Looking for the best survival games? You’ll find them right here. The premise of survival games is to endure everything the game can throw at you and make it out alive. So whether you’re looking for games that involve zombie defense, wildlife survival, or sci-fi fantasy worlds, the variety of survival games provides something for everyone.
The goal of survival games in general is to keep your character or team alive as long as you possibly can. These games can go on forever and the only way they truly end is when everyone on your side dies. Players usually compete on leaderboards or time trials to set records and show their strategies to newer players aspiring to succeed at the game.
With so many survival games available, it can be hard to know which are the best. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best survival game you can sink your teeth into right now. Most of the games on this list are accessible to newer players, while others have complex mechanics that are better suited for experienced survival players.
Best survival games to play
Even though there might be varying levels of difficulty between these survival games, one thing you can be sure of is that they are all fun to play if you enjoy games of this genre.
Among Us
The first entry on this list might seem surprising to some because it is very different compared to the other games mentioned here. Among Us is quite possibly one of the most well-known games today, spiking in popularity in 2021 as one of the most played games of the year. It is a multiplayer game that puts up to 10 players in a spaceship together to survive, while some are secretly impostors.
While the crew members work to keep the spaceship in good condition, the impostors try to sabotage their operations and kill the crew members. Once a crewmate’s death occurs, a meeting takes place where the survivors decide who the impostor is. If they get it right, the impostor is booted, and the survivors win.
If, after multiple rounds and multiple deaths, the remaining survivors don’t get the impostor right, the impostor wins the game instead. The survival of the crew relies on how well the crewmates perform against the onslaught of the impostor, especially if there is more than one. Among Us has consistently received updates, keeping it fresh from its original release back in 2018.
ARK: Survival Evolved
Now we begin to venture into the realm of classic survival games. What begins as a typical jungle survival game quickly escalates to prehistoric standards in ARK: Survival Evolved. You wake up on an island inhabited by powerful beasts from the Mesozoic era all around you. Messing with them is ill-advised, however, since they will destroy you if you bite off more than you can chew at this stage.
Instead, focusing on building up your resources and stash of basic survival equipment is the way to go. Make sure you have enough to live in the starting zone before venturing into more dangerous lands. Not every creature in this world wants to kill you though, you can even tame and ride some of them, adding impressive powerhouses to your side.
With ARK 2 on the way, this would be a great time to start with ARK: Survival Evolved, even more so now with the news of a remaster on the horizon. There is a lot of content to play through, especially with all of the expansions and additions the game has had over the years.
DayZ
One of the best zombie survival games today, DayZ is widely considered to be in a league of its own by players who enjoy the genre. The game does not follow the typical blueprint of most other survival games, displaying some unique mechanics, such as a lack of crafting and no additional objectives beyond pure survival.
Day Z is also highly realistic, with food and water being the key factors to surviving. You can also be wounded and get sick from the most unexpected factors, such as not wearing shoes and getting your feet cut. This can lead to an infection, which causes enough harm by default, but a misdiagnosis of the symptoms can lead to death if you aren’t careful.
With all of these factors, there are still zombies around you to worry about, so good luck surviving in the harsh, unforgiving environment of DayZ. If the difficulty gets to you and you want a break from the game, there are a few games similar to Day Z that should scratch that zombie survival itch.
Don’t Starve
Moving on to a different kind of survival game, Don’t Starve throws you into a comic-book-esque world full of dangers of every kind. Seemingly unassuming creatures may just turn out to be powerful adversaries, especially if you are caught off guard and don’t know what to expect. Survival in this world depends on collecting resources and building up a base as quickly as you can.
You will also have to balance out your hunger, health, and sanity to ensure you survive for as long as possible. Make sure you have some form of light for when the night comes, or unseen forces will make short work of you. Don’t Starve is also without an endgame objective, and you can theoretically play the game forever as long as you don’t succumb to the dangers of its world, that is unless you’re playing Adventure Mode.
The popularity of Don’t Starve led to a second game by Klei Entertainment titled Don’t Starve Together. Now you can enjoy fighting off these fantastic beasts with friends, adding to, and maybe sometimes hindering, your enjoyment of the game.
No Man’s Sky
Venturing into the sci-fi sphere, we have No Man’s Sky. The game’s initial launch was plagued by pre-launch leaks, game-breaking bugs, and terribly negative reviews. As a result, the game went through a tumultuous time over the next few years, but it now sits comfortably as one of the best survival games around.
No Man’s Sky puts you in charge of your own space vessel that you can use to traverse around a procedurally-generated galaxy filled with planets. Each planet possesses its own challenges, such as harsh weather, hostile alien creatures, and a variety of bounties. Depending on the planet you land on, you can decide whether to settle down on it or plunder its riches.
The recent updates have also introduced base building to the game, enabling you to colonize viable planets you land on. No Man’s Sky is constantly being updated by developer Hello Games, which takes user feedback very seriously, so don’t be surprised if you see the features that you wished for implemented into the game.
Project Zomboid
Going back to the zombie survival genre, we have one of the more modern entries in the genre in Project Zomboid. What started as an ambitious project by The Indie Stone quickly became a highly popular survival game, even being one of the few games on Steam to receive “Overwhelmingly Positive” reviews. Project Zomboid takes the zombie survival genre a step further with its mechanics.
At first glance, you will notice that it looks different from other zombie survival games. Its isometric open-world presentation allows viewing angles and playstyles you don’t see in other games of its genre. The game is a highly customizable sandbox that you can play solo or with friends as you survive in its brutal post-apocalyptic zombie-infested world.
You will be assigned trait points at the beginning of each game so that you can decide how you want to build your character. These traits can be positive or negative, each impacting the decisions you make and affecting your overall survival rate in the game. Similar to Don’t Starve, Project Zomboid has no endgame objective and can be played for as long as you manage to survive.
Subnautica
Subnautica takes you to the depths of the ocean, a survival game that has your spaceship crash land on a planet seemingly covered by water. Compared to some of the other games on this list, Subnautica is a fairly relaxing experience that grants you time to get accustomed to your new surroundings and build up your new home.
Once you do settle in, however, you will have to manage your food, water, and oxygen levels. While the creatures of the deep sea are massive threats on their own, the biggest problem you will face is a lack of oxygen. Fret not though, since the deep sea holds every resource you will need to survive in this underwater biome, provided you get to them first before the world consumes you.
Subnautica also received a standalone expansion titled Subnautica: Below Zero, which adds the challenge of navigating through a frozen hydrosphere. We recommend playing the expansion once you are well-versed with the challenges that the original game throws at you. And if you’re looking for similar titles, check out our list of games like Subnautica.
Valheim
Valheim is an open-world game that puts you and up to eight other players into fictional Nordic lands, full of dangers inspired by Norse mythology. Unlike other games on this list, Valheim forces you to adapt to its world quickly, emphasizing the importance of securing resources and building a base for yourself and your team of aspiring Vikings.
The world of Valheim is procedurally generated and is split into various biomes. You start off in a relatively safe biome, but as soon as you start venturing out of it, prepare to face a variety of threats, the likes of which you have never seen. Once you feel confident enough, you can challenge the boss of the biome and defeat them, granting you a new power each time.
Apart from exploration, defense is also a key aspect of Valheim. Make sure your home base is well-defended because it will be attacked by stronger foes over time. Survive long enough in this world and you should become a battle-hardened warrior who conquers Valheim in time.
Published: May 1, 2023 02:54 am