The best survival games on PC

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Best of the best(Image credit: Larian Studios)2024 games: Upcoming releasesBest PC games: All-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest MMOs: Massive worldsBest RPGs: Grand adventures

Best of the best

(Image credit: Larian Studios)2024 games: Upcoming releasesBest PC games: All-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest MMOs: Massive worldsBest RPGs: Grand adventures

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Baldur’s Gate 3 - Jaheira with a glowing green sword looks ready for battle

2024 games: Upcoming releasesBest PC games: All-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest MMOs: Massive worldsBest RPGs: Grand adventures

Fighting to stay alive is hard-coded into our DNA, so it’s pretty easy to see why we love survival games. The best survival games on PC push players to their limits, presenting them with tough problems and challenging them to find creative solutions.

You need to take a lot more into account than your standard health bar in survival games. Things like hunger, thirst, and extreme temperatures will need to be considered, alongside disease and threats from any hostile enemies. Paired with exploration, foraging, and crafting tools and gear, a lot of the best survival games will put your every instinct to the test.

But in such a popular genre, it can be hard to know where to start, especially if you’re jumping into the world of survival games for the first time. Below you’ll find our favorite examples of simulated survival on PC, whether it’s among the stars, deep underground, and in other dangerous environments packed with monsters, mutants, zombies, dinosaurs, or the deadliest enemy of all: other players. Here are the best survival games on PC.

Palworld

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(Image credit: Pocketpair)

Palworld screenshot - guy with an axe patting a Pal’s head

In a sentence: Kinda like Ark: Survival Evolved, but with Pokémon-like critters instead of dinosaursStatus: In early access since January 18, 2024Link:Steam

Further reading:Palworld is the Pokémon this sinful world deserves

Abiotic Factor

(Image credit: Playstack)

Scientists camping outside in the snow

In a sentence: Half-Life, but it’s a survival game about the nerdy scientists left behind in Black Mesa.Status:In early accessLink:Steam

You may be a scientist in a Black Mesa-like facility as its overrun but monsters, but this time you’re no Gordon Freeman. You’re one of the eggheads left behind. It’s a different kind of survival game because you’re in a sprawling lab instead of stranded in the woods: harvest snacks from vending machines, fashion armor out of sofa cushions, and cannibalize broken computers for electronics. Abiotic Factor is bursting with fun twists on the survival formula, like a clever crafting system where you use your nerdy brain to come up with an “idea” for a new item, and a minigame you play while sleeping that buffs your rested status.

Further reading:I fell in love with Abiotic Factor the minute I strapped a couch cushion to my chest and called it armor

Sons of the Forest

(Image credit: Endnight Games)

Monsters in the woods

In a sentence:Plane crash survivor angers cannibal tribe. Again!Status: Released February 23, 2024Link:Steam Store

After picking through the wreckage of the plane crash that stranded you here, you’ll quickly discover you’re not alone. You share a mysterious island with a tribe of terrifying cannibals, and while you struggle to stay fed and hydrated, build structures from simple tents to log homes, and construct traps to snare animals, you’ll have to defend against the hungry and determined locals. Best of all, you’ve got an AI-controlled pal, Kelvin, to help you out.

Further reading:Sons of the Forest review is the funniest game on the internet

Valheim

(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

Valheim viking fishing near a fort

In a sentence: Exploration and base-building in the Viking afterlife.Status: Released in Early Access on February 2, 2021Link:Official site

It didn’t take long for Early Access co-op Viking survival game to draw a crowd, and it’s easy to see why. A massive procedurally generated world, fearsome boss fights, and excellent base-building systems mesh wonderfully with survival elements like cooking and crafting. Solo play is great, but it really shines in co-op, and players can busy themselves with base construction or set out on perilous journeys across the sea to find dangerous new continents.

Further reading:Valheim is making me love survival games again

Subnautica

(Image credit: Unknown Worlds)

Subnautica

In a sentence:Survival, crafting, and building—underwater.Status: Released January 23, 2018Link:Offical site

Explore an alien, underwater world while piloting your hand-crafted submarine through mysterious submerged landscapes. From beautiful coral reefs to deep-sea caves and trenches, you’ll gather resources and sustenance, build habitats and a fleet of subs, and craft new tech to help you survive the depths. It’s hard not to compare it to Minecraft, yet developer Unknown Worlds has put their own unique stamp on the survival genre.

