Terraria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Terraria |
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| Developer(s) | Re-Logic |
| Publisher(s) | 505 Games |
| Producer(s) | Whitney Spinks |
| Designer(s) |
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| Programmer(s) |
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| Artist(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Scott Lloyd Shelly |
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| Release date(s) |
May 16, 2011
Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
PlayStation Vita iOS
Android
Windows Phone
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
macOS, Linux
Nintendo 3DS
Wii U Nintendo Switch
Google Stadia
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, sandbox |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Terraria (pronounced tə-RAIR-ee-ə) is an exciting action-adventure video game. It was created by Re-Logic and first released in 2011. In Terraria, you get to explore a huge, randomly generated world. You can fight monsters, collect resources, and craft amazing items. The game doesn't have a strict story, so you can play however you like!
Players can defeat tough enemies called bosses to unlock new items and areas. As you play, friendly characters (NPCs) will join your world. They sell useful items and offer services. You can play Terraria by yourself or with friends. The game also lets you add custom content created by other players.
Andrew Spinks started developing Terraria in 2011. He worked with a team of testers and designers. Since its first release, Terraria has received many free updates. These updates have added new items, NPCs, enemies, and ways to play. The game has also been made available on many different devices. These include game consoles, handhelds, and mobile phones.
Terraria has been very popular with players and critics. People love its exploration, replayability, and all the content it offers. The game has sold over 64 million copies, making it one of the most popular video games ever.
Contents
Discovering the World of Terraria
What is Terraria?
Terraria is a fun sandbox and action-adventure game. It also has elements of role-playing and platformer games. The main activities are exploring, building, crafting, fighting, and mining. There are no set goals, so you can choose your own adventure!
You can play Terraria alone or with friends. The game has a cool two-dimensional look. It reminds many players of classic 16-bit games. When you start a new game, the world is created randomly. You can pick from three different world sizes. You begin with basic tools and a friendly guide. This guide helps you learn the game and gives tips about other NPCs and item recipes. Many players use online wikis to learn even more about the game.
How to Play Terraria
Exploring and Building
The game world is split into different areas called biomes. Each biome has unique resources. For example, you can find ores deep inside caves. Some resources are only found in certain places. You might also find them in chests or dropped by enemies. You use these resources to craft new items. You can make weapons, armor, and potions at crafting stations. Players can also enjoy activities like fishing and golf. You can even decorate your own homes!
You start with low health and mana. You can increase these by finding or crafting special equipment. Terraria offers several ways to play. "Classic" mode is the standard. "Expert" and "Master" modes are much harder. They offer exclusive items as a reward. "Journey" mode lets you copy items, change world difficulty, and control weather or time.
Fighting Enemies and Bosses
The game features different ways to fight. You can be a close-up fighter, a long-distance attacker, a magic user, or a summoner. Your equipment decides your fighting style. So, you can change your class by changing your gear!
You will meet many different enemies. They appear based on the time of day, your location, or special events. There are also much tougher enemies called bosses. Bosses fight differently and drop valuable items. You can summon them with special items or by meeting certain conditions. Defeating some bosses helps you progress in the game. For example, beating the Wall of Flesh starts "hardmode." This mode brings tougher enemies, new NPCs, resources, and items. You can also trigger special events with enemies like goblins or pirates. During these events, enemies appear constantly until you defeat them or time runs out. There are also seasonal events, like a Halloween one, with unique items.
Friendly Faces: NPCs
As you achieve certain goals, friendly characters (NPCs) will come to your world. These include a merchant, nurse, or demolitionist. They will move into houses you build for them. Some NPCs can also be found while exploring. Once you have NPCs, you can buy or sell items from them. They also offer services. For example, the nurse can heal you.
NPCs are happier depending on where they live and who their neighbors are. Happy NPCs might offer lower prices or sell special items.
Customizing Your Adventure
You can change how your character looks when you create them. You can also change their appearance in the game. There are "vanity items" like armor and accessories that only change your look. Dyes can change the color of your gear. You can also find accessories that give you special boosts. For example, wings let you fly, and a shield can protect you from being pushed back.
Making Terraria Your Own: Mods
Terraria supports player-made modifications, or "mods." A free tool called tModLoader helps with this. It lets players use custom content made by others. tModLoader became officially supported in 2020. It was released as free downloadable content (DLC) on Steam.
Mods for Terraria can do many things. Some mods, like Thorium and Calamity, add new bosses, weapons, and areas. Other mods, like Terraria Overhaul, change how the game plays. They might add seasons or new combat moves. Some mods, such as Recipe Browser and Magic Storage, make the game smoother and easier to play. The Terraria community also creates "modpacks." These are bundles of several different mods together.
The Story Behind Terraria
How Terraria Was Made
Terraria was created by the independent game studio Re-Logic. 505 Games published it. Andrew Spinks started developing Terraria in 2011. He had help from a team of testers and designers. Spinks used a special tool called Microsoft XNA to build the game. He worked from his living room, and the small team worked together remotely. Scott Lloyd Shelly composed the music. The game got attention early on. This was after a tweet from Minecraft creator Markus Persson.
Spinks announced in February 2012 that he would stop adding new content. He wanted to focus on his family. The company released one final bug-fix update. Some fans were sad about this news. However, development started again in 2013. Spinks began asking the community for ideas for future updates. He often talks with fans on online discussion boards and social media.
