3. Minecraft

NEW AQUATIC UPDATE GAMEPLAY! - Minecraft 1.13 Ocean Update Snapshot 18W07A (gameplay)

This comparison is obvious, but only because it’s still very relevant.

Minecraft is a survival game, with an emphasis on… everything. I’ll never, ever forget my first night in Minecraft - I holed myself up in a mountainside and felt my heartbeat in my ears as I tried to will the creeper outside my door to go away, still aching from the awe I’d felt cresting the mountain thirty seconds earlier.

Combat, farming, survival, crafting, exploration, and building are Minecraft’s core mechanics, and all of them are well-rounded, a one-size-fits-all of playstyles. Minecraft was a big moment in video game history, and if you haven’t played it yet, I urge you to go see what all the fuss was about.

Sea to shining sea: Minecraft’s nigh-infinite worlds are the perfect sandbox

Passion project: one of Minecraft’s greatest assets is its community - there are thousands of user-created mods, maps and servers that can change the face of the game entirely