What are some top adventure games that include crafting and exploration features?

If you want games where exploration and crafting genuinely feed into each other, these are some excellent choices:

• Subnautica — Probably the strongest fit. You explore an alien ocean, gather resources, craft equipment, vehicles, and bases, and use those upgrades to reach progressively deeper and more dangerous areas. The discovery and crafting loops are tightly connected.GameSpot+1
• Valheim — Viking-themed survival adventure with procedural worlds, resource gathering, extensive building, sailing, combat, and boss progression. Exploring a new biome generally means finding new materials for better gear. Particularly good in co-op.PC Gamer+1
• No Man's Sky — Best if you want huge-scale exploration. You can explore planets and star systems, gather resources, craft and upgrade technology, build bases, customize ships, and travel through an enormous procedurally generated universe.GameSpot
• Grounded 2 — A survival adventure set in a giant backyard. You gather materials, craft weapons and equipment, build bases, and explore increasingly varied areas while progressing through a story.GameSpot
• Enshrouded — Fantasy action-RPG/survival game combining exploration, combat, crafting, extensive construction, and character progression. A good choice if you want more traditional RPG elements alongside survival mechanics.Summer Engine
• Terraria — 2D rather than 3D, but exceptionally deep. Exploration uncovers resources, weapons, NPCs, secrets, and new areas, while crafting and progression continually open up more possibilities.GamesRadar+
• Minecraft — The most open-ended option. Exploration, mining, crafting, building, farming, combat, and discovery can all be pursued at your own pace.
• Astroneer — A more relaxed space-exploration alternative. You travel between planets, collect materials, dig into caves, construct bases, and turn resources into increasingly sophisticated equipment and infrastructure.GamesRadar+
• Raft — Starts with a tiny floating platform and gradually turns it into a substantial mobile base. Exploring islands and ocean locations supplies the materials needed to expand your raft and unlock new technology.
• The Planet Crafter — A calmer survival/crafting experience focused on exploring an alien planet, gathering resources, constructing facilities, and gradually transforming the environment.

Quick picks by taste

If I were narrowing it specifically to games where the act of crafting makes you want to explore further, I'd look first at Subnautica, Valheim, No Man's Sky, and Enshrouded.

Absolutely. If you want games where crafting actually supports exploration, rather than just being an extra system, these are some of the best choices:

• 🥇 Subnautica — Probably the strongest overall match. You explore an alien ocean, gather resources, craft equipment and vehicles, and use those upgrades to reach progressively deeper and more dangerous areas.GameSpot+1
• ⚔️ Valheim — Excellent for survival, crafting, building, combat, and exploration. Each new biome introduces resources that unlock better gear and allow you to tackle tougher areas and bosses.GameSpot
• 🚀 No Man's Sky — Best if you want massive exploration. You can explore planets, gather resources, craft technology, upgrade ships and equipment, and build bases across an enormous procedural universe.PC Gamer+1
• 🧙 Enshrouded — A great choice if you prefer fantasy RPG combat alongside crafting and building. It combines exploration, character progression, resource gathering, and extensive base construction.
• 🏹 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Less survival-focused, but fantastic if by crafting you mean creative construction. You can combine objects, build vehicles and contraptions, and use them to solve exploration and environmental challenges.GamesRadar++1
• ⛏️ Terraria — A 2D adventure sandbox with an enormous amount of crafting, exploration, equipment progression, secrets, bosses, and underground environments.
• 🐜 Grounded / Grounded 2 — Great co-op survival adventures where gathering materials and crafting better gear lets you venture into increasingly dangerous areas.
• 🌱 The Planet Crafter — A more relaxed option focused on exploration, resource gathering, crafting, and transforming an alien planet rather than constant combat.
• 🛶 Raft — Particularly good for co-op. You gradually expand your floating base, gather materials, craft equipment, and explore islands and other locations.
• 🧱 Minecraft — Still the king of open-ended crafting and exploration if you don't need a strongly directed story.

My top 5

If I had to pick just one: Subnautica for the best connection between crafting and exploration. If you want co-op, I'd go with Valheim; if you want the biggest world, No Man's Sky.Parse+1

If you want games where exploration and crafting actually feed into each other, rather than crafting being an optional side system, these are some of the strongest choices.Parse+1

1. Subnautica — 🌊 Best overall

• Explore a mysterious alien ocean, gather resources, craft equipment, vehicles, and bases.
• Better gear lets you reach deeper and more dangerous areas, creating a fantastic exploration → crafting → exploration loop.
• Best for: mystery, discovery, atmosphere, solo play.GameSpot

2. Valheim — ⚔️ Best crafting + survival

• Explore procedurally generated biomes, gather increasingly rare materials, build bases, craft weapons and armor, and defeat bosses.
• Each new biome introduces resources that enable the next stage of progression.GameSpot
• Best for: co-op, building, combat, survival.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — 🧩 Most creative

• Its crafting/building is unusually open-ended: construct vehicles, combine weapons and materials, and invent solutions to environmental challenges.
• Exploration rewards experimentation rather than simply sending you from quest marker to quest marker.
• Best for: creative problem-solving and traditional adventure.

4. No Man's Sky — 🚀 Best for sheer scale

• Explore planets and star systems, gather resources, craft technology, upgrade your ship and equipment, and construct bases.
• Excellent if your primary thought while playing is, “What's over there?”G2A
• Best for: huge worlds, space exploration, long-term progression.

5. Enshrouded — 🧙 Best fantasy RPG option

• Combines action-RPG combat with extensive crafting, building, resource gathering, and exploration.
• A good choice if you want something between a survival game and a traditional fantasy RPG.

6. Terraria — ⛏️ Best 2D exploration

• Tons of crafting, underground exploration, bosses, equipment progression, secrets, and building.
• The world keeps opening up as you acquire better gear.

7. Grounded — 🐜 Best approachable co-op adventure

• You're tiny in a backyard full of enormous insects.
• Gather materials, craft equipment and bases, and explore increasingly dangerous areas.
• Particularly good if you want a more directed adventure rather than an enormous sandbox.

8. Raft — 🛶 Best relaxed co-op

• Start with a tiny floating platform and gradually turn it into a mobile base.
• Explore islands and ocean locations to obtain materials for upgrades and expansion.

9. The Planet Crafter — 🌱 Best relaxing option

• Resource gathering, crafting, exploration, and terraforming are tightly connected.
• Great if you like the Subnautica formula but want less emphasis on combat.

My top 5

If I had to pick just one: Subnautica is probably the best pure combination of crafting and exploration. If you want combat/co-op, go with Valheim; if you want creative adventure, choose Tears of the Kingdom; and if you want an almost endless universe, choose No Man's Sky.Parse