27 Upcoming Survival Games of 2023 to Test Your Mettle

Despite the fact that we’re all just trying to survive 2022, there are plenty of games coming out next year that show us things could be way more intense. At least we don’t have to hunt anything down for food. Nor are we hunted down. From zombie outbreaks to colonizing a new world, here are the best upcoming survival games of 2023 that will test your will to survive and thrive.

#27 Chernobyl 1986

• Developer: Detalion Games
• Publishers: Detalion Games, PlayWay
• Release date: TBA
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

Chernobyl 1986 puts you in charge of the nuclear power plant that resulted in a devastating disaster. Throughout the game, you’ll be required to make decisions that affect the entire plant and could be the difference between survival and catastrophe. You’ll have to control a wide range of different factors. Panic can drive the workers to fail at their tasks resulting in new fires, and if fires aren’t handled correctly they will result in explosions. This game is all about decision making so it makes sure the consequences of your actions have a major impact on the game as a whole.

#26 Stranded Alien Dawn

• Release date: October 2022 Early Access, Full Launch TBA
• Developer: Haemimont Games
• Publisher: Frontier Developments plc
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

Stranded Alien Dawn is most definitely a survival game, but it’s one that has a unique set of circumstances for you to overcome.

You will play as the leader of a small group of people who have been marooned on an alien planet. Now, in order to survive, you must forge, craft, defend, and manage with your fellow survivors on all major things.

You’ll have to build a shelter to get through the nights and defend against some of the creatures that might see you as a threat. You’ll have to look after the physical and mental health of your crew to make sure they’re all doing alright.

Store food, build and expand to make life more habitable, whatever it takes to keep going.

#25 Dune Awakening

• Publisher: Funcom
• Developers: Funcom, Nukklear GmbH
• Release date: TBA
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5

Dune Awakening is an MMO set on the desert planet of Arrakis, just like in the original books and movies. You’ll create your character from the ground up, and then set out to create your own story and legend.

Survival on Arrakis is anything but easy. You’ll have to endure the powerful thunderstorms that are there, as well as the giant sandworms that won’t hesitate to eat you. But you can make your character stronger through the consumption of spice!

What you choose to be in this survival MMO will very much determine the path you take and the challenges you face. What path will you go down in this game?

#24 Occupy Mars: The Game

• Developer: Pyramid Games
• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Release date: Full Release TBA
• Publishers: Pyramid Games, PlayWay

If you’ve ever wanted to explore Mars in a more realistic setting that Occupy Mars is perfect for you. It’s a very technical experience, forcing you to complete all the necessary tasks for survival on an inhospitable planet like Mars. You’ll have to find water, generate oxygen, build and repair any structures you’re needing, and gather the resources needed for every aspect of expanding. You will have to learn certain skills as well, such as soldering, using electronic measurement equipment, and how to properly structure connecting greenhouses and the cables that run between them. Detailed games have a large appeal for many people, and Occupy Mars has its sights set on being the best the Survival genre has to offer.

#23 Frozen Flame

• Release date: Full Release TBA
• Developer: Dreamside Interactive
• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Publishers: Ravenage Games, Dreamside Interactive, Ravenage Limited

In Frozen Flame you get to explore a magical world that a dying race of Dragons once ruled over. In their absence many threats have begun to grow and spread terror across the lands. It’s your job to build, fortify, and defend your keep. It’s a thrilling action rpg mixed with survival mechanics. The game has a variety of story paths and abilities for you to harness, allowing you to make your character truly your own. There are also warriors spread throughout the world that you can recruit as allies, or make friends with other players. Together you can team up to explore the many different ruins and attempt to claim power over the remnants of the Dragon’s legacy.

#22 Wanderlost

• Developer: Eli Segal
• Publisher: Crytivo
• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Release date: TBA

Wanderlost is a top town post-apocalyptic survival game. It allows you to do all your basic survival tasks such as farming, mining, building your base, but uses a procedurally generated world to keep things fresh. There’s no telling what the next section of the map may look like, and each time you start a new world will be completely different then before. The primary threats in the game are zombie hoards. They move slowly but can develop larger numbers than you may be prepared for. The combat system has a variety of ways for you to approach each encounter. You can be stealthy with a bow, attempt close quarters combat, or lure a few away at time to minimize the hoard.

