List of games using procedural generation

Short description: none

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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.

## Contents

* 1 List
* 1.1 Roguelike games
* 1.2 Other
* 2 References

## List

### Roguelike games

Games in the roguelike genre all have at least procedurally generated levels.[4]

### Other

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Title  | Year  | Developer(s)  | Procedural content

|
|
|

.kkrieger | 2004  | Farbrausch  | \-  | 7 Days to Die  | 2013  | The Fun Pimps  | Maps (Worlds) can be generated, either randomly, using a seed, or via third party tools.

The distribution of POIs and loot is also generative.

Anarchy Online | 2001  | Funcom  | \-  | 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  | Explorable 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]
Cubic Odyssey | 2025  | Atypical Games  | Voxel-based 3D planets, star systems.[15]
Deep Rock Galactic | 2018  | Ghost Ship Games | Cave systems separated into rooms and tunnels by walls of dirt.[16]
Descenders | 2018  | RageSquid  | 3D downhill courses on relatively dirt trails.[17]
Don't Starve | 2013  | Klei Entertainment | Flat 2D world.[18] Later expanded with cavern systems[19] and oceans.[20]
Dwarf Fortress | 2006  | Tarn Adams  | Almost entirety of game content[21] based in a layered 3D world with elements like its history,[22] creatures and narrative,[23] religion,[24] etc.
Elite | 1984  | David Braben, Ian Bell  | Eight 3D wireframe galaxies consisting of 256 procedurally generated star systems each[25][26]
Enter the Gungeon | 2016  | Dodge Roll  | 2D flat dungeon levels made of room "chunks".[27]
Factorio | 2016  | Wube Software  | 2D terrain map generation.[28][non-primary source needed]
Fractal Block World | 2021  | Dan Hathaway  | Recursive 3D landscapes made of cube blocks.[29]
Fuel | 2009  | Asobo Studio | 3D terrain, uses a fixed map seed.[30]
Islanders | 2019  | Grizzly Games  | 3D terrain generation of islands.[31]
Left 4 Dead 2 | 2009  | Valve | Gameplay changes to match player's performance, such as enemies, paths, or weather.[32]
Minecraft | 2011  | Mojang Studios | Voxel-based 3D world.[33] Effectively infinite.[34]
Minecraft Dungeons | 2020  | Mojang Studios  | Randomly-generated 3D dungeons filled with monsters, traps and puzzles, and treasures.[35][36]
Mini Metro | 2015  | Dinosaur Polo Club  | Abstract 2D levels and audio system.[37]
No Man's Sky | 2016  | Hello Games | 3D galaxies with planets and their flora and fauna.[38][39]
Pixel Piracy | 2015  | Quadro Delta  | 2D world,[40] including islands, towns and shops, as well as ship's crew.[41]
RimWorld | 2013 (EA)  | Ludeon Studios  | Customization 3D spherical world map and flat 2D gameplay map,[42] as well as many elements,[43] notably narrative and events.[44]
Rogue Legacy | 2011  | Cellar Door Games  | Side-scrolling castle,[45] made up of interconnected rooms.
The Sentinel | 1986  | Firebird
Sir, You Are Being Hunted | 2014  | Big Robot | An open world island landscape.[46]
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,[47][48] award-winning animation system.[49]
Starbound | 2016  | Chucklefish | 2D side-scrolling planets[50] and content on them, such as dungeons and bosses.[51]
Stardew Valley | 2016  | ConcernedApe  | Cave areas[52] of increasing difficulty and loot.[53]
Starfield | 2023  | Bethesda Softworks | 3D planet terrain and structures, with the exception of hand-crafted cities; events.[54]
Super Meat Boy Forever | 2020  | Team Meat  | 2D levels made of procedurally connected level parts.[55]
Terraria | 2011  | Re-Logic | Side-scrolling rectangular 2D world.[56]
The Binding of Isaac | 2011  | Edmund McMillen  | Bird eye view 2D levels made up of interconnected rectangular rooms with random monsters and loot.[57]
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.[58]
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"[59]
Software:World of Warcraft: Shadowlands | 2020  | Blizzard Entertainment | Torghast, a dungeon with procedurally-generated enemy spawns.[60]
Microsoft Minesweeper | 1990  | Microsoft | Rectangular grid of hidden mines.[61]

