Island survival games for PC - List of the best. Island survival game Video games Escape the Pacific

Games about survival on an island for PC combine all the elements required for the genre - a system of hunger and thirst, the need to constantly explore the territory and look for resources, and a lot of crafting. And all this in extremely limited space!

1. ARK: Survival Evolved - Wildlife and Dinosaurs

ARK: Survival Evolved is one of the most famous representatives of the genre. Like many representatives of the genre, the game is not friendly to beginners, but here, in addition to hunger and real opponents, they are also threatened by dinosaurs.

Video games ARK: Survival Evolved

Information for those who find the game too difficult - there is also a version "ARK: Survival of The Fittest", this is a battle royale with much more dynamic battles, lasting only about an hour.

2. Raft - fighting sharks on a raft

“Raft” is not really a game about an island, although there is also a landing on land. But most of the events take place on a raft floating on the endless ocean.

Raft video games

Control the raft, discovering new islands, and try to complete the game on maximum level complexity, it's not that simple.

3. The Culling – one of the first battle royales

“The Culling” is a game known to significantly fewer people than the legendary “PUBG”, and for good reason. In addition to surviving until the last player, there is also crafting, and quite decent one at that.

Video games The Culling

Unfortunately, today the game is practically dead due to poor optimization and unsuccessful updates. But the developers promise to release a second part!

4. Stranded Deep – an outcast on a desert island

« Stranded Deep"is an atmospheric single-player toy with high replayability. The main character becomes a victim of a plane crash and, swimming with all his strength, gets to the island.

Video games Stranded Deep

For now, the game is in the early access stage and it clearly lacks co-op, but what it has looks decent.

5. Escape the Pacific – the most realistic Pacific Ocean

« Escape the Pacific" is a game that positions itself as one of the most difficult survival games in existence. Huge world and realistic weather conditions of the Pacific Ocean.

Video games Escape the Pacific

Hunger, cold, tiredness and need for sleep, different levels of difficulty. The developers' plans include a system of diseases, medicines, aging, repairs and much more interesting things.

6. Ylands – cozy cartoon survival

“Ylands” is not just a sandbox on an island with colorful graphics, as it might seem at first glance. This is also an almost limitless scope for creativity.

Ylands video games

It's hard to fit the entire description of the game into a couple of paragraphs; there's too much content here. Just imagine - it's like Minecraft, but with more modern graphics and almost no restrictions.

These are the most interesting island survival games on PC, but if survival in a confined space seems too easy for you, just pay attention to other survival games in the collections on the site.

Survival games with sandbox elements became incredibly popular after the release of RUST, the classic survival game. As a rule, in games of this genre, the game character needs to eat, build a home, or equip an entire fortress. In the game, the main opponents are wild animals, aborigines, mythical creatures, such as dinosaurs, as in Ark: Survival Evolved, or simply wild nature.

We have prepared for you a list of the 12 best games about island survival, according to the editors. The protagonist's backstory is not original: you survived a plane crash, as in The Forest, after a shipwreck or survived the apocalypse. Looks bright against this background Dead Islandmain character found himself on a tropical island with infected zombies. We invite you to get acquainted with other games of this popular genre.

Rising World

Release date: year 2014
Genre: survival in the open world of the wild
Developer: JIW-Games
Publisher: JIW-Games

A game for those who like Minecraft but don't like cubic graphics. The player is asked to survive in a multiplayer world full of not only players, but also wild animals, as well as several hundred different types of resources from which you can create items that are very useful for survival.

Crafting, although not very diverse, is more than enough for survival. The construction system is extensive, the game allows you to build whatever your heart desires: from small survival huts to huge castles and fortresses.

Raft

Release date: 2018
Genre: island survival game
Developer: Redbeet Interactive
Publisher: Axolot Games

An original game where, instead of an island, you are offered to survive on a raft, or rather, what’s left of it. There is only an endless ocean around the player, which contains many different types of resources: from fish to boards and iron. The sharks swimming around the player and ready to start lunch at any moment do not allow them to simply take these resources.

It is proposed to catch the necessary resources with a special hook, or in a swim, if you have enough courage. You can make items from the caught resources and equip your “ship” to create a small paradise on it. But we must take into account that not only sharks want to eat, the main character also needs to drink and eat, otherwise, after the death of the character, he will have to start over.

Out of Reach

Release date: 2018
Genre: game about survival of a sailor on an island, MMO
Developer: Space Boat Studios
Publisher: Space Boat Studios

Out of Reach - This multiplayer island simulator invites the player not only to survive on the island, but also to team up with other players in groups to jointly hunt animals or other survivors. The archipelago where the hero is stuck is large and fraught with many secrets and resources from which he will have to build homes and craft interior items.

The weather conditions of the island are merciless, so without a home you can consider yourself a corpse, and a lifeless body will be dismantled for useful items others are survivors.

Escape The Pacific

Release date: 2018
Genre: a game about survival and traveling on a raft on the sea
Developer: Gamers4Gamers Team
Publisher: Gamers4Gamers Team

A game with an original idea about an eternally generated island, in the vast expanses of which the game will have to survive. The emphasis of the game is on climate, on the changing seasons and on the geographical features of locations, of which there can be an infinite number. Crafting is also not quite ordinary; materials and buildings have a shelf life and are easily destructible, which will make itself felt during storms.

The game is less about survival on the island and more about repairing and constructing new buildings.

The Forest

Release date: 2018
Genre: game about survival on an island after a plane crash, horror
Developer: Endnight Games Ltd
Publisher: Endnight Games Ltd

The player plunges into the role of a loving father flying on a plane with his son. The plane crashes, everyone dies except the hero and his son, who, while the hero was unconscious, was dragged away by some aborigines. Now the protagonist’s goal is to find his son on a mysterious island, but also try to survive himself.

