10 House Building Video Games We’d Recommend

House-building in a video game isn’t something that everyone enjoys. However, there is enough of an audience for two things to be true. One, there are dedicated house-building games that can be found out there, though these tend to be on the lower budget side of things because they are aimed at a niche market. Two, there are a lot of well-known games with house-building systems of one kind or another, which can provide interested individuals with plenty of opportunities for self-expression. As such, if people are looking for house-building in a video game, they should be able to choose from a number of options.

1. Ark: Survival Evolved

Ark: Survival Evolved is definitely on the stranger side of things. This should be clear to anyone who has ever seen any of its marketing because of the gun-wielding humans riding around on dinosaurs as well as other prehistoric creatures. For that matter, it should be mentioned that the game has long since abandoned the idea of sticking to just prehistoric creatures, seeing as how its roster now includes mythical creatures, robotic creatures, and other original creatures that are made out of organic matter. In any case, interested individuals should know that Ark: Survival Evolved is an action-adventure game in which interested individuals are expected to survive an open world setting filled with natural hazards, hostile creatures, and even hostile humans. To do so, they need to make a base, make better tools for themselves, and then use those tools to secure their surroundings. Something that includes taming the dinosaurs as well as the other creatures that can be found out there. Originally, the game’s base-building mechanics weren’t too impressive. Nowadays, interested individuals are able to create a wide range of buildings using various materials, though they should know that they will need to keep functionality in mind if they want their creations to last. Some players will enjoy the way that such practical considerations can channel their creativity. In contrast, others will not, meaning that they might want to move on to something else.

2. Fallout 4

The Fallout franchise has been around since the late 1990s. Thanks to that, it has seen a considerable number of changes over time, with the most noticeable being how the main games have been action RPGs in open world settings ever since it was picked up by Bethesda. House-building would have been rather strange in Fallout and Fallout 2. However, Fallout 4 has shown that it can work surprisingly well in the franchise, which to be fair, makes sense because the setting should be well into the post-post-apocalyptic period by this point in time. For those who are unfamiliar, Fallout 4 puts the player in the shoes of someone who survived the nuclear war through cryogenic stasis but has now emerged in search of answers for both the murder of their spouse and the abduction of their son. One would assume that said character is driven by a great deal of urgency. However, if interested individuals want to, they can spend their time engaging in a wide range of other activities. In particular, Fallout 4 provides interested individuals with the option to build up their own post-post-apocalyptic settlements, which includes setting up the structures, furnishing the interiors, supplying the necessities, recruiting the residents, and so on and so forth. Better still, Bethesda games get a lot of attention from the modders, thus making even more options available than otherwise possible.

3. House Flipper

As mentioned earlier, there are games that treat house-building as their primary focus rather than their secondary focus. These tend to have smaller budgets because of their niche appeal. However, these games can still be worth checking out, particularly for people who occupy the niche that is being appealed to. To name an example, consider House Flipper, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. In short, the player buys houses that are in a bad condition. After which, said individual is supposed to clean them up, install things, remove things, make repairs, and otherwise fix them up before selling them for a handsome profit, thus enabling said individual to buy more houses that are in a bad condition. Such is the fundamental loop that exists at the center of House Flipper. However, it is interesting to note that the game comes with the ability for interested individuals to customize their own house as well. Something that might appeal to those who are reluctant to pass the fruits of their virtual labor onto someone else.

4. Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the most famous games ever made. After all, it has managed to sell more than 238 million copies, which are enough to make it the single best-selling game ever made. As such, Minecraft should be a very familiar name for a lot of interested individuals out there. Still, those who are unfamiliar should know that it is a sandbox game in which the player explores a procedurally-generated world of 3D blocks that can be effectively infinite in size. There, they can collect resources before using those resources to craft tools, make items, and build structures. Something that can provide them with plenty of ways to exercise their creativity. Of course, Minecraft has more than one mode, meaning that interested individuals can choose the one that is best-suited for them. For example, some people might prefer the more challenging experience of building a base for themselves in a world in which there are enemies roaming about. In contrast, other people might prefer to build in peace with almost all items, almost all resources, and an on-off toggle for the ability to fly. Sandbox games are sandbox games, meaning that interested individuals should feel free to play in the way that best-suits their personal preferences.

