Open World Games are never complete without an impressive crafting tree system. Here’s a list of those with the best crafting mechanism.
Open World Games have gained attention over the years thanks to titles that showcase not just the survival and combat aspects but also their intricate crafting systems. From a flimsy axe to adamite, wooden armor to full tungsten gear, crafting is the bread and butter of Open World Games. The mechanism pushes players to explore and collect rare materials for better gear.
There are countless Open World Games to choose from, but only a select few offer a truly entertaining crafting system that keeps you hooked. Whether it’s seamless storage integration, versatile crafting tables, facility upgrades for better performance, or higher-tier crafting for superior quality, these features can keep you engaged for hours. Here’s our list of Open World Games with the Best Crafting Systems.
20. Project Zomboid
- Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
- Release Date: 8 Nov, 2013
- Players: Up to 36 in Coop (100+ In Dedicated Servers)
Released in 2013, Project Zomboid remains one of the best open-world crafting games. Its open workshop allows players to seamlessly add mods that enhance quality of life, increase difficulty, introduce realistic features, and more.
In Project Zomboid, you can craft vehicle parts, make weapons, cook food, discover various recipes, and explore a vast post-apocalyptic world. While the graphics might feel outdated, the addictive gameplay and deep crafting system keep you coming back for more.
19. Dinkum
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: 14 Jul, 2022
- Players: Up to 6
If you enjoyed the Animal Crossing series, then you’ll definitely love Dinkum. In this charming game, you arrive in a small town to start a new life, crafting and building your shelter, taming animals, and improving the community you now call home.
You can craft everything from coops and bridges to tool and functional buildings. As the mayo’s little helper, your goal is to restore the town to its former glory.
18. Raft
- Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
- Release Date: May 23, 2018
- Players: Up to 8
Collect debris floating in the sea and build an epic raft for a drag adventure in Raft. You can play solo or with friends! Starting with a small raft of 4×4, you’ll use your hook to gather materials from the ocean and use these to update your base.
You must unlock tools, better stoves, water purifiers, sails, and more to enhance your quality of life as you search for land and other survivors.
17. Night of the Dead
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: August 28, 2020
- Players: Up to 4 (But the limit can be edited by the host)
Night of the Dead is another post-apocalyptic game similar to 7 Days to Die that offers a blend of story quests, crafting, and tower defense.
Your character explores the world to gather precious resources for crafting and building a base fortified with defenses like spikes, turrets, ballista, and more to prepare for the massive hordes.
16. Smalland: Survive the Wilds
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S
- Release Date: March 29, 2023
- Players: Up to 10
The gameplay of Smalland: Survive the Wilds resembles Grounded but with a unique twist and an impressive crafting system. In the game, you play as a tiny child of the forest, with the size of an ant.
To help your people survive, you and your friends must explore the wilds and gather resources. You must venture deep into the forest, battling spiders, ants, bugs, and even birds to collect rare materials for crafting weapons and even wings!
15. Wildmender
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S
- Release Date: November 8, 2022
- Players: Up to 4
Wildmender is an intuitive survival game where you start playing in a desert. Your mission is to turn the empty, dry land into an oasis using your gathered materials. You must craft buildings, decorations, and tools to customize your oasis.
You can also cultivate and explore the dunes to uncover mysteries while bringing life back into the desert.
14. State of Decay 2
- Platform: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
- Release Date: May 18, 2018
- Players: Up to 4
The State of Decay 2 is a beloved open-world survival game taking place in a post-apocalyptic setting where zombies have taken control of the world. It’s your mission to gather survivors, scavenge for resources, craft, and build a community that can withstand hordes.
13. Planet Crafter
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: March 24, 2022
- Players: Up to 10
While Wildmender takes place on a deserted island, Planet Crafter has a similar concept but occurs in space. You’re tasked to survive on a harsh planet using your crafting expertise.
You must create an ecosystem, build a base, and build functional buildings to transform the planet into a habitable home.
12. Core Keeper
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Linux
- Release Date: March 8, 2022
- Players: Up to 8
Core Keeper is an open-world sandbox with pixel-style graphics, but don’t let its looks fool you. This seemingly adorable game is packed with adventure!
Explore an endless cavern full of creatures, relics, and resources to mine, then use it to craft a base, transport belt, weapons, and farm to increase your survival. There are plenty of biomes to explore and plenty of items to find and create.
11. Satisfactory
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: March 19, 2019
- Players: Up to 4 (Can be edited in config file up to 100+ Players)
Satisfactory is a game that blends exploration, factory building, and automation with a touch of combat. The core gameplay revolves around constructing massive, multi-story factories with intricate conveyor belt systems that transport resources.
