Procedural generation is a common technique in computer programming to automate the creation of certain data according to guidelines set by the programmer. Many games generate aspects of the environment or non-player characters procedurally during the development process in order to save time on asset creation. For example, SpeedTree is a middleware package that procedurally generates trees which can be used to quickly populate a forest.[1] Whereas most games use this technique to create a static environment for the final product, some employ procedural generation as a game mechanic, such as to create new environments for the player to explore. The levels in Spelunky are procedurally generated by rearranging premade tiles of geometry into a level with an entrance, exit, a solvable path between the two, and obstacles to that path.[2] Other games procedurally generate other aspects of gameplay, such as the weapons in Borderlands which have randomized stats and configurations.[3]
This is a list of video games that use procedural generation as a core aspect of gameplay. Games that use procedural generation solely during development as part of asset creation are not included.
Games in the roguelike genre all have at least procedurally generated levels.[4]
Title | Year | Developer(s) | Procedural content |
---|---|---|---|
.kkrieger | 2004 | Farbrausch | Most of the meshes and textures are procedurally generated, and the music is procedurally generated during runtime.[5][unreliable source] |
Anarchy Online | 2001 | Funcom | Mission rewards, loot, dungeon layout, and location on the world map can be generated based on selections made at mission terminals.[6][unreliable source] |
Astroneer | 2019 | System Era Softworks | Procedural planet terrain.[7] |
Banished | 2014 | Shining Rock Software | Terrain map.[8] |
Borderlands series | 2009–2019 | Gearbox Software, 2K Australia | Weapons.[3] |
Civilization series | 1991–2018 | MicroProse, Activision, Firaxis Games | Customizable world map.[9] |
Core Keeper | 2022 | Pugstorm | Explore a procedurally generated underground world[10] |
Crypt of the NecroDancer | 2015 | Brace Yourself Games | 2D grid-based top-down dungeons with halls and rooms[11][12][13] with randomly placed enemies and items.[14] |
Deep Rock Galactic | 2018 | Ghost Ship Games | Cave systems separated into rooms and tunnels by walls of dirt.[15] |
Descenders | 2018 | RageSquid | 3D downhill courses on relatively dirt trails.[16] |
Don't Starve | 2013 | Klei Entertainment | Flat 2D world.[17] Later expanded with cavern systems[18] and oceans.[19] |
Dwarf Fortress | 2006 | Tarn Adams | Almost entirety of game content[20] based in a layered 3D world with elements like its history,[21] creatures and narrative,[22] religion,[23] etc. |
Elite | 1984 | David Braben, Ian Bell | Eight 3D wireframe galaxies consisting of 256 procedurally generated star systems each[24][25] |
Enter the Gungeon | 2016 | Dodge Roll | 2D flat dungeon levels made of room "chunks".[26] |
Factorio | 2016 | Wube Software | 2D terrain map generation.[27][non-primary source needed] |
Islanders | 2019 | Grizzly Games | 3D terrain generation of islands.[28] |
Left 4 Dead 2 | 2009 | Valve | Gameplay changes to match player's performance, such as enemies, paths, or weather.[29] |
Minecraft | 2011 | Mojang | 3D world primarily made of cube blocks.[30] Effectively infinite.[31] |
Minecraft Dungeons | 2020 | Mojang | Randomly-generated 3D dungeons filled with monsters, traps and puzzles, and treasures.[32][33] |
Mini Metro | 2015 | Dinosaur Polo Club | Abstract 2D levels and audio system.[34] |
No Man's Sky | 2016 | Hello Games | 3D galaxies with planets and their flora and fauna.[35][36] |
Pixel Piracy | 2015 | Quadro Delta | 2D world,[37] including islands, towns and shops, as well as ship's crew.[38] |
RimWorld | 2013 (EA) | Ludeon Studios | Customization 3D spherical world map and flat 2D gameplay map,[39] as well as many elements,[40] notably narrative and events.[41] |
Rogue Legacy | 2011 | Cellar Door Games | Side-scrolling castle,[42] made up of interconnected rooms. |
The Sentinel | 1986 | Firebird | 3D terrain generation for all 10,000 levels.[citation needed] |
Sir, You Are Being Hunted | 2014 | Big Robot | An open world island landscape.[43] |
Spelunky | 2008 | Mossmouth | Side-scrolling underground rectangular levels made up of tiles.[2] |
Spore | 2008 | Maxis | 3D creatures, tribes, civilizations, planets and terrain, spaceships and galaxies, music,[44][45] award-winning animation system.[46] |
Starbound | 2016 | Chucklefish | 2D side-scrolling planets[47] and content on them, such as dungeons and bosses.[48] |
Stardew Valley | 2016 | ConcernedApe | Cave areas[49] of increasing difficulty and loot.[50] |
Terraria | 2011 | Re-Logic | Side-scrolling rectangular 2D world.[51] |
The Binding of Isaac | 2011 | Edmund McMillen | Bird eye view 2D levels made up of interconnected rectangular rooms with random monsters and loot.[52] |
Valheim | 2021 | Irongate Studios | A procedurally-generated circular map of an archipelago of islands in an ocean; with the player starting the game in the center.[53] |
Vintage Story | 2016 | Anego Studios | A procedurally-generated voxel-based open world of up to 64 million square kilometres with an emphasis on realism. A 2023 update includes "upgraded world generation with various new land forms, a geologic activity system, and large scale mountain regions"[54] |
World of Warcraft | 2020 | Blizzard Entertainment | Torghast, a dungeon with procedurally-generated enemy spawns.[55] |
Microsoft Minesweeper | 1990 | Microsoft | Rectangular grid of hidden mines.[56] |
Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of games using procedural generation.
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