The 20 Best Survival Games on PC

The great outdoors can be pretty terrifying, especially when the sun comes down and darkness blankets the wilderness you're inhabiting. Don't Starve throws you into a cartoony world where a scientist named Wilson must gather resources, craft items, and steer clear of harmful creatures due to the actions of a petty demon. Procedurally generated worlds offer a fresh experience every time, plus the Don't Starve Together expansion lets you and a co-op buddy fight for your survival as a team.

If you've already played The Forest, then we have a feeling you've done the same for its sequel Sons of the Forest. If that last game sounds unfamiliar to you, then here's a quick rundown of what you can expect when you finally play it - you're set on a remote island in hopes of locating and saving a missing billionaire. That mission won't be easy whatsoever since the cannibals inhabiting that island are looking to add you to their menu. Crafting, building, eating, and fending off those aforementioned crazies can be done on your own or right alongside a fellow co-op survivor.

Living the life of a Viking sounds pretty badass, huh? Valheim presents you and nine other players with the opportunity to become those famed historical warriors within a Norse mythology-inspired realm. You'll need to build Viking longhouses and bases on land, sail the high seas to discover other fascinating locales, and keep a variety of foes at bay thanks to an assortment of powerful melee weaponry. Valheim's many mechanics are incredibly deep, which attaches a fun layer of complexity to the game as a whole that will push you to pour hundreds of hours into it to understand them all.

DayZ presents a familiar post-apocalyptic world to players where they not only have to deal with rabid zombies but also have to keep a close eye on the rest of the human population since they can screw you over in an instant. Since there's not a whole lot of resources to go around, you'll need to make a crucial decision every time you run into another player - join forces with them to build up your goods together and take refuge in a secret base together or kill that player on the spot to make off with their precious cargo. Up to 60 players can inhabit DayZ's map and must do everything in their power to avoid the "Infected" and humans with questionable behavior.

Another one of the best survival games on PC that'll keep you busy for months on end is the long-running Conan Exiles. Fans of Conan the Barbarian's legendary exploits will enjoy everything being presented here - after being saved from the famed warrior himself, you'll need to set out into a savage land and do great things now that you have every reason to keep on living. The "Exiled Lands" allow you to harvest resources, craft all sorts of useful items & gear, hunt, cook, eat, build shelters, etc. You can stay on the side of good the whole while or give in to the corruption tied to dark magic and wild incredible magic powers that'll turn you into a lethal adversary for your foes. Conan Exiles is the game that just keeps on giving thanks to its wealth of post-launch expansions.

Rust throws you and a vast community of other survivors onto a map with one aim in mind – survive. You’ll need to brave the dangers of the wild as you hunt animals for food, build yourself a home, and keep the elements at bay that can lead to your demise. You’ll need to arm yourself well if you have any hopes of killing other players and coming out of the winning end of raids. Rust is a kill-or-be-killed type of game that tests your survival skills to the fullest. Rust's procedurally generated worlds make sure you never know what's coming your way, so you'll need to stay on your P's and Q's every time you get dropped onto a new map.

A boundless underwater world is at the heart of the amazing Subnautica, which will enrapture you thanks to its mastery of the best parts of survival games. After crash landing on an alien planet primarily surrounded by water, you'll need to spring into action as quickly as possible by making good use of the watery world you now call home. Take care of your diving gear & other tools that keep sea explorers safe, build underwater bases, come into contact with strange forms of wildlife, and get familiar with all the different biomes the ocean has in store for you. The big mystery that makes Subnautica infinitely more interesting than other survival games will definitely inspire you to see and do everything to find out why the game's alien planet is the way it is.

Astroneer whisks players off to the deep reaches of space during the 25th-century "Intergalactic Age of Discovery." You and your fellow "Astroneers" will explore seven vast planets with different biomes where several tasks must be accomplished. Those tasks include using a deform tool to reshape the very ground you walk on and using all sorts of resources to craft vehicles & complex home bases. Up to four players can band together to do anything and everything they desire within a sandbox that allows for tons of creativity & rewarding exploration. For Starfield fans who have gotten the itch to play survival experiences set in space, Astroneer is a worthy choice for those on the lookout for the best survival games on PC.

What if you were shrunk down to microscopic size and were forced to live a new life in your own backyard? That’s the loaded question that Grounded asks of its player base. And the answers delivered thus far have been fascinating. The scaled-down youngsters running around this fun take on survival games must carefully manage their hunger/dehydration levels, steer clear of dangerous insects, and uncover new sections of their new home. Crafting essential weapons/traps out of the resources you’ll gather and developing a mini fortress is that much more fun with three friends close by. For old heads that remember films like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and A Bug's Life, Grounded will speak to your young souls.

When State of Decay 2 first hit the scene, it was hampered by a litany of annoying glitches and bugs. The retooled Juggernaut Edition does away with those nagging issues while also remastering the game’s visuals and featuring all of its engrossing DLC. You and three additional post-apocalyptic remnants must band together to deal with incoming zombie hordes as a part of the game’s "Daybreak Pack." Plus you can choose to play State of Decay 2’s main campaign with three extra survivors for even more zombified multiplayer thrills. What we have here is another one of the best survival games on PC that cater to fans of zombie-filled post-apocalyptic worlds.

