Survival games have always been one of the most popular types of games around. They arguably immerse players more than any other type of game out there, and they’re definitely aren’t many other types of games out there that provide players a sense of danger like they do. You need to make sure that your character keeps on living no matter the cost in such games, and you have to do all sorts of crazy things to ensure their survival.
In short, survival games are definitely fun and unique. However, the survival game concept is one that is very far from being perfect in any way. It goes without saying that the number of great survival games isn’t a lot. But, there are still more than enough of them out there for you to spend hundreds of hours on. Although rare, there are some absolutely amazing survival games out there. Lots of these are available for players to purchase and play through Steam as well. We’ve featured a list of the best survival games on Steam below so you can easily find the next one you should try.
Best Survival Games on Steam
- Terraria
When it comes to a list of the best survival games that Steam has to offer, you can surely expect Terraria to be a part of the list. It is very different from most of the stuff that you might be used to seeing in survival games, with all the gruesome and disturbing scenery. That’s because it features a much more colorful and lively world that also has lots of friendly characters and adorable elements. The scenery and visuals are beautiful.
However, this colorful world of Terraria is by no means an indication of it being a cute and friendly game. It is actually just as dangerous and difficult, or even more so, as compared to most of the other survival games that you might’ve played so far. It is filled with dangerous enemies and lots of great survival mechanics which make it quite immersive. There’s also a huge world to explore with many secrets. This means you can comfortably spend several hours playing Terraria running through the world and its great locations alone.
- Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve is another survival game that looks cute at first glance, but it is far from it. It is one of the most unforgiving survival games that you’ll ever play, if not the most unforgiving. It takes all the most difficult to handle aspects of the survival genre and mixes them with the difficult to handle and as well as frustrating aspects of roguelike games. It features permanent death as well, which means you have to basically start all over every single time you die in the game.
Dying is something that you’ll be doing a lot of in Don’t Starve. The game has you manage all sorts of different things and make sure that your character is in a good condition at all times. You also have to keep exploring in order to find supplies necessary for survival. Players must do all of this while trying to survive against the monsters that will be making things much more difficult for them.
- Dying Light
Dying Light is a survival game that looks disturbing and violent right from the start, and that’s exactly what it is as well. This video game puts players in control of a character stranded in a city overrun by flesh-eating zombies and all sorts of other abominations that are out to get you. The enemies are greatly designed and terrifying, the gameplay is well handled too, blending survival horror and action in a great way.
It is played through a first-person perspective and heavily features parkour. Running away from the monsters is usually the best form of defense that you’ll have against them, which is why players will be using the said form of defense as often as possible in Dying Light. It is a unique and very fun survival horror game with lots of great content and a good storyline too.
- Stranded Deep
Stranded Deep is another good unique survival game on Steam that is currently in early access. The game has been available to play on the platform for a while now, but it is only in an alpha release of sorts. The game puts you in control of a person that has just survived a gruesome plane crash. You are the only known survivor and you must do whatever it takes to get back home safely.
You’ll be on a weak raft at first, but you’ll have to constantly upgrade it more and more in order to make it suitable for survival. Players will have to make sure they protect it from sharks too or any other things that pose a threat to the raft or their character. You’ll have to option of stopping on islands and gathering more supplies, building bases, and doing much more of the sort.
- Rust
Rust is a video game that is simply all about survival. It features a huge load of struggles for players to overcome. There are many things such as hunger, cold, thirst, and anything else related to realistic survival that would come to mind. There is crafting and more of the sort too, which are necessary parts of surviving in the real world. There’s lots of violence, lots of difficulties to overcome, and lots to do in this unforgiving survival game that you can try out on Steam.
One of the things that makes it a little different from most of the other games on this list is that it is solely multiplayer. You can have fun in your struggles by playing with friends, or you can go solo and take on other players while fending for yourself in cruel conditions. All in all, Rust is a fun and interesting experience that anyone can spend hours enjoying.