You can build, make weapons and hunt, but you need to remember that the island is dangerous and hides many secrets. Wild animals are the most harmless thing you will meet on the way, and hunger is not as strong as the ever-growing fear.

Survival: Last Day

Release date: 2018
Genre: game about survival in a post-apocalyptic island
Developer: BloodMoon Games
Publisher: BloodMoon Games

Post-apocalypse, the world is destroyed after an epidemic of a terrible virus that destroyed almost the entire population of the planet. The main character was able to survive, and now travels alone through the ruins of human civilization, collecting everything that was left after the disaster.

Hunger and thirst are not the hero’s worst enemies; he is chased by the main zombie, who has great speed and a strong sense of smell, with the help of which he seeks out the protagonist. You can build a shelter or find a deep cave, but you won’t be able to hide from it.

Stranded Deep

Release date: 2015
Genre: surviving on a desert island after a plane crash
Developer: Beam Team Games
Publisher: Beam Team Pty Ltd

The player takes on the role of a survivor of a plane crash that crashed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The hero turns out to be the only survivor of the tragedy, and therefore he will have to explore the huge game world, which consists of a bunch of islands and reefs, alone.

There are still many resources left in the sea from the destroyed ship, and the island is home to many different fauna and species. Each island is different from the previous one, in each you can find something useful and build a house, or even two.

Wurm Unlimited

Release date: 2015
Genre: RPG about survival in the world of fantasy and the Middle Ages
Developer: Code Club AB
Publisher: Plug In Digital

A version of the popular MMO Wurm Online, which transferred all the advantages of the multiplayer version to single player game. The player is given complete freedom of action and choice: choose a class and skills - character development is long and detailed, build your own house or castle, choose and pray to one of the deities or become a deity yourself, the ability to catch animals and cross them - these are not all the possibilities of this legendary games.

A game that is not about survival, but about building your own world.

Rust

Release date: 2018
Genre: open world survival game with crafting and building, MMO
Developer: Facepunch Studios
Publisher: Facepunch Studios

The popular multiplayer game has become synonymous with fun and madness. The session begins with the appearance of the main character - naked and helpless, but surrounded by resources. Resources are the most important thing in the game. With their help, you can build a shelter that will protect you from other players - the main danger in the game, and weapons needed for the same.

Crafting and construction in the game are endless, just like the game world itself, which is enormous in size. One of the main achievements in Rasta is to survive at least an hour.

ARK: Survival Evolved

Release date: 2017
Genre: game about survival on an island with dinosaurs
Developer: Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Efecto Studios, Virtual Basement LLC
Publisher: Studio Wildcard

A game with the most interesting and unusual world, which is inhabited by various mythical creatures, such as giant spiders, and dinosaurs. At first it may seem that the game is about primitive morals, but this is not so. In addition to bows and wooden swords available at the start, the player can craft combat turrets and an exoskeleton.

Another unusual feature is the ability to tame animals and ride them. The game is ideal for those who like to shoot energy rifles at other players while sitting majestically on their personal dinosaur.

Dead Island

Release date: 2017
Genre: cooperative game about survival on an island with zombies
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Deep Silver

Everyone loves zombies, especially if you're supposed to be fighting them on tropical islands. The player is required to select only the hero class and welcome to the world destroyed by the zombie apocalypse. And the epidemic was truly terrible, since the world abounds different types zombies, which the player needs to destroy.

But the destruction will not be easy, firearms- a rarity, so you will have to destroy carrion with sticks or homemade weapons. The game has a plot, but it is only for beauty, since the player’s freedom is not limited in any way.

Far Cry 3

Release date: year 2012
Genre: island survival shooter
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Shanghai
Publisher: Ubisoft

A group of teenagers went to the tropics on vacation, but they did not know that the island they had chosen was the base of local pirates. The pirates capture the main character and his friends, but he manages to escape. Having set himself the goal of freeing his friends, the protagonist will have to travel across to the vast world tropical islands, meet representatives of local tribes, hunt, craft equipment and participate in shootouts.

The game perfectly shows how from a young reveler you can grow into a pirate hunter.

In addition to our article, we suggest you look detailed video review about others interesting games about survival on the island.

Many people believe that survival games gained their popularity for some inexplicable reason. There seems to be no plot, most projects never do, and those that come out look very far from ideal. However, the demand for the “survival” genre is quite justified - users want to give up comfort and try themselves in the role of a lone hero, a chosen inhabitant of our planet. In real life, you definitely wouldn’t want to hide from the frost in ruins, build a fire and fight with wolves for a piece of meat. In the virtual world it is a completely different matter.

In addition, a huge part of survival games are equipped with an advanced crafting and building system. Each of us wanted a tree house or our own personal bunker, and if for this you only need to carry a virtual hammer in your hands and collect stones, then construction takes on a different meaning. You are given the opportunity to collect wood, build your own small cozy house from it, and then protect it from other survivors in all possible ways, enjoying the “fortress”.


Plus, there are some small details that you don’t immediately notice. In this kind of games, in 95% of cases there is no plot, no cut scenes and no need to study the history, characters and other things that are boring for some. Not everyone likes projects with a complex plot; some just want to play and act. Add here the ability to play with friends in co-op or multiplayer and we get the perfect option for spending time.


Of course, not all survival products are worth your attention - some have nothing at all besides boring game mechanics and bugs, and some are so “alpha” versions that you don’t even want to download them. I decided to select the most exciting versions of survival games, which a connoisseur of the genre should definitely pay attention to. And, of course, be sure to write about your favorite projects - we will expand each other’s horizons.

Rust

At the time of the announcement of the Rust simulator, many were sure that this game would be a real breakthrough in gaming industry. The creators promised us a huge virtual world, a variety of activities and the need to survive in harsh conditions. After the product entered the early access stage, it became clear that nothing like that would happen - a lot of bugs and cheaters prevented the project from becoming a masterpiece in the genre, but somehow the new product hooked users. On this moment Rust has sold 5.5 million copies, there are a lot of user servers, modifications and a responsive community ready to help you in any matter.


