One of the most rewarding aspects of playing video games is having the option to build and/or decorate your dream house. Player housing usually serves multiple purposes, including but not limited to being a base for fast travel, restoring health, gaining buffs, and repairing armor and weapons. While more games, both multiplayer and single-player, begin to include various forms of player housing systems, not all are alike, and many leave much to be desired.

Being able to express your creativity through building and or decorating your home in a video game is pique immersion. While many games have some sort of housing system, not all of them are as fun or rewarding or allow for extensive customizations. If you’re looking for video games with player housing these games stand out as games with the best housing in 2024.

MMOs and Multiplayer Games with the Best Housing

Create your own cozy space when you buy a house in the mysterious and dangerous lands of Aeternum in the New World. To purchase a house, players must achieve a Territory Standing of ten or higher in the desired location. To increase your Territory Standing, complete various activities within the territory, such as missions, crafting, and participating in local projects that build up the town. Once this standing is reached and the player's character has attained Level 15, they can choose from a variety of houses, each with its own set of features and costs.

The Elder Scrolls Online has arguably one of the best player housing systems in gaming. Choose your homes from a selection of simple apartments to grand manors. Players can buy houses with in-game gold or real money via Crowns, and some are available as rewards for completing quests and achievements. There is no limit to how many properties a player can have. There are no weekly costs, but players can purchase furniture and decorations as well as acquire furniture from adventuring throughout Tamriel.

The Fallout 76 housing system revolves around constructing and customizing personal shelters known as "C.A.M.P. s" (Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform). Players can place their C.A.M.P. almost anywhere in the game world, allowing for flexibility in location choice. C.A.M.P.s serve as a home base where players can build structures, decorate interiors, and craft items. Players can even sell items to other players who visit their C.A.M.P. There are no weekly costs, but players must gather the resources to build and decorate their homes. Players will also have to defend their homes from the environment and possibly other players.

In Final Fantasy XIV, housing is a coveted feature where players can own and customize their own living spaces within various residential districts across the game world. Players can purchase land or apartments, and then personalize their homes with a plethora of furniture, decorations, and outdoor furnishings. Players can visit each other's homes, host gatherings, and showcase their creativity through intricate designs. However, purchasing property can be competitive due to limited availability and high demand, often resulting in long waiting lists or expensive transactions in the player-driven housing market. The exclusivity of housing in FFXIV gives players a certain prestige and status.

In V Rising, the housing system is a key feature that allows players to establish and customize their vampire lairs. Though V Rising is tagged as an MMO, players can also create private servers where they can play solo or invite friends, similar to Fallout 76. Players choose their lairs strategically, balancing resource gathering, defense, and expansion. The housing system offers extensive customization options, allowing players to design and furnish their lairs according to their tastes and needs. Players can also recruit minions to help defend their lairs and gather resources. Additionally, lairs serve as hubs for crafting, research, and other activities essential for vampire survival and dominance. The housing system fosters competition, as players vie for territory and resources in a dynamic, ever-changing world.

Single Player Games with the Best Housing Systems

Fallout 4 housing system centers around settlement building, allowing players to create and manage their own communities. Players can reclaim and develop various settlements scattered throughout the Boston wasteland, constructing buildings, defenses, and infrastructure to support both residents and companions. The settlement-building system offers extensive customization options, where players can build structures from a variety of scavenged materials, furnish interiors, and even establish supply lines between settlements for resource management. Settlements can attract NPCs, who contribute to the community's growth and defense. Furthermore, players can assign tasks to settlers, such as farming, trading, or providing security.

Starfield‘s housing system, like Fallout 76’s C.A.M.P. system, allows players to build and decorate outposts on different planets and moons. At the outpost, players can harvest resources from alien plant life creatures in addition to mining resources. Players can also purchase and decorate a house in one of the major cities. There are nine purchasable homes and one home that a player can get by choosing the Dream Home trait and the Parent’s Home apartment by choosing the Kid’s Stuff trait when creating your character. There is no limit to how many homes one can purchase. However, there is a limit to how many outposts a player can have. However, unlocking certain skills allows players to increase how many outposts they have.

There’s also shipbuilding. Your ship is your home. You can build and customize your ship as you unlock corresponding skills to do so. Not only is your starship your mode of transportation, but it’s your storage and defense system while amongst the stars.

The allure of player housing remains a cornerstone of immersive gameplay as more games begin to include player housing systems. From serving as a hub for strategic advantages to being an avenue for creative expression, the significance of having your own virtual safe haven cannot be overstated. As gaming continues to expand its horizons, the diversity and depth of housing systems have become pivotal in defining the player's journey. As developers strive for innovation and players seek new realms to explore, video games with player housing stand as a testament to the boundless possibilities within the gaming landscape.

Which game has the best housing system for you?