Survival gamesare an extremely popular genre of video games in which the player is placed in a setting in which they must essentially start from scratch. The reward in survival games is creating a world that is safe, and prosperous, but there’s so much freedom to be found in survival games that the goal is whatever the player sets out to achieve.

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With such anabundance of survival games, only some are regarded as the best of the best, as well as being the better of the lot for replay value. Some games can be replayed endlessly, with a constant state of fun for a solo experience, or one with friends.

7Ark: Survival Evolved

Players create their unique characters to arrive at the shores of a mysterious island inArk: Survival Evolved. Very quickly, players will have to learn how to survive, and use their cunning to both kill and tame the primeval creatures that roam the mysterious lands ofArk: Survival Evolved.

The game has grown exponentially over the years, withmany updates adding new contentto the game.Ark: Survival Evolvedis still highly popular, and a replay could be on different servers, with unique rules and locations. Besides, what sort of player would not want to spend their survival days taming unique dinosaurs?

Ark Survival Evolved Featured

6Rust

There’s possibly no world as hostile as that ofRust. The only aim of the game is to survive, making it the truest survival experience. InRust, everything wants the player dead. From the animals to the environment, and even the other players that inhabit the island.

Players will need to do whatever it takes to survive another night, and turn their survival into an act of thriving. With weapons and armor on their side, players inRustcan enjoy anew experience with each server, from unique encounters with other players to roleplaying with random groups, there’s endless fun to be had in the ever-evolving survival game.

rust player being chased by a bear

5Terraria

In the world ofTerraria, the choice is that of the player. Through digging, fighting, exploring, and building, the players inTerrariacan seeksurvival, fortune, and glory. There’s a deep exploration aspect to the 2D world ofTerraria, and one that is adored, even after 11 years of success. The game is filled with action and adventure, with a selling point of the co-op.

Considering players can enjoy a sandbox-style experience, with the utmost creativity, the journey that players can seek is vastly different from player to player. The adventure is truly in the hands of the creator, and there’s so much to do, making a replay a new experience every time.

Terraria Prepare For The Worst

4Valheim

One of the more recent releases to the survival scene,Valheimhas become extremely popular, and for good reason.Valheimis a brutal exploration and survival game, in which players can celebrate and exist in Viking culture. Through building great halls, battling foes and players, and conquering their way through a procedurally-generated purgatory, players canclaim their place at Odin’s hall.

Related:Beginner Tips For Valheim Multiplayer

Valheimfeatures crafting, building, and combat, all the pillars essential to a good survival game. The fact that players can team up with up to 10 players makes for an exciting experience, one that can be replicated and new with each replay.

3Don’t Starve

Don’t Starveis all about surviving. Players will learn the essentials of surviving, like the horrors that lurk in the dark, and how important it is to not set woods on fire. It’s a charming game with a lovely art style. Each character has a unique personality and set of animations and strange new powers.Don’t Starveis a great experience for the solo player.

There’s an abundance of science, magic, and strange creatures, all of which await exploration by the player. Through gathering supplies, and overcoming dangers, players will be able to thrive. Each replay is different, withunique biomesand locations within the vicinity.

Valheim - Using The Abyssal Harpoon On A Boar

2Call Of Duty: Zombies

Ever since the release ofCall of Duty: World at War,Zombieshave been a staple game mode alongside a campaign and a multiplayer.Zombiesfeature a great survival game, in which players will start in the first room of a map with nothing but a pistol. Through surviving long rounds, players will have the tools and equipment to explore the map and survive for as long as possible.

What makesCall of Duty: Zombiessuch a fun game mode is that, for a survival game, it is greatly replayable. Players are restricted to one of many maps, with each map featuring different challenges and enemy types, but an equally unforgiving horde of the undead.

wolfgang wilson wendy abigail and willow sitting around fire surrounded by the dark

1Minecraft

Minecraftis often seen as the most iconic survival game, and for good reason.Minecraftfeatures an art style like no other, with its blocky design, and it’s friendly for every player that picks up the game. With over 11 years to its name, there’s so much to experience, and each playthrough offers a unique variety of choices for one of themost infinite sandboxes out there.

There are few survival experiences likeMinecraft. The game offers a range of choices, from servers to playing with friends online or co-op, to even enjoying the experience solo. With each new world,Minecrafthas a new generated world, each one random and unique, but filled with so much to explore and build.

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Image from Minecraft showing Steve and Alex running out of a cave.