#21 Dissident: Frostland Escape

• Developer: Tequilabyte Studio
• Publisher: Games Operators
• Release date: 2023
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, Macintosh operating systems

Dissident: Frostland Escape has a unique premise for a survival game. You play as prisoners fleeing a forced labor camp. Every attempt to escape the Legion provides you with different characters to play as, some of which may have more beneficial skills for survival. Some of their backgrounds include soldiers, teachers, politicians, and more. With wild animals such as bears and wolves lurking in the wilderness, some characters may be more useful than others. But animals are only the beginning of what you need to worry about. You have to avoid detection by the Legion’s hunters, survive the brutal weather, steal and scavenge for food, and most importantly, hope you don’t become lost to madness.

#20 V Rising

• Release date: Full Release TBA
• Developer: Stunlock Studios
• Publisher: Stunlock Studios
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

If you’ve dreamed of getting to live the life of a vampire then V Rising may be just about as close as you can get. You play as a weakened Vampire who has been in a deep slumber for centuries. In order to survive you must hunt for blood to rebuild your strength while avoiding the sun’s deadly light. Your castle has also fallen to ruin and must be repaired, thankfully you can convert human subjects into loyal servants to help carry out your will. There are many other vampires in the world as well, many of which are other players. Their presence leaves you with two options. You can make alliances and cooperate with them for mutual gain, or you can attempt to squander their efforts to bolster your own.

#19 Deadside

• Release date: April 14, 2020 early access) 2023
• Developer: Bad Pixel
• Publisher: Bad Pixel
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

In Deadside you have post apocalyptic mayhem in PvP and PvE settings. Build, craft, and upgrade your weapons and base to survive. Other players might see what you’ve built and want to take your belongings for their own, and NPCs might cause trouble for you as you scavenge for supplies or scout out new areas. Deadside wants to put an emphasis on realism so there aren’t scary monsters for you to struggle against. Instead, it’s about humans having to fight for survival against one another as resources dwindle and there’s no forces at play to stop people from taking any means necessary to survive.

#18 Voidtrain

• Platforms: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
• Developers: Nearga, HypeTrain Digital
• Publishers: Nearga, HypeTrain Digital
• Release date: TBA

Voidtrain is an interdimensional survival game where you use resources to upgrade your tricked out train. The planet you wind up on is filled to the brim with unique creatures and monsters for you to conquer or run in fear from. This unique world is procedurally generated every game so each run you have will look a little different from the rest. But the gorgeous artstyle, unique weapons and tools will remain the same. Allowing you to better plan and customize your train every time. The train customization also seems to be rather special. You start with a small trolly but have full control over how you expand on it. The size, cars, and even the era your engine is from are just some of the different ways you can make your train feel like home.

#17 Palworld

• Release date: 2023
• Developer: Pocket Pair, Inc.
• Publisher: Pocket Pair, Inc.
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

Palworld has an original twist on the idea behind Pokemon. You can collect cute little monsters called “Pals” and use them for a variety of things such as farming, building, or getting put to work in your factory assembling a large variety of guns. In order to survive nothing is off the (dinner) table, and that includes your cute and cuddly Pals. If the situation is dire enough you can whip them up into a nice meal. All in all, Palworld is one of the strangest looking survival games out there. The idea of hunting Pokemon with an AK47 is wild by itself, but then you combine with the survival mechanics and general world design and it gets taken to even more extreme heights.

#16 Farthest Frontier

• Release date: Full Release TBA
• Developer: Crate Entertainment
• Publisher: Crate Entertainment
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

Farthest Frontier is a city-building survival game. You will be working to advance your city through economic, construction, and trading means. You can hunt, fish, craft, farm and fight the savages that roam the untamed wilderness to gain the resources you need to put your advancements into production. Farthest Frontier is promising a robust farming system, one of the most detailed in its genre, with realistic town simulation mechanics. Your villagers will age, contract and spread disease, and have families to pass their riches onto.

#15 Ark 2

• Developer: Studio Wildcard, Grove Street Games
• Publisher: Studio Wildcard
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S
• Release: 2023

The sequel to ARK: Survival Evolved, ARK 2 will continue the epic survival sandbox game with some new characters and abilities. In this game, you wake up as a man named Santiago with no memory of how he ended up on a planet teeming with dinosaurs. You will have to slowly solve that mystery while taking care of more immediate needs: protecting your daughter, Meeka. The coolest part of ARK 2 is how much modding and customizing players can do as well. You can create all-new weapons and creatures by utilizing the tools around you. Avoid dangerous creatures when you aren’t feeling confident, but don’t forget that you can tame some of them too!