5. No Man’s Sky

Even now, No Man’s Sky still suffers from a poor reputation to some extent. This is because it was a classic case of over-promising and under-delivering, which caused players to react with great hostility to the missing features as well as other failings. Fortunately, Hello Games continued to work on the game, with the result that subsequent versions have become closer and closer to what was promised. Indeed, there are a lot of people out there who consider the No Man’s Sky to be a quintessential example of a game that has managed to redeem itself through its updates just as how it was the quintessential example of a game that messed up its marketing. As for what the game is supposed to be, the gist of it is that interested individuals take the role of an amnesiac wandering about in an open world universe. No Man’s Sky has four focuses, which can be summed up as combat, survival, exploration, and trading. Unsurprisingly, base-building plays an important role for more than one of those focuses, meaning that it provides interested individuals with plenty of opportunities to exercise their creativity. If people want, they can spend hours and hours building bases in a wide range of fantastic environments.

6. Subnautica

Subnautica is another survival game in an open world setting. However, it has a very strong focus, which is more than enough to enable it to stand out in the crowd. Given the name, chances are good that interested individuals can guess that this focus would be underwater exploration. On the plus side, this means that Subnautica offers spectacular experiences for those who are willing to engage with it. On the minus side, this means that this is not a game for those who have a fear of the sea. Some of the underwater environments are very pleasant and very well-lit. Others are very much not, which makes it that much more memorable when the player sees a leviathan moving towards them out of the murk for the first time. In any case, Subnautica starts out with the player landing on an alien planet after their spaceship has been shot out of the sky. The first part of the game is focused on the scramble for survival, which is helped out by future tech that makes it very easy to convert natural resources into technologically-advanced tools and supplies. Eventually, the player will reach the point of being able to build both vehicles and structures, thus enabling them to build a true home for themselves. If they want, they can put their base in a very conventional location. However, Subnautica being Subnautica, it is much more fun to put down some underwater bases.

7. Terraria

Terraria has often been compared to Minecraft. This can seem rather strange on initial consideration because it is a 2D game while its counterpart is a 3D game. However, the two games do have some real similarities because both of them emphasize a mix of combat, exploration, and construction in procedurally-generated worlds. Regardless, Terraria does have more of an emphasis on combat. Even so, it is very much possible for interested individuals to build a home for themselves by collecting resources, setting up structures, and then furnishing the interiors. In fact, one could say that this is outright encouraged by the game’s mechanics, seeing as how having a safe spot to retreat to can be very important when the monsters start running around in large numbers.

8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda is famous for its open world games. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the best-known examples, seeing as how it has managed to sell more than 30 million copies ever since it was released in the early 2010s. Generally speaking, it is known for its combat, which makes sense because it is a fantasy-themed adventure RPG after all. However, Skyrim’s popularity means that it has had a lot of side-content stuffed into it as well. To name an example, there is a DLC called Hearthfire that enables interested individuals to decorate their Skyrim home to their liking. Something that is just automatically included in more modern copies of Skyrim for the sake of convenience. As for why people would want to play with it, well, suffice to say that Hearthfire has the same kind of high fantasy viking aesthetic as the rest of the game. Something that can come as welcome news for people who enjoy house-building but want to play with something more pre-modern.

9. The Sims 4

The Sims 4 is the latest main installment in the social simulation series. Essentially, the player creates virtual people. After which, they follow their characters throughout their simulated lives, which can be surprisingly fun. Naturally, The Sims 4 includes support for building houses. In fact, it should be mentioned that better tools for building houses were one of the main focuses upon its launch. Of course, it has another great advantage as well, which would be the sheer amount of DLC that has been released for it. Often-times, people treat DLC as a bad thing. To be fair, said model can definitely result in abusive practices. However, DLC also means that interested individuals can just grab the content that they like while avoiding the content that they don’t care for. The Sims 4 has had a lot of DLC, meaning that chances are good that virtual house-builders will be able to find something to their liking. Something that should make for a richer experience for them so long as they are willing to pay.

10. Valheim

Strictly speaking, Valheim hasn’t been come out yet. Instead, it is still in early access, meaning that it is still a work in progress. However, it is important to note that Valheim has already received incredible reviews from a wide range of both critics and consumers, which is quite incredible to say the least considering its incomplete state. As for its gameplay, the gist of it is that the player takes on the role of a dead viking who needs to prove their worthiness to enter Valhalla. Norse mythology being Norse mythology, one would expect that to involve a lot of combat, seeing as how Valhalla is supposed to be a constant cycle of fighting and feasting. Indeed, Valheim does feature a lot of combat. However, it also emphasizes the collection of resources plus the conversion of those resources into useful tools, equipment, and even buildings. Already, the game is capable of accommodating the creation of some very impressive bases, which makes it that much more interesting to see where it will go next.