Summary
300,000 years of human progress has led people to the point where most no longer have to kill for food and fight to bang rocks together for survival. However, that urge is often considered to remain in the back of one’s prehistoric lizard brain. Essentially, many still crave some ancestral activities but without the consequences. And what better way to experience that than through the (relatively) harmless simulation of video games?
Survival gameshave become among the most popular genres in gaming; and there’s no shortage of both old and new survival romps. The genre’s known to be a tough one — though notallof them tap into that old primeval emotion. Still, some are more forgiving and don’t quite instill that fragility of human life as well as others.
Hence, these games will surely make one appreciate their modern-day comforts for a more brutal digital field trip that most players won’t survive.
Updated on Aug 05, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:What most survival games have in common is to deliver realistic gameplay mechanics about the basic needs of human beings, as staying alive is, in most cases, the primary goal of the player.
The need for food, shelter, and energy is almost shared between all survival experiences, yet each game manages to deliver a unique experience thanks to different world-building, creative gameplay loops, and the level of difficulty.
This ambitious (albeit rough-around-the-edges) adventure from Compulsion Games truly puts gamers' survival skills to the test. It places them in a grim, dystopian alternate future of a war-torn England, which has been consumed by a Fascist system post-WWII. Players must keep their head down and try to survive in this poor, downtrodden society as best they can.
Not only this, but they’re required to ingest a “feel good” drug meant to mask their dismal surroundings with a whimsical — and far trippier — overlay,Brave New Worldstyle. If one of the three distinct antiheroesdoesn’tkeep up with their dose of happy fiction, they’ll be mercilessly pursued by swift, ravenous guards prowling the streets. This twisted, colorful journey is as intense and maddening as it is fun.
Crafted by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, this underwater journey combines peaceful solitude with heart-pumping survival gameplay. Players assume the role of a spaceship crash survivor Ryley, forced to scour a vast ocean planet with no knowledge of what dwells in the waters beyond.
Despite a relatively serene aura, it becomes apparent how threatening this locale can be, as it’s rife with dangerous sea creatures. At the same time, players must explore these alien regions while dealing with hunger, thirst, and oxygen. If one finds themselves meeting their end, certain items are wiped from their inventory.
This doesn’t even touch on hardcore mode, which gives no warnings of low oxygen and inflicts permadeath on gamers.
20ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery)
Heavy Roguelike Elements, Trial And Error
While more RPG/roguelike than survival, the heavy resource management — and countless factors leading to death —warrantsADOM’s position as a genre standout.Starting as a simple ASCII graphics game, the fleshed-out re-release of this roguelikeis as grueling and cryptic as ever. Even compared to others of its ilk,ADOMis known for truly tough, unpredictable gameplay.
Players must fight through the hostile land of Ancardia, as they attempt to hit one of the multiple endings that include either closing the “Chaos” gate, becoming a demigod, or sacrificing themselves to stop the dark Chaos forces. Explorers will need to weigh and toy with a near-endless slew of factors, customizations, and quests — often walking on eggshells just to stay alive.
The open-world nature ofADOMallows many paths to victory — but there arefar morethat lead to certain doom. Players can meet their permadeath doom in mere minutes, simply by using cursed equipment, walking into a trap, or failing to use the right counter on a monster.
It might not look as involved or as shocking as first-person zombie games due to the top-down, isometric perspective, butProject Zomboidcan be every bit nerve-wracking. It’s one of the toughest survival games out there due to the steep learning curve and many punishing enemies.
Project Zomboidplaces a stalwart focus on realism and the sandbox nature of its world. The zombies also don’t run but they do come in frightening swarms that will punish any small mistake or indecision on the player’s part. On top of that, players also have to deal with depression and boredom on top of their physiological needs.
If players want to get a taste of what it’s like to have a similar predicament to Tom Hanks inCast Away, thenStranded Deepis a good trial run. It’s a game where players are stranded on an island. But they soon realize that they’re not Polynesian islanders who are adept at surviving such environments, so this paradise might as well be hell.
The worst part is thatplayers are encouraged to leave their islandsince their starting plot of land doesn’t have all the resources available. Gamers will need to venture to other islands to complete their hierarchy of needs. That would have been easy if not for the sharks and other violent sea critters looking for a meal.
Green Hellgrabs the low-hanging fruit among survival games and places the players smack-dab in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The place is known for its dizzying humidity and hostile locals (whether animals, plants, or humans) and the game will let players know that one way or another.
It’s best known as a rainforest simulator especially if players crank up the difficulty level to how the developers intended. Players will need to attend to insect bites, numerous kinds of poison, and other jungle illnesses to find their missing wife in the story mode or perhaps last as long as they can in the sandbox mode.
Much likeProject Zomboid,7 Days to Dieis a definitive zombie survival experience where players can roam around and create their own survival stories. Interestingly, it was released on early access at the same time asProject Zomboid.
The difference is, that7 Days to Diepresents a more intimate view of zombie slaughter. Thus, it has more pronounced horror elements and the zombies look more visceral and distinct. Players can also craft some rather ridiculous melee weapons and attempt to McGuyver their way into survival, though that won’t make the experience any less intimidating.
15Subsistence
Gritty Realism, Lack Of Hand Holding
If players want a simple survival game with Stone Age tendencies but modern equipment, thenSubsistenceis the game. There are no supernatural threats here, just the usual human doubt and greed. Players must defend themselves against wildlife, nature, and AI hunters who also behave the same way as they do.
It’s a pure sandbox setup where players can even build their own communities and develop their mini-communal civilizations. It’s similar toRustbut with less wackiness and with more available modern technology. The game is also famed for its difficulty as it often tries to simulate real-world rules.
It’s set in the modern world but that doesn’t meanThis War of Mineceases to be as unforgiving as survival games that start withStone Age tech. At its core,This War of Mineis similar toThe Sims,except all the Sims are in war-torn Eastern Europe and they’re all depressed and are a couple of missed meals away from dying.
That’s how bleak the situation is inThis War of Mine.Players are tasked with managing civilian survivors in a city under siege where every member must be kept alive. The problem is, that some are better than others when it comes to certain tasks and looters are everywhere, turning the whole city into a free-for-all.
It’s the player against the world in this perilous, prehistoric survival epic. Developed by Studio Wildcard, the game drops players in the middle of a vast, seemingly bare land where dinosaurs and other attacking players roam.
Explorers must start from scratch, starting fires, crafting weapons, and assembling bases on the fly, all while watching out for incoming threats.Arkhas become one of the more punishing open-world games of late, thanks to its realistic style that demands much time and resources, as well as its large PvP format.
