Set within the late 22nd century, players in Subnautica step into the shoes of an astronaut who is set to discover and colonize new planets. However, early in the game, our protagonist is the lone survivor of a crashed spaceship. Trapped on an aquatic planet filled with creatures, some of which will be hostile to the player, gamers are free to explore the world and progress through the narrative. During the journey, players will have to collect a variety of resources to maintain nutrition, hydration, and of course, oxygen.
It’s a popular game and over the years fans have taken up with the IP. However, if you finished Subnautica and are looking for another survival game to take on next then we have a few suggestions. In this list, we’re going to highlight a few games we think you’ll enjoy after finishing Subnautica.
#10 Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds came from developers Mobius Digital which has a play on being stuck in a time loop. The game is centered around 22 minutes in which players are forced to endure a supernova from the sun. However, there is hope for players to break free from the loop and get out of harms way. To do so, players must explore the different nearby planets and seek out different clues left for them to uncover. There’s quite a bit of trial and error here so going to the different areas is just half the battle.
With puzzles to figure out and a time limit, not only are you having to divide your time up wisely, but knowing just when to visit certain areas. You’ll find that some planets will have new clues to highlight and take note of just depending on the time of day you visit it. With that said, this is purely an exploration and puzzle-solving video game. Don’t expect any combat to come out for players to deal with.
#9 Astroneer
Astroneer is a vividly colorful video game that puts players into the role of an astronaut on a mysterious new alien planet. The goal is simple as you just need to survive. There is a ton of exploration to do here as you find a good place to establish a base and build upon it while you attempt to craft up a ship to take you onto the next thrilling planet. Each planet has plenty of resources to gather using various tools and vehicles. Additionally, players are given a tool that will allow them to mold and manipulate the world.
It’s a bit like Minecraft if you’re wanting a more direct comparison to a game that you’re likely already familiar with. Outside of the exploration and building up bases or vehicles, the game highlights the ability to drop into a four-player cooperative game. Since this is a sandbox-style game there are tons of different ways players can play whether it’s just crafting up new upgrades and expanding their base or making a makeshift fun game to play. With that said, this is still a survival game so you’ll need to ensure you have enough fuel and oxygen to keep your protagonist running along.
#8 Ark: Survival Evolved
Ark: Survival Evolved has been a pretty popular survival action-adventure game that you might have already played. If you’re just starting now, the title throws players into a hostile world full of other players and wildlife. Starting, you have pretty much nothing, and it’s up to players to slowly gather resources, build up their base, and take care of their vitals. For instance, players are needing to ensure that they are good in terms of not only general health but stamina, hunger, and thirst. So it has your typical survival managing aspect within the game.
A good portion of this game is based on playing with friends or meeting other players in the game. While you can go solo and attempt to explore and build up a base to keep you protected, the harder it may be to progress. That’s where having a clan or group of players is desirable here. Although, you will find plenty of hostile players on here that are looking for easy prey to raid and steal resources from. This just comes with the game so finding a group to stick with as you also seek out to raid and battle other faction groups.
#7 Volcanoids
Volcanoids is currently an early access game that you can pick up and play today. This is a bit of a unique game where players are trying to reclaim back their homeland. A mechanical alien race has taken over and uses volcanoes for energy. As a result, the land is no longer safe to live in with all the eruptions and massive mechanical ships roaming around the area.
Players in this game are tasked with taking over a drillship and making upgrades on it so that not only are you using the same technology against this alien race but are equipped with a base as well. As mentioned, this is an early access title so there are bound to be plenty of updates and changes made along the way. We know that the developers are working on multiplayer features and more enemies to face against in this title.
#6 Raft
Raft is a game that puts players into a world that is over flooded and the only means of survival is building up your own floating home. You’ll need to float around the different islands in your makeshift raft and search for precious resources. As you progress, there will be more abilities to further upgrade your Raft in different ways. Meanwhile, you’ll need to be cautious as there are plenty of hostile enemies that lurk around the different islands such as wildlife to even robots.
It’s best to play this game with a friend to help watch your back as you continue to trek on to new exciting locations. Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that this is just an early access title right now. Released back in 2018, the developers Redbeet Interactive are still actively crafting this game up. Just like any early access title, you can expect plenty of changes to happen along with the game being a bit unstable at times. As you play the game, developers will add new updates and content so there’s plenty to go through.
#5 Breathedge
Breathedge is another astronaut game on our list. Here players taking the role of a man looking to lay his grandfather’s ashes to rest. Traveling through space, he’s suddenly in the mix of the massive wreck which has spewed out coffins, dead bodies, and other debris. Now players in the middle of a giant conspiracy as you attempt to figure out what is going on while also keeping yourself safe.
Players are dealing with freeze temperatures, oxygen, to more hazardous items in space from the wreckage like electrocution. To ensure your survival, players will need to gather up the various wreckage debris to use to your advantage, upgrade your ship, and explore the area for clues as to what caused this massive wreck to begin with.
#4 No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky was a highly anticipated video game originally when it launched, however as the game was released it was met with plenty of criticism. Fans were not thrilled over the game and the lack of content promised. Fortunately, developers Hello Games have turned things around and it’s a title that’s quite often recommended for players especially if you only played the game when it originally released. In No Man’s Sky players are dropped into a massive universe where there are countless randomly generated planets.
Players are essentially working together to build up an atlas as you discover a planet and mark it into the database. However, these planets can be quite hazardous. Some have hostile alien predators while others could prove to be problematic in terms of temperatures or radiation. As a result, there’s a ton of effort placed on players to gather up resources, explore and safely leave the planet. Although, you can build up a makeshift base and continue to mine resources to later sell for a profit. This game is still supported today with developers constantly adding more content into the mix.
#3 Grounded
Grounded is a newer installment we can recommend checking out. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, which is currently in early access. This game puts players into the role of children that have been shrunken down to the size of an ant. Now in a familiar world that’s full of new hostels to deal with, players are having to gather resources, armor, and makeshift weapons to battle against the different hazardous or insects. This is a game worth playing with friends as you attempt to survive and uncover a strange mystery. With that said, since this game is an early access title you can expect a few updates that further tweak the game or adds additional content for players to go through.
#2 Far Sky
Far Sky is a pretty similar game to Subnautica. This title is a survival game where players are stuck in the ocean after they crash their submarine. To survive, you’ll have to go gather resources and build up a base. Likewise, you have to protect yourself from harmful predators like sharks in the ocean depths. When it comes to survival elements, not only do you have to worry about oxygen but also players will need to fish for food to keep their character from going hungry. All-in-all, this is a short survival game that’s single-player only. Being that this is only $5 it’s a decent title to spend a few hours in.
#1 Subnautica: Below Zero
Lastly, we have Subnautica: Below Zero. Chances are you know that this game already exists and if you enjoyed the first game then you might already have plans to jump into this game next. However, if by some chance you missed this title, this is a new Subnautica installment from the same development team, Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Players are now dealing with an arctic region where the goal is to figure out what happened to a research station in the region that is seemingly abandoned. You also now have above surface harsh environments to deal with as well when you’re not exploring the ocean depths.