As with all games in this genre, you need to fight for survival. However, the virtual world itself does not annoy gamers as much as other players and a small number of bugs. Of course, there is a problem with thirst and food for the character, he may suffer due to low temperatures and attacks from wild animals. But where more problems delivered by users who have already managed to “upgrade” and are now preventing others from recognizing this virtual world. But here you can build houses and craft clothes with weapons! In terms of game mechanics, Rust was implemented very coolly; there are really a lot of interesting processes.

The creators of the project were inspired by Minecraft and DayZ. At the initial stage, the project was more reminiscent of DayZ, but then, gradually, the developers turned towards crafting, buildings and things like that. You need to get wood and stones, build a house out of it, then fill it with different objects and furniture in order to go for the next portion of resources and create something cooler. You can play in the company of friends, then it’s even more fun and exciting. And it’s much easier to defend against dangerous opponents. Despite a lot of bugs and some shortcomings, the game is one of the best in its genre.


Peculiarities:

  • you can build houses;
  • there is craft;
  • there is a huge variety of weapons;
  • you can have fun in the company of friends.
May not like:
  • enemies run naked;
  • cheaters;
  • costs $35.

Subnautica

When the first screenshots and trailer of Subnautica appeared online, fans of survival games took to Steam and added the product to their wishlist. The developers were able to explain the essence in just a couple of pictures gameplay, which looked many times more interesting compared to competitors in the genre. If you look at modern popular projects in the survival genre, you will see a lot of similar implementations. You get wood with stones, build a building from this, fight with other players and enjoy this process while the development team fixes bugs and adds content.


With Subnautica, things turned out completely differently. This is a full-fledged game with a plot and a unique virtual world. Our hero crashes on his huge spaceship. Instead of getting to the planet he needs, he finds himself in a small lifeboat in the middle of the water. There is nothing here but water. In any case, no land is visible on the horizon. The entire planet is covered with water. What to do and how to proceed? If you imbue yourself with the situation and imagine yourself in the place of this character, you will immediately get a shiver - there is water everywhere, unknown creatures are swimming in it and there is no chance of survival at all. Or is there?

In addition to the non-standard virtual world, we are also given the opportunity to try cool mechanics that were previously poorly implemented in other projects, even outside the “survival” genre. You need to dive under water and control the supply of oxygen, catch small fish and filter water, look for resources to collect the most necessary tools. At the same time, be sure to avoid all large predators, try to make your way deep into the planet, look for a platform to build a base. A lot of tools, weapons and a variety of inhabitants of the “water” planet make the game one of the best in the genre.


Peculiarities:

  • a planet without land;
  • survival takes on a completely different look;
  • mass of underwater inhabitants;
  • crafting with elements of logic;
  • there is a plot component.
May not like:
  • at the beginning of the game it is very scary to dive into the ocean;
  • they do not allow you to swim into a huge ship;
  • sorry for the fish.

The Long Dark

Game The Long Dark was very popular among players and specialized media for its extremely realistic gameplay. The creators of the virtual world put survival in the first place, and not crafting and painting weapons in a new color. Our hero can die if he goes to bed with an empty stomach, because there is a calorie mechanic - they are consumed even if you are resting on the bed. The character may freeze, or go out into the blizzard in a torn down jacket and without gloves; he may be eaten by more cunning wild animals, which are not as afraid of cold and snow as an ordinary person. Danger comes from everywhere, but we need not to lose heart and move on.


The developers even added a storyline to give you an understanding of the purpose of survival. Not to say that we have a direct dramaturgy planned and the character will strive for something specific, but the hero has a story. Canada, in a parallel universe, died from the economic crisis and came under the wing of the United States. However, America decided not to help the injured party, but to suck out all natural resources and leave the country in ruins. Gradually everything was covered with snow, people either left here or died without food. Our pilot ends up here by the will of fate, trying to find a friend of his youth. Interesting, isn't it?

The project attracts primarily with its complexity and attention to detail. Your character will freeze, you need to constantly find shelter and make fires, you need to get food and sleep. Plus, clothes here wear out and tear, they need to be patched, otherwise you won’t be able to escape the cold. There is only snow, ice and destroyed houses around, no one is waiting for you with open arms, and there are also angry wolves running around. And not only wolves. Considering the presence of a plot and such a realistic survival model, the game has fully deserved its place in the top of the best games in the survival genre. True, it’s solitary and you can’t run on the ice with friends.


Peculiarities:

  • there is a plot;
  • beautiful graphics and clear interface;
  • realistic survival;
  • a lot of enemies.
May not like:
  • too boring training;
  • The plot cannot be called complete.

ARK: Survival Evolved

I saw it back when the project entered early access mode. Even then it was clear that this was a game with an amazing virtual world and an idea that had not been implemented anywhere else. We need to survive together with dinosaurs in the vastness of some fictional location, where modern technologies and the extraction of stones and wood in the most primitive way are succinctly included. Here you can build houses and surf the waters, you can fly on a tamed dinosaur and fight in your free time. Isn't this what we dreamed about?


At the time the game appeared on my computer, I received 13 FPS on low settings and saw the stones only at the moment when I approached them almost point-blank. Now the product has been optimized and brought to life, you can play with pleasure and comfort. We begin our journey to the coast, without food, water or any items for survival. You need to cut down trees with your fists and collect stones, then build tools from all this in order to cut down forests again. Depending on the multiplier on the server, you will either constantly build and fight, or be engaged in resource extraction day and night. I definitely recommend trying both options, just for contrast.

Thanks to the setting with dinosaurs, the virtual world looks very exciting and unusual. You can tame almost any dinosaur and fly over your enemies, showering them with bombs. You can build a huge fort and store resources there, build stoves and houses to live with friends and defend yourself from other people. A huge set of items for crafting, character improvement and learning recipes require a lot of time to master all the mechanics. And, most importantly, you won’t be bored all this time, especially if you play with friends. Although, at low rates you can easily build houses alone while enjoying the scenery.


