Top 10 Multiplayer Base Building Games to Play

Multiplayer base building games offer a unique blend of teamwork, strategy, and survival in engaging virtual worlds. In 2024, the range of games available continues to impress, offering diverse themes from prehistoric survival to space exploration. This article dives into the top 10 multiplayer base building games you should be playing. Whether you enjoy constructing elaborate defenses, managing resources, or simply teaming up with friends to explore, there's something here for everyone.

Exploring the Best Multiplayer Base Building Games

Immersive worlds, challenging environments, and cooperative gameplay define the best multiplayer base building games of the year. Each game on our list brings something unique to the table—be it the setting, gameplay mechanics, or the level of detail in the construction elements. Let's embark on a journey through these virtual landscapes, offering not just a space to build, but to live out incredible adventures.

List of Top Choices

• Valheim
• Ark: Survival Evolved
• Rust
• 7 Days to Die
• Myth of Empires
• Sons Of The Forest
• Icarus
• Empyrion - Galactic Survival
• Core Keeper
• Raft

Valheim

• Viking-inspired, procedurally generated world
• Co-op gameplay: Build, explore, and conquer with friends
• Extensive crafting and building mechanics

In Valheim, players find themselves in the shoes of Vikings, exploring a vast, procedurally generated world filled with dangers, treasures, and mysteries. The co-op gameplay shines in this environment, where teamwork not only makes the dream work but also ensures survival against formidable foes and harsh conditions. The game's in-depth crafting and building mechanics allow for creative freedoms, from constructing sturdy, defensible homesteads to forging powerful weapons and gear. Valheim's unique blend of exploration, building, and combat keeps it at the top of our list of multiplayer base building games.

Ark: Survival Evolved

• Dinosaur taming and riding
• Huge, dynamic open world
• Complex base-building and crafting system

The captivating feature of Ark: Survival Evolved is undoubtedly the dinosaurs. From taming to riding and even breeding these prehistoric creatures, the game adds an extra layer of excitement beyond the usual survival and building elements. Set in a massive, dynamic open world, players have the opportunity to build from simple huts to vast, technologically advanced bases. The game’s crafting system supports this creative freedom, offering an array of options for gear, defenses, and utilities. Ark’s blend of traditional survival mechanics with its unique dinosaur gameplay continues to capture the imagination of players worldwide.

Rust

• Intense player vs. player (PvP) survival experience
• Resource gathering and item crafting for survival
• Build defensible bases to protect assets and life

Rust is the epitome of survival of the fittest. Thrown into a hostile environment with nothing but a rock, players must gather resources, craft items, and build shelters to survive. But it’s not just the environment that’s against you; the real challenge comes from other players who can be allies or threats. Building a secure, defensible base is crucial for protecting your assets and your life. Rust’s emphasis on PvP action, coupled with its robust base-building and crafting system, ensures a relentless, heart-pounding experience.

7 Days to Die

• Zombie post-apocalyptic setting
• Base fortification and defense against hordes
• Extensive crafting system

Set in a merciless, post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, 7 Days to Die forces players to scavenge, build, and survive against odds that grow increasingly dire with each passing night. Base fortification is a critical element here, as the game features a unique horde mechanic where players face waves of zombies that are deadlier by the week. Crafting in this game is as essential as it is extensive, offering tools, weapons, and traps to ensure a fighting chance of survival. For a blend of base-building, survival, and sheer adrenaline, 7 Days to Die stands out as a prime choice.

Myth of Empires

• Focus on empire building and large-scale warfare
• Resource management and civilization development
• Strategic gameplay in an ancient world setting

Myth of Empires invites players to step into the ancient world and embark on a journey of civilization development, strategic warfare, and empire building. Unlike the survival-focused entries on our list, Myth of Empires emphasizes resource management, societal development, and controlling vast territories. The game’s strategic depth offers a different pace, where planning and diplomacy can be as critical as the strength of your walls. For those who enjoy the grand scale of civilization development along with the intricacies of base building and management, Myth of Empires presents a compelling, immersive experience.

