Compare free games like Valheim
Find the features you want to keep and the compromises you can live with. No invented similarity scores—just sourced differences.
Showing all six games. Scroll the table horizontally on a smaller screen.
| Your priority |  Veloren |  Muck |  Wurm Online |  Haven & Hearth |  Once Human |  UnReal World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free access | Free & open source | Free on Steam | Free with progression limits | Free with optional paid benefits | Free to play · in-app purchases | Free legacy version |
| Closest fit | Fantasy exploration | Co-op survival | Deep building | Settlement life | Modern survival | Solo survival |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows (Steam) | Desktop; see official client downloads | Desktop Java client; see official play page | Windows (PC listing reviewed) | Windows, macOS & Linux legacy downloads |
| Play mode | Single-player, multiplayer & self-hosting | Single-player, online co-op & PvP | Persistent online MMORPG; PvE or PvP servers | Persistent online MMORPG | Online MMO; co-op & PvP features | Single-player, turn-based survival |
| Building | Admin build mode; not a normal survival building loop | Gather resources & build a base | Terraforming, houses, roads & ships | Land claims, buildings, crops & villages | Territory-based house construction | Shelter and wilderness living |
| Progression | Equipment, weapon skills & dungeon exploration | Run-based survival, crafted gear & powerups | Crafting and other skills; free skill cap of 20 | Skills and settlement development; paid acceleration available | Equipment, weapons & survival progression | Survival skills in a low-fantasy roguelike |
| World | Procedural fantasy world | Procedurally generated island | Persistent, player-shaped medieval world | Shared wilderness inspired by Slavic and Germanic folklore | Post-apocalyptic open world | Iron Age northern wilderness |
| Main caveat | It is an RPG-first alternative. Do not choose it expecting Valheim’s everyday survival base building. | A survival roguelike, rather than a long-form fantasy RPG campaign. | The developer states that free accounts have a skill cap of 20; premium raises the ceiling to 100. | Paid verification and subscriptions offer inventory and character-development benefits. The developer also warns that worlds may be reset during development. | The setting and gun-focused combat differ substantially. The Steam listing includes in-app and chance-based purchases. | The official page explicitly says 3.71 is not the latest version. Current commercial releases are listed separately. |
| Official route | Official download | Official download | Official download | Official download | Official download | Official download |
Choose by the part of Valheim you enjoy
If you want fantasy action and travelling with friends, look first at Veloren. If you want resources, a base and co-op pressure within a survival run, look at Muck. Wurm Online and Haven & Hearth are worth examining for persistent settlement projects, with their account conditions understood.
Once Human is a modern, online survival alternative with a different setting. UnReal World offers a solo northern wilderness RPG through a clearly labelled free older release. The table keeps these distinctions visible instead of treating a shared genre tag as proof of equivalence.
Read “free” carefully
Veloren and Muck have current no-cost routes. Wurm Online has a free skill ceiling. Haven & Hearth sells account benefits. Once Human includes purchases. UnReal World’s free build is a legacy release.
What the alternatives actually costEach game name opens a full guide with original source links. This comparison is an editorial interpretation of those sources; it is not a benchmark or a claim that every feature is identical.