GamesSurvival & Crafting7 hardcore survival games that are great to play in peaceful modeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSurvival & Crafting7 hardcore survival games that are great to play in peaceful modeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: RocketWerkz)

Imagine a hardcore survival game… but it’s peaceful? It sounds like a contradiction, but survival is about more than just bleeding, starving, fending off zombies or wild animals, and struggling to stay alive from dawn until dusk. Fighting for your life is a thrill, but that’s not the only thing to enjoy in survival games.
Survival is also about crafting, exploring, harvesting resources, and carving out a life in an untamed environment. Hunting and fishing, creating your tools and weapons, growing your own food supply, cooking your meals, and turning a shelter into a cozy home with a roaring fireplace is the ultimate goal of any survival game: it’s what makes all those difficult struggles worthwhile.
Survival games are also loaded with creative systems you should be able to enjoy even if you don’t like combat. So, why not turn that combat off and play in a more gentle world? Luckily, many of thebest survival gameslet you do just that. Here are the some great hardcore survival games you can play in peaceful mode.
Vintage Story
(Image credit: Anego Studios)

Project Zomboid
(Image credit: The Indie Stone)

Ark: Survival Evolved
(Image credit: Studio Wildcard)

Icarus
(Image credit: RocketWerkz)

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Sons of the Forest
(Image credit: Endnight Games)

Raft
(Image credit: Redbeet Interactive)

Valheim
(Image credit: Iron Gate Studio)

Valheim has come a long way since its early access release in 2021: it’s added new biomes, more bosses, and most importantly, lots more options to let you find the precise balance and challenge you’re looking for. Apart from usingValheim cheatsto enable creative mode, you can play on a setting called “Casual” which means monsters still roam the world but they won’t attack unless you attack them. Your home will never be raided, there are lots of extra resources in the world, and if you die you don’t lose any items. Just explore the world, build the base of your dreams, and only get into fights when you’re ready for them.
PRODUCTSIcarusArk: Survival EvolvedProject ZomboidRaftSons Of The ForestValheim
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