The Best Survival Games

Update : Sons of the Forest added at rank #5.
1

Palworld (2024)

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90
Review score
Logo of Palworld Screenshot of Palworld Screenshot of Palworld Screenshot of Palworld

early access PC Windows Android Xbox Series X Xbox One

Embark on a thrilling adventure in Palworld, a game that fuses the fun of creature-collecting with hardcore survival challenges! Build, battle, and bond with your Pals in a vast, dynamic world. Whether you're crafting the perfect base or exploring uncharted territories with friends, every decision carves your path to survival. Are you ready to conquer this wild, whimsical world?


What we like:
  • Unique blend of creature-collecting and survival
  • Engaging base-building with the help of Pals
  • Wide variety of Pals for strategic gameplay
  • Multiplayer mode to share the adventure
  • Expansive world full of exploration and challenges
What could be improved:
  • Combat mechanics and base management need refinement
  • Some themes and humor may not appeal to all

  • survival
  • crafting
  • open-world
  • collector
  • creature
  • pokemon

2

Valheim (2021)

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88
Review score
Logo of Valheim Screenshot of Valheim Screenshot of Valheim Screenshot of Valheim

early access Linux Android PC Windows Xbox Series X Xbox One

Valheim is an epic, Viking-tinged survival-creation game with blocky graphics and a modern twist. You are dropped in a wild forest with runes to guide you on your mission to conjure and defeat supernatural beasts. Players must craft weapons and armor, puzzle out how to summon the beasts, and build structures for shelter along the way.


What we like:
  • Simple default building system
  • Instant rebuilding/repairing
  • Randomly generated 3D universe
  • Easy-to-read color highlights for structural integrity
  • Level up abilities by repeating actions
  • Robust physics engine underlies all actions
What could be improved:
  • Wonky battling system
  • Limited traversal over rivers and oceans at this point

  • survival
  • crafting
  • open-world
  • cooperative

3

Grounded (2020)

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89
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X Android

Grounded is an exciting survival game that sees you playing as one of four teenagers who find themselves miniaturized and exploring the backyard of Dr.Tully, the inventor of the SPAC.R shrinking device. You'll need to hunt for resources, craft tools and armor and build shelters in order to survive the hostile creatures that inhabit this new world. With a great variety of biomes to explore, landmarks to discover and surprises around every corner, Grounded provides an epic adventure in a surprisingly small space!


What we like:
  • Unique setting
  • Varied biomes to explore
  • Visually impressive sights
  • Great character development and story telling
  • Challenging yet accessible difficulty levels and accessibility options
What could be improved:
  • Occasional glitches and bugs
  • Lacklustre quest design at times
  • Quests requiring backtracking

  • survival
  • crafting
  • sandbox
  • cooperative

4

Astroneer (2019)

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94
Review score
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Xbox One Playstation 4 PC Windows Nintendo Switch IOS iPhone

Embark on a cosmic journey in Astroneer, where you can shape worlds to your heart's content. Dig, build, and survive in a sandbox universe, creating bases and vehicles with friends. Uncover mysteries and enjoy a crafting odyssey across vibrant planets—your space adventure awaits!


What we like:
  • Engaging crafting and building mechanics
  • Vibrant, immersive worlds
  • Relaxing, open-ended gameplay
  • Satisfying cooperative multiplayer
  • Regular updates with new content
What could be improved:
  • Occasional control and camera issues

  • survival
  • crafting
  • sandbox
  • cooperative
  • open-world
  • exploration
  • space
  • drop-in
  • drop-out
  • resource
  • base-building
  • adventure

5

Sons of the Forest (2024)

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88
Review score
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PC Windows

Dive into Sons of the Forest, a spine-chilling survival horror that will test your wits and will to live. Craft, build, and battle through a mutant-infested island with jaw-dropping graphics and heart-pounding audio. Whether alone or with friends, uncover secrets and survive the seasons in this eerie, enthralling world. Will you master the wilderness or succumb to its horrors?

