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Other Games To Play If Children Enjoy Minecraft

Minecraft is a popular game for families to enjoy together. Whether it's creating your perfect house, competing in the online games or running your own server with friends there are many ways the Minecraft offers an enjoyable (and often educational) experience.

One common question from parents and carers is what other games they can introduce their children to alongside Minecraft. They are often looking for games with a similar younger age rating, building mechanics and possibility for creativity.

This week we've been trawling the Family Video Game Database to see which games can match the heights of Minecraft. No small order, but we think we have found some great experiences that take that bedrock (sorry) of block building and develop it in new and interesting directions.

Autonauts - Takes the hand crafted building of Minecraft and lets you automate the process using robots. Not only does this take the fun in a new direction, but it's a great first step into understanding how programming process works.

Stormworks - Develops the block building in a new direction. You construct rescue vessels that must not only be watertight but adhere to the accurately modelled float-mechanics. The result is a game that starts with design and ends in action.

Eco - Is a block builder with an environmental twist. Each element you harvest or use in your building work has consequences for the world you live in. Here you are not only trying to build big, but to balance your impact on the environment to live in harmony. Sometimes smaller is better in Eco.

Carto - Is a world builder with a difference. Here you are placing, rotating and translating map puzzle pieces. This not only lets you create a world to explore, but allows you to access new areas by rearranging your pieces. It's part puzzle game and part exploration, all wrapped up in a lovely story about growing up.

The Touryst - This is an action adventure game. It may look like Minecraft, but here the fun has all bee pre-built. You explore the different islands as a visitor and soon stumble on block-based dungeons to explore and overcome. Meet the locals, take on errands and solve the mystery of the monoliths. 

Along with these suggestions you can find some great lists of games on the Family Video Game Database that can be filtered by age rating. For example:

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Andrew Robertson
Andy Robertson is the editor of AskAboutGames and has written for national press and broadcast about video games and families for over 15 years. He has just published the Taming Gaming book with its Family Video Game Database.