Peculiarities:

  • world with dinosaurs;
  • cool construction system;
  • fighting is very exciting;
  • many user servers.
May not like:
  • a lot of mechanics need to be learned independently, without training;
  • strangers have no plans to coexist peacefully.

State of Decay

Microsoft decided to hit the owners Xbox One already the second exclusive game this year - first Sea of ​​Thieves was released, now State of Decay was shown. Both projects turned out to be quite controversial and cannot be called masterpieces, but the efforts of the developers to come up with something interesting cannot be ignored. If in the saga about sea adventures we were shown a lot of new mechanics, then State of Decay gives the user the opportunity to visit the world of The Walking Dead, only in the role of the main character, and not as a viewer of the series. I think you have already guessed what we are talking about.


We will play for a character who survived the apocalypse. The majority of the planet's population was not so lucky - they either died or turned into zombies. Now dead enemies are walking the streets, there are a lot of dangers around, and we need to survive all this and gain resources to move on. The idea of ​​​​a zombie invasion is far from new, but recently almost no one has used it (ha ha), so there is no feeling of the same type. We have open world, a lot of weapons and equipment. Even the vehicles are promised to be cool, with tuning and all the goodies.

It’s worth saying right away that there is no multiplayer here, the product was created for single play. This, on the one hand, is cool, because you can play for fun and not worry that real players will put a bullet in the back of your head. On the other hand, sometimes in such a harsh world you want to meet real people, communicate with them, or at least fight. Of course, there is a co-op mode, but you can only play it with friends, otherwise there is no point, and finding a team of friends to play State of Decay will be problematic. Otherwise, the game is very well thought out, well implemented and will be interesting to play, even without a crowd of real users around.


Peculiarities:

  • open world;
  • zombie;
  • transport with tuning;
  • character customization.
May not like:
  • no multiplayer;
  • The zombie theme is not new at all.

DayZ

In 2013, when the game was just released as a beta with early access, gaming market analysts predicted huge profits for the project and millions of fans around the world. However, the developers decided not to rush too much and lost all their advantages. Products based on the features of DayZ game mechanics were released in 2015-2017 and have already gathered their base of gamers, and the “discoverer” has not yet left beta. However, the old-timer makes it into this roundup of the best survival franchises. Why? It's simple - soon a slightly forgotten product will be completely remade into a new one game engine.


The creators of DayZ reported that they plan to transfer their brainchild to their own engine in the very near future. In version 0.63, gamers will be provided with completely new game, which will be noticeably different in its mechanics from the original project. In addition, the creators promised that they would pay attention exclusively to bugs and shortcomings, while new features will appear after the official release. Of course, with such development experience, it’s generally not very decent to talk about the presence of bugs, but we will hope that the final version will really be polished to a shine.

This game was included in the selection in advance. For now, it’s impossible to say with certainty about DayZ’s popularity after the patch. Fans have already forgotten what this virtual world looks like and went to conquer PUBG with others. Of course, I would really like to see the good old DayZ with new mechanics and stable work, which streamers and ordinary users will play again. Let's wait and hope that the developers will be able to realize their idea and the new game engine will really help the project gain momentum.


Peculiarities:

  • a pioneer in the genre;
  • new game engine;
  • a huge army of fans.
May not like:
  • is not very popular at the moment.

Stranded Deep

The creators of this project decided to take the plot seriously - we have a full-fledged story of how the main character got to the place where he is now destined to survive. We are flying in a comfortable private jet, but something happens and we crash. Half of the plane is torn off right in the air, but we survive and our character wakes up already in a lifeboat. There is an oar in your hands, there is only water around and nothing else, but in the distance you can see land. Well, let's swim in that direction before the sharks find us. However, getting to the island is not difficult, especially if you compare this with the further process of survival.

Traditionally for games of this genre, we need to look for food and other supplies for life. To do this, you can pick up various devices that you will assemble in advance from scrap materials. You can hunt crabs, fish and other underwater inhabitants. The main thing, I repeat, is not to catch the eye of the sharks, otherwise we ourselves will become food. In addition to hunting, you also need to build a house for yourself, maybe even a two-story one, and accumulate resources for additional luxury items. In general, ahead of the player lies the path from a starving guy with an oar to a prosperous resident of his own island.

The gameplay will appeal to connoisseurs of conventional realism. There is no special attention to detail here and there is no need to make sure that your skin does not get sunburned. You won't freeze at night either. You just need to eat periodically, work on improving your island, sometimes go deep into the ocean for the necessary items and fight with local underwater predators. Thanks to a greater emphasis on casualness, the game will suit a wider range of users. Actually, there are already quite a lot of Stranded Deep fans, the game is gradually acquiring new functions and crafting elements, so no one will be bored.

Peculiarities:

  • survival on the island;
  • crab hunting;
  • war with sharks;
  • presence of a plot;
  • quite an interesting system of buildings and crafting.
May not like:
  • casual survival;
  • Single playthrough only.

The Forest

Majority modern games Survival games are built around resource extraction, crafting and construction. The danger is presented in the form of nature, which mercilessly punishes everyone who is not prepared for disasters and living conditions. In some places the frost does not allow you to relax, in others you have to deal with the lack of food water. Only a few projects in our selection today pose a serious danger from opponents, be they AI or real players. That’s why The Forest is interesting - here it’s equally important for you to get food and defend yourself from mutant cannibals.


Combining horror with the survival genre is quite difficult, but the developers of this game did it very well. Since the release of the project in early Steam access 3.8 million copies were sold, which is a dizzying result for such an unconventional implementation. After four years of development, The Forest still made it to release - they promise in April, after which the creators of The Forest will begin porting their brainchild to the PlayStation 4 platform. I think the owners of the Japanese console will appreciate this desire of the Endnight Games Ltd team to conquer console players.

