If you want to be really technical, basically every game is a survival game. After all, the point is to avoid dying, right?
Games in the survival genre take that experience to the next level by forcing you to worry about things like eating, drinking, sleeping, and the weather. Oftentimes, the enemies are less of a concern than the environment itself. Still, there’s something very satisfying about managing to overcome your situation and thrive in hostile lands. Survival games, like Metroidvanias and roguelikes, are some of the most popular among big and small developers so there are a ton of options out there. If you want to know the best ones you can play right now, we’ve got you covered.
Ark: Survival Ascended
79%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Adventure, Indie
Developer
Studio Wildcard
Publisher
Studio Wildcard
Release
October 25, 2023
After the novelty of the basic survival mechanics wore off, games entering the genre needed something special to differentiate themselves. Ark: Survival Ascended chose dinosaurs and sci-fi weaponry. That might sound like it would clash, but the progression from what is basically a caveman to a dinosaur-riding space marine with a laser pistol is hard to find anywhere else. Being able to tame and ride dinosaurs besides just fighting them adds a new level of fantasy on top of the normal base building and crafting you come to expect. After dozens of updates and expansions, this game even got an engine upgrade renaming it to Ascended while we await the release of the sequel.
Grounded
68% Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher
Xbox Game Studios
Release
July 28, 2020
How it took so long for a developer to take the scene from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids where the kids navigate their backyard like a jungle and make a survival game out of it feels criminal. Thankfully we finally got it with Grounded and it is just as quirky and fun as you would hope. You will need to build a base, weapons, and equipment out of unusual materials like acorns and bug parts to try to survive against all the big bad bugs in the yard while you find a way to return to normal size. Just like in the movie, you have never seen bugs in such a terrifying way as this. If you’re especially put off by spiders, there’s a handy arachnophobia slider to make those at least less horrifying.
Minecraft
84%
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Genre
Simulator, Adventure
Developer
Mojang Studios
Publisher
Mojang Studios
Release
November 18, 2011
You can’t make a list of survival games and not include Minecraft. While Minecraft had a humble beginning, the game quickly grew to be one of the most recognized titles in the gaming industry and spawned a new genre of building and crafting games. Years later, the survival mechanics within Minecraft still ring true. Players must eat, build shelter, and explore the rest of a massive world full of secrets and surprises, all while battling dangerous creatures, or even other players. It isn’t a very hard survival game since you can easily overpower yourself and remove all the challenges in just a few in-game days, but there are an infinite number of mods to keep it interesting.
Sons of the Forest
73% Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Simulator, Adventure, Indie
Developer
Endnight Games Ltd
Publisher
Newnight
Release
February 23, 2023
We don’t get a ton of sequels to survival games, but Sons of the Forest is a perfect example of how they can be done right. Both of these titles are more linear games compared to others in the genre, with a clear story and progression path, but you’re still free to spend as much time as you want surviving on the island. The scenario is a bit like Lost, except that instead of a group of mysterious people on the island, the island you crash land on is filled with cannibals and horrific mutants. The AI on the cannibals is especially fun since they aren’t just mindlessly attacking you. Instead, you might see one or two just watching you from the edges of the forest, or run away when they see you brutalize one of them. There are a lot of mysteries to uncover here, making it great if you want a quick or long adventure.
Subnautica
85% Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, SteamVR, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Meta Rift
Genre
Adventure, Indie
Developer
Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Publisher
Gearbox Publishing, Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Release
December 16, 2014
We are always surviving on some island or other isolated space, but so rarely do we get to play a game set almost completely underwater. Subnautica tasks you with surviving in an alien ocean. That concept opens up a ton of new and interesting mechanics, such as managing your air as you explore, but also the pressure as you go deeper under the waves. And if you didn’t have a fear of the deep before you played, once you start encountering some of the bigger sea creatures in the deep, dark depths, you certainly will afterward. You can also snag a meaty expansion as well if you liked the base experience to get even more.
Valheim
86% Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Indie
Developer
Iron Gate Studios
Publisher
Coffee Stain Publishing
Release
February 02, 2021
Valheim was the biggest game for a hot minute when it was released, and while it has somewhat died down in the public conversation, it is still one of the most satisfying survival games of recent years. You are placed in a Viking-inspired world with a simple but striking art style. All the monsters, weapons, and structures are ripped right out of Norse mythology, but it also makes you consider a lot of things you wouldn’t normally need to in a survival game. For example, if you light a campfire to stay warm inside a house but don’t have a chimney or window for smoke to escape, you could suffocate.
Palworld
69% Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Indie
Developer
PocketPair
Publisher
PocketPair
Release
January 19, 2024
People might have claimed Palworld was Pokémon with guns before launch, but it actually is more of Pokémon with survival elements than anything else. Mixing in monster catching and taming with base building and resource managing takes the best elements of survival games and automation games and slams them together. The survival mechanics aren’t super punishing, but do enough to make you want to build a base where your Pals can do all the grunt work of mining and processing resources for you so you can get better weapons and fight tougher Pals.
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