10 Open-World Games With The Best Resource Management

Highlights

• Soulmask offers automation and multiplayer experiences in a captivating survival MMO twist on open-world resource management.
• Abiotic Factor provides an SCP-like experience with core survival mechanics in an intriguing narrative and multiplayer setting.
• Slime Rancher offers a cozy, cute, and fun world to explore and customize, with a multitude of slimes and resources to discover.

For the video game enthusiast who enjoys taking things at their own pace, open-world games are a necessity. Creating a home base to not only survive, but thrive in these virtual environments is often essential. Part of that survival lies within the resources the player collects and manages, adding an extra level of challenge (and reward) to the game; streamlining this process and customizing it to fit the player’s needs is integral.

From sci-fi to fantasy, disaster scenarios, and beyond, there is absolutely no shortage of titles to explore, and there is no doubt a game out there suited to any player’s tastes. Now, without further ado, here are some of the games in this genre with resource management systems that rank among the best-of-the-best.

Soulmask

Resource Management With An MMO Spin

• Automation is a critical aspect of gameplay
• The game offers both solo/offline and PvP multiplayer experiences

Soulmask boasts several incredible elements, including yet not limited to, an incredibly intriguing storyline, beautiful graphics, and a huge variety of combat choices with 8 available weapons and dozens of unique skills to utilize in battle. The player can build and craft a staggering variety of items, all of which can be used to bolster their base and personal collections and eventually, the player will be able to automate the system through “employing” NPCs.

This game takes the open-world resource management genre and puts a delightful spin on it by making it an MMO and implementing a guild system in which players may choose to team up with one another and engage in thrilling PVP. For the player who enjoys a more solo experience, this game also has offline single-player capabilities.

Abiotic Factor

If SCP and Lethal Company Made a Resource Management Baby

• Scavenging mechanics that are core to survival
• Great story to explore with (or without) friends

This title provides a very SCP-like experience with its familiar containment breach scenario while still maintaining the mechanics of an open-world resource management game. Abiotic Factor has a fun narrative with tons of stuff to do in-game and more being added on a season-by-season basis.

In this game, the player must explore a research facility sequestered deep underground and gather resources to craft weapons, armor, and tools to bolster their chances of survival and allow them to fend off all the nasties lurking just outside their base’s door. Abiotic Factor is somewhat Lethal Company-esque in a handful of its elements, including things like a scavenging system, multiplayer capabilities, and overall themes of sci-fi and unknown entities.

Slime Rancher

Cozy, Cute, And Slime-y Fun!

• Casual, relaxed, and fun in a visually pleasing environment
• Discover new resources and Slimes and expand the Ranch

Slime Rancher has a gorgeous world, a unique concept, beautiful art and music design, and a sequel to boot! Monomi Park’s pride and joy will no doubt please any fan looking for a wholesome and fun experience while enjoying an open-world game.

In Slime Rancher, there are 16 variants of Slimes for the player to collect and combine, and more than five beautiful biomes to discover. The player can build and manage their own little corner of the Far Far Range where they can raise Slimes, grow alien crops, and customize their base to their liking, and eventually (partially) automate with the Slime Science feature.

Raft

Resource Management, But With A Hangry Shark

• Unique scavenging system through fishing
• Procedurally generated exploration

Finding themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean with nothing more than a flimsy hook, players must survive and adapt in the vast, (mostly) empty ocean of Raft. With procedurally generated environments and tons to craft, manage, and discover, Raft is a fantastic choice for fans of the open-world resource management genre.

The player can turn their tiny, wooden raft into a self-sustaining, floating mansion with which they can plunder islands and unravel the narrative set before them. Raft also has co-op capabilities and tons of mods available to enhance and customize each play experience.

The Forest

Horrifying Open World Full Of Humanoid Cannibals

• A fresh, unsettling take on resource management
• Multiplayer capabilities

The Forest is a game that stands out from the crowd due to its horror elements and fascinating storyline; the intrigue of this game is ultimately its confusing and macabre nature, meanwhile offering a gigantic map for players to freely explore and a great building system to play around with.

A myriad of unsettling, not-quite-human enemies lurk all over the map, waiting to take the player on in combat. Players have the opportunity to acquire a vast variety of useful items with which they can protect and defend themselves, all while managing and expanding their base to improve its sustainability.

Stardew Valley

The Coziest Of 32-Bit Games

• Entirely customizable play experience
• Gargantuan amount of playable content

This famous title revolves entirely around being a farmer managing their own resources and land. Many long-time fans of this game praise the amount of content that it offers, and likewise, the massively expansive and detailed resource management system that comes along with it; players can organize everything on their farm exactly to their liking.

While this game may not be quite as open-world as some of the other titles on this list, it has a whole plethora of charming 32-bit environments to play in, and more collectibles than the player will know what to do with. For fans who enjoy the more fantastical elements of the game, Sun Haven is another great title in this genre with that familiar, cozy Stardew Valley feel.

Subnautica

Survive In The Deep, Dark Ocean Of Planet 4546-B

• Huge, open ocean for the player to explore
• Gives the player the ability to create multiple, specialized bases

In Subnautica, the player builds their own base from the seafloor up, therefore allowing for completely personalized resource management. Players also have the opportunity to set up multiple bases in the different biomes of 4546-B’s ocean and customize them based on the resources available in that region.

With a huge, open world and loads of alien marine life to discover, Subnautica is an all-time favorite that’s guaranteed to please any open-world gamer. Fans of Subnautica should also check out Planet Crafter; it has the same energy as Subnautica, but this title takes place on Mars.

Astroneer

Relaxed, Intergalactic Adventure Awaits!

• Entirely open universe to explore and discover
• Fantastic resource management system

Astroneer is very similar in nature to No Man’s Sky but has a considerably more streamlined resource management system, and a fun, simple, and colorful art style that makes the universe pleasantly vibrant.

There are countless planets for the player to explore and acquire resources from, and each entirely unique location offers nearly endless possibilities and a considerable amount of replayability value. On top of all this, the player has access to the entire universe and is free to explore wherever they like, making this a truly open-world game.

Satisfactory

Futuristic Industrial (Fully Automatic) Resource Harvesting

• Automation is everything
• Create an industrial empire

Incredibly expansive with tons of content and co-op capabilities, Satisfactory allows players to take complete control of the world around them through the power of automation. This game boasts many fully-developed features including customization, construction, and, of course, the ability to build an entire factory in a one hundred percent open world.

This sandbox is one of the best titles currently available in the genre. For fans of this game, Techtonica is another title that offers a similar experience, but with vibes that scream Subnautica in all the best ways.

Minecraft

Every Open-World Gamer’s Closest Friend

• Endless open-world sandbox opportunities
• Automate just about anything with Redstone

This classic title needs no introduction; Minecraft has been entertaining players for more than a decade as one of the ultimate sandbox games out there. Minecraft offers a staggering number of possibilities for resource management systems, many of them utilizing the mysterious and complex power of Redstone.

The game’s mechanics allow players to automate nearly anything one can think of, and create machines that have basically endless in-game possibilities. The close cousin of Minecraft – Terraria – is an honorable mention and a fellow crowd favorite.