Gaming “clones” are a familiar concept to many players, since a popular formula for a game can easily be reworked and changed enough to release a different but similar game that could garner interest solely from being similar in style to a popular game. This has been a familiar concept in the industry for years and there are few games that receive quite as many clones asMinecrafthas managed.
Since being released officially in 2011,Minecrafthas managed to become one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, never waning in popularity over that time and generating enough interest to have several spin-off games, endless merchandise, and now even a big-budget movie in development with names like Jason Momoa attached. However, being a beloved game that has to be paid for, there have been quite a number of clone games, particularly free ones that generate interest for their similarities without any costs being directly involved in getting to play.
Updated July 06, 2025, by Chris Harkin:If a day comes whenMinecraftis no longer popular, it will truly be a shock. Despite being nearly fifteen years old, the game continues to hold such popularity that it is still able to garner the support of a blockbuster film release. Though the market for Minecraft “clones” may have dried up slightly in the past few years, the lovable sandbox survival game effectively kick-started an entirely new genre of survival gathering games. Whether these games copied more elements than just the focus and graphics or only share a few similarities,Minecrafthas had an enormous and unstoppable influence on the gaming industry which will continue to be felt for years to come.
Despite the use of the term “clone,” the intent here is to share fun games similar to Minecraft rather than criticize the following titles.
12Pocket Craft: Survivor Mode
An iOS Limitless World Made Up Of Blocks
Pocketcrafttook advantage of one of the simplest ideas that could improve the accessibility ofMinecraftin earlier days, which was putting it on a mobile phone. Mobile gaming has varied in popularity over the years, but whenPocketcraftwas first released, it was a huge deal, and it was highly praised for many of the features being so well transferred across to a mobile game.
The goal was to build shelters and gather materials to stay alive at night, which was when zombies would be released to try and attack the player. The focus was more heavily on survival aspects copied fromMinecraftthan any of the sandbox aspects whichMinecraftis also well-known for championing.
11Minebuild: Worldcraft Survival
Android’s Answer To Survival Sandbox Games
Another mobile game that gained popularity due to the great way it transferred some features ofMinecraftinto a handheld format,Minebuildhas one of the closest names toMinecraftout of any similar game, and it focused much more on thesandbox style and craftingas opposed to otherMinecraftclones, which more commonly focused on survival and combat aspects.
Minebuildgave players a lot of freedom for a mobile game and was considered one of the betterMinecraftclones for mobiles, a format that became less popular afterMinecraftitself hit app stores on mobile devices in late 2014. Despite coming out after this, in 2015,Minebuildstill gained a sizable following for some features thatMinecraftdidn’t manage on its initial mobile release.
10Total Miner
Creative Sandbox Engine & RPG Game All In One
Originally released on the Xbox 360 as a voxel block-building game with all sorts of capabilities,Total Minerhas been re-released more recently on Steam for fans of this classic take on sandbox gameplay. Still as simple but fun as ever,Total Mineris the complete package for a “Minecraft Clone.”
Although there are some features fromMinecraftnot included inTotal Miner, the experience is similar in a lot of ways. It also includes skill trees and other RPG features which help it stand out from the crowd, and the multiplayer version allows up to 24 players in the same world.
9FortressCraft Evolved!
Machine-Based Exploration, Survival & Tower Defense
A very different sort of “Minecraftclone” comes in the form ofFortressCraft. This title blends familiar elements like the voxel worlds and crafting with completely different elements, such as tower defense and assembly lines. Players begin on an alien world, where they crash-land, and have just a handful of machines to begin working their way up.
FortressCraftis fascinating. Bringing tower defense gameplay into a game similar toMinecraftis actually a hugely fun idea, and players continue to have a lot of open-world freedom in some truly massive landscapes. This makes for a big departure from the traditional “MinecraftClone” but retains much of the charm of these world types and of the survival-based gameplay.
8Cube World
An Exploration-Focused RPG In Voxel World Setting
Cube Worldis a great representation of whatMinecraftwould look like if it was a proper RPG. With pixel graphics and a world that looks similarly blocky to the original,Cube Worldis a fun, brightly-colored take on games likeMinecraftwhich was well-admired on release in 2013, though this was an alpha release, thefull one didn’t end up happening until 2019.
Providing a great open world and character creation which helped to set it apart fromMinecraft,Cube Worldfocused more on the combat aspects ofMinecraft’scharm more than anything else. This allowed them to garner a great amount of support for their beautiful world, filled with overworld castles and underground dungeons where players could battle with all manner of creatures.
7Minetest
An Ingenious Voxel Game Creation System
A game that appears to be very similar toMinecraft, but is quite different, isMinetest. This open-source game engine allows players to create their own games, focusing on a voxel style which gives the games an appearance similar toMinecraft.
Minetesthas been around about as long as Minecraft itself. Released at a time when the game industry was beginning to open wider, making it easier for indie developers to get started, these simplified graphics becoming popular throughMinecrafthelped makeMinetesta much greater success.
6CastleMiner Z
Cooperative Block-Based Survival Horror
A game that was in itself a sequel toCastleMiner, and which was popular enough to generate a third game,CastleMiner Ztakes place in a world made of blocks where players attempt to explore, survive, and build structures, giving it a number of similarities toMinecraft.
Players can choose which kind of terrain they are set down in, and then they must survive against zombies that have infested the terrain. This entry was the most well-loved of the three in theCastleMinerfranchise, the zombie focus and variety in designs giving it a lot of replayability.
5Cube Life: Island Survival
Shipwrecked Island Survival In Beautiful Block-Based World
Another block-based game that immediately looks similar toMinecraft,Cube Lifeis set on an island, where the player washes up, forcing them to survive in a much more traditional survival game style thanMinecraftinitially presents.
Originally developed for the Wii U, this game has since been remastered and released on various platforms. Players are able to play in survival, creative, and multiplayer modes, facing off against a variety of bosses across the islands in order to make the islands safe. There are also cannibals that come out at night, giving this sandbox-style game a totally different flavor fromMinecraftin several ways.
WithMinecraftbeing a world made up of blocks, it already felt halfway to having the look and feel ofLEGOgames, and the massive franchise took the opportunity to eventually bring out its own sandbox game set in a procedurally-generated world in 2017 withLEGO Worlds.
This game was all about going to different planets and collecting gold bricks before moving on to the next one. There were multiplayer and single-player options, and players got to take part in a series of quests as they continued in their attempts to become master builders.LEGO Worldswas a solid hit for the long-runningLEGOfranchise, which shook up the style of their games from what fans have come to expect. It also features the unique idea of only really playing as one character in aLEGOgame,normally there are loads to playthroughout each entry.
ThoughStarboundis similar toMinecraft, it more commonly garners comparisons toTerraria, often cited by fans and critics as being “Terrariain space” which explains where it fits into theMinecraftclone listing. It is similar toMinecraft, except it is in 2D, but it still features survival and sandbox aspects aplenty,especially with the great modding community.
The wide galaxy setting allowsStarboundplayers a lot of freedom, the game is a little different in style fromMinecraftas it features quests as well as allowing players to free roam. The universe is procedurally generated in a similar vein though, and players ofMinecraftwill surely love this varied setting and slightly altered style.
