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Starbound similar games & best alternatives

Starbound

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Linux • 2016

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Quick resume

You’ve fled your home, only to find yourself lost in space with a damaged ship. Your only option is to beam down to the planet below, repair your ship and set off to explore the universe...

Global score

90/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie, Role-playing (RPG), Platform

Similar games

    Pros

    • Infinite procedurally generated universe
    • Extensive building and customization
    • Strong modding community and support
    • Multiplayer and cooperative play
    • Atmospheric music and pixel art

    Cons

    • Storyline considered short and repetitive
    • Some combat described as repetitive
    • Optimization and multiplayer connectivity issues
    • Early game progression can be slow
    • Lack of recent official updates and developer support

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to explore a vast procedural universe, choose missions, customize characters and ships, and decide playstyle."

      Capsule for Stellar Tactics Stellar Tactics

      "Players have extensive freedom to explore infinite planets, build bases, customize characters, choose play styles, and decide their own goals."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "Combat requires skillful planning and stealth; progression involves upgrading gear and mastering movement, though some tasks can be repetitive."

      Capsule for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora™ Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora™

      "Combat and progression involve skill and strategy, with boss fights and gear upgrades providing challenges, though some combat is described as repetitive."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -2

      "Focus is mostly on personal progression and exploration rather than direct competition; multiplayer exists but is minor and casual."

      Capsule for Ace of Seafood Ace of Seafood

      "Focus is primarily on personal exploration and progression; multiplayer exists but competition is not a core element."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Many players report hundreds to thousands of hours played, supported by extensive modding and replayability."

      Capsule for Men of War: Assault Squad 2 Men of War: Assault Squad 2

      "Many players report hundreds to thousands of hours played, with high replayability and mod support encouraging long-term engagement."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      3

      "Supports multiplayer cooperative play where players can help each other and enjoy social interaction."

      Capsule for Only Up: SKIBIDI TOGETHER Only Up: SKIBIDI TOGETHER

      "Multiplayer and cooperative play are supported and enjoyed, with players teaming up for exploration and combat."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      5

      "Strong emphasis on creativity with extensive plugin/mod support, manual building placement, terraforming, and custom region creation."

      Capsule for TheoTown TheoTown

      "Extensive building, terraforming, character customization, and modding support enable high creativity."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -3

      "Interactions emphasize cooperation and shared experiences rather than exerting control or superiority over others."

      Capsule for Dead Space™ 3 Dead Space™ 3

      "Interactions emphasize cooperation and shared experiences rather than exerting control or superiority over others."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      5

      "Players use the game as a deep immersive space sandbox to escape reality, exploring and building in a vast universe."

      Capsule for Space Engineers Space Engineers

      "Players use the game to explore vast universes, escape reality, and immerse in a sci-fi sandbox experience."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Engagement is driven by intrinsic interest and personal desire rather than obligation or external pressure."

      Capsule for Heroes of Hammerwatch Heroes of Hammerwatch

      "Engagement is driven by intrinsic interest and personal desire rather than obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      4

      "Players explore new planets, test mechanics, and experiment with building and upgrades."

      Capsule for No Man's Sky No Man's Sky

      "Players explore new planets, try different weapons, play styles, and extensively mod the game, indicating high experimentation."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      5

      "Core gameplay involves discovering new areas, dungeons, biomes, and secrets in a procedurally generated infinite world."

      Capsule for Solace Crafting Solace Crafting

      "Core gameplay revolves around discovering new planets, biomes, dungeons, and secrets in an infinite procedurally generated universe."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      5

      "High level of self-expression through ship aesthetics, customization, and modding."

      Capsule for NavalArt NavalArt

      "Character customization, ship decoration, colony building, and furniture placement allow strong self-expression."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Set in a sci-fi universe with imaginative alien races, technologies, and space phenomena."

      Capsule for Master of Orion 2 Master of Orion 2

      "Set in a sci-fi universe with multiple alien races, fantastical creatures, and imaginative settings."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      3

      "Community and multiplayer interactions foster a sense of belonging and shared experience."

      Capsule for JUMP KING QUEST JUMP KING QUEST

      "Community and multiplayer interactions foster a sense of belonging and shared adventure."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players develop skills, learn game mechanics, and improve characters over time."

      Capsule for BLEACH Brave Souls BLEACH Brave Souls

      "Players develop skills, acquire knowledge of game systems, and improve characters and equipment over time."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -4

      "Game is primarily sedentary with no physical activity elements; some players mention long sessions."

      Capsule for 5089: The Action RPG 5089: The Action RPG

      "Gameplay is sedentary with no physical activity elements; some players mention long play sessions."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention and active engagement; not typically used as background or filler activity."

      Capsule for FIFA 22 FIFA 22

      "Requires active engagement and attention; not typically used as background or filler activity."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      2

      "Some social interaction and cooperation with friends, but limited evidence of deep emotional or close relationship formation."

      Capsule for SWORN SWORN

      "Some social interaction and cooperation with friends, but limited evidence of deep emotional connections."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -2

      "Players mostly participate collaboratively or individually without strong leadership or authority roles."

      Capsule for No Straight Roads: Encore Edition No Straight Roads: Encore Edition

      "Players mostly participate collaboratively or individually without strong leadership roles."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Clear progression through crafting, leveling, unlocking abilities, and upgrading gear."

      Capsule for Voyagers of Nera Voyagers of Nera

      "Clear progression through gear upgrades, ship improvements, unlocking new planets, and completing quests."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Game offers a balance of challenge and calm exploration, providing a relaxing experience for many."

      Capsule for WolfQuest: Classic WolfQuest: Classic

      "Game offers both calm exploration and action; many players find it relaxing and immersive."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Enjoyable pixel art, atmospheric music, and sound effects provide sensory stimulation."

      Capsule for Golden Krone Hotel Golden Krone Hotel

      "Enjoyable pixel art, atmospheric music, and varied environments provide sensory stimulation."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -2

      "Little emphasis on social recognition or status; focus is on personal or group achievement."

      Capsule for Risk of Rain 2 Risk of Rain 2

      "Little emphasis on social recognition or status; focus is on personal experience and community participation."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      2

      "Contains a basic narrative and quests, but story is secondary to gameplay and repetitive."

      Capsule for FATE: The Cursed King FATE: The Cursed King

      "Has a main storyline and quests, though story is considered short and sometimes repetitive; story supports exploration."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      3

      "Combat and progression require planning and tactical movement, though overall mechanics are simple."

      Capsule for OneBit Adventure OneBit Adventure

      "Combat and progression require planning, gear selection, and tactical play, though some combat is straightforward."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      2

      "Combat and boss fights provide moments of tension and excitement, but overall gameplay is balanced."

      Capsule for Like a Dragon: Ishin! Like a Dragon: Ishin!

      "Boss fights and exploration provide moments of suspense and excitement, but overall gameplay is balanced."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players report high value for time and money with extensive content, mods, and replayability."

      Capsule for Company of Heroes Company of Heroes

      "Players report high value for time and money due to vast content, modding, and replayability."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      1

      "Combat and defeating enemies are part of gameplay but not emphasized as chaotic or destructive; balanced with crafting and building."

      Capsule for Realms of Magic Realms of Magic

      "Combat against monsters and bosses is present but balanced with building and exploration."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      2

      "Some survival elements like resource management and avoiding threats, but low overall danger."

      Capsule for Book of Travels Book of Travels

      "Survival elements exist early on, with environmental hazards and resource management, but become less central later."

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Expression, Exploration. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Leadership.

    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.

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 30/04/2026