The Best Fantasy Games With Base Building, Ranked

Updated on August 22, 2026, by Mark Sammut: We’ve updated the article with two more games: Conan Exiles and Terraria.

Base-building games have become so popular in recent years that something new tends to drop every month, and they nearly always take place in fantasy worlds. Whether demanding survival or offering a relaxing escape, these projects reward your creativity, ingenuity, and vision… they also let you create bizarre death-traps if you want.

Games in this subgenre are best when they are tranquil in pace, methodical, and combine other systems with their base-building component. Whether you are on the hunt for something new to play or curious whether your favorite game has made the cut, here are some of the best fantasy base-building games by these criteria.

13

Minecraft (Modded)

A Trailblazer For The Genre

The fantasy elements of Minecraft may be light at times, but this titan of the base-building genre can’t be ignored. Not only is it one of the first games to experiment with total building freedom, but it also boasts one of the most active modding communities in the world, giving gamers a chance to mod in more fantasy-themed gameplay.

In this bare-bones title, players can build anything of their dreams at any location, provided they have the patience. Build any structure from cubes of various colors and textures, with the only limit being one’s imagination. Players can even make complex quasi-electric machines, enchant their weapons with magic buffs, and brew potions.

Plenty of other non-fantasy games have similar mods, including RimWorld.

12

Conan Exiles (Or The Enhanced Edition)

Surviving Exile In Style And Comfort

Despite not exactly hitting the ground running, Conan Exiles fairly quickly established itself as a cornerstone of the open-world survival sphere, and a big part of that is how it appeals to so many different folks. You want a single-player campaign that gives you plenty of freedom? You have it! Want a co-op game so you can build monstrosities with your friends? You have it! Want to kill strangers? You have it!

Regardless of the mode you pick, you will have to engage with Conan Exiles‘ base building to an extent, although it doesn’t have to take over all your time either. Although I wouldn’t put it up there with the most complex builders in the industry, Conan Exiles expects bases to make some structural sense, and you cannot just create floating bases that have no pillars to stand on. You need to take into account things like load-bearing columns or arch placements, but the actual process of snapping pieces together is fairly straightforward.

The Enhanced is probably the one to play nowadays, as it includes QOL adjustments for base building.

11

Kingdom Two Crowns

One Of The Best Side-Scrolling Base-Building Games

In this article, we will cover different types of base building to avoid simply repeating titles with the exact same mechanics. Kingdom Two Crowns strips away the complex multi-menu UI that defines so many of these projects, instead giving players only a few options: move left, move right, or drop coins. Despite being so simple on the surface, the game is surprisingly strategic and punishing.

Rather than building bases directly, you spend coins and then create contextual buildings based on your chosen landscape. Upgrading the Town Center and global tech gives you access to better materials. While you don’t get to build imaginative castles, Kingdom Two Crowns uses base-building as a means of territory control and biome manipulation.

Kingdom Two Crowns was also designed with co-op in mind, with one player focusing on the West and the other locking down the East.

10

Cult of the Lamb

Become An Adorable Cult Leader

Cult of the Lamb is a cross between a roguelike and an adorable city-building and planning game. Players become the fluffy, villainous cult leader of their dreams and design the settlement where their cultists live. This can include housing, belief systems, and even decorations.

As for the fantasy elements, aside from all the characters being talking animals, the gods in this realm are tangible and dangerous. Fight through various supernatural bosses, conduct strange rituals, and even feed a monster of the deep. With several free expansions under its belt, this title has plenty of content to explore.

9

Mind Over Magic

Build A School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry

Mind Over Magic is a lesser-known game that entered early access in late 2023 and was released fully in early 2025. This game is published by Klei, the same company as Don’t Starve, Don’t Starve Together, Rotwood, and Oxygen Not Included. In Mind over Magic, players are the founders of a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Manage the studies of students, design and build the school, and explore the dark secrets below in this colony management-oriented base builder.

Although not quite as visually impressive as some of the bigger base-building fantasy games, Mind over Magic deserves a mention as it is one of the purest examples of this topic. Not only does its world absolutely radiate “fantasy,” but base building and management are also the priority. Yes, you are building a magic academy rather than just anything you want, but this base is pretty much the entire game.

8

Age of Darkness: Final Stand

Push Back The Creeping Veil

Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a top-down tower defense game with base-building elements. Players will command the armies of the last bastion of Humanity, attempting to fight back hordes of nightmarish creatures while expanding. Encouraging NPCs to collect resources and deciding how to lay out defenses are crucial aspects of the game, making it strangely similar to a city builder.

Each map is procedurally generated and initially covered by a fog-of-war mechanic called the veil. This means players will need to be flexible when building their bases, and no two playthroughs will be the same. While the primary objective is, of course, survival, the winning condition of Age of Darkness: Final Stand is to completely drive back the veil, so there will be a lot of building to do.

7

Terraria

Not Just 2D Minecraft

While often compared to Minecraft, Terraria ties its base-building more directly into its other mechanics, mainly combat and management. Rather than focusing on aesthetics, you need to build to meet requirements, designing houses intended to recruit specific NPCs. Managing each character’s preferences and happiness rewards better sale prices and opens travel points to different biomes.

Bases don’t exist merely to look good and appeal to a Wizard or Witch Doctor; no, they are essentially battlegrounds that fall victim to events that can be downright devastating. As an architect, you need to take into account each building’s defensive capabilities to ensure it can withstand a pirate invasion or a solar eclipse. Terraria offers absurd depth and variety (in building options and also gear), to the point that it can be overwhelming, but that’s why millions of people still play the game after all these years.

6

Enshrouded

Build A Castle & Find The Truth

In Enshrouded, players begin as one of the last of the Flameborn. The Flameborn are a nearly extinct race of people who, through their own arrogance, unleashed a corrupting fog across the land known as the Shroud. One of the main goals of this game is to find out what happened and restore a semblance of order to the land. The player’s main obstacle in doing so is the living beings that come into contact with the fog. Most become horrifying monsters, which players will need to fight and protect themselves from.

The best method of protecting important resources from the influence of the Shroud is to build a base, which players can do with significant customization. Not only is the location up to the player, but buildings are also constructed from small blocks, with fully flexible window and door placement, along with an intuitive set of tools and controls.

5

Dungeons 3

Gloriously Sarcastic & Irreverent

Dungeons 3 is the sequel to the successful Dungeons franchise, which recently received another title (Dungeons 4). Despite not being the newest entry in the franchise, few can disagree that the humor and level design of this strategy-based building game make it a joy to play. In Dungeons 3, players act as the hand of evil, building an outpost in each level, growing an army, and taking on those pesky forces of good.

As a reward for each new victory, players can enjoy the sarcastic and lighthearted story of the Dark Elf Thalia, convert heroes to the side of darkness, and build ever more complex underground paradises. Additionally, this title won’t break the bank, as it is a little on the older side and often quite discounted.

4

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Building On Minecraft’s Ideas

Very obviously inspired by Minecraft, Dragon Quest Builders and its sequel transform the beloved JRPG franchise into a sandbox building game that emphasizes and rewards creativity. Although nowhere near as story-driven as the mainline entries, Dragon Quest Builders 2 presents a more traditional structure than most sandbox base builders, and players are always working towards tangible goals. Throughout the lengthy campaign, you travel to multiple settlements to construct towns, castles, farms, and even kingdoms.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 uses a block-based system similar to Minecraft, albeit tweaked with that DQ charm and art style. After building their bases, players actually get to see the fruit of their labor as NPCs begin to make use of the functionality provided by these areas. You get to see farmers work your fields or villagers cook in kitchens.