While the game can be a bit overwhelming at first, once you master the art of crafting, you’ll find yourself immersed in hundreds of hours of satisfying gameplay.
10. Valheim
- Platform: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Seris X and S.
- Release Date: February 2, 2021
- Players: Up to 10
Valheim is another survival, sandbox, open-world game inspired by Viking culture. Not only can you craft weapons, armor, and tools, but you can also create ships, long houses, bases, and defenses. Crafting in Velheim is one of the most satisfying features, and with its impressive combat, the game easily provides long hours of adventure.
9. Green Hell
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S.
- Release Date: August 29, 2018
- Players: Up to 4 (Possible to have more using API Mod)
Green Hell is a realistic open-world survival game that will tickle your hidden fears. The game occurs in the Amazon rainforest, where you must survive as you uncover its secrets. With minimal tools at your disposal, you’ll need to build fires from sticks, create makeshift camps, and craft weapons and tools using the resources you scavenge.
8. Sons of the Forest
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: February 23, 2023
- Players: Up to 8
Sons of the Forest has one of the most satisfying crafting systems. You’re a soldier sent to find a missing billionaire on a remote island, only to find yourself stuck in a cannibal-infested nightmare. Craft tools to chop wood and build a base and walls, craft weapons and traps to defend yourself, and make armor to increase your survivability while completing your mission and searching for a way out.
7. Sunkenland
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: August 25, 2023
- Players: Up to 15
Sunkenland is a survival exploration game set in the near future where water covers most of the Earth. You’re required to explore sunken cities and scavenge resources and technology underwater, then use it to craft a base, weapon, ships, and even jet skis to ease your travel time.
You can choose to conquer territories and battle rivals for their resources or focus on fortifying your home against raiders. The choice is yours!
6. Enshrouded
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S
- Release Date: January 24, 2024
- Players: Up to 16
Enshrouded is one of the best survival, crafting, action RPG released this year. With its stunning graphics, intricate crafting system, and combat style to keep you entertained, you’ll easily get lost in its captivating world.
Explore the ruins of a lost kingdom, gather resources, and craft weapons and armor to strengthen yourself as you fend off fearsome beasts. It’s a challenging game that you and your friends will love diving into.
5. Soulmask
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: May 31, 2024
- Players: Up to 50
Released this year, Soulmask is a huge sandbox game that prioritizes its authentic survival experience. Taking place in a dense force and a primitive land filled with mysterious faiths, you start with nothing.
As you explore and gather resources, you begin to craft and build your home while recruiting tribesmen to strengthen your clan. You can battle rival clans to secure your place, gain knowledge to unlock new crafting recipes and enhance your ability to engage in tribal warfare.
4. Abiotic Factor
- Platform: Windows
- Release Date: May 3, 2024
- Players: Up to 6
Abiotic Factor, also released this year, is a survival crafting game set in an underground research facility plagued by paranormal containment failures, military conflicts, and chaos from other realms.
As a brilliant researcher, you must navigate these threats and survive against the odds. The game features a research and crafting system that’s both satisfying and nostalgic. If you’re a fan of Half-Life, you’ll definitely enjoy Abiotic Factor.
3. 7 Days to Die
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, MacOS
- Release Date: July 26, 2024
- Players: Up to 8
7 Days to Die has been around for years, but with their recent release of Version 1.0, the game is worth mentioning. Every 7 Days, you will face a blood moon event where hordes will aggressively pursue and attack you. To survive, you must gather resources, build and craft a base, and set up traps and defenses!
2. Once Human
- Platform: Windows, Android, iOS
- Release Date: July 9, 2024
- Players: Up to 8 (In Warbands)
Once Human is a free-to-play online multiplayer game set in a post-apocalyptic world featuring an impressive crafting system.
You can build bases, craft defenses like turrets, establish farms, and create food, armor, weapons, and vehicles. Choose between playing on a PvE server, where you face monsters and events, or a PvP server, where you compete against other players.
1. Palworld
- Platform: Windows, MacOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
- Release Date: January 19, 2024
- Players: Up to 32
Palworld remains one of the best open-world survival crafting games available to date. You must build and upgrade your base, craft functional buildings, and capture Pals using the Pal Spheres you create.
You can also breed your Pals, hatch eggs with an incubator, or engage in various activities, from setting up production lines and managing irrigation to fortifying your base defenses and battling bosses for improved Pals. With so many tasks to tackle, Palworld offers hours of engaging gameplay.
Conclusion
With the vast array of open-world games available today, each offering unique features, finding one that offers an intensive and enjoyable crafting system can be challenging. Hopefully, this list helps you decide which games to download and play.
READ MORE: 12 Games Like Chained Together
