Alone or together with friends, you have to go through severe trials that will become a real test of strength.
There are fewer and fewer good survival games every year. It seems that this genre has completely outlived itself, and developers have nothing more to offer gamers. It remains to be hoped that the temporary lull does not turn into the final death of the genre. In the meantime, the gaming community is waiting for new announcements, we bring you a selection of the 13 best survival games on PC. Everyone should play these games.
Raft
Raft - adventure game from the Redbeet Interactive studio, in which players will have to confront hunger, thirst and an annoying shark. And more recently - also to rats, wild boars and bears. The game has been in Steam Early Access since 2018.
Initially, Raft had no plot, and the entire gameplay was based on the interaction of the player with the outside world. Once on a raft in the middle of the boundless ocean, the player is forced to collect the garbage ing by and improve life. With the release of the latest updates, the developers began to introduce story locations with notes that lift the veil of the mystery of the catastrophe that occurred in the world.
The unusual setting of Raft easily engages in the gameplay and adds interest and motivation to routine actions. Raft requires:
- Set up a raft. Materials for construction float past in large quantities. Subsequently, the collection of components can be automated;
- Get food. The protagonist still needs fresh water and food;
- Explore the islands. It is there that you will have to look for traces of a lost civilization and collect unique resources.
The drawn style chosen by the developers practically does not become obsolete, so the game will not have visual problems throughout its life path.
Reviews on Steam are very positive.
Stranded Deep
Stranded Deep - Robinson Crusoe simulatorwhich made a lot of noise in 2015. Appearing then in early access on Steam, the game became a pioneer of the genre. Developers from Beam Team Games managed to interest the gaming community with an unusual setting, interesting mechanics and a lot of promises, forcing everyone to closely monitor the development of their project.
After a plane crash, the main character manages to get to the nearest island. From this moment his adventures begin. Moving between the nearest land areas and exploring the wrecks, the player gathers supplies and learns to survive in a new environment. With the release of the story update, the game had an ending.
The gameplay of Stranded Deep is a mixture of sandbox and survival game mechanics. Their interesting:
- Survival functionality. Cooking, hunting and gathering will become an integral part of the life of the failed Robinson;
- Extensive craft. The development of new territories occurs through the creation of various devices, buildings and transport;
- Fauna diversity. The ocean is filled with both harmless creatures and predatory fish. For especially sophisticated players, the developers have implemented boss fighting games with the legendary monsters of the deep sea.
The graphics have changed somewhat since the appearance of the project on Steam. Dynamic weather changes, water physics and detailed environments add to Stranded Deep's atmosphere and competitiveness.
Reviews on Steam are mostly positive.
Sabnautica
Sabnautica - underwater adventure from Unknown Worlds Entertainment, which was born in 2018. The unusual setting of the project, filling it with content and the constant work of developers on bugs caused rave reviews from players around the world.
According to the plot of the game, a spaceship of people crashes upon entering the atmosphere of a mysterious planet-ocean. From now on, the main character is forced to survive in a strange world, simultaneously exploring its sea depths and interacting with outlandish inhabitants.
At the disposal of the player is an open underwater world in which to:
- build bases;
- extract resources;
- scan objects.
Gameplay Sabnautica suffers from some monotony. However, the repetitiveness of the gameplay is compensated by the atmosphere of the environment and a series of plot events. In search of crafting materials, you can be distracted by the contemplation of colorful flora and fauna, get lost in dark caves, stumble upon the architecture of an alien civilization and be scared to death by a ing predator.
Considerable merit in creating this atmosphere belongs to the visual and sound components. You have to pay for the development of the environment with computer resources - Sabnautica is quite demanding on hardware.
Metacritic score of 87, player score of 8,5.
Green Hell
Green Hell is a hardcore survival game from the small Polish studio Creepy Jar, who managed to take the gaming genre to a new level. Green Hell stayed in the beta testing stage for a relatively short time and was finally released in 2019.
The plot of the game, as befits similar projects, does not suffer from primitivism. As part of a research expedition, the player finds himself in the depths of the tropical jungle alone with unfriendly flora and fauna. When it turns out that the jungle holds a terrible secret from the life of the protagonist, it is already impossible to turn back.
The main feature of Green Hell is its gameplay. Surviving in this green hell is really difficult. The deadly dangers that await the player at every corner can be divided into several categories:
- Internal resource of the body. The hero's diet should consist of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and water;
- Flora and fauna. Absolutely everything in this world wants the death of the player. Poisonous insects, snakes, predators and even intestinal parasites. Having eaten mushrooms and berries of dubious origin and drinking all this with unpurified water, you can pay a lot;
- Natives. A highly aggressive lifeform that refuses to negotiate;
- Injuries and illnesses. derivative of all of the above.
The graphical shell keeps the quality bar at the level of 2019. Especially well the developers of Green Hell worked on the animations that accompany even the minor actions of the hero.