In this project, our hero finds himself in a forest inhabited by cannibals. They are some kind of mutated form of a person and are very dangerous for you and me. The difficulty of survival is that there is a thicket around you, there is no way to get out somewhere or climb into a cave and spend the night. You need to survive taking into account the fact that at any moment a couple of aborigines can run out from behind a tree. Your task is to build a shelter for yourself during the day, and at night to protect it from attacks by predators and mutants. It will be difficult, the enemies will amaze you with their variety and bloodthirstiness.


Peculiarities:

  • open world in the form of a forest;
  • advanced construction;
  • character crafting and customization;
  • a wide range of predators;
  • enemies are cannibals;
  • Quite a depressing horror atmosphere.
May not like:
  • It's really scary to play;
  • It requires strong nerves and a stable psyche.

Hurtworld

Many users compare this game to Rust due to its fairly similar mechanics and visuals, but they are very different. At the beginning of the game, your character also has nothing with him - you literally wake up in the middle of the desert, where there is nothing edible and no shelter from the wind, sun and heat. Our character will need to survive in these harsh conditions by collecting local fruits and thereby satisfying his hunger. By the way, if your hero is undernourished for a long time, he will quite calmly throw away his skates, figuratively speaking. So don't waste your time, try to find fruits or wild animals to get meat.


In addition to basic survival parameters, such as water and food, our hero also needs to light fires so as not to freeze at night, plus hide from the heat, and so on. This makes us think about our own home, which can protect the gamer from all bad weather. Of course, no one will let you build a mansion, resources are very limited here, but you will always have the opportunity to collect wood and build yourself a small shack. Luxury is not needed for this area, and a roof over your head is quite appropriate and necessary. True, other players may envy you and try to take the house for themselves.

Yes, the game is multiplayer, which means there is no need to run around alone in a huge open world. You won’t constantly bump into living users either; the world is designed in such a way that you don’t come across other surviving characters very often. If you want and have transport, you can, of course, find a couple of players who are tired of life, but you won’t be able to fight right away. Yes, and transport, even if it can be customized, also falls into hands after a long process of accumulating resources. An excellent example of a survival project with nice colors and visuals.


Peculiarities:

  • craft is well thought out;
  • good construction system;
  • there are weapons and vehicles;
  • multiplayer game.
May not like:
  • players do not want to make friends and build common houses.

H1Z1: Just Survive

Many played a “battle royale” game called , which was released quite a long time ago, but was not in such demand as PUBG is now. At the same time, the developers also created a survival project called H1Z1: Just Survive. Although it did not become the best-selling title in the genre, it gained some popularity among gamers. The open virtual world survived the zombie apocalypse (those zombies again!), after which humanity was left with minimal resources for survival. Your task is to collect enough provisions to live in this dangerous new world.


The creators of the project stated that they developed their project with an emphasis on game mechanics, where zombies are only a minor problem. This is a multiplayer game, where each of the residents is very tight with food, water and supplies. Accordingly, living players will bring much more problems - outside the safe zone, other inhabitants of the new planet will be waiting for you, wanting to kill your hero and take all his belongings. You need to have a weapon and the ability to shoot, plus you will have to adhere to certain banal rules of survival - do not run in open areas, do not light fires at night, do not make noise.

H1Z1: Just Survive looks quite nice and runs smoothly, even if you don't have the most powerful computer. This is a big plus, since most competitors in the genre have not yet left early access mode and everything is very bad there with the stability of frames per second. In addition, although the product is not in great demand among gamers, it has its own established community and there will be people to make friends with. There is an open world, the opportunity to fight or secretly explore locations, tasks and battles with zombies are well implemented. All this is already waiting for a fan of the genre who is not averse to trying his luck in a world ruled by zombies.


Peculiarities:

  • big dangerous virtual world;
  • We’re not just fighting zombies;
  • weak, but still a plot.
May not like:
  • this zombie apocalypse again;
  • physics needs improvement.

Raft

Cool games are obtained when they are done with soul and without the goal of making money. Raft was created by students as a project for a university; they developed a small virtual world with a boy on a raft. When this product was put online, gamers really liked the idea and implementation of survival on the open ocean, they downloaded the “demo version” 7 million times, and a small team of developers decided to develop their student project into a full-fledged game. Very soon, but already now we can say that this is one of the best survival games.


The theme itself, as you may have noticed, has previously been used by game developers of this genre. But, if in Subnautica the setting takes us to the future with innovative technologies, then here we have nothing like that. We found ourselves in the middle of the ocean on a small wooden raft, sharks were swimming around, we were hungry and thirsty, but there was nowhere to wait for rescue. Well, we will survive on our own - get food, collect debris in the ocean, accumulate resources to build a larger raft and additional buildings on our sea house. There are plenty of options for the development of events, it all depends only on your imagination and desire to create.
It is worth noting that the creators of the product decided to move away from realistic survival. You can build a raft that is larger than a football field, build trees (trees!), multi-story buildings there, install a stove, make a fire, and so on. All this, naturally, was done for the sake of a more interesting gameplay, although the realism is lost. Our hero has enemies under water, but the greater threat is hunger, thirst and the scorching sun. So you won’t be fighting with underwater inhabitants very often, although sooner or later you’ll have to fight a toothy predator.


Peculiarities:

  • very nice graphics;
  • interesting game mechanics;
  • one of the best implementations of life on a raft;
  • unlimited possibilities for buildings;
  • realism was killed for the sake of fascination.
May not like:
  • 100 m² raft;
  • lighting a fire on a wooden raft;
  • You can beat a shark to death with a sharpened stick.

Here you can play for free online game- Survival on the Island, original name - Survival Island. This game has been played 108958 times and rated 4 out of 5 by 318 people.

