The best survival games are the perfect way to test your metal and see if you can live up to the great survivalists of our time, like Steve Batchel or Bear Grylls.
You'll need to keep your wits about you as you traverse various unforgiving landscapes and encounter unknown dangers. Unfortunately, in games like Minecraft or Sons of the Forest, it isn't enough to beat the bad guys; you'll also have to master the elements and your stomach as you find shelter, stay warm, and stay fed.
Whether it’s the dark and unforgiving landscape of Don't Starve, taming dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Evolved, or building the castle of your dreams in Terraria, in many ways, the best survival games are like the best MMO games – there is always something new to see and do.
This list will introduce you to the best survival games on all platforms – no matter what you’re looking for, there’s a survival game for you.
Best survival games
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Platforms available: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android
From its lovely Tim Burton-esque art style to its deep and engrossing crafting system, Don’t Starve is like a beautiful nightmare.
Exploring its mysterious world is never jump-out-of-your-seat frightening, but you’ll be terrified if you lose all your progress getting killed by a marauding spider thing. Or starvation. Or eating something deadly. There are many ways to die in Don't Starve, which is why this addition to the best survival games is so rewarding when you manage to survive.
Consider picking up the Don’t Starve Together add-on, which introduces four-player co-operative play into the mix and quickly makes the game one of the best co-op games.
Platforms available: Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and Xbox One
Valheim is a brutal exploration and survival game that can be enjoyed solo or with up to 10 players, making it one of the best survival games to play with a large group. Trapped in a Viking-inspired purgatory, you must fight through various Norse mythology characters to conquer the lands you find.
You can explore a world shrouded in mystery by building longboats and setting sail upon the open seas. Or, if you want to plant your roots, pick a spot and create a marvellous Viking hall with a completed building system. Just make sure to develop adequate defenses and store up food for the winter, as in this game, the monsters aren't always your worst enemy.
This open-world survival game has almost endless possibilities, which becomes even more enjoyable with friends, making it a strong contender for our best co-op games.
Platforms available: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android
There’s never been a Jurassic Park survival game, and while it’s not officially licensed, Ark: Survival Evolved might be as good as we’ll get. Waking up on a deserted beach with just your wits and a loincloth, it’s up to you to find shelter, craft tools and weaponry, and forge alliances with fellow players on an island teeming with giant aggressive dinosaur inhabitants.
This game is vibrant and immensely popular, so popular in fact that we can look forward to a sequel featuring Vin Diesel in 2023, as well as an animated TV show.
Ark is a bit rough around the edges and very unforgiving for newcomers, but taming your own ferocious T-Rex is hard to beat, and Ark deserves a spot on our list of best survival games for that alone.
Platforms available: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
The primary objective of Rust is to conquer the wilderness, animals, and critically other players in a bid to survive another night. As a strictly multiplayer online game, the biggest threat in Rust is your fellow player, as you can use firearms, bows, and various weapons to bludgeon people to death for fun or to collect their materials.
You'll encounter wild animals stalking the woods or armed NPCs driving around in vehicles that shoot at any player armed with a weapon. In this deadly open world, your best bet at survival is either building a base or joining a clan. This usually means that raiding will become another threat for you to fight against.
For those who want to get even more creative, rest assured that modded servers are supported on Rust, which can add additional content.
Platforms available: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android
Perhaps the most famous survival game of them all and a shoo-in for our best survival games list, although for many who like to focus on building, that side of Minecraft has slid into obscurity.
At the heart of Minecraft remains an engrossing survival adventure, seeing you collect resources, build a shelter, and head into the heart of the Earth to take on the increasingly aggressive inhabitants while hunting for rare treasures. Thanks to many crossplay options, it's one of the best crossplay games, too.
If you want to get started in Minecraft on PC and need help working out what version of Minecraft to download, check our guide on how to download Minecraft for PC.
Platforms available:PS5
, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One
Taking the survival genre 20,000 leagues under the sea, Subnautica mixes sci-fi scares with underwater thrills. It’s one of the most polished survival games, with a unique world to explore and a great loop of resource gathering, enemy battling and base improvements.