Sons Of The Forest

• Horror survival in a dense, mysterious forest
• Advanced crafting and building for survival
• New enemies and environmental challenges

Sons Of The Forest, the sequel to the highly regarded The Forest, elevates the horror survival genre with enhanced mechanics and new, spine-chilling challenges. Set in a dense, mysterious forest, the game tests your ability to adapt, build, and defend against not just the elements, but terrifying creatures lurking in the dark. With more refined crafting and building systems, players have the tools to create safe havens amidst the chaos. Sons Of The Forest expertly blends horror, survival, and base building, making it an unforgettable experience for those brave enough to enter.

Each of these games offers a unique take on multiplayer base building, providing hours of entertainment through collaboration, strategy, and survival. Whether you're defending against hordes of zombies, taming dinosaurs, or establishing an empire, the rich, virtual worlds and complex systems of these games ensure a deeply engaging experience.

Icarus

• Session-based PvE survival in an alien world
• Resource gathering with a ticking clock
• Team-based strategy for completing objectives

Unlike traditional survival games, Icarus introduces a fresh twist with its session-based gameplay, where players embark on timed missions to an unforgiving alien planet. This mechanic adds a thrilling sense of urgency to the resource gathering and base building process, as failure means losing everything gathered during that session. The need for team-based strategy to complete various objectives before the deadly storm hits makes cooperation not just beneficial, but necessary. Icarus offers an intense survival experience that demands smart planning, teamwork, and quick thinking, setting it apart in the multiplayer base building genre.

Empyrion - Galactic Survival

• Space exploration with base building on planets and in space
• Resource management and vehicle construction
• Co-op play in a vast, open galaxy

In Empyrion - Galactic Survival, the sky is not the limit; it's just the beginning. Players are launched into a galaxy brimming with mystery, danger, and opportunity. Here, building a base is not just about protection— it's about creating a launching pad for exploration and conquest, either on distant planets or among the stars. The game's in-depth resource management and vehicle construction systems add layers of complexity and satisfaction to the exploration. Whether teaming up with friends to build a sprawling space station or a fortified moon base, Empyrion offers a unique blend of survival, construction, and adventure.

Core Keeper

• Mining and exploration in an underground world
• Adorable, yet challenging co-op sandbox adventure
• Base building with a focus on resource management

Core Keeper combines the charm of pixel art with the depth of sandbox survival in a unique underground setting. As players dig through the game's vast, procedurally generated caves, they unearth resources essential for survival, craft, and base construction. The game's core loop of exploration, combat, and construction is addictively fun, especially in a co-op setting where friends can divide and conquer the tasks at hand. Core Keeper shines as a blend of challenge and creativity, inviting players to build, explore, and survive together in a delightfully engaging subterranean world.

Raft

• Survival on the open sea with a unique raft-building mechanic
• Resource gathering from the ocean
• Exploring islands and underwater worlds for supplies and secrets

Setting sail in a different direction, Raft introduces players to life on the open sea, where survival depends on a floating foundation of resources and ingenuity. The game's standout feature is the raft-building mechanic, where every scrap of material can be a building block for survival. As players navigate treacherous waters, gathering resources from the sea, and exploring islands and underwater worlds, they must expand and fortify their rafts to withstand the elements and the creatures that dwell within them. Raft is a testament to human resilience and creativity, challenging players to build their floating sanctuary against the odds.

Multiplayer base building games have come a long way, offering diverse worlds where creativity, strategy, and survival interweave to create deeply engaging experiences. This year’s top picks showcase the best the genre has to offer, from the harsh landscapes of Rust to the alien terrains of Icarus, each game invites players to build, explore, and conquer together.

Whether you prefer the thrill of surviving against hordes of zombies, the challenge of establishing a civilization, or the adventure of space exploration, there's a game on this list that will capture your imagination and transport you to incredible worlds. The beauty of multiplayer base building games lies in the shared experiences they provide, creating opportunities for teamwork, friendship, and unforgettable memories.

As we continue to explore these virtual landscapes, one thing remains clear: the foundation of any great adventure is not just the structures we build, but the communities we build them with. So gather your friends, pick your world, and start building your legacy in one of these top multiplayer base building games of 2024.