In a word, this game is logical, and it consists of solving various puzzles. The graphics are very close to children's cartoons, and therefore the game will be interesting, first of all, to children. Movements are performed with the WASD buttons, and all actions for carrying objects are performed with the mouse. On the right side of the screen there is a panel with the necessary items, some of which you find in the game, and some of which are present there themselves. In order for, for example, water to flow from the column, you need to scroll clockwise the 4 timers on it. And this is the essence of most tasks in the game! The game will not allow you to leave the island too quickly. Here you need to really think about it in order to achieve at least some significant result. Hurry up to leave the damned island!

At the same time, your actions are not limited in any way, you can become either a peaceful hunter or the head of your settlement, or join a clan of crazy thugs who do not allow the entire server to live in peace. But before you start playing, you should know that Rust is a game with an incredibly toxic community, so be prepared in advance to experience a thousand and one unpleasant moments associated with other players. But if you play with friends, or were able to find reliable allies, you are guaranteed to experience many unforgettable moments in the game that you are not ashamed to remember.

Metacritic score - 69/100.

Platforms: PC, Linux, MacOS.

Conan Exiles (2018)

Funcom made its first attempt to make a successful MMORPG in the world of Robert Howard at the dawn back in 2008, creating. But despite the initial surge of interest in the game, the developers were unable to keep players in the world of Conan, which in fact turned out to be a rather crude product. Later, the game was renamed to, making it shareware, but by that time it was no longer interesting to anyone. The next attempt to capitalize on the good name of Conan the Barbarian was made only in 2017, when a multiplayer survival simulator was released into early access. To Funcom’s credit, it is worth saying that the game did not spend years there, like many “survival” games, and a year later its full release took place.

The plot of the game is traditionally simple. You begin your journey as a nameless ragamuffin, nailed to a cross and doomed to certain death, if that same Conan had not passed by, who very nobly removes him from the cross, makes a pathetic speech and leaves, so you will have to comprehend the basics of survival on your own. As in most survival simulators, your character has hunger and thirst indicators that you need to monitor, periodically go hunting and get water, adapt to weather conditions, and you also need to fight off enemies and don’t forget about construction and crafting. At the same time, the game has its own unique features. For example, you can sacrifice an enemy to the gods or turn him into slavery. In addition, you can summon an avatar of one or another deity to your side, which you can control within a minute. Well, if you want to play alone, without even bumping into other players from time to time, then you can play offline.

Metacritic score - 68/100.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

ARK:Survival Evolved (2017)

Take a standard multiplayer survival game, add elements of science fiction to it, throw it all on an island densely populated by dinosaurs of all stripes - this is what it will be. If in a regular survival simulator you get satisfaction from the fact that you were able to survive the night without being eaten by animals or killed by other players, then here you have the opportunity to get your own T-rex, and more.

All screenshots from ARK: Survival Evolved.

Over time, you will be able to build an entire farm with many dinosaurs. By the way, giant lizards can greatly simplify the gameplay. For example, different types of dinosaurs are used for mining and creating resources, transportation, or in battle. In the game you can build both a huge farm for dinosaurs and a futuristic base for your clan, where there is a place for any activity. But never forget about your physical condition. In ARK it is very easy to die from thirst, hunger or weather conditions.

Metacritic score - 70/100 .

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Linux, MacOS.

Astroneer (2019)

Of course, for all this you will inevitably need materials that you can find as you explore the planet. You have at your disposal a device for collecting resources, with which you can safely terraform the planet and get to its most inaccessible areas. And when you get tired of it, go to a neighboring planet, with its own characteristics and unique materials. Unlike other projects where survival is the main goal in itself, Astroneer is played much more calmly. The main thing is to monitor your oxygen level, so you can safely immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the game. The game also features an online co-op mode.

Metacritic score - 72/100.

Platforms: Xbox One, PC.

State of Decay Series (2013-2018)

Your group can grow as you respond to calls for help from other victims. You also cannot do without forays for supplies, and then you have to consider which of the characters is better to use now, who will be more useful to you in battle, and who will be more useful at the base.

A re-release of the game was released in 2015.
In 2018, State of Decay 2 was released, in which . The game developed some mechanics from the first part and got rid of many bugs.

Metacritic score: State of Decay - 79/100, State of Decay 2 - 69/100.

Platforms: Xbox One, PC.

Long Dark (2017)

At the same time, the game forces you to take into account many details: in wet clothes you can easily freeze and catch a cold, water has to be boiled or disinfected, a fire cannot be lit in the wind, torches go out over time, matches run out, a heavy backpack or several layers of clothing seriously slow down movement. All these nuances make The Long Dark one of the most realistic games about survival.

The game has several modes. Wintermute is an episodic story mode that fully reveals the plot (2 episodes have been released so far). There is a survival mode, which is a full-fledged sandbox and test scenarios for those who want to once again test their strength.

Metacritic score - 77/100.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Linux, MacOS.

Don't starve

Despite its venerable age, it compares favorably with the early “survival” games, which for the most part were faceless sandboxes. I got tired of playing them after 3-5 hours. So, for example, the game has a storyline: Wilson is a useless scientist, vegetating in his hut in the middle of the forest, until someone’s voice from the radio tells him to build an invention, with the help of which Wil finds himself in Maxwell’s world. He will have to explore this world.

In the game you can find a lot of strange things, such as killer bees, one-eyed birds or aggressive pigmen, jealously guarding their settlements from strangers. All of them (and not only them) will gladly send you to the next world. The danger comes not only from the strange creatures around, but even from Wilson’s fragile mind, which can leave Wilson at the most inopportune moment, causing your character to slowly die. In this case, resurrecting will not work; you will have to start all over again. In order to somehow survive in an unfriendly world, you have to collect various branches, herbs and pebbles, from which you can make the necessary tools and begin to arrange your life.

Night is a particularly dangerous time of day, because new monsters appear in the darkness, from which you can escape with the help of a fire or a torch.