Metacritic score of 77, player score of 7,8.
Grounded
Grounded - survival adventure in the micro world from the Obsidian Entertainment studio, which replenished the Steam collection at the end of July 2020. The setting chosen as the basis is a breath of fresh air in the genre, which significantly adds interest to the project from gamers who are fed up with the same type of survivors.
The plot in Grounded is in its infancy with a clear hint of further development. Now we know the following: in the course of a scientific experiment, a company of friends was reduced to the size of ants and left to fend for themselves in a cruel microscopic world.
The gameplay of the game is built on survival in completely new conditions. Teaming up with friends, the player will:
- Build. The resources for crafting are blades of grass, dandelion stalks and other materials that can be found underfoot;
- Look for food. Nutrients will have to be extracted from small insects, which are preferably cooked on a fire before use. The dew will keep you from dying of thirst.
- Fight unfriendly insects. Fortunately, a ladybug often helps to cope with spiders.
The graphics in Grounded are made in a drawn style. High elaboration of details made the cartoon world of the game alive and rich, but caused technical problems for a number of s. In any case, it's too early to sound the alarm. The cases are isolated and will probably be resolved with the next patches.
Reviews on Steam are very positive.
Grounded Guides:
DayZ
DayZ is a zombie apocalypse survival simulator from Bohemia Interactive. The time that the game was in the alpha testing stage played a cruel joke on it. DayZ's popularity began to plummet. The release at the end of 2018 somewhat leveled the situation, stopping the rapid outflow of the audience.
The DayZ setting does not imply a plot. Interest in the game is ed by unique gameplay mechanics and the atmosphere of what is happening. Survival is based on realism, which is reflected in everything. Among the gameplay features:
- Huge map. In most cases, you will have to move around the vast territory of the game on foot, so a typical outing for resources can take several hours of real time;
- Multiplayer mode. DayZ proves by example that man is the most dangerous predator on Earth. You can escape from mutants by fleeing, but not from another player pretending to be friendly;
- Unlimited functional possibilities. While the newcomer is trying to open a can of food and dry his soaked clothes, a large-scale construction under the direction of professional preppers can be carried out a few meters away.
During the development of DayZ, not just graphically prettier. She switched to a new game engine. This move allowed the developers to significantly improve the visuals of the game without losing the atmosphere.
Reviews on Steam are mixed.
Peace
Peace is one of the few games in the survival genre that created competition for DayZ throughout the entire development phase. The changes that have taken place since the original version of the game from 2013 have turned Rust into a completely different project. The game lost zombies and switched to a new engine. Multiple mechanics of interaction with the outside world were reworked, new items and features were added. In 2018, the 1.0 version of the game was released, which put an end to "early access".
The gameplay of Rust is classic survival project without a plot and any narrative, but with many biomes and crowded online. The player will have to face:
- Hunger and thirst;
- Cold and radiation;
- Predatory animals and other survivors.
Players have a large number of weapons at their disposal, which become available for crafting after finding special blueprints and other items. With their help, you can build an impregnable (but not for C4) fortress and defend yourself from enemy raids for some time.
The graphics in the game are quite nice. Another thing is performance. The game, as there were problems with optimization and loading time, so they remained.
Metacritic score of 69, player score of 6,3.
mist survival
Mist Survival is an ambitious survival game developed by Dimension 32 Entertainment. The peculiarity of this company is that it consists of one person. However, this did not stop him from challenging the giants of the genre and presenting his vision of survival in the world of the zombie apocalypse to the gaming industry.
Without becoming bothered with the plot, the developer focused on the gameplay of his project. IN mist survival many gameplay mechanics have been added. Key highlights include:
- Setting up your own base. The ability to craft items and change the appearance of your shelter dilutes the aggressive gameplay with a peaceful atmosphere;
- Rescue of other survivors. In gratitude, they will become true allies and brighten up loneliness in an unfriendly world;
- Outings for supplies and raids on bandits. The presence of transport will allow you to take with you as many resources as possible and quickly escape with the loot.
Despite the fact that only one person has worked and continues to work on the game, Mist Survival looks very worthy. And the insufficient study of NPC models and clumsy animation can be attributed to an early build of the project.
Reviews on Steam are very positive.
The Long Dark
The Long Dark - adventure game with elements of survival in the conditions of the north. The developers from Hinterland Studio Inc managed to realize their ideas within the setting dedicated to the fight against freezing frost and piercing wind. After that, we decided to start work on the story campaign of the game.
The plot of the game tells the story of Will Mackenzie - the pilot of an aircraft that crashed in the snowy taiga due to equipment failure.. In search of his partner, he finds himself in a nature reserve cut off from civilization by the forces of the elements, gets acquainted with its last inhabitants and tries to unravel the mystery of the northern lights that caused the plane crash. The plot of the game is served episodically: 3 out of 5 chapters are already available.
