Games Like Minecraft for Android, Free and Paid
Minecraft itself is on Android and costs far less in India and Nigeria than in the US. The free and paid block-building games to try in its place.
Minecraft is on Google Play, sold by Mojang for $6.99 in the US and £6.99 in the UK. In India it is ₹40 and in Nigeria ₦500, which is less than any other paid game on this page costs in either country. If you live there and want Minecraft, buy Minecraft.
If you want a free game of the same kind, take Luanti: Google Play shows no adverts and no in-app purchases on it. If you want something that plays differently, Terraria is $4.99 and has nothing more to buy.
We read the Google Play listing of every game on this page, and the descriptions come from those listings.
Minecraft and the alternatives at a glance
| Game | Maker | US | India | Nigeria | Google Play labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minecraft | Mojang | $6.99 | ₹40 | ₦500 | In-app purchases |
| Terraria | 505 Games | $4.99 | ₹410 | ₦1,790 | None |
| Survivalcraft 2 | Candy Rufus Games | $3.99 | ₹250 | ₦1,230 | None |
| Dragon Quest Builders | Square Enix | $27.99 | ₹3,100 | ₦40,000 | In-app purchases |
| Junk Jack | Pixbits | $4.99 | ₹350 | ₦1,690 | In-app purchases |
| Luanti | Luanti | Free | Free | Free | None |
| LostMiner | Caffetteria Dev | Free | Free | Free | Contains ads, in-app purchases |
| Block Craft 3D | Wildlife Studios | Free | Free | Free | Contains ads, in-app purchases |
Minecraft itself on Android
Our old post called it Minecraft: Pocket Edition. The listing is now named “Minecraft: Dream it, Build it!”, and it is the Bedrock Edition, so you can join friends who play on other devices. You get both Creative mode, with unlimited resources, and Survival mode, where you gather, craft and last the night.
Buying the game is not the last thing it will offer to sell you. Google Play flags in-app purchases, which cover the Marketplace of add-ons, worlds and cosmetics, and the Realms Plus subscription for a private server shared with up to ten friends. Those are extras on top of the game you have paid for. Google Play tags the game as offline, though Mojang’s description does not say so.
Two more Mojang listings sit beside it. Minecraft Trial is free and time-limited, has Survival mode only, and its worlds do not carry over to the full game. India’s store page showed us an Install button for it, and the US, UK and Nigerian pages did not. Minecraft Education is free to install but its listing says it is for schools and organisations.
Paid games like Minecraft
Terraria
Terraria’s listing sums it up as dig, fight, explore, build. It mixes an action game with sandbox building, and the fighting is a large part of it: the listing counts over 400 enemies, more than 5,000 items and over 20 biomes, and says the worlds are the same size as on PC. Up to seven friends can join over local Wi-Fi or online, and gamepads are supported.
It is $4.99, and Google Play shows no adverts and no in-app purchases. It was on our old list and keeps its place.
Survivalcraft 2
The nearest in method: an infinite blocky world where you mine, craft, build a shelter and get through the night. What it adds is realism. The listing has four seasons, more than 30 real animals to hunt or herd, clothes to tailor against the cold, and electric circuits and pistons for building machines. Up to three friends can join on a split screen.
It costs $3.99 with no adverts and no in-app purchases, and a free version called Survivalcraft 2 Day One sits beside it. The first Survivalcraft is still sold as well, also at $3.99.
Dragon Quest Builders
Square Enix calls this a block-building RPG. The world is made of blocks you gather and build with, and there is a story to follow, a base to grow into a town and the monsters of Dragon Quest to fight off. The phone version adds tap-to-place building and an undo button.
The price is the obstacle: $27.99 in the US, with extra content sold as in-app purchases. The listing also asks for Android 11 and at least 4GB of RAM, so read it before paying.
Junk Jack
A pixel-art sandbox with an adventure mode across 12 planets and a creative mode for free building. It counts more than 1,000 things to craft, farming, animals to tame and working electronics, and local multiplayer that also connects to iPhones. It is $4.99. The listing says it is not a freemium game, though Google Play does flag small in-app purchases.
Free games like Minecraft
Luanti
Luanti, formerly Minetest, is a free platform for block games more than a single game. You pick from many games inside it, add mods and texture packs, and play alone, with friends nearby or on online servers. Google Play shows no adverts and no in-app purchases on it, and rates it Teen.
LostMiner
From our old list and still here. LostMiner is a side-view game that mixes 2D and 3D, with blocks to place and break, farming, fishing and an underground that gets harder the deeper you go. The developer says the creative and survival modes are offline and that local multiplayer is supported. It is free with adverts, and the in-app purchases Google Play shows run from $1.99 to $3.99.
Block Craft 3D
Block Craft 3D is about building a village or city and leaves the survival out. Its listing says there are no monsters, you can keep pets, and you can visit friends’ cities. Google Play rates it Everyone. It is free with adverts and in-app purchases that reach $119.99, so set a purchase lock before handing it to a child.
Survival and crafting without the blocks
Three more for people who like Minecraft’s gather-and-craft loop more than its look.
- Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition: Klei’s wilderness survival game, $4.99 with no adverts and no in-app purchases.
- Crashlands: a crafting RPG with more than 500 items to make and bases to build, $6.99 with no adverts and no in-app purchases.
- Ylands: Bohemia Interactive’s low-poly sandbox with adventure and creative modes and a ship to build. Free, with in-app purchases.
What changed from our old list
- The Blockheads: gone. The old listing no longer opens and a search of Google Play does not find the game.
- Guncrafter: still on Google Play as GunCrafter. It is a target-shooting game in which you build the gun from blocks, so it does not belong on this list.
- LostMiner, Terraria and Survivalcraft: all still on Google Play, and covered above.
A search for Minecraft on Google Play also brings up many free games whose names imitate it. We have left those out.
Which one to pick
- In India or Nigeria: Minecraft itself. At ₹40 or ₦500, no paid alternative is cheaper.
- Free, with no adverts: Luanti.
- The closest to Minecraft for less, in the US: Survivalcraft 2 at $3.99, three dollars under Minecraft.
- Something different: Terraria.
- Free and offline: LostMiner.
- A story to follow: Dragon Quest Builders, if your phone meets the requirements and the price does not put you off.
For more games read the same way, see our pages on life simulation games for Android and games like Pokémon for Android.
Quick answers
Is Minecraft free on Android?
No. It is a paid game on Google Play. The free Minecraft Trial is time-limited and has Survival mode only.
How much is Minecraft on Android?
Google Play shows $6.99 in the US, £6.99 in the UK, ₹40 in India and ₦500 in Nigeria.
What are the free games like Minecraft for Android?
Luanti, LostMiner and Block Craft 3D are free to install, and Survivalcraft 2 has a free Day One version. Only Luanti and Day One show no adverts.
Which games like Minecraft work offline?
LostMiner’s developer says its creative and survival modes are offline. Google Play also tags Minecraft, Terraria, Luanti, Block Craft 3D and the first Survivalcraft as offline.
Which ones have multiplayer?
Minecraft plays across devices. Terraria takes up to seven friends over local Wi-Fi or online, Luanti has online servers, Survivalcraft 2 has a split screen for up to three friends, and LostMiner and Junk Jack have local multiplayer.
