People can lose themselves in an immersive building game, which can provide hours of entertainment. The type of building games contained in this list range across a variety of genres but all share the act of creating in common.
Building in a video game can help you achieve objectives, but often, building out of creativity without a goal in mind provides the most enjoyment. Building games can be both educational and fun. Spending hours on the latest building creation seems worth it in the end because you get a result never thought possible.
These are 5 building video games that worked (5 that didn’t).
10 Minecraft (Worked)
As possibly the highest selling video game of all time, it’s easy to say that Minecraft is a success. With fun and addictive gameplay, Minecraft is so much more than just a building game. With survival and RPG elements, and the ability to play cross-platform online between mobile, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, Minecraft is considered to be among the top games of all time.
According to windowscentral.com, “Minecraft appears to have surpassed Tetris in terms of sales.” With a significant margin of error, it is difficult to count the total sales of Minecraft. The only game that could have more sales than Minecraft is the tile-matching puzzle game known as “Tetris.” Minecraft continues to be ported to new platforms such as Nintendo Switch, Microsoft HoloLens, and VR.
9 No Man’s Sky (Didn’t Work)
Widely considered to be the biggest disaster in video game history, No Man’s Sky showed much promise in its infant stage. Content such as online multiplayer was initially promised to be in the game but was unexpectedly left out.
According to the Steam Charts, No Man’s Sky lost over 90% of its user base in the first month of release. Its release led to mass returns and Hello Games issuing an extended return policy. Although it has seen several sizeable updates since its launch, and the creating component is secondary to scavenging, No Man’s Sky is still considered a title that doesn’t work as a building game. Now, in fall fairness, base building is one of the game’s better mechanics.
8 Cities: Skylines (Worked)
Cities: Skylines provides a realistic and challenging experience. The pacing of Cities: Skylines seems to be better than Sim City. While Sim City’s cities become large and chaotic, Cities: Skylines allows you to build small sustainable cities that are reminiscent of suburbs.
At night time, Cities: Skylines cities are magical. If you don’t like Sim City, you may not enjoy this game. It would be difficult not to make comparisons between the two games. Subtle nuances like being able to build sports stadiums that increase tourism makes Cities: Skylines exceptional.
7 Lego Worlds (Didn’t Work)
The concept of the game looks promising on paper, but the gameplay is not as enjoyable as people expect. Some consider Lego Worlds to be a knock-off or copycat of Minecraft, but it is vastly different once you get into the game. Lego Worlds allows players to place sizeable Lego objects, while Minecraft players are required to build one block at a time.
For those who are into Lego, this game might be enjoyable—it did receive online multiplayer in an update. If looking for a great building game, however, there are tons of better options than Lego Worlds due to its sub-par building system and limited content.
6 Super Mario Maker (Worked)
Allowing players to create their own 2D Mario worlds was a smart idea on Nintendo’s part. Letting players share their creations with friends; brilliant. Super Mario Maker is a side-scrolling platform and building game from the talented developers at Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development.
With tons of building options, Super Mario Maker stands out as one of the top building games. Unfortunately, there is no story mode in Super Mario Maker, but Super Mario Maker 2 will contain “over 100 built-in courses.”
5 SimCity (Didn’t Work)
It was highly anticipated, and the developer behind 2013’s Sim City tried to save it, but Sim City is still regarded as one of the biggest failures in video game history. There was peaked interest in Sim City, yet publisher Electronic Arts decided to make it required for the game to be connected to the internet.
Later, following an outcry in the gaming community, Electronic Arts made it possible to play offline. Still, an abundance of bugs and poor gameplay is why Sim City doesn’t live up to the franchise’s standard.
4 ARK: Survival Evolved (Worked)
Across many levels, Ark: Survival Evolved is a successful action-adventure survival game that will provide hours of entertainment in a world where dinosaurs run rampant. The building and exploration of Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the most effective we’ve seen thus far.
Creating custom games to speed the harvesting of resources is fun for casual gamers, but the main servers are also worthwhile if you plan to return. Slowly evolving from a caveman (or cavewoman) into a modern human-being is a gradual but enjoyable process in the game. For hours of fun building, look no further than Ark: Survival Evolved.
3 Rust (Didn’t Work)
Rust was in an early access stage for quite some time but it’s hard to tell the difference from the finished version with a plethora of bugs that detract from gameplay. Constant game crashes and disconnecting servers are problems that plague Rust.
Although Rust showed lots of potential in its early days, the opportunity to create a fantastic building game was squandered, and players were left exploring an unforgiving world that failed to engage players. Without the help of other players in the game, it is exceedingly challenging to progress.
2 Fortnite (Worked)
This game likely needs no introduction because of its enormous fanbase. Not only does Fortnite have enjoyable gameplay related to building, but it is also very popular in esports. Celebrities such as Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins and Drake are among the people who play Fortnite.
Fortnite is a third-person shooter-survival game that allows players to build structures to help win battles. Building a wall, staircase, or platform at any given moment aids players on the battlefield. Just when you think you’ve mastered building in Fortnite, new methods for building seem to pop up.
1 Zoo Tycoon (Didn’t Work)
2013’s Zoo Tycoon misses the mark with dull gameplay and small safari parks. Sure, being able to transition into the third-person view to control a character is a nice added touch of Zoo Tycoon, but aside from that, Zoo Tycoon fails to distinguish itself from games like Roller Coaster Tycoon and the previous Zoo Tycoon games.
In today’s building game world, Zoo Tycoon is overshadowed by other more detailed games. Zoo Tycoon is comparable to Disneyland Adventures because of its poorly executed free roam.
NEXT: Ranking The 10 Greatest Dragons In Video Games
