The game features exploration, crafting, building, painting, and combat with a variety of creatures in a procedurally generated 2D world.

[2] Terraria is a 2D sandbox game with gameplay that revolves around exploration, building, crafting, combat, survival, and mining, playable in both single-player and multiplayer modes.

Players begin with low health, mana, and summon slots, which can be increased by finding and crafting specific equipment or items.

[3][7] Some resources may only be found in specific areas of the map, stored in common and rare containers, or dropped by certain enemies.

[citation needed] Players can encounter many different types of enemies in Terraria, the occurrence of which depends on several factors including time, location, and random events.

[8] Players may also battle bosses that utilize a number of different combat mechanics and can drop rare and valuable items.

[9] Defeating the Wall of Flesh boss advances the game into "hardmode", which adds many new enemies throughout the world, as well as new NPCs and items.

Terraria also features seasonal events which activate during certain periods of the real world calendar year, adding new enemies and content.

By completing specific goals, such as defeating a boss or obtaining a certain item, players can attract NPCs to occupy structures or rooms they have built, such as a merchant, nurse, or wizard.

Players may then buy or sell items and certain services from NPCs with coins obtained from defeating enemies and bosses.

"Journey" mode allows players to duplicate items, adjust the world's difficulty, and control weather and time at will while playing.

[12][13][14] It later received official support when it was released as free downloadable content alongside the "Journey's End" update on Steam in 2020.

[12][14] And additional ones, such as Recipe Browser, Veinminer, and Fargo's Mutant Mod, aim to improve quality of life by streamlining parts of the game.

[27] Spike Chunsoft localized the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions for release in Japan, including exclusive items such as a costume based on Monokuma from their Danganronpa series.

[28][29] In May 2013, 505 Games announced a mobile version of Terraria ported by Dutch studio Codeglue for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

[53][54] In February 2021, Spinks announced the cancellation of the Stadia port of Terraria due to the suspension of the Re-Logic/Spinks's Google account without a given reason for over three weeks.

[55] He also announced that Re-Logic would not be working with Google again in the future stating, "I will not be involved with a corporation that values their customers and partners so little.

[60] An update known as "Labor of Love" (named after the Steam award) which added many quality-of-life features was released on September 28, 2022.

In April 2017, Re-Logic announced that the previous partner on the project, Engine Software, would be dropped in favor of a new studio, Pipeworks, due to the game being behind schedule.

[3] IGN praised the game, claiming that Terraria: "expands on the familiar sandbox gameplay with a greater emphasis on combat and adventure.