Zeverland is still in playtest on Steam. Seven Rust and Minecraft-style zombie survival games you can play on Windows, macOS, and Linux while you wait for its release.
Elder Scrolls 6 slipped again after Xbox's Bethesda layoffs. Seven Elder Scrolls alternatives on desktop that scratch the open-world RPG itch until ES6 ships.
Fallout 5 is years away and the Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters are still rumors. Seven Fallout alternatives for Windows, macOS, and Linux to fill the wait.
Cozy games have grown up. Eight cozy games on desktop for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including the new picks Beastro, Fields of Mistria, and Coral Island.
Starfield's loading screens and empty planets pushed us to seven space-faring RPGs that actually respect our time on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
MindsEye had a rough launch and a free Steam weekend. Here are seven better open-world action alternatives to play instead on PC.
Seven park and creature management sims for desktop that scratch the same itch as Jurassic World Evolution, ranked and tested for 2026.
Bethesda confirmed a New Vegas remaster but the wait is real. Here are seven post-apocalyptic RPGs that scratch the same itch on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Transport Fever 3 is landing this year. We tested 7 transport tycoon games on Windows, Mac, and Linux, ranked by depth, price, and how they handle rail, road, and freight.
Best stranded astronaut survival games for PC in 2026: Outer Wilds, Subnautica, No Man's Sky, Prey, Alien Isolation, Dead Space and Stranded Alien Dawn compared.
Transport Fever 3 is challenging Cities: Skylines. We tested 7 city-builder alternatives across Windows, Mac, and Linux with pricing, feature, and migration notes.
GTA Online's Kortz Center update lands after another year of Shark Card grind. Seven open-world alternatives for Windows and Steam Deck that give the same rush without the wallet drain.
EVE Vanguard's Operation Avalon alpha is live but on a clock. Seven EVE Vanguard alternatives on PC for hardcore shooters, extraction FPS, and persistent-world combat.
Elder Scrolls 6 is at least two years away. Seven open-world RPGs on Windows, macOS, and Linux that fill the wait, from Skyrim mods to Kingdom Come 2.
Elder Scrolls VI is at least two more years away. These seven desktop open-world fantasy RPGs cover the ground Skyrim used to on PC, from Kingdom Come to Enderal to Elden Ring.
MoonHack lands on Steam in 2027. Eight terminal-driven hacking puzzles and cyber-noir sims worth installing on Windows, macOS, and Linux right now.
Sly Flourish's Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster hit Kickstarter this week. Eight desktop apps for solo TTRPG play with GM emulators, oracles, and journaling.
We tested seven Android and iOS titles with real online play plus chat controls, moderation, or invite-only servers. Safer multiplayer picks for kids.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 is officially in development, but the wait is long. Here are 7 magic-heavy open-world RPGs to fill the gap on PC.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a hard game to follow. Here are 7 alternatives on PC that hit different pieces of what made Night City special.
The Definitive Edition patched a lot but the mission and AI design still show its 2004 bones. Seven GTA: SA Definitive Edition alternatives for PC in 2026.
Subnautica 2 launched into a 2-to-3 year early access window on Steam. If you want a full underwater or open-world survival game today, here are seven alternatives.
Eight years on, Red Dead Redemption 2 still splits players. If you bounced off it, or finished and want more, here are seven strong PC alternatives worth playing.
Krafton's inZOI PS5 release has slipped to 2027, and Early Access on PC still misses features. Here are seven life-simulator alternatives worth playing today.
Great alternatives to Wild Wild Eden on PC: Red Dead Redemption 2, Wild West Dynasty, 7 Days to Die, Green Hell, SCUM, The Long Dark, and Rust, tested.
Great Valheim alternatives on PC: V Rising, Enshrouded, Palworld, Grounded, Sons of the Forest, Nightingale, and Conan Exiles, tested for co-op survival.
EVE Online's Carbon engine just went open source. We tested 7 EVE Online alternatives for desktop, from Elite Dangerous to Endless Sky.