Metacritic score - 79/100.

Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Playstation Vita, iOS, Xbox one, Android.

Darkwood (2017)

You will play as a certain doctor who wakes up in Darkwood - a rural region of Poland that has suffered from a strange epidemic. The remaining details of the plot will have to be obtained as the game progresses. Darkwood has taken classic elements of survival simulators. Take, for example, the cycle of day and night, when during the day you need to explore the area, look for supplies, repair, improve shelter and items using a workbench, and at night barricade the doors and pray that no monster or ghost gets into the house. Your character can also unlock new skills; for this you will have to prepare special injections from the necessary ingredients.

The creators put a lot of effort into both the atmosphere and the terrain, so the “horror” prefix to the game is by no means an empty phrase, and it’s not just about the monsters. So, for example, you may stumble upon a church where you will be surrounded by whispering ghosts, or you will find a location littered with human bodies. And the further you go into the forest, the more often similar episodes will occur, plunging you into an atmosphere of madness.

Metacritic score - 80/100.

Platforms:

Sunless Sea (2015)

A game with an atmosphere in the spirit of Lovecraft's stories. is a quirky combination of a survival game and an interactive book. There is really a lot of text in the game, but at the same time it is written so well that it will captivate even those who do not like to read a lot. The backstory of the game is also unusual. In the 19th century, the Queen of England gave London to the underground world, where it now resides along with all its inhabitants.

As the captain of a ship, you can transport goods, collect valuable information, complete quests, or simply explore the dark expanses of the underworld, discovering new islands and finding yourself in unusual situations. The main thing is not to forget to deal with logistics, because without food your team will turn into cannibals, and if you drive them to madness, they can even start a riot.

Metacritic score - 81/100.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Linux, MacOS, SteamOS.

Starbound (2016)

This means that you will have to deal with the gray everyday life of a survivalist researcher. Look for food, materials, create the necessary things and generally explore the planet up and down. Or you can follow only the plot (it’s not that great, but it’s there). Or collect enough fuel, repair the ship and go explore the galaxy, where every planet is open for exploration, but each is unique in some way. The game provides many opportunities and activities.

Metacritic score - 81/100.

Platforms: PC, Linux, MacOS.

The Forest (2014)

What could be worse than a plane crash involving you? Just land in a forest where cannibals live, reminiscent of distant relatives of the mutants from the film “The Hills Have Eyes”! skillfully combines a survival simulator and elements of horror games. According to the plot of the game, you and your son get into a plane crash. Your plane crashes over the peninsula. You come to your senses in the middle of the forest and find out that a strange man has taken your son in an unknown direction. Moreover, the forest is home to a tribe of mutant cannibals who are thirsty for your blood. So before you save your son, you need to learn how to survive.

The cycle of day and night plays an important role in The Forest. During the day, you explore the forest, hunt, gather food, and build shelter. Sometimes you will notice cannibals studying you. During the day they are not too active. But at night, the cannibals suddenly become bolder and begin a bloody hunt. It’s better to sit out the night at home, strengthening it and setting up traps. At the same time, your enemies are by no means stupid dummies, and killing them is not so easy. The plot is present here not just for show. This is a full-fledged storyline with two endings, but if you find it boring to play alone, then the game has a cooperative mode.

Metacritic score - 83/100.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC.

This War of Mine (2018)

Each hero has his own character, which determines his strengths, fears and desires. It’s not possible to give a damn about the needs of the heroes, because the more you ignore their needs, the more people become depressed, and this directly affects their effectiveness. The game is divided into day and night. During the day you are busy improving the house, patching holes in the walls, building the necessary things, stoves, rainwater collectors and so on. Sometimes new people may join you, which means you will need more supplies, which are not always easy to obtain.

The resources necessary for the normal life of your home must be collected at night. To do this, you will have to go to neighboring houses where people like you live, or try to get into a hospital or warehouse, which are most often teeming with opponents. Moreover, your hero (and you can only send one character to the fishery) may not return from the next outing. In this case, the remaining group will become depressed. If you are not careful, you will easily lose all your characters. But if your characters survive a certain number of days, you'll get an ending that reveals each character's fate after the war. To form a more precise opinion about the game, you can read it.

Metacritic score - 83/100.

Platforms: Android, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Xbox One, PC, MacOS, Linux.

RimWorld (2018)

An incredibly clever sci-fi space survival game. According to the plot, you will have to lead a small group of colonists whose ship crashed on an unknown planet. The main feature of the game is that the narrator is artificial intelligence, which generates various events internally game world. There are three AI options. One focuses on the construction and quiet development of your colony, the other is completely unpredictable, and the third is golden mean and is ideal for beginners.

According to the plot, in the 19th century in Britain, people discover the power of steam traction, which leads to a boom in inventions that were impossible before, such as functional prosthetics and robots. It was during this period that a cataclysm occurred in the world, which led to the icing of the planet. Survivors from all over the world are preparing expeditions to the Arctic, where there is a huge amount of minerals and generators that perfectly heat the premises. Here, in conditions of eternal winter, you will have to build a shelter for your people.

In your settlement there is a generator that produces life-saving heat. In fact, it is the heart of your settlement, its main value. To operate the generator, you need coal to operate the shelter and a bunch of other supplies. One of the features of the game is that the temperature around is gradually decreasing, and if on the first day your settlers calmly collected resources scattered around, and their only needs were the desire to bask near the generator, then on the 10-15th day of the game, when the temperature it is breaking all records of anomaly, there are no longer enough resources, and people are just about to start grumbling. Play Frostpunk exclusively as city ​​building simulator will not work. The game regularly asks you tough questions. Should child labor be used? Can the experimental treatment be used on sick workers? To form a complete opinion about the game, you can read ours.

Metacritic score - 84/100.

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4.

