14 Simulation games like Dinkum that you should try

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentUpdated May 19, 2026How this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

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We filtered the 19 games similar to Dinkum down to the 14 that fit the “Simulation” category. Stardew Valley, Terraria and Potion Craft top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Dinkum.

iRank89/ 100

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GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

The best simulation games like Dinkum

14 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Dinkum. Each one has been evaluated across 16 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.

#1Stardew ValleyClosest overall match

iRank92

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

MultiplayerSoloCo-opCozyRelaxingCasualSandbox WorldOpen WorldCraftingExplorationIsometric

Steam👍 98%· 1.0MRAWG👍 88%· 2.5KMC89IGDB91· 13OC90· 76

Year 2016Dev ChucklefishPlaytime ~13hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the crafting sandboxes cluster, with sandbox freedom, deep simulation and deep RPG systems

≠ Where it differs: brings visual novel storytelling, strong narrative focus and fantasy world, while skipping online features

A farming sim that is really a schedule-management game: every in-game day forces a choice between crops, mining, fishing and the villagers, and the calendar never gives you enough hours. The first year is the hook. Fishing is the wall most players hit — the minigame is fiddly and unforgiving early, and several quests gate behind it.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals.

It predates Dinkum by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100World100Tone92Progression87Game mode83Visuals46

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Steam GOG Xbox

#2TerrariaClosest on game mode

iRank86

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineSandbox WorldOpen WorldCraftingExploration

Steam👍 97%· 1.5MRAWG👍 80%· 2.5KMC81IGDB81· 13OC79· 33

Year 2011Dev Engine Software · 505 GamesPlaytime ~15hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are crafting sandboxes — sharing sandbox freedom, deep RPG systems and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: survival mechanics, precision platforming and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping vibe casual

A 2D sandbox that is far more combat-driven than its look suggests: progression runs through boss fights, and each one unlocks a tier of materials. Building is deep but optional. It explains almost nothing — crafting chains, boss summons and biome requirements are opaque enough that most players keep a wiki open throughout.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: tone and visuals.

It predates Dinkum by 14 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100World82Tone0Visuals0

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Steam GOG Xbox

#3Potion CraftClosest on tone

iRank85

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloRelaxingCozyCasualSandbox WorldCrafting

Steam👍 93%· 43KIGDB70· 1OC83· 11

Year 2022Dev niceplay games · tinyBuildOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Fits the crafting sandboxes cluster, with sandbox freedom, deep simulation and deep RPG systems

≠ Its own twist: puzzle design, strong narrative focus and setting medieval, while skipping open world exploration

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals and game mode.

Genre100Tone93World74Progression63Game mode27Visuals0

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Steam GOG Epic

#4Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator

iRank83

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloRelaxingCozyCasualSandbox WorldCrafting

Steam👍 93%· 43KRAWG👍 72%· 190OC77· 8

Year 2022Dev niceplay games · tinyBuildPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Xbox

✓ Both are crafting sandboxes — sharing sandbox freedom, deep simulation and deep RPG systems

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, strong narrative focus and setting medieval, while skipping open world exploration

Potion Craft is an alchemist simulator where you physically interact with your tools and ingredients to brew potions. You're in full control of the whole shop: invent new recipes, attract customers and experiment to your heart's content. Just remember: the whole town is counting on you.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals and game mode.

Genre100Tone93World72Progression63Game mode26Visuals0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

MultiplayerCo-opSoloOnlineSandbox WorldOpen WorldExplorationCrafting

Steam👍 92%· 117KRAWG👍 70%· 124

Year 2016Dev Axolot GamesPlaytime ~6hOn PC

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, melee combat and base building, while skipping deep RPG systems

A building sandbox where the physics are the point: vehicles you assemble actually flex, tip and fall apart under load, and getting a working machine is a genuine engineering problem. Creative mode is the strong half. The survival campaign has been in early access for years and remains unfinished, with long gaps between updates.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals.

It predates Dinkum by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression80Visuals0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloMultiplayerCo-opSandbox WorldOpen WorldExplorationCrafting

Steam👍 89%· 134KRAWG👍 58%· 269MC68IGDB80· 1OC80· 5

Year 2013Dev Keen Software HousePlaytime ~5hOn PC · Xbox

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, combat tactical and melee combat, while skipping deep RPG systems

A voxel engineering sandbox with real physics: ships flex, break apart along stress lines and drift, and building something that survives its own thrust is the actual game. Deeply satisfying when it clicks. It is heavy on performance and light on direction — large builds tank the framerate, and there is essentially no guidance on what to do.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals.

