Life-simulation video games tend to cross the line between fun and work, which has definitely divided gamers as to whether it's for them. However, more RPGs over the years have been implementing more simulation-style elements to further immerse players into the game, while also not alienating players who aren’t quite into the slow burn satisfaction and fun of Animal Crossing.
These elements have expanded over the years, and one of the most popular implementations of life management in video games has boiled down to building a shelter for your character. Many games allow you to choose a house, but some games take it a few steps further and include tools for players to manually build walls, a roof, accessories, and manage the size of it all. Building your own house in a video game is like having a second vacation home that you can disappear to at any time, and many games give great opportunities to make something special.
Updated April 21, 2023 by Jacob Whaling: While owning a house in real life may be next to impossible, building one in a video game is easier than ever. With more and more games giving you the option to construct your own house, we've updated this list to include a few notable titles.
20 7 Days To Die
Contrary to its title, 7 Days To Die is all about survival. Starvation, thirst, illness, the weather, and the zombie horde are all things that are threatening to kill you. And one of the best ways to keep the zombies and the elements at bay is to build a house.
You get complete freedom to build any structure you want from the resources you find. Most of these buildings end up looking like a mix between a base and a house. 7 Days To Die's freedom to build whatever you want allows you to get immersed in the experience.
19 My Time At Portia
My Time At Portia is a wholesome simulation RPG. The basic premise is you're a builder who has reopened your father's old workshop in Portia. You spend the game building all sorts of contraptions and making money from them.
You can also spend time building up your house - which is also the workshop. It starts as a pretty rundown place with holes in the walls and floor. Plus, all it contains on day one is a bed. Over time, you can decorate the interior as well as upgrade the size of the building.
18 Kenshi
Kenshi, developed by Lo-Fi Games, is an open-world squad RPG with some RTS elements. Perhaps the main selling point of the game is the amount of freedom you're given to do what you want.
One of the things to do is acquire buildings of all kinds, including houses. In many cases, you'll buy an establishment and maybe make some alterations. But you can also purchase a ruined building and erect it from the ground up. Eventually, you can expand this house into a town as you recruit more allies.
17 The Sims
Gaming's most renowned life-sim allows you to build a house to incredible levels of detail. In The Sims, every wall, color, and piece of furniture is your own choice.
And with newer expansions and items being added frequently, it makes sense to have it as a game you can turn to when you just want to build. Whether it be a modern apartment, cottagecore, or a simple suburban home, you can get lost for hours in creating numerous living spaces.
16 Skyrim
Few open-world games have made as much impact in the last decade as Skyrim. There are dungeons, there are dragons, and there's some good old-fashioned house planning.
Introduced with the Hearthfire DLC back in 2012, and since included with the Legendary Edition and Special Editions of Skyrim, this pack will let you build away. In the main game, you could buy a house, sure, but in Hearthfire you can purchase land - with three different options - and then begin to build your house, bit by bit.
15 Kingdom Come: Deliverance - From The Ashes
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a fantastic game created by Warhorse Studios in which you play a simple peasant man named Henry. Along his journey, he will need to adapt to the harsh conditions of medieval life in a war-torn land. Now, with the From The Ashes DLC, he can add building a settlement to his responsibilities.
In this expansion, which integrates itself into the main story, Henry is given lordship and the task of restoring an old settlement in a forest. This will be no easy feat, as you must gather resources, money, and take on varying tasks in order to make progress - but what satisfying progress it is.
14 Conan Exiles
The game that lets modern players take control of the legendary hero Conan the Barbarian didn’t have the highest of expectations upon release, but players (and fans of Conan) were pleasantly surprised to see that Conan Exiles is an enjoyable and functional survival game that stepped away from mindless combat.
Instead, the game focused more on item management and creating your very own houses to survive the nights and the harsh conditions. As an MMO, you'll also need to worry about defending your new home from other players.
13 Fallout 4
It was a shock that a series that focused on survival in a post-apocalyptic setting took so long to implement house creation as an integral feature, but Fallout 4 was the one to finally make the jump.
Not only can you put your entire house together, but you have the ability to create an entire town to defend from hostiles and have a thriving economy, despite the circumstances. It’s a lot of fun to manage a town alongside your normal missions, but it’s a nightmare when you lose your home to attackers.
12 Subnautica
Taking things below the sea, Subnautica has you trying to survive on an alien, ocean planet after your ship went down in a tragic event. By exploring this planet, you'll gain new technology and resources to help you survive.
The completely underwater setting is unique for a survival game, and exploring the dark depths with your craft is enthralling. You can create your very own submerged home under the water (as long as there is sufficient access to oxygen) and can branch it out into a fully-fledged water base to figure out the next move.
