2026 Has a Game That Could Be the Minecraft Replacement You Need

Fans of Minecraft know that even fresh worlds and new adventures don’t always last, causing friends to drop a shared game after some experimenting. Those looking to escape the expected with that well-known survival sandbox should branch out to other games in the genre, which provide fresh innovations on beloved systems. One such title is doing that right now, entering early playtesting to challenge Minecraft‘s monotonous approach to its sandbox worlds.

Among many survival games that improve the genre, Minecraft has long held an iconic status through its longevity. Even now, Minecraft is still getting updates that make experimenting with new world seeds something that many players return to on new servers with friends. However, the continued repetition of Minecraft can become exhausting, showing the game’s fundamental limitations compared to other games that take risks with the survival sandbox archetype.

Reforj Offers Pre-Alpha Playtesting For A Promising Survival Experience From Ex-Minecraft Developers

Reforj is another survival sandbox game developed by 4J Studios, the group that brought Minecraft to consoles over several years. This new title has clear inspiration from this developer team’s experiences, creating procedurally generated worlds for you and your friends to explore. Vast, dynamic, and changing landscapes present a gorgeous look into huge environments, even within pre-alpha footage shown off during the game’s Xbox Insider trailer.

Further gameplay shows that Reforj gives players tons of freedom to shape the world as they see fit, using crafting and block placing mechanics similar to the game’s Minecraft roots. Both first and third-person perspectives add layers of immersion to this title as you search for more resources to develop the tools you need for survival. Strange creatures, dangerous subterranean realms, and more resemble even more Minecraft similarities, but there are some other features that let the game stand on its own.

For starters, the scale of this game is far larger than Minecraft, with its world feeling larger than life in some aspects. Everything you build has greater scope too, requiring a greater attention to detail to make complicated bases or structures. Extra customization to the shape of each block you put down also gives you greater creative freedom when building, granting detailed authenticity to the things you make. Huge mansions and city blocks shown in Reforj‘s trailer had a stunning level of realism that even Minecraft sometimes fails to reach.

Massive Multiplayer Sandboxes Offer Large Scale Collaborations Between Friends

Multiplayer seems to be a core part of Reforj, having at least four players come together to collaborate on large building projects together. Given the unique properties some materials have, such as the ability to bounce and explode, having multiple people discovering what resources do can lead to big moments of discovery. Considering how Reforj contains secrets to a lost civilization for its story, you might want multiple players searching for hints in huge worlds.

There is a strong possibility that this game will also allow even more players to get together in a server for massive multiplayer gatherings too. While perhaps not available during playtesting, Reforj‘s design seems tailor-made for large-scale building developments between groups of players who personalize landscapes into something unique to their collaboration. Considering the dangers of Reforj‘s environments too, having friends to help you brave hostile areas will also create memorable experiences that let this game shine.

Strong Potential Could Cause Reforj To Become As Big As Minecraft After Updates

Currently, playtesting for Reforj is limited to players who sign up to be “Pioneers” through the game’s pre-alpha program. Consistent feedback from playtesters is sure to transform this title into something better than it already is, putting it perhaps into a more widespread Early Access this year. With features already on par with Minecraft‘s, the survival game innovations that could come from Reforj‘s continued development could be truly impressive.

It is unclear when Reforj will officially launch since the game is still within its earliest stages, but the public nature of it gives players a larger idea of how the title will change over time. Improvements to visuals, gameplay, or multiplayer elements has a chance to elevate Reforj to special levels, maybe even helping it stand shoulder to shoulder with Minecraft when everything is said and done.

What do you think about Reforj based on its pre-alpha playtesting footage? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!