[Craft Survival Special] Goblins Take Revenge on Humans, a Terraforming Game with Amazing Feel—2 Survival Titles at TGS2026

Survival games have now become a staple across PC, console, and mobile platforms, with many players enjoying survival experiences set in a variety of worlds.

In Game*Spark’s “Craft Survival Guide,” a writer who loves this genre introduces and explains the appeal of craft survival games, focusing primarily on classic titles.As a special edition, this time we’ll introduce two highly anticipated games showcased at the “Tokyo Game Show 2026,” held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture starting September 17, 2026!

*Goblin Island*: Reclaim Your Home from the Humans!

First up is *Isle Goblin*, which was on display at the Pocketpair booth. The game is developed by Kilowatt Games, led by independent developer Matt, and published by
Fireshine Games and Pocketpair Publishing.

The game features a 2D top-down perspective, and players take on the role of goblins whose homes have been destroyed by humans; the goal is to defeat the humans and reclaim “Goblin Island.” During the hands-on demo, we were able to experience the game from the world-building phase onward, and the introductory sequence featured striking animations that vividly showcased the humans’ barbaric acts.

It follows a classic crafting-survival style, where you gather resources with axes and pickaxes to craft equipment and build a base.The surviving goblins first asked me to build a house, so I gathered materials from nearby trees, rocks, and monsters. Since you can dig right through earthen walls and other structures, you can really enjoy the thrill of mining.

Combat involves making full use of weapons and dodging rolls. Not only are there monsters around your base, but there are also humans who’ve settled in as if the place belongs to them—so go ahead and take them down. You can gather materials from human dwellings, and of course, you can also defeat humans to obtain meat and other resources. Completing early quests gradually unlocked new facilities.

The game runs smoothly, and the sense of mining—where you can destroy almost everything around you—is incredibly satisfying! The fact that the protagonist’s starting point has been destroyed wasn’t just limited to ruined buildings; the despair induced by the toxic sludge that inflicts damage was particularly impactful.

Note that this title has been holding an open beta on Steam—which added Japanese language support on October 9, 2026—since then. The game also supports online co-op for up to 8 players, so it’s definitely one to watch as a future multiplayer title!

"Terra Taker": A Planetary Colonization Adventure That Gives You a Glimpse of the Joy of Expansion

Next up is *TerraTaker*, which was available for hands-on play at the South Korean Pavilion booth. The game is developed and published by Dream Craft. The demo allowed players to experience the opening sequence and several quests, and it also supported Japanese.

The game is an open-world survival title where the goal is to terraform a fantasy planet. Players take on the role of a robot tasked with colonizing the planet, and the objective is to transform it into a habitable world for humanity by improving harsh environments such as snowfields, lava, tornadoes, and lightning.

In the early stages, the goal is to restore a massive machine by gathering materials such as metal. The protagonist has not only a health bar but also a battery gauge, and since exploring too far is dangerous, players must proceed cautiously, staying close to their base at first. Once materials are gathered, players can build various facilities to expand their range of exploration.

The graphics are beautiful, the controls feel great, and it’s easy to understand what the player needs to do—all of which leave a positive impression.Toward the end of the demo, I managed to build a device to purify contaminated water; when I placed it near a nearby purple water source, the scenery became incredibly beautiful. Being able to directly experience changes like this is the true thrill of a game centered on terraforming!

After playing, I had a brief chat with the developers, who told me that, surprisingly, *TerraTaker* gained attention in Japan thanks to a feature on Game*Spark, which ultimately led to their participation in this year’s TGS. They’re currently continuing development and plan to hold a playtest in November. Personally, I found the game to be quite enjoyable to play, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how it develops!

More Titles to Watch

At “TGS 2026,” the mining adventure *Core Keeper*—which has practically become a staple—was also on display. *Hello Sunshine*, developed by the Norwegian studio Red Thread Games, which I’ve been keeping an eye on, was also showcased, and their booth was bustling with people.

“We Want to Aim for a Future Where You Can Ride Bosses”: We Interviewed the Developers of ‘Core Keeper’s’ Latest Update “The Underground Rider,” Featuring Mounts and Hookshots [TGS2026] | Game*Spark - Domestic and International Gaming News Site

We spoke with Fredrik Präntare, CEO and Director of Pugstorm!

https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/27/172818.htmlRead more »

Unfortunately, when I visited, “ARIDA 2: Rise of the Brave” wasn’t on display at the Brazil booth.This is the sequel to *ARIDA: Backland’s Awakening*, released in 2019, and it features a new adventure for Sisera, a young girl exploring the “Certão,” the remote interior of Brazil.

Craft survival games come in a wide variety of eras and worlds, each offering truly unique gameplay experiences. With more highly anticipated titles set to be released in the future, we hope you’ll keep an eye on our [Craft Survival Guide] as well!