## References

1. ↑ Davenport, James (6 September 2017). "From the Elder Scrolls to the US Secret Service: Where videogame trees come from". https://www.pcgamer.com/from-the-elder-scrolls-to-the-us-secret-service-where-videogame-trees-come-from/.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Plunkett, Luke (9 December 2013). "See How Spelunky Levels Are Made". https://kotaku.com/see-how-spelunky-levels-are-made-1479192650.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "How many weapons are in Borderlands 2?". 16 July 2012. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-07-16-how-many-weapons-are-in-borderlands-2.
4. ↑ Fogel, Stefanie (12 June 2017). "7 roguelikes that every developer should study" (in en). https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-roguelikes-that-every-developer-should-study.
5. ↑ "Weighing in at just 96KB, this is definitely the lightest 3D game in human history". 11 March 2016. https://gamek.vn/pc-console/nang-chi-96kb-day-chac-chan-la-game-3d-nhe-nhat-trong-lich-su-loai-nguoi-20160311172117339.chn.
6. ↑ Venter, Jason (9 October 2013). "Anarchy Online Classic – Blitzing Guide". https://www.ign.com/wikis/anarchy-online/Classic_-_Blitzing_Guide. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
7. ↑ "System Era's Charming Low-Poly Space Frontier Comes to Life in Astroneer". Only Single Player. 23 February 2016. https://onlysp.escapistmagazine.com/astroneer-interview/.
8. ↑ Dean, Paul (28 February 2014). "Banished review". https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-25-banished-review. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
9. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (10 March 2010). "Civilization V Preview: Small Changes, Big Differences". https://kotaku.com/civilization-v-preview-small-changes-big-differences-5489814.
10. ↑ "Core Keeper". https://store.steampowered.com/app/1621690/Core_Keeper/.
11. ↑ "Review: Crypt of the NecroDancer". 24 April 2015. https://www.hardcoregamer.com/2015/04/24/review-crypt-of-the-necrodancer/145786/. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
12. ↑ Thursten, Chris (12 May 2015). "Crypt of the Necrodancer review". https://www.pcgamer.com/crypt-of-the-necrodancer-review/. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
13. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (10 July 2015). "Crypt of the NecroDancer to get jiggy on PS4 and Vita". https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-07-10-crypt-of-the-necrodancer-to-get-jiggy-on-ps4-and-vita. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
14. ↑ Rob Rich (6 July 2016). "Crypt of the NecroDancer Review: Disco Inferno". https://www.gamezebo.com/2016/07/06/crypt-necrodancer-review-disco-inferno/. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
15. ↑ Allsop, Ken (2025-09-12). "This intergalactic answer to Minecraft just embraced the unknown, No Man's Sky style" (in en-US). https://www.pcgamesn.com/cubic-odyssey/adventure-update.
16. ↑ Wiltshire, Alex (19 March 2018). "How Deep Rock Galactic mines fun from absolute darkness". https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/03/19/how-deep-rock-galactic-mines-fun-from-absolute-darkess/. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
17. ↑ Bowman, Mitch (2018-02-09). "Downhill biking game Descenders could be the heir to Skate's throne" (in en-US). PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/downhill-biking-game-descenders-could-be-the-heir-to-skates-throne/. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
18. ↑ Meer, Alec (26 April 2013). "Wot I Think: Don't Starve". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/04/26/dont-starve-review/.
19. ↑ V, Perry (22 May 2013). "Don't Starve update adds caves and bunnies". https://www.pcgamer.com/dont-starve-update-adds-caves-and-bunnies/.
20. ↑ Clark, Tim (12 January 2016). Don't Starve: Shipwrecked is a breath of fresh... Nope, that's a hurricane. https://www.pcgamer.com/dont-starve-shipwrecked-is-a-breath-of-fresh-nope-thats-a-hurricane/.