Subnautica (2018)

In many “survival” games, an extremely gloomy, tense atmosphere reigns, where the feeling of constant danger does not leave the player. - one of those rare representatives of the genre, the creators of which were not afraid to replace dark tones with bright, rich colors, thereby creating a world in which you want not only to survive, but also to simply live, exploring the depths of the sea. The action takes place in the 22nd century. Your employer sends you to build phase gates. But your spaceship crashes on an alien planet and you barely have time to climb into the escape capsule. I must say that the plot does not end with a simple plot; it is quite good here. In addition, thanks to the unusual location, familiar elements Survival games They play fresh and interesting.

For example, in addition to hunger and thirst, the supply of oxygen is of great importance here, which you will have to take into account when diving into underworld. At the same time, the game has a very developed crafting system, so if your character cannot withstand a long immersion in the depths of the sea, you can build a scuba tank, an entire bathyscaphe, or a separate full-fledged base. But be careful - there are many predators in the water that want to eat you, they are especially aggressive at night.

In order not to die of hunger, you will have to constantly catch and cook fish, or eat plants that can be grown both on land and under water (or in an aquarium). The main thing is to remember to scan everything around you. This opens up new properties of items and access to drawings. You can also check out the game.

Metacritic score - 87/100.

Platforms: PC, MacOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4.

Minecraft (2009)

The game, released 10 years ago, does not need much introduction. Its popularity is so great that it has currently sold all over the world. Hollywood is also not averse to making money on a big name and is preparing to shoot a film based on.

In order not to spend nights fighting off monsters, you will need a more or less reliable shelter, and for this you need to look for materials and craft. In addition to arranging your home, it makes sense to start building houses specifically for NPCs, who appear when certain conditions are met, and will sell you various things Crafting in the game is simplified compared to the same Minecraft, and this is not surprising. The fact is that Terraria places more emphasis not on construction and crafting, but on combat and survival.

The most interesting part of the game comes when you discover the cave systems that are deep underground. There you can both find treasures and meet new, interesting opponents. Thanks to the random generation of the world, each new cave will be unique in its own way, so you can spend hours exploring dungeons in search of adventures and materials that will be useful for creating new equipment. And finally, with the help of the materials you find, you can assemble almost anything.

Metacritic score - 83/100.

Platforms: PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Android, Xbox 360, iOs, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, MacOS, Playstation Vita, Windows Phone, Playstation 3, Wii U, MacOS.

Dying Light (2015)

Games about the zombie apocalypse in one form or another have long become boring and do not evoke the former delight, and although they exploit the same theme with an infected city teeming with crowds Walking Dead, she does this much better than her predecessors. The developers of the game are Techland, who at one time brought the world the cooperative zombie action game Dead Island, in which killing zombies was more fun than ever. From him, the game got a melee combat system in which you can shred carrion almost any way you want, watching the limbs fly apart. But the main feature Dying Light- this is parkour. Here you can rush across roofs and other surfaces no worse than a real assassin, and doing this in co-op with friends is doubly interesting. The game also has a full-fledged plot.

It all begins with operative Kyle Crane landing in a city infected with a zombie virus to obtain a file containing virus research from a local terrorist. But everything goes to hell, Kyle is ambushed and, in addition, one of the zombies bites him. The operative is rescued by people from the local community of survivors. To gain their trust and achieve his goal, he will have to complete many assignments.

While completing tasks and getting supplies, you will often find yourself in a city filled to the brim with zombies. There is no need to be afraid of them during the day; alone they are quite slow and represent an easy target. They only begin to pose a danger when they gather in a crowd.

But at night it becomes really dangerous, because not only do all the zombies become faster and more aggressive, but Jumpers also appear - real monsters, from which it is better to stay away. From supplies found on the street, you can collect various weapons and combine them, or exchange unnecessary junk for more useful things.

If you think that you will be allowed to board a spaceship from the very beginning and begin to roam the endless space, then no, it all starts in best traditions survivalists: You appear on a random planet, your equipment is out of order, the starship is also inoperative. You have to repair all this equipment, starting from the visor and multitool, and ending with the spaceship. After this, you can go explore the universe. At the same time, the game also contains moments typical for a simulator.

For example, depending on the temperature on the surface of the planet, you will have to spend resources to operate the cooling or heating system. When you land on another planet, you may find yourself in an acid or sand storm, which can significantly reduce the strength of your suit. Well, if you get tired of constantly collecting resources, you can go off to complete the main mission, or do quests, or even switch to creation mode, in which you can be creative with greater comfort.

No Man's Sky is no longer the same game it was three years ago, the developers continue to work to improve the world by introducing new major updates. Overall, the game still has a number of problems, but given the hard work of the developers, perhaps one day we will get the very promised dream game.

Metacritic score - 77/100

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One.

7 Days to Die (2013)

There is no plot of the game as such, so your character randomly appears in one of the biomes and begins to actively survive. If you are unlucky, you may be thrown, for example, into a snowy biome, where at the initial stage of the game it is quite possible to freeze, or you may stumble upon a thick-skinned ice zombie that will finish you off in no time.

During the day you can stumble upon small groups of zombies, but at night there are much more of them, so the first thing you have to do is build a house. Moreover, you can even make a shelter underground, where you can build entire mining tunnels and extract useful materials. If the dead sense your character, they will begin an active attack on your home, gradually destroying it in the process, so after a stormy night you need to repair the damaged areas. To prevent enemies from breaking through, the shelter must be strengthened and several rows of stakes placed around the perimeter, on which the undead will safely die themselves. But the real fun will begin on the 7th night of your survival, because not only zombies will trample on you, but also other unpleasant creatures like a dead girl who can summon new crowds of monsters, zombie spiders and aggressive bees.

Periodically, a supply box will be dropped into some area, which you need to run to certain time. Once you have mastered crafting properly, you will be able to collect not only weapons and equipment, but also real vehicles. The game is quite interesting if you play with friends.

Metacritic score - 7.0/10.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, MacOS.



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