State of Decay 3's studio Undead Labs faces sale or closure. Seven survival and zombie community-sim alternatives on PC while the game's future is uncertain.
Stars Reach is still in alpha. Until Raph Koster ships, these 7 sandbox MMORPGs on PC are the closest thing to player-driven worlds with real consequences.
Vice City was delisted and the Trilogy port is uneven. Seven GTA: Vice City alternatives for PC open-world action fans in 2026.
GTA 6 ships first on console and PC is months out. We picked 7 open-world crime games on PC that scratch the same itch while you wait for the port.
Don't Starve Together hit its highest player count ever a decade after launch. Seven Don't Starve Together alternatives for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
GTA 6 is still on the horizon, and the Rockstar legal dispute keeps surfacing. We ranked 7 Rockstar-style open-world games on PC worth playing while you wait.
Two Point Museum is free on Steam this weekend, and finishing it leaves a museum-management hole. Seven Two Point Museum alternatives for desktop that scratch the same curated-chaos itch.
Roblox's TTK testing pulled 4 million visits in a day, but the platform's monetization and content moderation push players to look elsewhere. Seven Roblox alternatives that ship on Android.
Outfit7's Talking Tom & Friends: World and Toca Boca World both sell creative open-world play for kids. Here is how they compare on content depth, ad load, monetization, and safety in 2026.
Enginefall just made survival look interesting again. Seven Rust alternatives for Windows, Mac, and Linux that scratch the build-raid-loot itch without the toxicity tax.
Enginefall isn't out yet, but the Snowpiercer-meets-Rust pitch is loud. These seven co-op survival alternatives on PC scratch the same itch right now.
Wild Terra 2 is free to keep on Steam this week, but the player base is small. Here are seven Wild Terra 2 alternatives for medieval sandbox MMO fans on PC.
Crimson Desert added a major pet patch in 2026. These 8 MMORPGs for PC put taming, training, and battling creatures at the heart of the loop.
Wild Terra 2 is free to keep on Steam right now. These 8 free MMORPGs for PC, including Albion Online and FFXIV's free trial, are still worth your time in 2026.
The Crew Motorfest delivers Hawaii's festival racing energy, but online quirks and a smaller map send players looking. We tested 7 desktop alternatives in 2026.
Roblox is huge but the moderation and Robux economy push players to look. We tested 7 Roblox alternatives for desktop that offer real UGC worlds in 2026.
Palworld blew up at launch, then the meta hardened. We tested 7 Palworld alternatives for desktop that scratch the same survival, taming and crafting itch in 2026.
GTA IV still holds up, but Liberty City is showing wear and the Games For Windows Live era left scars. We tested 7 GTA IV alternatives for desktop in 2026.
Polygon called Over the Hill the perfect antidote to Forza Horizon. While you wait for the full release, here are 7 Over the Hill alternatives for PC worth playing now.
Frontier confirmed another Planet game is on the way. While we wait, here are 7 Planet Coaster alternatives for desktop that scratch the park-building itch in 2026.
PUBG's creator confirmed the end of his open-world survival project, sending genre fans looking elsewhere. We tested 7 survival games on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Ultima Online's designer is back with a new sandbox MMO. We tested 7 Ultima Online alternatives on PC for players ready to move on.
The next game from the Alien Isolation team has dinosaurs in it, and we already have a wave of dinosaur survival games on PC. We tested 7 of them.
99 Nights in Forest Sandbox rides the Roblox forest survival trend, but the loop runs thin. Here are 7 mobile survival sandbox alternatives worth installing.
Minecraft on PC still rules sandboxes, but the Microsoft account requirement and aging engine push players elsewhere. Seven Minecraft alternatives for desktop in 2026.
GTA V is over a decade old and GTA Online keeps drifting toward monetization. We tested 7 GTA V alternatives for desktop that scratch the open-world itch in 2026.