11 No Man’s Sky
While it wasn’t well-received at launch due to overwhelming hype and expectations, No Man’s Sky has vastly improved in the years since its initial release. With the Next update, No Man’s Sky has become the quintessential space exploration game, with endless galaxies to explore.
With as many planets as No Man’s Sky gives you access to, just as many brand new homes can be created on each one. You can place all of the walls and accessories to create your perfect base of operations where you can relax, or just provide shelter from the harsh conditions on foreign planets.
10 The Forest
A survival horror game in every sense of the genre, The Forest finds you taking control of a plane crash survivor, as they search for their missing son. You must take shelter and craft weaponry to survive against the elements and potential dangerous cannibals that inhabit the forested area.
You can create the best shelters for your specific needs, but you may not get a chance to get cozy, as you will need to constantly move forward in order to save the lost son. The Forest is a thrilling game, and no amount of comfy forest homes could prepare you for the experience.
9 Ark: Survival Evolved
What feels like a spiritual successor to the Turok series, Ark: Survival Evolved has garnered a bit of a cult following despite its lukewarm reviews. You are tossed onto an island full of dinosaurs (both real dinosaurs and imaginary creatures) and have to make a stable house to brave the terrors.
You can team up in multiplayer and figure out how to survive these hulking beasts, and a well-functioning tribe can easily create a protected house that will be the talk of the prehistoric town.
8 Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve is a brilliantly animated adventure that pits you against the elements. The title is quite literal, as you are dropped in randomly generated open-worlds to survive for as many days as possible.
You can create your very own house if you spend time gathering the proper materials, and makes not starving a little more realistic. The expansion Don’t Starve Together adds a co-op mode and makes it easier and less lonely out in the wilderness. The game can be nasty to any newcomer, but a good home can go a long way.
7 Terraria
Terraria is a side-scrolling 2D survival crafting game, with a randomly generated world. Terraria sees you building, crafting, defending yourself, and making the most of this blocky world. A fine little home can be created to house your equipment and crafting tables, and to protect it and yourself from the dangers that lay outside.
You will also see NPCs coming to live in your creations if you complete enough little tasks throughout the world, so you should make sure to create the sweetest homes you can for everyone.
6 Minecraft
What else can be said about the generation-defining modern classic known as Minecraft? Forget your normal everyday house: players have created full real-life cities (to scale), gigantic kingdoms with huge monuments, and simple summer homes. The options in Minecraft are so limitless and over the years, the quality of the builds has only improved and the possibilities have only widened.
That is mainly in creative mode, however, as players have struggled to create substantial projects in survival and hardcore modes - struggled, yes, but players have still created special constructs nonetheless. The Minecraft hype still hasn’t died down over a decade later, and players are bound to continue making incredible homes for all.
5 Valheim
Valheim is an open-world survival crafting game set in a world inspired by Norse mythology. Its deep and intricate building system not only allows you to construct extravagant houses, but towers, castles, and even cities, too.
There are several different biomes to explore in Valheim, from dense forests to spooky swamps. However, you'll want to be well-prepared before venturing out into each new area, as the monsters there can be unforgiving.
4 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild needs no introduction. This extremely popular open-world game exemplifies exploration, presenting a world with no limits, where you can go where you want to.
If you have an itch for house-building in Breath of the Wild, you have two options. First, you can purchase and furnish a house in Hateno Village by spending a few Rupees and materials. Alternatively, you can undertake the "From the Ground Up" quest, which will have you construct an entire town of houses and amenities.
3 Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid is an open-world survival crafting game where you don't survive the zombie apocalypse. Zombies aren't the only danger present in Project Zomboid, you'll also need to stave off hunger, prevent and cure illness, and stifle boredom until your inevitable death.
With a persistent sandbox world where you can find the zombified versions of your past slain characters, you can tailor your experience to your own playstyle. Whether you build a quaint home with a garden for growing food, or a massive compound that can fend off hordes of zombies, the choice is yours.
2 Medieval Dynasty
In Medieval Dynasty, you'll need to amass materials, tools, and allies in order to survive in the harsh world of the middle ages. By forming bonds with the townsfolk, you can secure your dynasty and build a thriving town.
House-building is just one of the many things you can do in Medieval Dynasty. Develop your character, complete quests for NPCs, or construct a town to house your new family; this survival crafting colony sim fusion will keep you busy for ages, literally.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2
After you’re finished playing so many survival games, Red Dead Redemption 2 is there to catch your fall. To avoid major game spoilers, Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a lengthy and joyful segment where you build a house, and it is nothing but pure joy.
While not a manual house creator in this massive open-world adventure game, the house build has some mini-games involved and is accompanied by a poignant song that will be stuck in your head for days. While other games have players build houses for survival, Red Dead Redemption 2 introduces players to the absolute joy and the concept of what building a house really means, and that’s the most important thing at the end of the day.