Scrap Mechanic is a popular sandbox where you can get creative by indulging in building complex machines, vehicles and devices.

The game appeals especially to players who love to tinker and experiment with creating useful things from scratch. If you’re looking for games that put emphasis on engineering, world exploration and cooperation, we’ve compiled a list of titles you’re bound to enjoy.

Gameplay Similarities

While selecting games for this list, we focused on several key criteria to ensure that each recommendation captures the compelling essence of Scrap Mechanic:

  • Building mechanics: we looked for games that offer robust building mechanics and creative freedom, allowing players to design and construct elaborate structures and machines.
  • Exploration and adventure: games with open-world environments and opportunities for exploration and adventure were given priority, providing players with vast landscapes to discover and conquer.
  • Multiplayer functionality: we prioritized titles with multiplayer functionality, which enable players to collaborate with friends or compete against each other in building challenges and cooperative missions.
  • Engineering challenges: we went with games that present players with engineering challenges and puzzles to solve, encouraging strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

List of Games

Whether you’re drawn to the building aspect, open-world exploration, or multiplayer cooperation, these games offer something akin to the experience provided by Scrap Mechanic.

Minecraft

Release date:2013-11-19
Genre:Action
Developer:Mojang Studios

Today, it’s hard to believe that Minecraft was originally created as a side project.

However, it quickly became one of the best-selling video games of all time, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide. That’s why had to make sure we included it.

Minecraft is a sandbox that allows players to build and explore blocky, procedurally generated worlds. Each of them is unique, full of hidden locations, caves full of treasures and secrets waiting to be discovered. Here, creativity knows no limits – you can design literally anything imaginable.

The game offers many modes, including Survival. It’s perfect for when you’re looking for an extra adrenaline rush, and you’ll love the challenge of gathering resources, crafting weapons and tools, and taking on enemies.

Key features
  • Endless creativity
  • Exploration and adventure
  • Survival gameplay
  • Multiplayer functionality

Terraria

Release date:2011-05-16
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Re-Logic

This game, even though its release wasn’t accompanied by a large promotional campaign, turned out to be a great success, quickly gaining popularity as well as positive reviews.

Terraria is an action-adventure sandbox title with procedurally generated worlds full of surprises. The entertainment is interesting and addictive, and the vibrant landscapes and colorful surroundings add additional flavor to the game. Like in Scrap Mechanic, there is also a co-op mode, so you can enjoy the fun (or competition) with your friends.

Your task is to dig, build and explore, as well as gather supplies and craft weapons and armor. Epic missions full of challenges, defeating powerful bosses, discovering treasures hidden in ancient dungeons and abandoned ruins – these are just some things you’ll have to face.

Key features
  • Procedurally generated worlds
  • Exploration and discovery
  • Crafting and building
  • Challenging boss battles

Roblox

Release date:2006-09-01
Genre:Sandbox
Developer:Roblox Corporation

How about a digital universe full of endless possibilities?

Meet Roblox – one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world, with millions of active players and developers.

Image credit: Roblox Corporation

The game takes place in a world created by the players themselves. You can create your own characters, levels and tasks. There are various tools available, as well as many resources to support creativity and collaboration.

With millions of user-generated games spanning a wide range of genres and styles, Roblox offers endless entertainment for gamers of all ages. You can explore virtual worlds, play games created by other users, and even design your own games with Roblox Studio, a powerful game creation tool.

Key features
  • User-generated content
  • Game creation tools
  • Social interaction
  • Economy and monetization in game

FortressCraft

Release date:2015-11-09
Genre:Adventure
Developer:ProjectorGames

This title is a voxel-based sandbox game that combines building, exploration and survival mechanics, and it’s set in a dynamically generated world full of resources as well as threats.

It’s all about survival again, but this time you’re trapped on an alien planet, and to get out, you’ll have to be exceptionally smart and inventive. You will be disturbed by hostile creatures, and apart from that   you will be challenged by the hostile environment.

Your task is to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions and make strategic decisions based on the current situation. Don’t hesitate to make the most out of numerous tools and equipment you have at your disposal, and don’t underestimate the importance of building a solid base!

Key features
  • Dynamic world generation
  • Crafting and building
  • Survival mechanics
  • Multiplayer co-op options

Kerbal Space Program

Release date:2015-04-27
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Squad

Let’s now move to space, and more specifically to a space flight simulator.

As the director of a space agency, your job is to design and launch your own rockets and explore the solar system on challenging missions.

The game takes place in a universe inhabited by the titular Kerbals. An interesting option is the career mode, in which you have to manage the budget of your space agency, research new technologies, and recruit and train a team of astronauts to undertake missions and projects.

Kerbal Space Program features a realistic physics engine that accurately simulates the challenges of spaceflight, including aspects such as gravity, orbital mechanics, aerodynamics and more.

Key features
  • Realistic physics simulation
  • Spacecraft design and construction
  • Vast and open-ended sandbox mode
  • Space management in career mode

Besiege

Release date:2015-01-28
Genre:Indie
Developer:Spiderling Studios

Another title that is mainly about creation.

But to mix things up, this time the game focuses on designing medieval siege and war machines that will help you achieve your goals.

You play the role of a medieval engineer who is tasked with creating devices to perform various tasks. Their purposes range – from destroying castles and defending villages, all the way to transporting goods.

The gameplay offers a very wide range of elements for building machines, as well as a number of demanding scenarios that will test your creativity and skills.

Key features
  • Physics-based building mechanic
  • Creative freedom
  • Challenging objectives
  • Destruction and mayhem

Space Enginners

Release date:2013-10-23
Genre:Indie
Developer:Keen Software House

Imagine a vast, uncharted universe, where the vastness of space is your playground and the stars are your companions.

Welcome to Space Engineers, where you’re not just a player, but an engineer, an explorer, and a pioneer of the cosmos.

Space Engineers offers a canvas as boundless as the universe itself. With an arsenal of building blocks and tools at your disposal, you’ll be the creator of your own destiny among the stars.

Prepare to venture into the unknown, where every asteroid, planet, and moon is a world waiting to be explored. Whether you’re charting new territories, uncovering hidden treasures, or establishing colonies on alien worlds, the thrill of discovery awaits at every turn.

Key features
  • Infinite creativity
  • Epic exploration
  • Realistic physics
  • Multiplayer functionality

Diversifying your gaming experience can be incredibly beneficial, as it ensures a fresh perspective and new challenges that expand your horizon as a player.

If you’re a fan of Scrap Mechanic or enjoy games that prioritize creativity, engineering, and exploration, we highly encourage you to try out the alternatives listed in this article.