8 Games Like Minecraft to Play With Friends
Published November 11, 2026
The closest games to Minecraft for a group are Terraria and Hytale, which keep the blocks and the mining, and Valheim and Raft, which keep the building and the survival. Between them they take from 4 to 50 players in the same world, and most have crossplay.
Which games are closest to Minecraft?
Worlds made of blocks that you dig, craft from and build in.
Community pick
PCPlayStationXboxNintendo
8 online4 on one screen
Crossplay: No
Split screen works on consoles, not on PC.
You dig through a 2D world of blocks looking for ore, craft weapons and armor, and build houses for the townspeople. Progress depends on beating bosses, and one of them unlocks a harder mode with new enemies.
On one screen one copy is enough, but online everyone needs their own. A typical session runs three hours or more, and progress carries over to the next one.
PC
10 online
No couch co-op: everyone needs their own screen.
A randomly generated world of blocks with zones, dungeons and fantasy creatures, where you fight, craft gear and build. It ships with tools to make your own mods, models and servers, like Minecraft's Java Edition.
Everyone needs their own copy. A typical session runs three hours or more, and progress carries over to the next one.
Which Minecraft-like games are about survival and building a base?
You gather materials, build somewhere to live and split the work.
Community pick
PCPlayStationXboxNintendo
10 online
Crossplay: Yes
No couch co-op: everyone needs their own screen.
You play Vikings in a randomly generated purgatory, building houses and ships, crafting weapons and beating the boss of each biome. Every boss you beat gives you the materials to reach the next one.
Everyone needs their own copy. A typical session runs three hours or more, and progress carries over to the next one.
PCPlayStationXbox
10 online
Crossplay: Yes
No couch co-op: everyone needs their own screen.
You start on a small raft and fish floating debris out of the sea with a hook to expand it, cook and purify water. A shark keeps attacking the raft, and the story moves forward by sailing from island to island.
Everyone needs their own copy. A typical session runs about two hours, and progress carries over to the next one.
PCPlayStationXbox
4 online
Crossplay: Yes
No couch co-op: everyone needs their own screen.
You share the valley of The Oxbow, build houses and split jobs like hunting and farming. It's slower than Minecraft and rewards a group that likes to plan a village.
Everyone needs their own copy. A typical session runs three hours or more, and progress carries over to the next one.
Which ones change the formula?
Same loop of gathering and building, with a new hook on top.
Community pick
PCPlayStationXbox
32 online
Crossplay: Yes
No couch co-op: everyone needs their own screen.
You catch creatures called Pals and use them to fight, to ride and to work at your base: each species chops, mines, cooks or crafts on its own. At 32 players it's second only to Eco.
Everyone needs their own copy. A typical session runs three hours or more, and progress carries over to the next one.
PCPlayStationXbox
10 online
Crossplay: Partly
Consoles take 8 online instead of 10. No couch co-op: everyone needs their own screen.
You land on a lifeless planet and make it habitable by gathering minerals, building bases and placing machines that raise heat, pressure and oxygen. As you go, blue sky, lakes, plants and animals appear.
Everyone needs their own copy. A typical session runs three hours or more, and progress carries over to the next one.
PC
50 online
No couch co-op: everyone needs their own screen.
You build a civilization on a planet with a simulated ecosystem, and you have to research technology to destroy a meteor before it hits, without wiping out the plants and animals along the way.
Everyone needs their own copy. A typical session runs three hours or more, and progress carries over to the next one.
Which one should your group pick?
For four friends who want to build without much setup, start with Terraria or Medieval Dynasty. If you play on different consoles, Valheim, Raft, Terraria and Palworld have crossplay. For a big community, Eco and Palworld hold the most players. If you can't agree, make a poll with three of these and let everyone vote.
