Summary

  • More RPGs are incorporating life-simulation elements, allowing players to immerse themselves in building shelters.
  • Games like Voxel Turf and Kingdom Come provide unique opportunities for players to build structures and manage communities.
  • Options for house building span various genres, from survival games like Valheim to MMORPGs like Palworld and Gothic titles like V Rising.

Life-simulation video games tend to cross the line between fun and work, which has definitely divided gamers. However, more RPGs over the years have been implementing simulation-style elements to further immerse players into the game, while also not alienating players who aren’t quite into the slow-burn satisfaction and fun of something like Animal Crossing.

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These elements have expanded over the years, and one of the most popular implementations of life management in video games has boiled down to building a shelter for your character. Many games allow you to choose a house, but some take it a few steps further and include tools for you to manually build walls, a roof, accessories, and manage the size of it all. Building your own house in a video game is like having a second vacation home that you can disappear to at any time.

Updated on October 24, 2024, by Alfredo Robelo: Creating your own living space continues to be a staple of the open-world genre, both for practical and fashionable reasons. We've updated this article to include even more games where you can make your humble (or not so humble) abode.

Green Hell

Survive In The Depths Of The Jungle

Green Hell

Released September 5, 2019 Developer(s) Creepy Jar Publisher(s) Creepy Jar Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

Green Hell is a survival game set in the Amazon rainforest where building a house is a matter of life or death. You must gather resources, craft shelter, and protect yourself from harsh environmental conditions and dangerous wildlife.

The game’s building system allows for constructing shelters and fortifications, which are crucial for surviving the game’s brutal world. What sets Green Hell apart is its realistic take on survival, with hunger, hydration, and health management adding depth to the house-building experience.

V Rising

Build A Gothic Castle

V Rising

Released May 17, 2022 Developer(s) Stunlock Studios Publisher(s) Stunlock Studios Platform(s) PC Powered by Expand Collapse

V Rising combines open-world exploration with house building in a Gothic, vampire-themed setting. As a vampire, you can construct and upgrade your castles, which serve as both homes and strongholds, particularly when engaging in PvP.

The building mechanics are extensive, allowing for customization and expansion as you gather resources and dominate territories. The game’s dark, atmospheric world is filled with opportunities for exploration and combat, but building and maintaining your castle remains a key part of progression, hence why you can easily move it to new biomes.

Palworld

Capture Creatures As You Build Your Dream Home

Palworld

11 7.8/10 Released January 19, 2024 Developer(s) Pocket Pair, Inc. Publisher(s) Pocket Pair, Inc. Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand Collapse

Palworld is a colorful, open-world game that blends creature collection with house building. You can explore vast landscapes, capture various creatures known as 'Pals,' and build homes, farms, or even entire villages.

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The game offers creative freedom, allowing you to craft yourdream base, while also engaging in survival elements like farming, battling enemies, and managing resources. Palworld stands out for its mix of creature-based gameplay and house-building mechanics, offering a vibrant and fun open-world experience with a focus on creativity.

Voxel Turf

Be A Criminal And An Architect

Voxel Turf isn't just an open-world game that happens to have city-building in it; it's a game specifically dedicated to building things in an open world. You get a plethora of different structures and decorations to make your own buildings. The game also has some crime elements baked into it, so you can rob establishments, beat up cops, and blow stuff up, just to name a few.

But you're not alone in your building. There are others whom you can either negotiate with or straight-up destroy for more power and expanded territory. To top it off, Voxel Turf supports multiplayer, so you can play with (or against) your friends. Help each other build stuff and commit crimes, or compete to see who can build the best stuff.

Rimworld

Build Your Own Community

RimWorld

Released October 17, 2018 Developer(s) Ludeon Studios Publisher(s) Ludeon Studios Platform(s) PC, PS4, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

If you don't mind seeing things from a top-down perspective, the popular open-world colony simulator Rimworld won't leave you to build a place to live on your own; you'll have an army of colonists to help you.

Aside from having to worry about little things like feeding your colonists, caring for your pets, defending against raiders, and having the resources necessary for construction, the world is your oyster. You can carve into a mountain and make a gloomy fortress, build in open grasslands, or wherever else your heart desires.

Raft

Raft To Riches

Raft

Released June 20, 2022 Developer(s) Redbeet Interactive Publisher(s) Axolot Games Platform(s) PC Powered by Expand Collapse

If you want to break from the norm of building houses on land and instead feel the gentle ocean breeze on your skin from the comfort of your own home, Raft is the game for you. As you gather scrap wood, plastics, and other materials, you'll be able to slowly expand your humble raft into a proper houseboat.

Just, do mind the sharks, will you? Somewhat similar to a teething toddler, sharks like to test out their chompers on whatever they can get their teeth on, including you and the outer wooden platforms of your lovely, floating home.

Satisfactory

A Sci-Fi Twist On House-building

Satisfactory

Released September 10, 2024 Developer(s) Coffee Stain Studios Publisher(s) Coffee Stain Publishing Platform(s) PC Powered by Expand Collapse

It's the Industrial Revolution all over again, except this time, it's in space on a recently discovered planet. Sure, you've got resources to extract for your corporate overlords and a planet to explore, but in your free time, why not make a place to call home?

There might be conveyor belts twisting and turning all around or even in your home, but that's just an extra bit of character and charm, right? Satisfactory also has multiplayer co-op, so your friends can help out with the building process if you like.

7 Days To Die

Don't Worry About The Zombies

7 Days to Die

Released December 13, 2013 Developer(s) The Fun Pimps Publisher(s) Telltale Games Platform(s) Linux, macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

Contrary to its title, 7 Days To Die is all about survival. Starvation, thirst, illness, the weather, and the zombie horde are all things that are threatening to kill you. And one of the best ways to keep the zombies and the elements at bay is to build a house.

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You get complete freedom to build any structure you want from the resources you find. Most of these buildings end up looking like a mix between a base and a house. 7 Days To Die's freedom to build whatever you want allows you to get immersed in the experience.

My Time At Portia

Cozy Houseflipping

My Time at Portia

Released January 15, 2019 Developer(s) Pathea Games Publisher(s) Team17, Nuverse Platform(s) Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

My Time At Portia is a wholesome simulation RPG. The basic premise is you're a builder who has reopened your father's old workshop in Portia. You spend the game building all sorts of contraptions and making money from them.

You can also spend time building up your house - which is also the workshop. It starts as a pretty rundown place with holes in the walls and floor. Plus, all it contains on day one is a bed. Over time, you can decorate the interior as well as upgrade the size of the building.

Kenshi

Start From Zero, Get To 100

Kenshi

Released December 6, 2018 Platform(s) PC Developer Lo-Fi Games Publisher Lo-Fi Games Powered by Expand Collapse

Kenshi, developed by Lo-Fi Games, is an open-world squad RPG with some RTS elements. Perhaps the main selling point of the game is the amount of freedom you're given to do what you want.

One of the things to do is acquire buildings of all kinds, including houses. In many cases, you'll buy an establishment and maybe make some alterations. But you can also purchase a ruined building and erect it from the ground up. Eventually, you can expand this house into a town as you recruit more allies.