Just imagine your preferred "Metroidvania" game had a bountiful baby with Minecraft - that baby would certainly look, play, and sound like the latest pick on this list, Terraria. It’s a 2D sprite-based sandbox game that incorporates building, exploring, mining, fighting, etc. All of those survival game characteristics are all the more fun when you choose to enjoy them with a bite-sized buddy. Terraria’s multiplayer also features PvP elements that let you battle it out with other players and even teams that are out for blood. Dig as deep as you can in Terraria and see how far you can go.

It's fascinating to see how No Man’s Sky went from an infuriating disappointment to a space exploration epic that has been vastly improved thanks to constant updates and expansions. The most current iteration of the game looks, sounds, and plays a lot better than its original incarnation. Up to 32 players can hop into the same session and take on the game’s survival mode difficulty. Enemies are harsher, resources are scarcer, and hazards are far more plentiful (unfortunately) in No Man’s Sky’s tougher gameplay setup. Hopping onto your spaceship, landing on mysterious planets, interacting with its alien wildlife, collecting its resources, and heading off-world to take trips to assorted space stations are just a sample size of the activities you can engage in while playing No Man's Sky.

Just like DayZ and State of Decay, the "walking dead" inhabit the world in this next pick. You can choose to take a stand against them and thrive in it via the main campaign or multiplayer portion. 7 Days to Die’s multiplayer setup flings you and your friends into a randomly generated expanse. And in order to make the best of a bad situation, you and your crew will have to explore, craft, build, and do so much more. Raiding other players’ bases can be accomplished, as well as getting into bloody skirmishes with a slew of rabid zombies. 7 Days to Die’s focus on zombies may not be wholly original, but it manages to make that gameplay concept an interesting one. If all that sounds enticing to you, then thank us once again for adding yet another one of the best survival games on PC to your growing playlist.

Escape from Tarkov has caught a lot of military FPS fans' attention - that's because it offers a more realistic and hardcore take on the sub-genre in response to some gamers wanting a slower-paced & less twitchy shooter. The raid modes in this game allow you to play on your own or with a few friends - the goal of those modes is for you or your group to reach the map's main extraction point and escape. You'll be constantly looking for firearms, equipment, and armor to loot that'll help you stay in the fight against members of the United Security "USEC" or the Battle Encounter Assault Regiment "BEAR." Scavenge, hop into action-packed raids, and make your grand escape in this tense, tactical military FPS.

NEO Scavenger gets a nod from us here on this lineup of the best survival games on PC for three reasons - it owes its creation to a former BioWare employee named Daniel Fedo, emphasizes turn-based RPG gameplay mechanics, and features a retro art style that makes it look like a long lost 90s PC game. After awakening in a cryonics laboratory, you'll find yourself on your own in a post-apocalyptic world. Once you make your way outdoors, you'll need to use your turns to move across an isometric map and vie for survival. That entails scavenging for useful clothes, weapons, food, and tools, of course. Plus you'll need to avoid bothersome beasts, treat assorted illnesses, and do so much more in order to stay alive in one piece.

Living out the rest of your days on a hastily put-together raft doesn’t have to be an unsatisfying endeavor. Raft gives you the chance to link up with a few other drifters for some island exploring and other fun endeavors at sea. You’ll help out your seafaring buds as everyone gathers a bevy of useful goods, fends off hungry sharks, and builds their raft into something a bit more grandiose. Raft is all about making the best of you and your online buddies’ perilous sea voyage. Seafarers will definitely get their bang for their buck here with this latest ocean-filled pick on our list of the best survival games on PC.

Navigating an Amazonian rainforest means you'll have to deal with some of the most dangerous animals in the world while tending to any severe wounds you may have picked up along the way and acquiring all the items & resources needed to help you eat & build. Green Hell is a game that lets you simulate those challenging circumstances by yourself or with three of your most trustworthy & reliable online friends. Build an impenetrable fortress, get as much food as possible, avoid catching killer diseases, and watch out for those dammed crocodiles!

This first-person survival game throws players into one of those harrowing predicaments that no one would want to be stuck in in real life. The Long Dark puts you in the shoes of a bush pilot named Will Mackenzie, who must venture out into the bleak Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic storm has passed through. The Survival Edition of this game gives you a fun sandbox to play in, so you try your hand at braving the many dangers presented to you in this game without having to worry about forwarding the plot. We still recommend you check out The Long Dark's story and challenge modes, though!

SCUM is a lovingly referred to as a "prison riot survival game.” If that description piqued your interest, then we advise you to pay attention to our description of this game. Up to 100 players are set on a private island centered in Croatia. Those players are set up as prisoners who are forced to fight for their lives and freedom while competing on a twisted game show. The fame you earn from certain actions can better your progress as it goes towards beneficial items. SCUM features extensive character customization, crafting, and combat systems that make every moment within it feel as close to real life as possible. Did you just drop a butt nugget somewhere on the map? Whoever finds it can use it to track you and kill you, so poop wisely.

This War of Mine perfectly replicates the depressing way of life that comes with being a citizen trapped in a warzone. With several survivors to look over, you'll find yourself going on nightly excursions to procure all the items and resources needed to keep everyone in your base alive. Tough decisions have to be made during those undercover trips, by the way - when you run into another survivor, will you give them aid or relieve them of their items so you can keep them for your home base? Once the sun is out, it's up to you to put all the goods you acquired the night before to good use and also keep a close eye on your fellow survivors' hunger levels, physical health, and mental states all the while.