Games Like Starbound - Other 2D Sandbox Games

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Before Starbound I played a lot of Terraria like most people. I don't think you can argue that Starbound didn't take some inspiration from Terraria with very similar gameplay and mechanics. I was lucky to get my Terraria for free but it's definitely worth paying for, especially on sale.

I was surprised that when reading forums related to Starbound that a decent number of people hadn't played Terraria previously so I thought to myself that it had to be the number one on this list of games like Starbound.

Terraria gives you a huge 2D sandbox world to explore with everything you need for endless hours of enjoyment. With a huge list of enemies, bosses, resource types, items, day/night cycles and strong multiplayer features.

With procedurally generated terrain it's always a random experience and with simple sprites the game is accessible to nearly everyone regardless of hardware requirements which is part of the reason I loved it, being able to play on my laptop anywhere.

If you love Starbound you'll feel right at home with Terraria.

Darkout is a game that doesn't seem to get much mention when I was on my search but it ticks all the Starbound boxes with a space setting, 2D gameplay and sandbox features.

Your story is one of a crash landed survivor as you get challenged to survive in a brutal and dark planet. Light source is your savior as you use light to damage the dark enemies and stop them from spawning. It's definitely similar in design to Minecraft and games like Minecraft with this dark/light sort of system but it's integrated well into the overall game design.

What else got me hooked on Darkout? Mostly the game objectives that challenge you to fix your ship and the good variety of biomes that add a twisted and dark element to some of the more standard biomes you see in similar sandbox games today.

With plenty more updates incoming (just like Starbound) I look forward to seeing Darkout evolve over time but even in it's current state the game is a fabulous experience.

I've seen plenty of discussion about Edge of Space and Starbound going hand in hand, they definitely are very similar games in design but there is enough difference to enjoy playing both in the long term rather than just one.

I really liked the equipment progression in Edge of Space in particular with battery upgrades allowing you to boost your jetpack and cutting tools. With these upgrades you'll go from a simple jetpack and tools to more advanced and powerful versions that let you feel like you're gaining in power during the whole adventure.

The second element that sealed the deal for me was the monsters which are 100% insane. Such as penguins with jetpacks or the sharks with lasers on their heads, yes both of those are in the game and just as deadly as they sound here.

Edge of Space is such a deep experience I simply couldn't pass up including it on this list of games like Starbound.