#14 Dead Matter

• Developer: QI Software Inc.
• Publisher: QI Software Inc.
• Platforms: PC
• Release: TBA

Dead Matter is another survival horror game that pits you, one of few survivors of a viral outbreak, against hordes of infected people. However, this upcoming game takes place in the Rockies of Canada. Calgary, Alberta is your home as countless people around you turn into rage-filled monsters. You have your choice between heading into the two towns that have everything you need for survival as well as a ton of infected people or heading to the wilderness of the Rockies. Either choice will force you to be smart as you scour for resources and get ready for any attacks. The game takes great care in creating the details of the towns as well as the beautiful mountains you will be exploring. By the time winter rolls around, the infected may be the least of your worries.

#13 Wildmender

• Developer: Muse Games
• Publisher: Kwalee
• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Release: 2023

Wildmender is a spiritual game in which you will try to use arcane magic to revive the world one oasis at a time. In a hostile desert world full of wraiths, you will learn to utilize ancient magic to gather seeds and care for them. You will have to craft shelter for yourself against the weather by gathering resources. You can revive plant life and cater to it. Build irrigation systems to help your garden thrive. While the oases that you can create are very beautiful, you can also go on quests to rescue and learn from ancient gods. It will be up to you and up to three friends to bring the world back from a lifeless desert and shape it into a bountiful garden.

#12 Valheim

• Developer: Iron Gate AB
• Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass
• Release: 2023 Xbox

Valheim did very well on Steam in 2021, despite the developing team being only five people! Because it was one of the top-earning games of 2021 on Steam, the developers have since hired some more people and will be launching an Xbox version of the game. Don’t worry though, crossplay will be available! Valheim is a survival game that lets you explore the world of the Vikings according to Norse mythology. Built great halls and other shelters, scout for resources, and fight off the monstrous beasts of Norse mythology. There are multiple biomes, each with their own monsters and challenges. These biomes are also procedurally generated, so you can play as many times as you want. Also, don’t worry too much about eating. If you do, great, you’ll have bonus health. Not eating won’t kill you though, so you are free to focus on the other aspects of the game. You go it alone or play with up to 10 people. There’s a ton to do in this game, and you can play it on your PC right now!

#11 Forever Skies

• Developer: Far From Home
• Publisher: Far From Home
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
• Release: 2022

Forever Skies is an survival action game where you return to a version of Earth that has been destroyed by an ecological disaster. You will have to use science in order to survive long enough to repair the Earth piece by piece. Scavenging for resources will help you survive and create the tools you need to repair buildings as well as your airship. Speaking of, your airship is your customizable home and lab, so you will will be able to make it completely yours. You will not be entirely alone on Earth, as there are still some creepy creatures lurking about. The biggest thing to fear may be the mysterious illness you have to find a cure for though. This single-player game will keep you busy for hours as you explore and study the world around you.

#10 The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

• Developer: Free Range Games
• Publisher: North Beach Games
• Platforms: PC
• Release: Spring 2023

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a procedurally generated survival game that takes place in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth. Moria is a Dwarven realm where you can work solo or with friends to mine. Mine resources to craft better gear to mine more resources. The deeper down you go though, the more dangerous it will become. As you mine, the noise you make may wake a sleeping evil down in the shadowy depths. You and your friends may find yourselves battling to defend yourselves in this adventure game based on the world created by J.R.R. Tolkein.

#9 Among the Trolls

• Developer: Forbidden Studios
• Publisher: 505 Games
• Platforms: PC
• Release: TBA

If someone dropped you in the Finnish wilderness, would you have what it takes to survive? Learning to survive in the wilderness of the Finnish forests as you search for your missing grandparents is one thing, but doing it while encountering the creatures from Finnish folklore is a whole other level. In Among the Trolls, you play an American who has come to visit your grandparents in a remote cabin in Finland, but when you arrive, you discover that they are missing. You will have to build shelter and forage for food while you look for food. That’s all standard for a survival adventure game. What makes this game unique is that you will be reconnecting with your past, your heritage, and the magic of the forest around you as you do it. There’s so much to learn about Finnish folklore and shamanistic magic that you may find yourself spending hours amongst the trolls.

