Most gamers like a challenge. With survival games, the challenge is overcoming the environment and other factors. If you have a PlayStation 5, these games will satisfy you on that level.
#15 Minecraft
If you’ve paid attention to our website in the past, you’ll know that we’ve had multiple survival lists across various platforms. Every time though, Minecraft somehow makes its way onto the list. Every single time, it’s for the most basic of reasons: it has a survival mode.
Is that true? Yes, it has that mode, and you can play in it for as long as you desire! But is it the reason that people get Minecraft? No, it’s not! People love building things in the game and visiting other players’ servers to see what they made! The survival mode is an extra feature, not the main one!
Are you bitter? Not at all! So let’s move on!
#14 Rust
In Rust, like another game we’ll talk about, you’ll be put on an island with nothing to your name and given a singular goal: survive.
That won’t be easy, as everything on the island has it out for you. Whether it’s the weather, the animal inhabitants, or the other players you’re going to meet, they all want to kill you. Brutally, in fact. As a result, you’ll need to react quickly and build yourself into someone who can fight back.
Grab whatever materials you can and craft things to use. Whether in private matches or public outings, you’ll have a different challenge to overcome every time. So survive and be the last one standing!
#13 Stranded Deep
One of the worst possible survival scenarios you’ll have to deal with is being stuck out on the open ocean with no clear sign of land. Stranded Deep puts you in that scenario and dares you to endure it.
As you journey through this aquatic landscape, you’ll need to be sharp about your surroundings and your health. Starvation, dehydration, and sickness from the sun will be threats you face regularly. Add to that, you’ll need to dive below the surface to try and find things to eat or tools to use. Even if you find an island, that doesn’t mean an instant rescue. See what is there to salvage, and continue on your way.
Will you be able to survive the vast ocean?
#12 DayZ
In the world of DayZ, survival is all that matters. Unlike other games on this list, there are no main missions, side quests, or “daily challenges” to push yourself to play a new way. Instead, the entire story of the game, and the person you play, is written entirely by you.
You and other players will be in Chernarus, a massive Russian landscape full of zombies, and they’re only one threat.
Because the other players you meet might not be friendly. You’ll need to pick and choose who you interact with or if you interact with any of them. What kind of survivor will you be? Just know that you’ll have to start again when death comes for you.
#11 Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Back-to-back zombie titles? Why not?
Dying Light 2 Stay Human is the sequel to the open-world game where you are confined in a place full of zombies and need to fight or parkour your way through them.
This time around, you’ll be in The City, a place where zombies roam, and humanity is trying to survive itself in the process. Arrive there on a mysterious quest for truth, then help out the various factions around the city to further into the game.
While fighting zombies may be in your blood, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. Instead, you can move around them with parkour. No matter what, you’ll need to manage your own infection so that you stay human and don’t turn.
#10 Green Hell
In Green Hell, you awaken in one of the most dangerous and inhospitable places a human can find themselves: The Amazon Rainforest.
Your journey begins in earnest as you try to escape from the Amazon, but the mystery of how you got there will haunt you. So enter your memories and learn the truth piece by piece while being guided by a familiar voice.
Do what you can to survive in this harsh rainforest. Look for food, items to make weapons, and so on. But you must survive to learn the truth. If the truth is something you want to hear, that is.
#9 The Forest
After a mysterious crash landing sends you into The Forest, you’ll have to survive the mutant dangers below the surface.
The day/night cycles of gameplay are what drives The Forest forward. During the day, you’ll move your survivor through the wilderness and attempt to find supplies and materials to live off of. That will include building a sturdy shelter, as you’ll need it later.
Then, when the night comes, the mutants will arrive. Fight off the cannibalistic monsters so you can make it to morning and survive another day. What is the secret of this place? Why were you brought here? You’ll need to stay alive to find out.
