Necesse Review — Is It Worth Buying?

Necesse left Early Access in October 2025 and has earned a Very Positive rating on Steam with 94% of 23,000+ reviews being positive. Here's what you need to know before buying.

What Is Necesse?

Necesse is a top-down open-world sandbox RPG. You build settlements, recruit NPCs, explore procedurally generated worlds, mine resources, farm crops, and fight 20 bosses — solo or with friends online.

The community's favorite way to describe it: "the art style of Stardew Valley, the combat of Terraria, the automation of The Survivalists, and the romance of Baldur's Gate 3." That mashup sounds impossible, but Necesse actually pulls it off.

If you've played Terraria, you'll recognize the loop: gather, craft, fight bosses, unlock new areas. The twist: you can assign NPCs to do the work you don't want to do.

Gameplay Breakdown

The Good

• Settlement management is the standout feature. Recruiting 16 different NPCs and watching them farm, mine, craft, and fight for you is genuinely satisfying.
• Solo or co-op from the start — multiplayer works seamlessly. Friends can join your existing world or you can start fresh together.
• Deep progression — 20 bosses, 148+ weapons, 43 armor sets, 4 class types. Hundreds of hours of content.
• Steam Workshop & mod support — an active modding community with quality-of-life and content mods.
• Active development — the Rust & Romance update (v1.3) added romance systems, NPC personalities, and more.

The Not-So-Good

• Direction can be lacking — the game doesn't always tell you where to go next. New players can feel lost (that's why we made this wiki).
• Night enemies are more annoying than threatening — once NPCs handle defense, nights become routine.
• Boss difficulty spikes — some mid-game bosses feel like a wall if you're under-geared. Multiplayer boss HP scaling can make fights harder, not easier.
• Late-game grind — Tungsten and Void Shard farming can feel repetitive.

Verdict: 8/10

At $14.99, Necesse is an easy recommendation for fans of Terraria, Starbound, RimWorld, or Stardew Valley. The settlement system sets it apart from other sandbox survival games, and the amount of content for the price is excellent.

It's best enjoyed with friends, but perfectly playable solo. If you enjoy games where you set your own goals and build something over dozens of hours, Necesse delivers.

Ready to start? Begin with our Beginner Guide. Wondering how it compares? See Necesse vs Core Keeper.