It predates Dinkum by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100World100Progression100Game mode83Visuals0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineSandbox WorldOpen WorldExplorationCrafting

OC90· 44

Year 2016Dev Mojang StudiosOn Xbox · PS4 · Linux

✓ Fits the crafting sandboxes cluster, with sandbox freedom, deep simulation and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings survival mechanics, turn-based strategy and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping deep RPG systems

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: tone and visuals.

It predates Dinkum by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100World100Progression100Game mode84Tone0Visuals0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationCrafting

Steam👍 85%· 407KRAWG👍 67%· 1.6KMC75IGDB74· 38OC71· 149

Year 2016Dev Hello GamesPlaytime ~15hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, adventure storytelling and deep simulation

≠ Its own twist: survival mechanics, shooter and first-person shooting, while skipping deep RPG systems

Years of free updates turned it into a genuinely broad survival-exploration game: base building, freighters, settlements, multiplayer. The scale is unmatched. The core loop is still the criticism — planets are procedurally varied rather than designed, so after twenty of them the discoveries start to rhyme, and the inventory management never stops being fiddly.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: tone and visuals.

It predates Dinkum by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Progression100Game mode83World78Tone0Visuals0

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Steam GOG Xbox

#9Kitchen Simulator 2015

iRank40

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloCasualCozySandbox WorldExplorationCrafting

Steam👍 40%· 329

Year 2015Dev WhackAKey GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC

✓ Both are crafting sandboxes — sharing sandbox freedom, deep simulation and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings horror tension, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping deep RPG systems

Description Kitchen simulator The game that turns you into the chef.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals and game mode.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Dinkum.

It predates Dinkum by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Progression100World76Tone62Game mode26Visuals0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloCo-opCasualRelaxingSandbox WorldCrafting

Steam👍 85%· 19KOC70· 7

Year 2019Dev Big Cheese Studio · Forever Entertainment S.A.On PS4 · PC · Xbox

✓ Fits the crafting sandboxes cluster, with sandbox freedom, deep simulation and vibe casual

≠ Stands apart with resource management and visual first person, while skipping adventure storytelling

A physics kitchen where every ingredient is an object you grab, cut and throw, which makes cooking chaotic in a way that is either the joke or the frustration depending on the day. Career mode adds pressure. Controls are deliberately unwieldy, and the difficulty comes from fighting the interface rather than from the cooking itself.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals.

Genre100Tone79World70Progression60Game mode57Visuals0

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Steam GOG Xbox

#11Animal Crossing: Pocket CampClosest on visuals

iRank78

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloSandbox WorldCraftingIsometricThird Person

IGDB78· 2

Year 2017Dev Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development · NintendoOn Android · iOS

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and sandbox world

≠ Where it differs: brings visual third person and free to play, while skipping adventure storytelling

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: game mode.

It predates Dinkum by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Progression74World73Visuals71Game mode25

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Nintendo

#12Poly Bridge

iRank81

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloCozySandbox WorldCraftingHardcore

Steam👍 91%· 19KIGDB75· 2OC66· 12

Year 2016Dev Dry CactusOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and cozy, relaxing feel

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, punishing difficulty and strong narrative focus, while skipping adventure storytelling

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals and game mode.

It predates Dinkum by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Progression75World74Tone32Game mode26Visuals0

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Steam Nintendo

#13PowerWash Simulator

iRank85

GenreSandboxSubgenreLife Sandbox

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineCasualRelaxingCozySandbox WorldOpen World

Steam👍 96%· 58KRAWG👍 80%· 156IGDB77· 4OC77· 54

Year 2022Dev FuturLabPlaytime ~11hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Shared with Dinkum: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and vibe casual

≠ Where it differs: brings strong narrative focus, visual first person and visual 3d, while skipping adventure storytelling

POWERWASH SIMULATORHunt down dirt wherever it’s hiding, respond to calls from across the world, build your own power-washing business and unlock new tools, upgrades and more – all with the soothing satisfaction of power-washing to a sparkling finish!

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: visuals.

Game mode100World100Tone92Genre50Visuals0

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Steam itch.io

#14Supermarket Together

iRank74

GenreSandboxSubgenreLife Sandbox

Co-opOnlineMultiplayerSoloCozyCasualOpen WorldSandbox World

Steam👍 94%· 92KRAWG👍 45%· 20

Year 2024Dev DeadDevsTellNoLiesPlaytime ~3hOn PC

✓ Like Dinkum, it's known for sandbox freedom, deep simulation and cozy, relaxing feel

≠ Its own twist: strong narrative focus, resource management and visual first person, while skipping adventure storytelling

Up to 16 players or go soloSplit the action with your friends: the more players in your supermarket, the more demanding customers will become. You can also choose to go solo and inflate the difficulty artificially if you are feeling hard-working.

Where it drifts furthest from Dinkum: progression and visuals.

Game mode100World100Tone64Genre50Progression0Visuals0

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Steam

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