
Windows
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 33.7 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Brickadia is a next-generation brick building sandbox that gives you the tools to create and play, your way. Build massive worlds, invent cool contraptions, and play in them however you like - all with your friends!
Why similar: Sandbox 26.3%, Building 22.1%, Physics 18.4%, PvP 11.2%, Character Customization 9.9%
- #45 Seafarer: The Ship Sim
70% matchMixed66% of 2,074 reviews2025
Dev: astragon DevelopmentPub: astragon Entertainment
Windows
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 5.7 hrs≥1hr: 76%
Build your maritime career solo or with up to 4 players. Take on contracts across diverse harbors, command different ships, and tackle cargo runs, patrols, rescues, firefighting, and unexpected events in a vast Northern European open world.
Why similar: Naval 44.4% ★, Sailing 21.2% ★, Immersive Sim 15.1%, Open World 12.5%, Exploration 6.7%
- #46 Mechanica
73% matchMixed63% of 640 reviews2020
Dev: Deimos Interactive
Windows
Mechanica is a multiplayer open-world survival game involving building and programming. Create your own bases, defenses, manufacturing systems and more. Explore the map and expand the scope and complexity of your creations.
Why similar: Programming 30.2% ★, Open World Survival Craft 16.3% ★, Base Building 14.1%, Building 12%, Automation 10.3%
- #47 Stranded Deep
71% matchMostly Positive74% of 47,770 reviews2022
Dev: Beam Team GamesPub: Beam Team Publishing
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 20.9 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Take the role of a plane crash survivor stranded somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Come face to face with some of the most life threatening scenarios that will result in a different experience each time you play. Scavenge. Discover. Survive.
Why similar: Open World Survival Craft 46.7% ★, Survival 15.5%, Open World 13.4%, Building 9%, Sandbox 7.5%
- #48 Starship EVO
72% matchVery Positive84% of 1,522 reviews2020
Dev: Moonfire Entertainment
Windows
Median: 1.6 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 58%
Mine and craft your way to orbit, build your own starship and explore a vast, dangerous galaxy alongside your crew. For players who love a meaningful survival progression, a unique and elegant building system, and epic space-opera scale.
Why similar: Building 39.5%, Sandbox 34.8%, Open World 16.3%, Physics 9.4%
- #49 My Summer Car
67% matchVery Positive95% of 116,962 reviews2025
Dev: Amistech Games
Windows
Median: 9.4 hrsMean: 47.1 hrs≥1hr: 85%
My Summer Car is the ultimate car owning, building, fixing, tuning, maintenance AND permadeath life survival simulator. You start the game with hundreds of loose parts and assemble both car and engine.
Why similar: Open World 30%, Building 22.3%, Survival 19.2%, Sandbox 18.9%, First-Person 9.7%
- #50 Flashing Lights - Police, Firefighting, Emergency Services (EMS) Simulator
68% matchMostly Positive80% of 18,642 reviews2023
Dev: Nils JakrinsPub: Excalibur Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.4 hrsMean: 38.2 hrs≥1hr: 73%
Play solo or in up to 10-player multiplayer co-op! Flashing Lights is an open world police, firefighting and EMS simulator game with plenty of opportunity for role-play or more relaxed fun with friends. Become the law or save lives! Discover leagues of player-created mods!
Why similar: Sandbox 29.1%, Open World 24%, Physics 22.1%, Third Person 14.5%, Exploration 10.2%
- #51 Nimbatus - Drone Creator
70% matchVery Positive91% of 274 reviews2020
Dev: Stray Fawn Studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 5.3 hrs≥1hr: 41%
Use the Nimbatus Drone Creator to construct physically simulated drones and try them out in a virtual testing environment. Do you have what it takes to become a drone engineer?
Why similar: Flight 26.9%, Sandbox 23.6%, Programming 20.3% ★, Physics 15.1%, Building 14.1%
- #52 Sinking Simulator
69% matchVery Positive85% of 4,412 reviews2019
Dev: WicparPub: Pac0master
Windows
Median: 42 minMean: 3.2 hrs≥1hr: 41%
The sequel to the unfinished Sinking Simulator, now with a lot more POWER!!!! Witness your witty love of chaos and destruction sinking 2D ships and everything else on board!
Why similar: Sandbox 57.1%, Physics 26.1%, Naval 16.8% ★
- #53 Plasma
66% matchVery Positive90% of 1,142 reviews2023
Dev: Dry CactusPub: Dry Licorice
Windows
Median: 30 minMean: 5.3 hrs≥1hr: 38%
Plasma is a pure engineering sandbox. Use advanced visual programming and robotics tools to create anything you can imagine.
Why similar: Programming 28.3% ★, Sandbox 17.8%, Automation 17%, Building 12.7%, Base Building 6.9%
- #54 Teardown
65% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 135,234 reviews2022
Dev: Tuxedo Labs
Windows
Median: 7.0 hrsMean: 29.0 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Prepare the perfect heist in a fully destructible, simulated voxel world. Tear down walls with vehicles or use explosives to create your own shortcuts. Shape the environment to your advantage in the most creative ways you can imagine. Play solo or with up to 12 players in multiplayer.
Why similar: Sandbox 50.4%, Physics 36%, First-Person 13.6%
- #55 Empyrion - Galactic Survival
67% matchMostly Positive78% of 34,392 reviews2020
Dev: Eleon Game Studios
Windows
Median: 6.2 hrsMean: 77.1 hrs≥1hr: 77%
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!
Why similar: Open World Survival Craft 27.8% ★, Building 14.3%, Sandbox 13.6%, Open World 11.8%, Survival 9.5%
- #56 Volcanoids
67% matchVery Positive83% of 9,332 reviews2019
Dev: Volcanoid
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 15.9 hrs≥1hr: 76%
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 21.6%, Sandbox 19.9%, Building 18%, Open World 14.3%, Survival 11.9%
- #57 Nuclear Option
65% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 10,683 reviews2023
Dev: Shockfront Studios
Windows
Median: 9.3 hrsMean: 27.3 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Fly near-future aircraft with immersive physics across dynamic battlefields, facing land, air, and sea threats. Wage war against AI or rival pilots using an array of advanced weaponry, including tactical and strategic nuclear weapons capable of annihilating anything in your path.
Why similar: Flight 36.3%, Sandbox 22.9%, Physics 16.8%, PvP 15.3%, First-Person 8.6%
- #58 StarMade
69% matchMixed68% of 2,991 reviews2014
Dev: Schine GmbH
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.3 hrsMean: 18.8 hrs≥1hr: 54%
The ultimate space sandbox. Participate in epic fleet battles, form alliances, strive to dominate entire galaxies and harness the universe’s resources for your industrious empire or the destruction of others. Customise your experience, the universe is yours!
Why similar: Sandbox 41.3%, Building 26.9%, Open World 25.9%, Exploration 5.8%
- #59 Escape The Pacific
69% matchMixed67% of 761 reviews2018
Dev: Gamers4Gamers Team
Windows
Raw, real survival in the Pacific. Build a modular floating base. Master realistic sailing mechanics. Face challenging Pacific-like weather & seasons. Hunt, craft, build & navigate using Sun Dial, Sextant & Triangulation. Explore an endless island cluster-based world. Simulate real life scenarios!
Why similar: Sailing 23.3% ★, Open World Survival Craft 21.9% ★, Sandbox 10.6%, Building 10%, Immersive Sim 9.3%