Because the game was so successful, Spinks was able to hire a team. As of 2025, Re-Logic has eleven people working there. Most of them were hired from the game's community.
Bringing Terraria to More Players
Early Releases
Terraria first launched on Steam for Windows computers on May 16, 2011. This was a bit earlier than planned. An early test version had been accidentally shared with the public. A special "collector's edition" of Terraria was released on March 16, 2012. Later, on August 12, 2015, versions for macOS and Linux computers were also released.
Expanding to Consoles and Mobile
In September 2012, Spinks announced that Terraria would be made available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 version came out on March 27, 2013. The PlayStation 3 version was released on March 26, 2013, in North America. It came out on May 15 in Europe and Australia. These console versions added a way to play with friends on the same screen.
Digital versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in November 2014. Physical game discs followed in December 2014. The 1.3 update for consoles arrived in February 2018. Its mobile version was released in August 2019.
Terraria also came to PlayStation Vita in December 2013. This version included a tutorial world and online multiplayer. A Japanese company, Spike Chunsoft, adapted the game for Japan. They even added a costume based on a character from their Danganronpa series. Many players who tried the free trial for PlayStation 3 ended up buying the full game.
The game was released for Nintendo 3DS on December 10, 2015. A Wii U version followed in June 2016. The Nintendo Switch version came out on June 27, 2019.
A mobile version of Terraria was announced in May 2013. It was made for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. This version was made to work well on touch screens. It was released for iOS on August 29, 2013, and for Android on September 13. The Windows Phone version came out on September 12, 2014.
In February 2021, there was a problem with Re-Logic's Google account. This caused the Google Stadia version of Terraria to be canceled temporarily. Google later fixed the issue. Terraria was then released for Stadia on March 18, 2021. However, Google announced that Stadia would shut down in September 2022. The platform was officially closed in January 2023.
Keeping the Game Fresh: Updates
Terraria has received many free updates since it first came out. The creators believe giving free updates is the right thing to do. This is different from many other games that sell small in-game items. These updates have helped the game stay popular for a long time.
One of the first updates, 1.0.5, came out in June 2011. It added "anti-gravity boots" and new potions. The first big update, 1.1, was released on December 1, 2011. It brought new enemies, bosses (like the Wall of Flesh), items, and accessories. It also improved the game's lighting and how worlds are created. New NPCs, such as the wizard and mechanic, were also added. Weapons and accessories gained special bonus effects. A Christmas update to 1.1 added snowmen and a Santa Claus NPC.
The second major update, 1.2, arrived in October 2013. This update included new game mechanics, gameplay changes, and updated graphics. It added many new items, NPCs, bosses, and enemies. Re-Logic continued with smaller updates. These included a Halloween-themed event and a Christmas seasonal event. The 1.2.3 update in February 2014 added more items and improved game mechanics. It also introduced the stylist and traveling merchant NPCs.
Re-Logic released the third major update, 1.3, on June 30, 2015. This update brought new areas, events, NPCs, items, and enemies. It also added an "expert" difficulty mode. Sound effects and graphics were improved. Players could also invite Steam friends to multiplayer games. This update introduced the "Moon Lord" boss, the final boss in the game. In September 2016, sandstorms were added, and the desert area was expanded. In November 2016, special content from another game, Dungeon Defenders 2, was added.
The fourth major update, 1.4, called "Journey's End," was released on May 16, 2020. With this update, tModLoader received official support. It was added to Steam as free downloadable content. The 1.4 update introduced new items, enemies, areas, and gameplay elements. These included "master" and "journey" difficulty modes. The update became available on Switch in January 2022. Even though Re-Logic said 1.4 would be the last update, they have continued developing the game. Spinks mentioned that there is "so much demand it makes it hard to move on." This "final update" announcement has become a popular joke in the Terraria community. A March 2021 update added direct support for resource packs and sharing worlds and characters through the Steam Workshop. In November 2021, a special update added content from the survival game Don't Starve Together. A "Labor of Love" update, released on September 28, 2022, added many features to make the game easier and more fun. Palworld announced a collaboration with Terraria in November 2024. On April Fools' Day 2024, an early version of Terraria became available on Steam. Another early version, the 1.1 update, was released in May 2024.
Beyond the Original Game
Other Terraria Adventures
Terraria 2 was announced in October 2013. As of 2022, it was still just one idea the studio was thinking about. In a 2013 interview, Spinks said the game would be very different. He mentioned it would have "infinite worlds" instead of just one. In 2022, Spinks shared early drawings for Terraria 2.
In February 2015, a separate game called Terraria: Otherworld was announced. This game was a spin-off of Terraria. Players would try to cleanse the world from a dark force called the Corruption. This was done by finding and activating "purifying towers." Otherworld was planned to have more strategy and role-playing elements. These included a tower defense style of gameplay, skill trees, and a story. However, in April 2017, Re-Logic changed development partners. A year later, in 2018, Re-Logic announced that Otherworld had been canceled. They were not happy with how it was developing.
Terraria in the Real World
Since the game's release, Re-Logic has created real-life products based on Terraria. These include books, toys, and clothes. In July 2022, Re-Logic announced a Terraria graphic novel. A year later, Re-Logic announced they were working on a Terraria board game. They launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the game.
Images for kids
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A screenshot of a randomly generated Terraria world, showing trees, sunflowers, the player, and the guide NPC.
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Andrew Spinks (pictured in 2025), the creator of Terraria.
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See also
In Spanish: Terraria para niños