Buy

What we like:
  • Stunning lifelike graphics
  • Deep, strategic combat
  • Engaging survival mechanics
  • Expansive, mysterious world
  • Co-op gameplay enhances fun
What could be improved:
  • Occasional performance issues
  • Some unfinished aspects hinting at Early Access

  • survival
  • survival-horror
  • crafting
  • open-world
  • horror
  • inventory

6

Pacific Drive (2024)

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79
Review score
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PC Windows Playstation 5

Face the supernatural dangers of the Olympic Exclusion Zone with a car as your only lifeline in this driving survival adventure! Scavenge resources, load up your trusty station wagon, and drive like hell to make it through alive.

Buy

  • driving
  • survival
  • crafting
  • transportation
  • supernatural
  • sci-fi
  • atmospheric
  • base-building
  • investigation
  • first-person
  • rogue-like
  • survival-horror
  • post-apocalyptic

7

Stranded: Alien Dawn (2023)

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81
Review score
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Xbox One PC Windows

Stranded: Alien Dawn drops you into an unknown alien world, where you'll lead survivors, build a high-tech outpost, and make tough decisions to survive. With engaging gameplay, a variety of planets, and a peaceful non-combat option, you'll experience a unique, unpredictable journey. But beware, time may slow and crafting can get repetitive in this thrilling survival sim.

Buy

What we like:
  • Engaging gameplay
  • Variety of planets and moons
  • Non-combat peaceful option
  • Customizable difficulty settings
  • Beautiful graphics
What could be improved:
  • Time can feel slow
  • Crafting becomes repetitive
  • Lack of depth in some systems
  • Requires internet connection to play

  • survival
  • base-building
  • simulation
  • colony
  • management
  • crafting
  • hunting
  • farming
  • cooking
  • -

8

Subnautica: Below Zero (2019)

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90
Review score
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Xbox One PC Windows Mac OS

Plunge into the icy depths of Subnautica: Below Zero! Unravel the mystery of your sister's disappearance while braving the alien arctic. Craft, explore, and survive in a world teeming with otherworldly wonders. Each discovery propels you through a story rich with adventure and intrigue. Are you ready to uncover the secrets beneath the ice?


What we like:
  • Stunning alien underwater environments
  • Engaging narrative with a personal quest
  • Diverse biomes filled with unique creatures
  • Streamlined survival mechanics
  • Inviting to both series veterans and newcomers
What could be improved:
  • Some resources can be challenging to locate
  • Exploration may be hindered by confusing terrain

  • survival
  • underwater
  • crafting
  • exploration
  • open-world

9

Rain World (2017)

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94
Review score
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Android Nintendo Switch PC Windows

Rain World is a grim industrial wasteland game where you take on the role of a vulnerable Slugcat, torn away from their family after a huge flood. Your mission is to reunite with your family while also surviving and navigating around the dangerous creatures in this world.


What we like:
  • Challenging platforming gameplay
  • Unique predator-prey relationships
  • Great music and sound design
  • Huge map with interconnecting levels and hidden areas
  • Creative use of hibernation chambers as save checkpoints
What could be improved:
  • Controls could be improved

  • survival
  • platform
  • post-apocalyptic
  • exploration
  • pixel
  • 2d
  • difficult
  • metroidvania
  • atmospheric
  • stealth

10

The Eternal Cylinder (2021)

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83
Review score
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Xbox Series X/s Xbox One PC Windows Playstation 4 Xbox Series X Playstation 5

The Eternal Cylinder is a deep narrative-focused game that pushes the creativity of game design to its limits. You play as a species known as the Trebhum, which have an ability to rapidly evolve by consuming certain items. You must explore the strange foreign world and find a way to stop the Eternal Cylinder from destroying everything.

Buy

What we like:
  • Over 50 unique mutations
  • Gorgeously detailed visuals
  • In-depth story
  • Creative puzzles and challenges
  • Helpful accessibility options
What could be improved:
  • Linear progression limits player choice
  • Some puzzles can be difficult or frustrating

  • survival
  • puzzle
  • exploration
  • surreal
  • platform
  • narration
  • open-world
  • story

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