The Best Survival Games

Update : Wizard With a Gun added at rank #25.
1

Valheim (2021)

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89
Review score
Logo of Valheim Screenshot of Valheim Screenshot of Valheim Screenshot of Valheim

early access Android Linux PC Windows

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
  • boss
  • exploration

2

Subnautica (2018)

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97
Review score
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Android Mac OS PC Windows Xbox One

Subnautica is a sci-fi survival game set on an alien ocean planet. You must explore the depths of this vibrant and mysterious world to uncover its secrets and find a way back home. With its hand-crafted environments, diverse creatures and engaging story, Subnautica is an explorer's dream come true.


What we like:
  • Engaging story
  • Lush environments
  • Rewarding exploration
  • Diverse creatures
  • Multiple game modes
What could be improved:
  • Navigation can be overwhelming at first
  • Some graphical weirdness from time to time
  • Base-building mechanics could be clearer

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

3

60 Parsecs! (2018)

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98
Review score
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Android Mac OS PC Windows Xbox One IOS iPhone

60 Parsecs! is a successor to 60 Seconds! Reatomized, a game that puts you in control of a space station crew member who must collect supplies and crewmates in order to escape the fallout of an incoming missile. With only 60 seconds to pick up your things, you must make wise decisions and manage resources carefully if you want to survive.


What we like:
  • Easy to pick up and play
  • Lots of freedom in how you approach problems
  • Characters have unique personalities and designs that are easy to get invested in
  • Crafting station for creating items
  • Special challenge stories with different criteria for completion
What could be improved:
  • Lack of puzzles and difficulty

  • survival
  • comedy
  • very-much-permadeath
  • crafting
  • space
  • adventure
  • cold
  • sci-fi
  • simulation
  • post-apocalyptic
  • strategy
  • dark
  • point-and-click
  • resource-management
  • atmospheric

4

Grounded (2022)

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83
Review score
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Android PC Windows Xbox One

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

5

60 Seconds! Reatomized (2019)

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98
Review score
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Android Mac OS PC Windows Xbox One IOS iPhone

60 Seconds! Reatomized is a remastered version of the original game that released back in 2015, set in the 1950s and following the McDoodle family as they try to survive a nuclear apocalypse. The game is split into two parts - scavenging for supplies where you have 60 seconds on the clock and survival mode, making decisions inside a bunker to keep the family alive. Challenge modes give an additional layer of strategic gameplay.


What we like:
  • Replayability
  • Wacky moments
  • Strategic challenge mode
  • Hand-drawn style visuals
What could be improved:
  • Clunky controls when scavenging

  • survival
  • comedy
  • choices
  • post-apocalyptic
  • hand-drawn
  • adventure
  • dark
  • interactive
  • difficult
  • text
  • remake
  • point-and-click
  • strategy
  • funny
  • simulation

6

Sons of the Forest (2023)

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88
Review score
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early access PC Windows Playstation 4

Sons of the Forest is a thrilling open-world survival horror game where you're sent to a remote island to find a missing billionaire, only to discover that it's a cannibal-infested hellscape. Craft and build your own way to survive alone or with friends, fight demons with a range of weapons, and survive changing seasons. The game has co-op mode, so you can work together with friends to build defenses and explore above and below ground.

Buy

What we like:
  • Fun and entertaining to play
  • Endless building possibilities
  • Lovely story that can replace life
  • Beautiful graphics
  • Great potential for expansion and development
What could be improved:
  • Short game with not enough content
  • Minor or annoying bugs
  • High expectations not met
  • Disappointing or confusing endings
  • Needs more work and development

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

7

Endling (2021)

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83
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox One Android Playstation 4 Playstation 5 IOS iPhone Nintendo Switch Xbox Series X

Endling puts you in the role of the last fox on Earth. Driven from her forest home by a devastating fire (started by humans), our poor vulpine heroine is forced to find a makeshift den in which to deliver her pups, while simultaneously trying to track down her kidnapped baby. As each night falls, you'll need to venture forth from your makeshift den and forage or hunt for food, while also protecting your brood from trappers and other opportunistic humans.


What we like:
  • Heart-wrenching story
  • Stunning visuals
  • Powerful soundtrack
  • Adorable fox pups that grow and learn skills as they explore with you
  • Tough decisions between food or rescuing pup
What could be improved:
  • Can feel like stuck in a rut without making much progress

  • survival
  • skill

8

Subnautica: Below Zero (2019)

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90
Review score
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Xbox One Mac OS PC Windows

Subnautica: Below Zero is an underwater exploration game that takes you on a journey of discovery, adventure and danger. You explore the depths of a frozen ocean world, encountering stunning creatures and uncovering secrets that have remained hidden for centuries. With its beautiful visuals and thrilling encounters, Subnautica: Below Zero will keep you coming back for more.


What we like:
  • Stunning visuals
  • Thrilling encounters
  • Variety of creatures
  • Deep story
  • Unique exploration mechanics
  • Endless surprises
What could be improved:
  • Limited survival gear at the start
  • Risky excursions can lead to death
  • Can get turned around in underwater networks

  • 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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