It's safe to say that Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is heads and shoulders above other games when it comes to its fusion system. Not only does it allow players to strap anything together, but its unique physics engine allows multiple systems to interact with each other seamlessly. In fact, it's so complex that it effectively delayed the game from 2022 to its final release date of May 12, 2023.
While no other game exists with this kind of physics engine, there are plenty of games with building mechanics that allow for creative builds on par with Tears of The Kingdom. Some embrace building fantastic constructs, while others use this mechanic for immersion and story purposes.
10 Kerbal Space Program
Though ToTK allows players to build multistage rockets to roam the skies, its upper sky limit doesn't extend to the stars. Kerbal Space Program, as the name implies, is all about broaching that upper limit.
Kerbal shot to popularity due to its extensive rocket-building feature and the myriad ways they can blow up. The game's progressive learning curve, hardcore physics, and encouragement of players to keep going endeared it to many budding builders.
Players who want an updated game are in luck, as Kerbal Space Program 2 is currently in Early Access.
9 Besiege
Besiege skips the war games to focus on constructing medieval siege engines and utter destruction. Each level in Besiege encourages players to use their creativity to solve a problem, which usually boils down to destroying enemy lines. Players can follow the game's guide for creating death machines, or they can mess around and play with its responsive physics to solve the set problem.
Its core gameplay loop of planning, building, and testing creates a compelling momentum that drives the game forward. Even when going by a rote plan, players can build on these plans or even take away parts for minimalist builds.
8 Fallout 4
Fallout 4 introduced base building to the long-running WRPG series. It's one of the first mechanics introduced in-game, and it's useful for players who love to gather loot. By putting settlers to work, players also regenerate resources through building and gardening.
The Workshop DLCs expand the base game's building features exponentially and give players more incentive to engage in the mechanic. Fallout 4's community has also produced excellent settlement mods that can make bases truly feel like thriving communities in the wasteland.
7 Astroneer
Continuing in the line of space is Astroneer, a game where players explore a galaxy full of unique biomes. To explore these planets efficiently, players build bases using a 3D printer and blueprints from their backpacks. Players are free to build wherever on the planet they want and have a variety of buildings to choose from in building their colonies.
Building in Astroneer can be lonesome for some, which is why its multiplayer mode is a boon for players who want more hands on deck. Whether they're building alone or in groups, colonies can consist of science centers, scrappers, furnaces, huge 3D printers, and whatever can make their space journey easier.
6 Sons Of The Forest
The anticipated sequel to the survival multiplayer game The Forest, Sons of the Forest, features a deeper building system to keep up with its huge map size. As ever, building a defensible base is crucial for surviving the night and storing resources. Players can build the old way using blueprints from their guidebook, or they can free build.
The new free-building system lets players build what they want without a blueprint. Players only have to set down materials in a way they think would build a set. They can bring this kind of creativity to blueprint builds as well, as every building can be modified or added on.
5 TerraTech
Colorful, nostalgic, and full of adventures, TerraTech unleashes players in a world where they can build blocky contraptions reminiscent of their childhood. Except this time, players can strap guns, engines, and futuristic tech on their Lego-like vehicles. They can then pit these vehicles against AI-controlled opponents in solo modes or against fellow builders in multiplayer modes.
TerraTech, an all-ages game, fulfills the childhood urge to build contraptions and smash them together in fantastic battles. But it also offers some difficulty, as players must unlock better blocks and weapons through rudimentary challenges.
4 Requisition VR
This survival base building game ramps up the tension of a zombie apocalypse with physics-based weapon fusion. With handy dandy duct tape and some creativity, players can make truly absurd weapons. Whether they're mannequins with circular saws on the end, basketball-throwing axes, or plank walls with a shovel and swirling katanas, the sky's the limit for weapon making.
Requisition VR's devs admit to taking inspiration from Dead Rising, which introduced many players to this kind of weapon creation. As of writing, the game has left Early Access and is available as a full game.
3 Poly Bridge 2
Poly Bridge 2 brings an overhauled physics engine to the table, along with new mechanics and brain-teasing levels. True to the spirit of the first game, players must wrack their brains and find a way to solve puzzles through bridge building, regardless if players build an actual bridge or not. Thanks to its improvements, players can make truly absurd contraptions to clear levels, which they can share with its active community, or even their favorite Twitch streamer.
Players can even compete with each other. Publisher Dry Cactus maintains verified leaderboards that track various in-game statistics. Some of these stats include each player's budget per bridge, max joint stress, and material footprint. Looking at the leaderboards, then player forums reveal funny conversations, including old posts where new players are baffled over $0 builds.
If players want a new dose of bridge-making, they don't have to wait for too long, as Poly Bridge 3 will be released on May 31, 2023.
2 Scrap Mechanic
Tears of the Kingdom's building mechanics give way to great vehicle customization. In Scrap Mechanic, players can make their own transforming vehicles with more than 400 building parts in-game and a thousand more through mods.
Players are free to make anything through Creative Mode, and they can also take on challenges through Survival and Challenge Mode. Because of its mechanics, players can engineer caravans of monster trucks, moving houses, planes, and anything they can conceive of. Developer Axolot Games also swore to update the 2016-era game more to appease long-time fans.
1 Death Stranding
Though released in 2019, players still go back to Death Stranding. Aside from its mind-blowing story and atmosphere, its building mechanics compel players to boot it back up. Players are reloading their saves to help other players by laying down roads, bridges, zip lines, and other structures that help with traversal, storage, and protection.
Death Stranding's theme of connections is realized in this multiplayer aspect of the game. It also gives players an easier time on the road, as they can gain access to constructions made by other players. They can even help other players by returning or even delivering their lost cargo for likes, which can help build the player's abilities.