Minecraft is the most popular game of all time. This deceptively simple game about mining has somehow managed to outsell every other franchise out there, from Pokemon to Call of Duty, becoming a global smash hit popular with a wide variety of demographics.
Part of the game's appeal is its simplicity. Though it has high-level, in-depth elements for those interested in digging deeper into its systems, its basic mechanics are simple enough that a small child can play around if they want. If you're a tabletop gamer looking for something that will capture Minecraft's theme and feel, we've dug up some games that will help you bring those charming blocks to your tabletop.
Minecraft: Builders & Biomes
Best Adaptation See at AmazonMinecraft: Heroes of the Village
Best For Children See at AmazonMinecraft: Portal Dash
Best Cooperative Game See at AmazonMinecraft Card Game
Best Card Game See at AmazonCaverna: The Cave Farmers
Best Eurogame $68 at Walmart- See More
- via Amazon
HeroQuest Game System
Best Dungeon Crawler See at Amazon ORE: The Mining Game
Best Worker Placement See at Amazon
Minecraft: Builders & Biomes
Play Minecraft on your tabletop
Out of all the games on this list, this one is the most comprehensive attempt to adapt the entire Minecraft experience directly to a tabletop setting, with mechanics for building, fighting mobs, and many other Minecraft activities.
Pros & Cons- Well-thought out mechanics
- Multiple interesting ways to score
- Cool deck-building combat system
All the games on this list have to do with Minecraft in some respect, but this one in particular is an attempt to adapt the game for tabletop gamers. Many of the most important things you can do in Minecraft have been abstracted and adapted in this game, from fighting mobs to gathering blocks and building structures. Being a tabletop game, Builders and Biomes is more influenced by strategic thinking and less by manual skill. If you're looking for something Minecraftian that fits that description, this game is for you.
Best For ChildrenMinecraft: Heroes of the Village
A simple cooperative board game
Another game that borrows a lot of Minecraft's mechanics, this simple cooperative game charges players with defending their village and its inhabitants from raiders. It does a great job staying simple while presenting genuine strategic decisions.
Pros & Cons- Simple and learnable cooperative experience
- Great for kids
- Less sophisticated
This simpler game likewise incorporates many elements of Minecraft gameplay, especially fighting mobs and building things. However, unlike the game above, it's framed specifically around the objective of defending a village against a force of marauding illagers. This fact gives the game direction and reframes its other activities in a cool way.
It's a simple game, great for Minecraft's younger fans. Though there are meaningful decisions for the sake of older gamers, some might find it's not quite sophisticated enough for them. However, for those looking for a simpler experience, it'll work great.
Best Cooperative GameMinecraft: Portal Dash
Work together to survive the Nether
Another cooperative game, this game directly borrows mechanics from Builders and Biomes, but gears them toward a different experience themed around the Nether, where everyone will be fighting to keep the team afloat.
Pros & Cons- Good balance between strategy and simplicity
- Engaging for players of all ages, including sophisticated gamers
The last few games on this list have adapted many of what we could consider to be the basic elements of Minecraft gameplay, but they've lacked some of the game's most memorable features, like the Nether. Well, this game is here to fill that gap. With elements borrowed from some of the previous games, including the big cube of blocks from Builders and Biomes, this one is here to take you down into the bowels of the earth, where demons lurk.
This is another cooperative experience, and one sophisticated enough to keep older gamers engaged, even though it's also simple enough to be comprehensible to children.
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Posts Best Card GameMinecraft Card Game
Don't draw the creeper!
Another game that tries to capture Minecraft in a tabletop form, this game simplifies numerous aspects of it in order to fit it on a tabletop, resulting in an easy-to-follow experience that's still exciting and intriguing.
Pros & Cons- Captures Minecraft's mechanics in something delightfully simple
- Fun mix of strategy and luck
- Many recipes are different from the game
Our last Minecraft adaptation today, this game takes a highly simplified approach to Minecraft's mechanics in order to make them work in a relatively simple card game. Though the inability to fight off mobs could be considered a negative, this still results in interesting card-collecting mechanics with exciting hazards and rewarding plays. It's amazing how such simple mechanical ideas do a superb job catching the feel of the video game, even if the details of how they're played aren't as similar.
Best EurogameCaverna: The Cave Farmers
Dig deep
Original Release Date 2013-00-00 Player Count 1-7 Age Recommendation 12+ Length per Game 30-120 minutes Publishing Co Lookout GamesA sort of sequel to the excellent and widely beloved farming simulator Agricola, this game reframes most of its farming mechanics in terms of mining, creating an experience that will satisfy Eurogamers everywhere.
Pros & Cons- Tons of strategic depth
- Excellent resource management mechanics
No board game list is complete without at least one Eurogame, so, here's one. Caverna is a successor to Agricola, a farming game with resource management mechanics. This game is similar mechanically, but emphasizes mining instead of farming, while still having some of the more farm-based elements of its processor, like its animals.
Best Dungeon CrawlerHeroQuest Game System
Explore the depths and fight what lurks there
Though it's better known for its namesake elements, Minecraft still has a significant combat component, in which players explore mines in search of resources of various kinds. This is just one of the many games with a similar premise.
Pros & Cons- Reasonably simple dungeon crawling mechanics
- A wide variety of adventures
Minecraft is most known for its titular mechanics of mining and crafting. However, it's also a fantasy adventure game through and through, full of potions, low-tech combat, magic, and all kinds of fantasy monsters. If your favorite part of Minecraft is the sense of adventure, this game is for you.
One of many fantasy dungeon crawling games, this one is a classic that can take you on a wide variety of adventures, and is relatively simple, just like the combat from the game this list is about.
Best Worker PlacementORE: The Mining Game
Turns out mining is hard work
Another Eurogame, Ore takes a more on-the-ground approach to the business of mining with an emphasis on worker placement and resource collection. It's an experience as rich as any vain.
Pros & Cons- Nice worker placement and set collection mechanics
- Multiple ways to earn points
We end with another Eurogame, complete with the economic theme and abstract victory points. This game is about managing a mine, and its primary mechanic is worker placement, as you send miners to deplete various mines in order to fill the contracts you need to earn points. It's simple for a Eurogame, though that still means it's got a decent amount of meat on its bones.
FAQ
Is there a board game for Minecraft?
As noted on this list, there are several Minecraft board games, including Builders and Biomes, Heroes of the Village, Portal Dash, and the Minecraft Card Game.
What game is the same as Minecraft?
No two games are exactly alike, but there are a couple of games you could be thinking of. Terraria is Minecraft-esque in many ways, but in two dimensions. Stardew Valley's low fidelity, mining, and agricultural mechanics also make it feel similar in some ways.
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