Aground similar games & best alternatives
Aground
2020
Related articles
Quick resume
As one of the last human survivors, you find yourself stranded on an uninhabited island. With a few other victims of the crash, can you craft, mine, and build your way to survival?
Global score
94/100
Genres
Adventure, Indie, Role-playing (RPG)
Similar games
Pros
- Deep and engaging progression
- Strong exploration and story
- Mod support and customization
- Long playtime and replayability
- Responsive and dedicated developers
Cons
- Low resolution pixel graphics
- Some ui and inventory management issues
- Combat can feel clunky
- Lack of tutorial and in-game guidance
- Travel and item management can be tedious
Motivations
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Autonomy
Game with the same Autonomy vibe
4"Players have freedom to choose classes, skills, playstyles, and exploration paths with many emergent options."
The Doors of Trithius
"Players have freedom to choose exploration paths, playstyle (science or magic), and progression order."
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Competence
Game with the same Competence vibe
3"Progression involves skillful clicking, strategic crafting, and managing resources; some grind but with meaningful feedback"
Zombidle : REMONSTERED
"Progression involves skillful resource management, crafting, and combat challenges with feedback and growth."
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Competition
Game with the same Competition vibe
-4"Focus is on personal pace and individual goals; no evidence of ranked or leaderboard competition."
Fields of Mistria
"Focus is on personal pace and self-set goals; no evidence of ranked or leaderboard competition."
-
Continuation
Game with the same Continuation vibe
5"Players report long play sessions, high attachment, and repeated playthroughs over many years."
FINAL FANTASY VI
"Players report long sessions, repeated playthroughs, and high attachment to the game."
-
Cooperation
Game with the same Cooperation vibe
2"Supports cooperative multiplayer campaign, allowing teamwork, though primary experience is solo play."
Prodeus
"Supports multiplayer and cooperative play, but many players enjoy solo experience."
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Creativity
Game with the same Creativity vibe
3"Players customize characters, build loadouts, and craft items; some modding support enhances creativity"
WASTED
"Crafting, building, and mod support enable player creativity and customization."
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Domination
Game with the same Domination vibe
-3"Interactions emphasize shared progression and mutual respect rather than exerting superiority over others."
Girls' Frontline
"Interactions emphasize shared progression and mutual respect rather than dominance."
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Escapism
Game with the same Escapism vibe
4"Players use the game for immersive story, exploration, and distraction from real life."
Shadows: Awakening
"Players use the game for immersive exploration and distraction from real life."
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Expectation
Game with the same Expectation vibe
-4"Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment."
Abiotic Factor
"Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment."
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Experimenting
Game with the same Experimenting vibe
4"Players explore different layouts, magic schools, and strategies, experimenting with game systems and mechanics."
Mind Over Magic
"Players explore different mechanics, paths, and strategies, including magic and science."
-
Exploration
Game with the same Exploration vibe
5"Strong emphasis on discovering new islands, secrets, and hidden treasures."
Risen 3 - Titan Lords
"Strong emphasis on discovering new islands, secrets, and story elements."
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Expression
Game with the same Expression vibe
3"Customization mainly through base building and some character progression; cosmetic personalization is present but limited."
Dune: Awakening
"Customization through crafting, building placement, and character progression."
-
Fantasy
Game with the same Fantasy vibe
4"Game features imaginative fantasy and sci-fi elements with heroes, spells, and lore distinct from realistic settings."
Shardbound: Forge Your Path, Master Your Strategy
"Game features dragons, magic, sci-fi elements, and imaginative storylines."
-
Fellowship
Game with the same Fellowship vibe
2"Community and multiplayer exist but are small; some social interaction but mostly individual focus."
Scoot
"Community and multiplayer exist but many players focus on individual play."
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Growth
Game with the same Growth vibe
4"Players develop skills, knowledge, and mastery over complex systems through learning and practice."
Outward Definitive Edition
"Players develop skills, knowledge, and mastery over complex systems."
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Health
Game with the same Health vibe
-4"Primarily sedentary gameplay with no physical activity elements."
9th Dawn III
"Primarily sedentary gameplay with no physical activity elements."
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Idle
Game with the same Idle vibe
-3"Requires focused attention and active engagement rather than idle or background play."
BONELAB
"Requires focused attention and active engagement rather than background play."
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Intimacy
Game with the same Intimacy vibe
-4"Limited social interaction mostly surface-level multiplayer or cooperative play; no deep relationship formation."
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2
"Limited social interaction beyond cooperative play; no deep relationship mechanics."
-
Leadership
Game with the same Leadership vibe
-3"Players participate in supportive social roles rather than leading or managing others."
Secret Little Haven
"Players mostly participate equally or supportively rather than leading others."
-
Progression
Game with the same Progression vibe
5"Core gameplay revolves around collecting items, upgrades, and unlocking new content."
The Binding of Isaac
"Strong accumulation of items, upgrades, and unlocking new content drives gameplay."
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Relaxation
Game with the same Relaxation vibe
3"Balanced challenge with moments of tension and flow; overall enjoyable and satisfying experience."
Deep Rock Galactic
"Generally a balanced challenge with moments of flow and enjoyment."
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Sensation
Game with the same Sensation vibe
2"Pixel art and music provide moderate sensory stimulation; not highly intense but pleasant and fitting the retro style."
Knights of Pen and Paper 2
"Retro pixel art and music provide moderate sensory stimulation and charm."
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Status
Game with the same Status vibe
-4"Minimal social recognition or status seeking; focus is on personal achievement."
NGU IDLE
"Minimal focus on social recognition or competitive status."
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Story
Game with the same Story vibe
4"Narrative immersion through character stories and evolving quests enriches the experience."
ENSCROLL
"Narrative immersion with quests, characters, and evolving plot."
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Strategy
Game with the same Strategy vibe
3"Requires planning, resource management, and tactical decision-making to survive and progress."
Endoparasitic
"Requires planning, resource management, and tactical decisions."
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Thrill
Game with the same Thrill vibe
2"Some suspense from challenging enemies and exploration, but mostly controlled gameplay."
Strife: Veteran Edition
"Some suspense in combat and exploration but mostly controlled gameplay."
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Value
Game with the same Value vibe
5"Players report excellent value for time and money with extensive content and updates."
Oxygen Not Included
"Players report excellent value for time and money with extensive content."
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Violence
Game with the same Violence vibe
2"Combat is present but not gratuitous; balanced with crafting and building."
Signs of Life
"Combat exists but is balanced with constructive building and crafting."
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Survival
Game with the same Survival vibe
3"Players manage threats and resources to survive and progress in the game."
The Genesis Project
"Players manage resources and threats to survive and progress."
Analysis
Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Leadership, Competition.
How to use the graph
Similar games map
Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.
- Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
- Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
- Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
- Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.
Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.
Last update: 30/04/2026