Survival Games are often harsh, tense, anxiety inducing but satisfying, where the player suffers from more ‘real world’ adversaries. Instead of fantastic boss fights, the player is often more concerned with thirst, hunger, health and illness.

Despite this unifying theme of having to manage your health and resources, the fan of Survival games is presented with a wide range of experiences and themes. Want to survive in the middle of a Zombie outbreak? Check. Want to stave off hunger and sickness while figuring out the cure to a deadly plague? Check.

With that said, we have pulled together a thirst-quenching list of 8 of the best, though many more could arguably have vied for a top spot. As a note as to the scope of the article, we have excluded multiplayer-only from the list to keep it tight and not have to base the scores on multiplayer considerations. Here is our list of the best survival games.

What Makes a Good Survival Game?

• Rich setting
• Good resource economy
• Interesting external obstacles
• Well-implemented survival parameters

Despite being a polarizing game, Ark has managed to grow into a deep and complex open-world survival game where you are constantly surrounded by dangers. Ark asks a lot from the player and will not handhold, as you will need to put some serious time into the grind.

However, the effort involved in crafting, harvesting and hunting will all be worth it when you can finally afford a fort or even better, tame a dinosaur. Being able to soar through the skies on a monstrous dino is incredible and very satisfying after a long grind. In a lot of ways, the sandbox approach to the game will feel similar to Subnautica or Minecraft, where you are only limited by the time that you put into it.

Ark will sink a lot of your time and frankly, the onerous grind is both a strength and a weakness, as you will need to commit to the game to get those incredible late-game payoffs. However, some of that grind will not be fun for some and will often just feel like a chore.

State of Decay 2 is a game for those who want the ultimate experience in how it might feel to fight to survive in a Zombie Apocalypse. The perma-death of the first game is present here also and so it behooves you to take your time and asses the risks carefully. If not, you will find your roster of heroes sorely lacking. Every death is impactful and violent – watching your doctor being pulled apart is gutting. (EDITOR’s NOTE: I hope the pun was totally intended).

The ‘normal’ mode in SoD is almost too easy and you could quite easily go through it without losing anyone, which removes some of the impact that the game can have.

However, with the introduction of Dread Zone and Nightmare, the game becomes survival as intended. Resources become far scarcer, and every Zombie needs to be treated with respect.

In these higher difficulties, you do need to plan out appropriately, run from Zombies and establish forward bases in order to produce resources. The area in which this game really shines is the combat, which is fun and responsive, and on the higher difficulties, some battles will truly feel life or death.

An open world survival game with a truly unique feel, Subnautica is set on an Alien Aquatic world where you have crash-landed, and you need to dive deep to scavenge the ocean floor. The base requirements of a survival game are augmented by a fantastical world that is packed with hideous monsters and surprisingly terrifying moments.

It’s obvious to anyone who has played Subnautica that the main strength of the game is its aesthetic and presentation. Some of the Biomes will light up with alien life, whilst others are pitch black and filled with deep-sea predators. The world-building and story in Subnautica are also better than some other open world games and searching out the loose strands of the story is extremely rewarding.

Progression and base building are familiar but with a new appealing skin, as you will trawl the depths of the world for new materials to upgrade and improve your Submarines and diving capabilities. Go on, see what lies at the bottom of the ocean.

This War of Mine is a harrowing and emotionally wracking experience, a side scroller survival set in a cold, war-torn fictional country. 11 Bit Studios are the masters of creating bleak and broken societies and the world of TWoM is no exception. You are a civilian caught in a brutal conflict and some of the cruelty and loss you witness will make you pause to reflect.

The game is ultimately a side-scroller game where you need to scavenge for supplies, stealth through dangerous areas and keep your band of survivors alive. Your survivors can easily die and armed enemies are no joke. All the while, you need to manage, hunger thirst and other survival staples.

The core gameplay loop of base building during the day and scavenging at night is a potent combination and you will quickly become addicted.

You know what to target at night to keep your base safe and functionin?. Will you navigate a dangerous building for it? Or will you pay an arm an a leg for it?

Darkwood is a top down survival horror that drip feeds horror in a splendidly designed and atmospheric word. As a plague befalls the land, the woods around your little boarded cabin twist come alive and come after you. As the player, you need to take a deep breath and throw yourself into the darkness and face down the abominations that lie within.

The game encourages replayability through the fact that the world is randomised every time you start up a new playthrough. As you explore the world you must find resources to reinforce your central hut and to be able to craft items that will help you navigate the unforgiving woods.

The woods themselves ooze atmosphere and the obscure and mysterious story is enough to keep any lore nut entertained. You aren’t alone in these dark woods, there are plenty of creepy NPCs to keep you company, and monsters to make you flee for the safety of your shelter.