Further reading:Subnautica: Early impressions of Minecraft under the sea

Project Zomboid

(Image credit: The Indie Stone)

Project Zomboid - A character holding a kitchen knife walks backwards behind two crashed cars while several zombies chase them.

In a sentence: The deepest and most complex zombie survival game, period.Status: Released Nov 8, 2013Link:Steam

If you’re looking deep and complex survival systems in a massive sandbox sim, there’s only one game that truly fits the bill. There’s a big learning curve in this zombie survival game but once you’ve got a handle on how the various systems work you’ll find an unending and engrossing challenge in the harsh post-apocalyptic world. Loot buildings, craft gear, farm and fish, fight zombies (or better yet, avoid them) and struggle with everything from injuries to disease to boredom to how much noise you make while moving around. This is a brilliant zombie survival simulation like nothing else out there.

Grounded

(Image credit: Xbox)

Using a zipline in Grounded

In a sentence: You’re tiny and trying to survive in someone’s back yard.Status: In Early Access since July 28, 2020Link:Offical site

Further reading:Obsidian’s Grounded has extreme spider horror and a few fun survival twists

Frostpunk

(Image credit: 11 bit studios)

City in the snow

In a sentence:Survival, city-building, and crisis management in a frozen world.Status:Released April 24, 2018Link:Official site

Further reading:Frostpunk review: an incredibly stylish and addictive survival management game.

Pacific Drive

(Image credit: Ironwood Studios)

A station wagon with sci-fi gadgets on it

In a sentence: Your car is your only companion in this driving survival gameStatus: Released Feb 21, 2024Link:Steam

A novel survival game where nearly all the survival systems are contained within a station wagon from the 1980s. Drive through a world filled with horrible anomalies, gather resources and use them to soup up your car with sci-fi gadgets, and drive even further the next time. It’s different than just about any other survival game out there, though it’s pretty darn punishing, too.

Escape from Tarkov

(Image credit: Battlestate Games)

Escape from Tarkov

In a sentence:A brutal and hyper-realistic shooter all about hoarding and managing loot.Status:In betaLink:Official site

Escape from Tarkov is a savage evolution of survival games with just apinchof battle royale thrown in for flavor. Instead of playing in a persistent world, you spawn on a map with a few other players and several dozen enemy NPCs. To survive, you have to reach an exfiltration zone on the other end of the map, but you also get to keep anything you loot to sell on a player-driven marketplace or use in subsequent rounds. It’s a lot like poker only way scarier. What really sells Tarkov, though, is it’s hyper-realistic gunplay and ridiculously deep gun customization.

Further reading:How I became an arms dealer in Escape from Tarkov

RimWorld

(Image credit: Ludeon Studios)

Rimworld

Further reading:Making a clan of cannibals with RimWorld’s scenario editor

Raft

(Image credit: Redbeet Interactive)

Person standing near raft holding a bow

In a sentence:Survive on a raft while building it into a floating fortressStatus:In Early AccessLink:Steam

It sounds almost idyllic, floating through the world serenely on a raft, building and expanding upon it as you fish flotsam from the ocean with a grappling hook. There are sharks, though. Hungry ones, and if they can’t eat you they’ll settle for eating your floating home. You’ll need to somehow find food and fresh water while keeping your raft afloat and growing. Luckily, you can play co-op with a pal and double your chances for survival.

Further reading:How Raft conquered the seas of Steam

The Long Dark

In a sentence:Atmospheric survival in a Canadian post-apocalypse.Status:Released August 1, 2017Link:Official site

With a focus on atmosphere and environmental survival, The Long Dark stands out in an increasingly crowded genre. You play as a bush pilot stranded in the frozen wilderness after a mysterious global calamity. There are no zombies, no mutants, and no other players: it’s just you fighting against the elements, the wildlife, and your own human fragility.