The Long Dark turns into rugged survival, as soon as the story cutscene ends. The game will have to:
- Keep track of satiety and thirst. You will have to eat frozen berries, deer meat and canned food. Fortunately, there are much fewer problems with finding water;
- Resist wolves and bears. Dangerous predators lurk at every corner;
- Fight the cold and its consequences. Properly selected clothing and a fire lit in time will protect you from frostbite.
You can fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the game and devote yourself to survival in the game mode of the same name.
In order to make their project exceptional in all aspects, the developers have created a unique graphic style: something between comic art and realism. It turned out quite nice.
Metacritic score of 77, player score of 6,5.
This War of Mine
This War of Mine is one of the few computer games that dared to tell about the horrors of war and its consequences.. This time, players will have to survive in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by hostilities. Developers from 11 bit studios tried to convey the spirit of events in all colors. Judging by the rave reviews on Steam, they succeeded.
The plot of the game revolves around a group of civilians who managed to survive the bombing. They are not soldiers, but ordinary civilians who are lucky enough to survive. However, can such a life be considered the result of luck, or would a quick death be the best outcome? This question is up to the players to answer.
The gameplay of the game is built on the decisions that the player will make as he progresses through This War of Mine. Separately, I would like to note 2 aspects of the game.
- Variability. Each player's action has consequences. In this game, you have to pay with your life for mistakes.
- Realism. Heroes can get sick, get injured during a night outing, fall off their feet from fatigue, etc.
Periodically, random events and encounters are generated in the game, which may end in a mutually beneficial exchange of goods or an attack on the shelter.
The style of This War of Mine does not go beyond 2D-drawing and is limited to several locations. However, this does not prevent the project from creating an indescribable atmosphere of depression and hopelessness.
Metacritic score of 83, player score of 8,3.
Buy Discounted This War of Mine
60 seconds! Reatomized
60 seconds! Reatomized is an updated version of a comedy survival game about the difficult life of a family who escaped in a bunker during a nuclear explosion.
The plot of the game is dedicated to the survival of an American family, which was lucky to be sealed in a bunker and survive a catastrophe on a planetary scale. But how long will they be able to survive under conditions of lack of resources and lack of entertainment?
The gameplay of the game consists of two stages:
- Collection. To the sounds of a siren, the player must quickly orient himself and take with him everything that one way or another can be useful to him in the bunker. 60 seconds are allotted for everything about everything.
- Survival. Once in an underground shelter, the player is forced to sketch out a rough plan of action, allocate resources and schedule attacks on the surface.
The replayability of the game is simply amazing. Every action has its price. One day, someone might get sick, go crazy, or not come back from the surface. Food and water supplies are also limited. The combination of all these factors affects the duration of the age. In the updated version of 60 Seconds, the variability has become even greater.
Together with the new features in the game, the graphics and sound have been improved, adding color and ambience to the project of the post-apocalyptic world.
Reviews on Steam are very positive.
Terraria
Terraria is a 2D co-op adventure set in a randomly generated open world. Throughout its 9-year life cycle, the game was constantly ed with patches and updates until it retired in mid-2020. Being a two-dimensional analogue of Minecraft, Terraria has remained in the shadow of this legendary project. However, very undeserved.
The gameplay is a mixture of sandbox, adventure and survival. The developers at Re-Logic have always placed great emphasis on freedom of action. And indeed. In Terraria you can:
- Build. Unlimited choice of resources and materials for the implementation of the most daring architectural ideas;
- Research. A variety of biomes and secret caves await their discoverers. Particularly motivated players will be able to get to hell or heaven;
- Fight. Hostile mobs accompany the player throughout the age. Especially aggressive at night;
- And most importantly, dig. The mechanics that Minecraft is loved for are also implemented in Terraria.
Pixel graphics and a flat open world Terraria are its main distinguishing features. Presenting this project in a different style is very problematic.
Metacritic score of 83, player score of 8,7.
ASTRONER
Astroneer is a very successful experiment by System Era Softworks to create a survival game that would be different from similar analogues. Deciding that the subject of catastrophes on Earth had already been traveled enough, the developers sent their project into space.
Over the depth of the plot, the developers of Astroneer decided not to bother and provided the players with a simple plot. The space expedition, which included the protagonist of the game, went on an intergalactic journey to explore the cores of planets and ancient alien artifacts stored there.
After landing on the first planet, the player in the face of an astronaut opens up a lot of opportunities. He can:
- change the landscape;
- expand the space settlement;
- craft scientific equipment;
- design unique transport;
- scanning objects;
- resist aggressive environment.
The visual design of Astroneer has been simplified as much as possible. The artificial graphical downgrade made it possible to achieve not only a unique appearance of the game, but also significantly reduced the load on the players' personal computers.
Metacritic score of 71, player score of 7,2.