21. ↑ Fenlon, Wes (31 March 2016). Dwarf Fortress' creator on how he's 42% towards simulating existence. https://www.pcgamer.com/dwarf-fortress-creator-on-how-hes-42-towards-simulating-existence/.
22. ↑ "Dwarf Fortress will crush your CPU because creating history is hard". 23 July 2014. https://www.polygon.com/2014/7/23/5926447/dwarf-fortress-will-crush-your-cpu-because-creating-history-is-hard.
23. ↑ Weiner, Jonah (21 July 2011). "The Brilliance of Dwarf Fortress". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/magazine/the-brilliance-of-dwarf-fortress.html.
24. ↑ Johnson, Mark (5 August 2016). "Generation Next, Part 2: How To Generate A Religion". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/08/05/how-to-procedurally-generate-religion-politics/.
25. ↑ Spufford, Francis (2003-10-18). "Backroom Boys by Francis Spufford" (in en). http://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/oct/18/features.weekend.
26. ↑ "» Elite (or, The Universe on 32 K Per Day) The Digital Antiquarian" (in en-US). https://www.filfre.net/2013/12/elite/.
27. ↑ "Enter the Gungeon PC Review: A Fistful of Bullets". 9 April 2016. https://www.usgamer.net/articles/enter-the-gungeon-pc-review.
28. ↑ "Map generator - Factorio Wiki". https://wiki.factorio.com/World_generator#Chunks.
29. ↑ Dan Hathaway. "Fractal Block World". http://danthemanhathaway.com/ComputerGames/FractalBlockWorld/index.html.
30. ↑ Hogarty, Steve (2008-12-20). "FUEL" (in en). https://www.gamesradar.com/fuel-2/.
31. ↑ Moore, Michael (28 Apr 2019). "These two city-building puzzle games play very differently, but share a grim outlook on the environment". https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/28/18512527/islanders-20-minute-metropolis-simcity-nature-short-play.
32. ↑ Walker, John (1 June 2009). "Left 4 Dead 2: Exclusive RPS Hands-On Preview". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/06/01/left-4-dead-2-exclusive-rps-preview/. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
33. ↑ "Here's how 'Minecraft' creates its gigantic worlds". 5 March 2015. https://www.engadget.com/2015/03/04/how-minecraft-worlds-are-made/.
34. ↑ "Just how big is a Minecraft world? Big, as it turns out.". 7 February 2013. https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/just-how-big-minecraft-world-big-it-turns-out.
35. ↑ "'Minecraft Dungeons' is a blocky, smash-and-slash adventure" (in en). 11 June 2019. https://www.engadget.com/2019/06/11/minecraft-dungeons-is-a-blocky-smash-and-slash-adventure/.
36. ↑ Campbell, Colin (2019-06-10). "Minecraft Dungeons is simple, Diablo-inspired fun for the family". https://www.polygon.com/e3/2019/6/10/18660635/minecraft-dungeons-release-date-xbox-one-pc-ps4-e3-2019.
37. ↑ Curry, Peter (15 June 2016). "Postmortem: Dinosaur Polo Club's Mini Metro". https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/postmortem-dinosaur-polo-club-s-i-mini-metro-i-.
38. ↑ "After two years, is No Man's Sky everything Hello Games originally promised?". 10 August 2018. https://www.gamesradar.com/no-mans-sky-revisited/.
39. ↑ Alexandra, Heather (18 October 2016). "A Look At How No Man's Sky's Procedural Generation Works". https://kotaku.com/a-look-at-how-no-mans-skys-procedural-generation-works-1787928446.
40. ↑ Boccher, Mike (21 January 2016). "Pirate simulator Pixel Piracy headed to Xbox One and PS4". https://www.gamezone.com/news/pirate-simulator-pixel-piracy-headed-to-xbox-one-and-ps4-3432534/. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
41. ↑ "Pixel Piracy Review: What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor?". 11 August 2014. https://www.player.one/pixel-piracy-review-what-shall-we-do-drunken-sailor-376736. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
42. ↑ Smith, Adam (20 December 2016). "RimWorld's huge Wanderlust update is world-changing". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/12/20/rimworld-wanderlust-update/.
