The 28 Best Survival Games of All Time

• Developer: Studio Wildcard
• Rating: T for Teen

Survival on a large scale is what ARK: Survival Evolved does well. You jump into a vast prehistoric/techno-infused world that looks like something from your imagination, visualized. Dinosaurs, fictional fantasy monsters, and mythical creatures are all here and not much is off the table. The best part is that as in danger as you can feel, it’s equally as rewarding when you tame them.

• Developer: Bohemia Interactive
• Rating: M for Mature

A zombie apocalypse is always a fun backdrop for a survival game and while the enemies in DayZ are technically infected, that’s pretty much what’s happening here. Your job is to survive by finding food, medicine, water, and shelter, all while avoiding being mauled. There’s a fun PvP mode here where the stakes are high against other players too. 

• Developer: Hello Games
• Rating: T for Teen

Developed and published by Hello Games, No Man’s Sky put its shaky release behind it to become one of the better survival games out there. Survival is a big part of this game, but it’s also only one aspect, the others being exploration, combat, building bases, and trading. If you’re a fan of space in games, then this is a must-try. The vastness of space is hard to get across but even with the limitations of gaming, the developers did a great job of it.

• Developer: Undead Labs
• Rating: M for Mature

This game ups the stakes that the last game set in the right way. The combat here is fun and this time, you have a group of NPC survivors that you’re tasked with keeping alive as well as yourself. We understand if that sounds daunting and more stressful than anything, but you might be surprised by how invested you get.

• Developer: Hinterland Studio
• Rating: T for Teen

The Long Dark puts you in the shoes of Will Mackenzie, a pilot who has crash-landed in the harsh cold of the Canadian wilderness. That wilderness is so immersive that it almost becomes a character in the game, with you as the player tasked with surviving it, considering body temperature, caloric intake, and more, amongst other factors like wildlife and hunger.

• Developer: Facepunch Studios
• Rating: M for Mature

All of the threats of the wild are certainly present in Rust, but the biggest threat is without a doubt other players, who will show no mercy in putting arrows through you even if you’re just starting. Picking yourself back up and learning to play smarter is the name of this game though – plus, there are occasional server wipes that level the playing field.

• Developer: Creepy Jar
• Rating: M for Mature

Set in the Amazon rainforest, Green Hell is an appropriate name for a game that puts you in charge of collecting raw materials, crafting shelter, dealing with dynamic weather, and a whole lot more. Even if you do a solid job with that juggling act, the hallucinations of this game will take a toll on you. 

• Developer: Re-Logic
• Rating: T for Teen

Terraria has continued to take the world by storm in the near-decade and a half since its release in 2011. It’s a 2D sandbox game that puts its 16-bit world at your fingertips. A lot of people compare it to Minecraft which is understandable, but that diminishes some of the action and RPG elements that Re-Logic did an incredible job with. 

• Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
• Rating: T for Teen

Grounded shrinks players down to a point where spiders and bees are daunting enemies. It puts you in a backyard and its setting, concept, and execution of both of those things is where it truly shines. As well as playing solo, there’s a four-hour co-op mode on offer here too.

• Developer: Klei Entertainment
• Rating: T for Teen

Considering this game was Klei Entertainment’s first go at a survival game, they hit a home run. Don’t Starve has become a bit of a staple in the genre since its release in the spring of 2013. If its dark and twisted art style reminds you of something directed by Tim Burton, he was indeed a big influence on the game. As gloomy as the game can look, it can feel the same way as you’re figuring out the mechanics, but it’s a fun journey to go on. 

• Developer: Funcom
• Rating: M for Mature

Set in the world of Conan the Barbarian, the game kicks off with you being rescued by Conan after you’ve been sentenced to death. From then on, it’s up to you to traverse and survive the "Exiled Lands," a vast and harrowing desert. This game offers all of the usual mechanics you can expect from good survival games, plus the introduction of various religions, which play a big part in the game. 

• Developer: The Indie Stone
• Rating: N/A

Developed by The Indie Stone, Project Zomboid is an isometric zombie apocalypse game with somewhat of a twist. This game makes you accept that you’re going to die and instead challenges you to see how long you can go before that inevitability. This game’s attention to detail is incredible and the possibilities can be overwhelming. 

• Developer: 11 bit studios
• Rating: M for Mature

Frostpunk is a city-building survival game that is set in an alternate version of the 1800s. You play as a leader who must build and maintain a city during a volcanic winter, but it’s not as easy as it is simple. The game will force you to make hard decisions and deal with the consequences, adding a level of realism that a lot of survival games don’t have. 

• Developer: 11 bit studios
• Rating: M for Mature

War is a theme that’s pretty abundant in survival games, but where This War Of Mine differs is that it deals with civilians who have been impacted by a war. You’re still in charge of keeping them alive and well, but the layer that’s added with your group not being soldiers is interesting. Sending someone out on a supply run has added pressure.  

• Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

The ocean is incredibly vast but isn’t explored in these games as much as land or even space for some reason. When Subnautica came around in 2018, it was praised for taking on such a big task and hitting it out of the park. Of course, being underwater means you have to manage oxygen, which makes everything incredibly tense and terrifying. 

• Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

The sequel to Subnautica does everything that hardcore fans of a game want from a sequel, adding new vehicles & gadgets, improving its quality-of-life features over its predecessor, and adding dangerous areas on land that can be explored in a way that its predecessor didn’t offer. 

• Developer: The Fun Pimps
• Rating: M for Mature

Developed by The Fun Pimps, 7 Days To Die is set during a nuclear attack in World War III, which may or may not have brought about the zombies that will try to rip you apart from limb to limb. During the day, the zombies are much easier to outrun and get around, but by night they become feral and the threat increases substantially. 

• Developer: Redbeet Interactive
• Rating: N/A

Out at sea with nothing but a 2x2 raft keeping you dry, Raft is all about staying alive and fishing things out of the water to help you do that. With sharks doing their best to take chunks out of you and your raft, your job is to expand your raft so that you have some breathing room. There’s a plot at play, but you can have fun without paying it much mind. There’s also the option to play with up to seven friends. 

• Developer: Iron Gate AB
• Rating: T for Teen

For some survival gameplay with a Nordic influence, Valheim is your best bet. The enemies of Odin that you have to fight are unforgiving and the game can feel cruel at times, but it only adds to the overall experience. The world is procedurally generated and exploring it with your friends in the multiplayer mode is where this game is at its best.

• Developer: Mojang Studios
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

The survival mode in Minecraft has somewhat quietly been one of the best survival games out there for a long time. Of course, mixing that with the creativity of Minecraft which gamers know and love makes for a lot of fun. The survival mechanics included here can mean battling off creepers and spiders as you try to build a home or going against other players in specific PvP modes. 

• Developer: Klei Entertainment
• Rating: N/A

This game certainly isn’t the most accessible of survival games and it often gets criticized for that, but it’s not going out of its way to being a game for beginners, so it is what it is. Oxygen Not Included is made by Klei Entertainment, who also did the aforementioned Don’t Starve. This quality simulation game entails aiding your space crew within a space colony to make use of the science and technology needed to thrive against hostile alien life forms.

• Developer: Acid Wizard Studio
• Rating: N/A

For those who like their survival with a pinch of horror, Darkwood will without a doubt scratch that itch. The fear here comes from what lies in the darkness and despite being a 2D top-down game, you’d be surprised how well genuine terror is built. During the day, you’re free to scavenge as you please but by night, you have to anchor down and defend your hideout as best you can. 

• Developers: Ice-Pick Lodge, General Arcade
• Rating: N/A

Pathologic is another survival game with heavy horror elements that just make the overall experience that much more memorable. Released in 2005, your job with this game is to figure out the source of the sand plague, which you only have twelve days to do. The longer you leave things, the less information there is to gather from a small village. 

• Developer: Endnight Games Ltd
• Rating: M for Mature

Continuing with the survival horror theme, The Forest sees players take on the role of Eric LeBlanc, who searches for his son after they both suffer a plane crash. Unfortunately for you, you have to do this on an island inhabited by cannibalistic monsters. Take advantage of the co-op mode here if you can. 

• Developer: Endnight Games Ltd
• Rating: N/A

The sequel to The Forest, Sons Of The Forest also puts players on an island filled with cannibals, albeit under different circumstances. This game quadruples the size of the previous game’s map and adds friendly NPCs that help round the game out well. It’s a more than worthy sequel to a critically acclaimed game, which is hard to do. 

• Developer: Stunlock Studios
• Rating: T for Teen

Developed by Stunlock Studios, V Rising follows a recently awakened vampire who you’ll play as. Your job as the vampire is to gather resources, build a castle, and then head out to fight waves of enemies. As a vampire, the day-night cycle is interesting because you’ll take damage during the day and of course will have negative health effects for garlic too. 

• Developers: Sami Maaranen (Creator), Erkka Lehmus (Co-Designer)
• Rating: N/A

Finnish development studio Iron Age Finland put out UnReal World in 1992 but has steadily been updating it and building it into the game it is today ever since. The game features a lot of Finnish mythology, but the main enemy here is the harsh conditions you’ll find yourself in. It’s a roguelike where a snowstorm will send you back to the beginning with no apologies.  

• Developer: Blue Bottle Games
• Rating: N/A

Last but not least, NEO Scavenger wakes you up in a post-apocalyptic world, Fallout-style. You’re essentially fighting for survival here but must do so carefully, or other raiders and survivors will show you no mercy. The characters are controlled in turns, where one turn is one hour of in-game time. Diarrhea, dehydration, hypothermia, and malnutrition are all on the table here, if you’re not careful.