If you're not one for deep, murky waters, then Subnautica can be a genuinely stressful experience (that's why it's made our list of the 10 worst games for thalassophobia). Subnautica is one of the most atmospheric titles on our best survival games list.
If Subnautica has got you hooked, don't forget to check out Subnautica: Below Zero, set two years after the original game's events.
Platforms available: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
In many respects, the grandfather of the best survival games started life as a mod before blowing up in such a massive way that it became its own game. Based on military sim Arma 3, it adds that ol’ faithful of videogames, zombies, into the survival mix. However, it’s not the undead you need to be most afraid of, but other players – they roam the maps in makeshift gangs, preying on the weak and stealing your hard-earned gear.
DayZ
has the potential for some great roleplaying, big PvP battles, and unforgiving survival elements. The tables can turn quickly on you in this game, but anything is possible if you've found a good group.
Platforms available: PC
Sons of the Forest is a superb sequel to the 2014 survival horror game The Forest. The multiplayer survival game provides fans with scares worthy of our best horror games list and an environment that tests even seasoned survivalists.
As a special ops recruit sent to a mysterious island to rescue a missing billionaire, you're forced to navigate the vast landscapes in all the seasons of the year with its changing weather systems.
Be sure to keep an one eye on your water, food, and warmth meters and one eye on the dark and unforgiving woods, as the cannibals and mutants that lurk within are unforgiving in their pursuit of you.
Platforms available: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android)
Like 16-bit Minecraft, pixel-art Terraria is one of the most popular survival games out there. Colorful and vast, Terraria lets you take on lots of monstrous foes, digging deep into endless caverns before returning to your home to construct gigantic bases to hone your skills.
It’s a great game, with a cutesy art style that belies its complexity. For years, Terraria received extensive updates, and the amount of stuff there is to see and collect is really astounding. Losing in Terraria can be frustrating for that very reason, but there are so many things to do and discover that you'll start it all over again – truly the mark of the best survival games.
Platforms available: PC
Raft is an excellent survival game to test the metal of you and your friends. Set adrift on a small plank of wood; you must explore islands, scavenge for parts, and fight against the perils of the sea to survive.
You can customize and build up your raft into a luxury vessel that is worthy of carrying you to your next adventure, but be warned; it's not all sun and seashells. The harsh sea will punish you, so resources and food can be scarce, so when possible, scavenge reefs and islands as much as possible, no matter the danger.
Best survival games FAQs
What is the hardest survival game on PC?
It's widely accepted that Rust is the hardest survival game there is. Starting off completely naked armed with a torch and a rock, a lot of hard work goes into surviving against your fellow players and all the beasts.
What should a survival game have?
A survival game should focus on resource management, item crafting, and exploration. The player typically starts out by themselves with little resources before actively searching for shelter, weapons, and food.
How we made our list section
The best survival games come in tons of shapes and sizes, and luckily here at TechRadar Gaming, our writers love all sorts of titles. There's the classic zombie survival, multiplayer and co-op games, or just the seemingly cute and cuddly adventure survival titles.
I grew up playing Minecraft, and although it hasn't always gone to plan, especially when I lost my A.S.S., I always love coming back to this survival game. I also love to dive into co-op survival games; getting to go up against all the odds with my friends by my side is hilariously stressful.
What survival games I'm playing right now
Other than the most infamous survival game that is life, I am currently having fun in The Sons of the Forest, exploring and surviving with a group of friends, and Kelvin of course. Other than having to switch base location each session thanks to the relentless cannibals this survival title is diverse, entertaining, and just the right amount of creepy to keep interest. Oh, and you can also sledge down the side of a mountain, so that's fun.
If you want the thrill of surviving against all the odds but don't want to spend countless hours playing Grand Designs in a forest or harvesting crops then check out of best battle royale games list for some titles that'll give you immediate action and crushing fights.
