Starbound took the world by storm and quickly became one of the best 2d adventure survival games ever made.
It’s a truly beautiful game that I can get lost in for hours, it’s one of the games I play when I need a break from reality and after many hours I still jump on a play weekly.
However, my mind has been trying a few games that claim to be like it and after a little testing I’ve found a selection of games that people who enjoy Starbound will love.
This is that list and if I’ve missed any of your favorites let me know in the comments.
Side Note: I priced checked all the games on this list on the 10th December 2024 to find the best price online and that included browsing 50+ online gaming shops.
Planet Centauri
Graphically Planet Centauri is the closest thing to Starbound on this list.
Travel the Planet inside Centauri and build an NPC community, protect them and help them grow all while exploring the depths of this world, with magic, weapons and lots of action.
This game still needs something and that’s why I’d recommend getting Terraria instead and getting this when you see it on deal.
Terraria (Andriod – Consoles – PC)
Terraria is a cross-platform survival game that mirrors a lot of Starbounds best qualities.
Both games are set in a stunning 2d world and filled with survival and loads of exploration opportunities.
Terraria mixes old-school boss battles, base creation, multiplayer in a tremendous way. You could play for 50 hours and still only just be getting to see the games core.
You can play solo as a lone wolf or mix it up with a few friends and go all out creating a massive base and going on some deep dark adventures for loot and resources.
Dig or Die
When I saw the name I thought, here’s another Minecraft clone.
Then I took a look at the trailer and decided to give it a shot. I was shocked at how good this game was and how little the hype was around it.
Very similar art style to Terraria and Starbound, with a similar story, you crash land on a hostile planet and you’ll have to build strong defenses to keep yourself alive long enough to escape this crazy planet.
It’s a tower defense style game inside a terraria style world, it’s entertaining and will suck you in.
Craft The World (Andriod – PC)
Craft the world is a unique sandbox game that is based around crafting, getting resources, crafting items, weapons and armor, all of which you need to survive.
This game has a great Tower Defence mode that I’ve talked about on multiple occasions, it’s a nice taste of something new inside 2d games.
I mean who doesn’t like building and then defending a base from waves of monsters?
Crea
Crea is a vast sandbox game with a random procedurally-generated world filled with exploration.
It shares pretty much all the features Starbound have, so I’ll save some time explaining them.
The only issue I have with this game is that it can feel like a grind compared to Starbound, other than that the games are similar and a lot of Starbound players moved onto Crea after finishing Starbound.
SteamWorld Dig (PS4/PC/Switch)
Ow boy do I love SteamWorld Dig, I mean the name is a mouthful, but the game kicks-butt.
You arrive at an old mining yard and it’s your job to restart it up and start digging for the worlds beautiful resources.
This game opens up new beauty with its 2d graphic design and can be played on both PC, PS4 and Switch, it’s highly addictive and is a real must play.
Junk Jack (IOS/PC)
Junk Jack is a little scrappy at times but is a low-key awesome game set in a 2d sandbox world.
When I say scrappy I mean the graphics aren’t perfect, but for such an unknown game it’s weird how perfect everything is.
There are 12 different planets that you can teleport too, a creative mode, multiplayer and loads of lot and resource gathering.
The features this game has to offer go on and it originally started as an IOS game and absolutely killed it, but the PC port really does stand on its own.
The Sandbox Evolution (Android/IOS)
Sandbox Evolution is a game that’s on mobile devices and pc, but personally, this game shines on phones.
It’s more of a world creation game, it’s not too similar to Starbound, but it’s a beautiful game to switch the world off with.
You can design and create your own world and have full creative control over how everything looks, it’s a free game and is great for killing some time.
Stardew Valley (Wild Card)
Trust me with this Wild Card.
Stardew Valley isn’t something I’ve seen anyone talk about when mentioning Starbound, but just a moment of playing it everything will click and you’ll see exactly why it’s on this list.
You inherit your grandfather’s farm and it’s up to you to expand and turn this run-down farm into a thriving farmland with everything you need to begin living off the land.
This review sums the game up:
If you want to own a farm, build relationships and build a world inside a game, without having to actually go through that in real life Stardew is the game you need in your life.
No Man’s Sky (Wild Card)
No Man’s Sky was a bit of a risk and I wasn’t going to add it.
On the surface it’s nothing like Starbound, however, if you dig deep and take graphics and 2d out of the picture, you have a very similar game that focuses on space exploration, resource management and base building.
I’d recommend this for the people who are looking for a completely new experience but want that same tingly feeling that Starbound gave them.
You can find more games like No Man’s Sky here.
Which Game Should You Play After StarBound?
The first place anyone should start is with Terraria, after that, I’d recommend Planet Centauri or Stardew Valley, both different games sharing lots of wonderful qualities.
I’d say this is a list of games where you need to pick the game that calls to you the most, all the games are pretty epic and at this point, it comes down to gaming preference.
Starbound will always be my first pick for when I need to get away from real life and just enjoy a beautiful game in an amazing universe. Everythings so primal and perfect and I hope some of these games hit you just like the Starbound experience does.
Have an awesome day and if you have any game ideas I missed leave them in the comments below and I’ll add them to the list.