#8 Conan Exiles
Welcome to the realm of Conan Exiles. In it, you are saved by Conan himself, but only so you can survive on your own. That will not be an easy task in this land of gods and monsters. But you have been given a second chance at life, so you must not waste it!
Travel throughout the challenging lands and seek out your power, fortune, or community to survive. You can fight monsters of all shapes and sizes or work with others to make a small town to protect you from dangers.
Every day you survive is a victory you can claim.
#7 Terraria
Freedom is one of the things that survival games offer players, but Terraria takes it to a level that has made it beloved by many.
Your character will be put in a randomly generated world where you can do whatever you want to as you survive. You can choose to go on adventures and fight your way through increasingly challenging monsters and foes to prove your might. In addition, you can explore above and below ground to seek out treasures and see what you can collect.
Or, you can build a home, a city, and whatever else you desire, wherever you want. It’s your world, do with it what you want.
#6 Subnautica Below Zero
The original Subnautica game took you to an alien world and asked you to survive in its depths. Now, in Subnautica Below Zero, you’ll return to that world. But to a new section of it and a new mystery to solve.
You’ll have to find shelter quickly beneath the frozen depths. Then, once you’re secure, you’ll swim out into the cold oceans to discover what happened to the scientists before you. What caused them to evacuate? Why did they leave so much behind? The deeper you go, the more the mystery will unravel.
But be warned, new waters bring new threats. Outfit yourself to survive attacks from dangerous creatures, so you don’t end up a frozen dinner.
#5 No Man’s Sky
Part of the fun of survival games is exploring the open world and seeing all it has to offer. With No Man’s Sky, the game gives you an open universe and lets you traverse it however you wish.
There are numerous planets to discover, each with its unique flair to make it stand out from the rest. You can try to explore as many of these planets as possible via your ship. So fly around space and seek out unique worlds, or explore them to see what secrets they hold.
The game has come a long way since its launch, so if you haven’t played it before, or haven’t dived in for some time, now is an excellent place to start or start again.
#4 Ark Survival Evolved
Like Rust before it, Ark Survival Evolved puts you on an island and asks you to survive all the dangers it’ll put on you. Unfortunately for you, that includes the other players who are also trying to survive there.
The twist with the title, though, is that not everything is “basic” here. For example, you can advance so far that you’ll wield futuristic technology! On top of that, there are dinosaurs on the island that you can fight, tame, then ride into battle like you’re Turok!
Each match in the game will test you and your creativity. So don’t be afraid to go all out.
#3 The Survivalists
While several of the titles we’ve shown you have a “fun twist” on the formula, if you want to try and survive in a challenging location with no frills, check out The Survivalists.
The game is the classic survival scenario. You’ll be on a deserted island and need to survive it! But like with the other games, you have options on how you can endure your scenario. For example, you can make a house on the beach and build it up to survive attacks from native wildlife. In addition, you can explore the island and figure out the truth behind the temples.
Or, you can train a bunch of monkeys to do your every work-based whim. Your call!
#2 Don’t Starve Together
The Don’t Starve franchise has gotten gamers’ and critics’ love over the years. The games are known for their unique visuals, setting, threat, and tough difficulty. You’ll get all of that with Don’t Starve Together while trying to survive alongside another player.
You can set up your own matches or try your luck with other players online. No matter what match you choose, you’ll have to endure everything that comes your way in the game.
Work together and build up a place to call home. Scavenge for supplies and figure out the mysteries of where you’re out while surviving the threats the land brings.
#1 7 Days To Die
We’ve shown you many different scopes of survival games on this list, but now we’re going to end with the biggest one. 7 Days To Die has had millions upon millions of players come into its vast world and try to live in it. You’ll be dumped into a world 100 square kilometers in size and told to survive. With five very different biomes you can go to, you’ll have options on what you get to do or want to do.
Explore to find resources to survive on, but be wary of the threats that could lie around every corner! Whether in the nearby cities or wilderness, you’ll have to play for threats, both living and dead.