BeamNG.drive is unmatched for soft-body physics, but the singleplayer focus and tinkering UI push players to look around. Seven BeamNG.drive alternatives for desktop in 2026.
Run, manage, or monitor a Minecraft server from a phone. Seven hosting and admin apps for Android in 2026, ranked after testing on real worlds.
HappyMod's Minecraft section is the most-searched mod corner of the catalog, and the most copied. Where Minecraft skins, mods, and add-ons actually live in 2026, and the clients worth trusting.
Run two WhatsApps, a work-only Slack, or a sketchy installer in a sandbox. These seven Android app cloner apps cover dual accounts, parallel spaces and full work-profile isolation.
Seven Android space simulation games tested for physics accuracy, sandbox depth, mission variety, and how well they handle the real-orbit math the genre depends on.
Craft World is pleasant but shallow. These 7 alternatives bring deeper sandbox building, multiplayer servers, and survival modes for block-game fans.
Subnautica is PC and console only. These 7 Android games deliver the same underwater survival and open-world exploration on your phone.
Stardew Valley has no Android port. Here are 7 farming and life-sim games that scratch the same itch -- crops, relationships, exploration, and all.
The Sims Mobile funnels every action through energy timers and currency gates. These seven life sim alternatives give you more freedom, fewer paywalls, and no waiting around.
Map fatigue, ads between missions, and dated physics push Indian Theft Aura players to look elsewhere. Here are 7 alternatives that cover open-world action, sandbox cheats, and serious crime sims.
Our picks for the best cozy game apps on Android: town builders, cat collectors, sky explorers, and low-stakes sims that reward patience over reflexes.
Subnautica 2 brought co-op survival to the spotlight again. These seven Android survival games already let you play with friends, with notes on each compromise.
Block Craft 3D's ad load, lack of multiplayer, and small block catalogue push players to look around. These 7 alternatives cover Minecraft-style sandboxes, voxel survival, and creative builders.
Village City Life Building bundles voxel sandbox with mini-games and pets but its block roster thins fast. Seven crafting and city-block alternatives covering deeper sandboxes and tighter survival.
Uni lets players hop between custom worlds with friends but ad density and content gaps push users elsewhere. Seven social sandbox alternatives covering Roblox-style, avatar, and metaverse picks.
Town Building Life Simulator runs creative and survival sandbox modes but its block roster thins quickly. Seven voxel crafting and city-building alternatives worth playing on Android.
Ad load and slow content updates push Sandbox In Space fans elsewhere. Seven physics sandbox, nextbot and ragdoll alternatives worth installing in 2026.
Oxide's wipe cycle and pay-to-skip grind push players to look elsewhere. Seven Rust-style mobile survival alternatives that hold up in 2026.
I Am Cat's mischief loop wears thin after a few sessions and ad gates rooms behind rewarded videos. Seven I Am Cat alternatives for sandbox feline play in 2026.
Minecraft Education needs school licensing and a Microsoft 365 admin. Seven Minecraft Education alternatives families and classrooms can use without the gatekeeping.
The best open-world crime games for Android in 2026, tested across paid Netflix Rockstar ports and free Gangstar-style sandboxes. Picks for the GTA 6 wait.
SAKURA School Simulator hit 213 million downloads, but performance warnings and dated controls show their age. Here are 7 sandbox school sim alternatives.
Solar Smash has 235M+ downloads but a thin solo loop and locked weapons push players elsewhere. Here are 7 sandbox and simulation alternatives worth trying.
We tested six Minecraft-style sandbox games on Android, comparing block-building freedom, multiplayer support, offline play, and how each handles touch controls.
Tired of crashes and the same blocks in Craftsman: Building Craft? We tested 7 free block sandbox alternatives with better performance, deeper play, and more variety.
Block Crazy Robo World Craft has 69 million downloads but a 3.3 rating. Here are 7 block sandbox and craft alternatives with deeper systems and fewer crashes.