Further reading:Survival gets serious in The Long Dark

Don’t Starve

In a sentence:Survive a cartoon wilderness filled with beasts and monsters.Status:Released April 13, 2013Link:Offical Site

With charming artwork yet punishing gameplay, Don’t Starve is an addictive challenge and one of the best survival experiences out there (and in a rare turn of events, one of the few games here to graduate from Early Access). The crafting is complex and satisfying as you attempt to survive busy days and deadly nights. Fight (and eat) animals, practice both science and magic, and keep an eye on your mental health so you don’t go insane. The standalone expansionDon’t Starve Togethereven lets you play with pals.

Further reading:Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked is a breath of fresh… Nope, that’s a hurricane.

DayZ

In a sentence:Online zombie survival in the Eastern European countryside.Status: Released December 13, 2018Link:Steam Store

Yes, it was a long road out of Early Access, DayZ’s technically still isn’t done. But the survival elements of DayZ are strong, with complex nutrition, hydration, and health systems that go beyond merely eating, drinking, and bandaging wounds. Scavenge a sprawling and decaying persistent open world, engage in tense interactions with other players, customize weapons and craft gear, and try not to die: if you do, you start again with nothing.

Further reading:DayZ Diaries: the one where Ben force-feeds Andy a rotten banana

Rust

(Image credit: Facepunch Studios)

People with weapons and armor in the post apocalypse

In a sentence:Naked men running around hitting each other with rocks.Status: Released February 8, 2018Link:Official site

Join or battle other players—or attempt to go it alone—starting with primitive tools and weapons and advancing to firearms and massive bases. You’ll have to contend with wild animals, hunger, and thirst, but this is a very PVP-intensive survival experience and your main threat will come from the dozens of other players on the servers. Rust left Early Access in Early 2018, but continues to add new features.

Further reading:Trick-or-treating in Rust went about as well as you might expect

Minecraft

In a sentence:Build things, destroy things, fight monsters.Status: Released October 7, 2011Link:Official site

Youmayhave heard of it. There are many different ways to play Minecraft: alone, in creative mode, with friends and strangers, as an explorer, or with custom game modes on specialty servers. As a survival game, it’s still excellent, with well-implemented hunger and thirst systems and incredibly robust crafting and building. Dive into its blocky and beautiful world and you may never want to leave.

Further reading:The 40 best Minecraft custom maps

Terraria

(Image credit: Re-Logic)

Terraria’s whip

In a sentence:Side-scrolling Minecraft.Status:Released May 16, 2011Link:Offical site

A wonderful, expansive, addictive, and not to mention inexpensive survival crafting sandbox. Explore randomly generated worlds, gather resources, and enjoy a simple yet satisfying crafting system. Tunnel through vast caverns, battle monsters, befriend NPCs, build yourself a palace, and play alone or with friends in co-op. Terraria has been around for years, but it’s stood the test of time.

This War of Mine

In a sentence:Struggle to survive in a war-torn city.Status: Released November 14, 2014Link:Offical site

Depicting war not from the perspective of an elite soldier but from that of a group of civilians simply trying to stay alive amidst the chaos, This War of Mine is a different and more desperate kind of survival game. You’ll face tough choices as you manage your survivors' health, both physical and mental. Scrounging for food and supplies during the night is tense and harrowing, and no matter what you find it never seems to be enough. It’s not just a survival game but a harsh and unblinking look at the reality of war.

Unturned

In a sentence: A free-to-play multiplayer survival sandbox.Status: Released July 7, 2017Link:Steam store

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Palworld#

Abiotic Factor#

Sons of the Forest#

Valheim#

Subnautica#

Project Zomboid#

Grounded#

Frostpunk#

Pacific Drive#

Escape from Tarkov#

RimWorld#

Raft#

The Long Dark#

Don’t Starve#

DayZ#

Rust#

Minecraft#

Terraria#

This War of Mine#

Unturned#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Palworld

Abiotic Factor

Sons of the Forest

Valheim

Subnautica

Project Zomboid

Grounded

Frostpunk

Pacific Drive

Escape from Tarkov

RimWorld

Raft

The Long Dark

Don’t Starve

DayZ

Rust

Minecraft

Terraria

This War of Mine

Unturned

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals