As the old adage goes, an Englishman’s house is his castle. We’re inclusive sorts here, though, so we don’t see why this can’t apply to everyone of every nation, persuasion and place of residence. Building a home from which to base oneself is one of the simplest and most rewarding joys in life, and when you step back from a particularly grueling DIY job and take in the fruits of your labours, you’ll feel all the prouder realising that hard work and dedication got you where you are.
Of course, this isn’t a feeling that’s available to everyone. For those who can’t access the simple joys of interior decor and customising your home, there are plenty of video games that instil the same feeling of joy. Some of the best games around for PS4 right now involve base-building elements, and many of them rely entirely on this aspect. Let’s take a look at the 10 best base-building games on PS4.
Subnautica
There are some who say that, other than space, the final frontier left for human exploration is beneath the ocean. One suspects the protagonist of Subnautica would agree; the game begins with the player character shipwrecked and forced to make a life for themselves under the ocean. Unlike many survival titles, Subnautica actually has a plot, which helps players feel immersed and gives you a reason to keep going even when creatures conspire to end your journey. The base-building aspects of the game are in-depth and intuitive, too.
Fallout 4
Bethesda’s best open-world RPG to date has a surprisingly extensive suite of base-building tools. If you’re playing on PS4, you’ve also got access to a whole host of user-generated mods, many of which expand and improve the base management aspects of the game even further. Built on top of the base elements is a fantastically in-depth shoot and loot RPG, although those looking for the dialogue choices and reliance on skills the Fallout franchise used to be known for will need to find their jollies elsewhere.
Minecraft
The original and (to some) still the best survival base-building game, Minecraft is still going very strong indeed on PS4. With a wide range of skins available, Mojang’s game is still as young as you want it to be. The survival mode asks players to build a solid and defensible base to stop critters from invading at night, but the creative mode is just as fun; you’ll gain access to all the game’s resources and be able to build a base to shame Fort Knox. If you love base building games, you should have played Minecraft yesterday.
Terraria
“Like Minecraft, but 2D”. That’s the pitch that’s often applied to Terraria, and while there are nuggets of truth in the statement it’s not entirely fair. Terraria has a life, a soul and an aesthetic all its own, even if the gameplay is largely reminiscent of Mojang’s blocky masterpiece. Explore, find resources, craft bases and generally build a life for yourself in the 2D wilderness. If any of that sounds like your bag, go give Terraria a try.
Fortnite
Okay, we might be cheating a little here, but Fortnite is still one of the biggest games in the world no matter how many of its pretenders arrive to attempt to unseat it from its throne. Fortnite is a battle royale game primarily, which means you’ll take part in a massive melee of 100 players from which only one can emerge victorious, but it still has some pretty in-depth base building mechanics. You’ll collect resources from the world map and build your own bunker, awaiting assassinations from mean-spirited opponents.
Conan Exiles
If none of the options on this list are quite brutal and hardcore enough for you, then Conan Exiles should satisfy. As the title might suggest, this game takes place in the Conan the Barbarian universe, and casts players as a recently-exiled criminal who must navigate the harsh desert using only their wits and a selection of jimmied-together crafting tools. The base building aspects of Conan Exiles are made all the more exciting by the fact that the game features extensive PvP, so other players could come and raid your fort at any time.
7 Days To Die
Zombie base building set in a post-apocalyptic world? Sign us up. Developers The Fun Pimps have crafted a surprisingly fully-featured zombie survival game in which players can build extensive bases, defend them from zombie hordes and interact with other players. If you’ve ever fantasised about living in the world of The Walking Dead, well, you’re braver than we are, but 7 Days To Die might actually give you the feeling of doing so better than any of the officially licensed Walking Dead games out there.
No Man’s Sky Next
No! Wait! Come back! We know that the initial press for No Man’s Sky was…err…not great, to say the least, but Hello Games have really knuckled down since the game’s released and revamped its mechanics entirely. What takes the place of the original bare-bones space exploration sim is a new emphasis on survival and base-building, where players can build bases literally anywhere in the universe – including under the sea. Give No Man’s Sky another try and you won’t be sorry.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Again, this one might be cutting it a little fine, but for our money Big Boss – or, sorry, Venom Snake – still counts as a base builder thanks to MGS V’s Mother Base feature. You can collect new personnel, build improvements to your base and take part in some relaxing downtime missions around your fort, so Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain still gets our vote as an excellent base builder. It’s worth it for the totally crazy story, anyway.
Cities: Skylines
We’re really going out on a limb with this last one – does a city building sim really count as a base building game? We’re gonna say yes. Cities: Skylines allows you to craft a city entirely to your specifications, which means you can create an industrial wasteland or a verdant paradise completely depending on what you’re feeling that day. Cities: Skylines is an incredibly comprehensive city building sim, and its PS4 iteration is ridiculously intuitive and fun to play. Finally, city building comes to consoles!
These are our favourite base building games on the PS4. What are yours? Have we missed any? Let us know!
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