43. ↑ Moser, Cassidee (11 August 2016). "How RimWorld fleshes out the Dwarf Fortress formula". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/278691/How_RimWorld_fleshes_out_the_Dwarf_Fortress_formula.php. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
44. ↑ Wiltshire, Alex (12 August 2016). "How RimWorld Generates Great Stories". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/08/12/how-rimworld-generates-great-stories/.
45. ↑ "The making of Rogue Legacy". 29 July 2013. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-29-the-making-of-rogue-legacy.
46. ↑ "Sir, You Are Being Hunted, and the advantages of procedural generation". 27 May 2014. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/218371/Sir_You_Are_Being_Hunted_and_the_advantages_of_procedural_generation.php.
47. ↑ Garst, Aron (11 September 2018). "Developing Spore : An oral ('Sporal'?) history 10 years on". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/326148/Developing_Spore_An_oral_Sporal_history_10_years_on.php. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
48. ↑ Kohler, Chris (13 March 2008). "Designer Will Wright Walks Us Through Spore". Wired. https://www.wired.com/2008/03/gallery-spore/. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
49. ↑ IGN Staff (15 October 2008). "Spore Honored with 2008 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award". https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/15/spore-honored-with-2008-popular-mechanics-breakthrough-award. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
50. ↑ Grayson, Nathan (4 August 2016). "Starbound: The Kotaku Review". https://kotaku.com/starbound-the-kotaku-review-1784846645. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
51. ↑ Sykes, Tom (18 December 2016). "Starbound's Vault update adds procedural dungeons, procedural bosses". https://www.pcgamer.com/starbounds-vault-update-adds-procedural-dungeons-procedural-bosses/. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
52. ↑ "How did indie farming sim Stardew Valley top the Steam sales chart?". 29 February 2016. https://www.polygon.com/2016/2/29/11134934/stardew-valley-steam-indie-farming-rpg-harvest-moon.
53. ↑ "Stardew Valley review". 10 October 2017. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-09-stardew-valley-review.
54. ↑ "Starfield review - a game about exploration, without exploration" (in en). Eurogamer.net. 2023-09-14. https://www.eurogamer.net/starfield-review.
55. ↑ "Team Meat Is Showing Off Its Meaty Sequel: Super Meat Boy Forever" (in en). Kotaku Australia. 2017-09-02. https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/09/team-meat-is-showing-off-its-meaty-sequel-super-meat-boy-forever/.
56. ↑ Mc Shea, Tim (May 31, 2011). "Terraria Review, Terraria PC Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/terraria-review/1900-6316247/.
57. ↑ "The Binding of Isaac takes on religion in a randomly generated Zelda-styled Roguelike". 29 September 2011. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/09/the-binding-of-isaac-takes-on-religion-in-a-randomly-generated-zelda-styled-roguelike/.
58. ↑ Toms, Ollie (11 February 2021). "Valheim map: Biomes, placing map markers, how to ping the map". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/valheim-map-biomes-placing-map-markers-how-to-ping-the-map.
59. ↑ Dawe, Liam (18 April 2023). "Survival game Vintage Story set for a huge update with a big story event". Gaming on Linux. https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/04/survival-game-vintage-story-set-for-a-huge-update-with-a-big-story-event/.
60. ↑ "Polygon article on Shadowlands". 20 April 2020. https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/20/21228552/world-warcraft-shadowlands-torghast-tower-damned-anima-powers-alpha-tarragrue.
61. ↑ "The most successful game ever: a history of Minesweeper". 28 May 2022. https://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/the-most-successful-game-ever-a-history-of-minesweeper-596504.

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