#8 Rooted

• Developer: Headlight Studio
• Publisher: Headlight Studio
• Platforms: PC
• Release: TBA

Maybe this game will hit a little too close to home for some people, but Rooted is a post-apocalyptic survival game where you are one of the few survivors of a bacteriological warfare event. The world as you knew it is now gone, but nature has been slowly taking it back. While the cities are still unsafe without protective equipment, the overgrown areas are safe again. You will get to choose where you build your base, but you will still end up exploring the wreckage of urban areas for supplies. From animals to drones, there is a lot of danger in the world around you, so you will have to be smart and stealthy. You also don’t have to play alone! Co-operative multiplayer will be an option anytime in the game.

#7 Gord

• Developer: Covenant.dev
• Publisher: Team 17
• Platforms: PC
• Release: TBA

In a world heavily inspired by Slavic folklore, you will try to lead your people into the Forbidden Lands. Gord is a survival and strategy RPG that drives home the message that we are all in this together. As you move your Tribe of the Dawn into more dangerous lands, their individual experiences during side quests will shape their personalities and well-being. If their loved-ones die or they encounter a horrible creature along the way, it can impact their sanity, and they may leave you. The continued community is your goal moving forward, so do your best to manage the terrible scenarios that will come your way. In fact, these scenarios are customizable by you. You get to pick everything from the setting, the weather severity, the objective, the creatures, and how difficult it will be. Setting a challenge for yourself to overcome is part of the reward. The folklore and level of detail make this game look like hours of fun, and because of how much of it is procedurally generated, there is the potential to play over and over again.

#6 Nightingale

• Developer: Inflexion Games
• Publisher: Inflexion Games
• Platforms: PC
• Release: 2023

For a survival experience that is equal parts dangerous and beautiful, keep an eye out for Nightingale. You play as an explorer who ends up cut off from our human world when the portal system collapses. Stuck in a labyrinth of Fae realms, you are looking to find the city of Nightingale to reconnect with humanity again. The worlds in this game are gorgeous! Plus, you will be traversing a variety of environments from swamps and jungles to deserts, so there’s always something new to see.

While moving between realms, you will have have to do the survival game classics, like gathering supplies to build shelters and weapons. Even cooking will be a factor for you. But it isn’t all a fairy dream world. There are some creepy looking creatures that walk the realms as well, and you will have to create weapons to take them down to survive.

#5 Road to Vostok

• Developer: Road to Vostok
• Publisher: Road to Vostok
• Platforms: PC
• Release: TBA

Road to Vostok is still being made, but the WIP videos on the game’s official website are very promising. This is a hardcore single-player game that takes place in the border zone between Russia and Finland. The post-apocalyptic setting is detailed using inspiration from real abandoned places to give it that extra bit of authenticity. The weapons are hardcore and very detailed. You can watch a WIP video of the different guns at your disposal at a shooting range. There will be looting for ammo and food and enemies to take down. Road to Vostok is being handmade by an ex-military game developer with over ten years of experience, and it already looks very smooth.

#4 Honeycomb

• Developer: Frozen Way
• Publisher: Frozen Way
• Platforms: PC
• Release: TBA

Honeycomb is an exciting new survival sandbox game for all of the budding mad scientists out there. You play a bioengineer on a new planet with the goal to find cures to save Earth. On this new planet, you will have to pull on your research pants. Set up and decorate your lab before heading out on a research expedition. You will have to study the plants and animals of the planet by experimenting with their genes. You will also encounter new diseases that you’ll have to cure to save yourself. The animals may be friendly or they may try to kill you, and finding out which is the fun part.

This is a first-person, single-player game that lets you play around with the genetics of alien plants and animals on a distant planet. The sci-fi premise is enough to sell some, but the exploration aspect is another strong selling point. You’ll be able to build multiple labs and habitats and use a hoverboard to travel between them. Plus, you will have to figure out how to keep yourself alive long enough to save the world!

#3 Sons of the Forest

• Release date: February 2023
• Developer: Endnight Games
• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Publishers: Endnight Games, Newnight

The Forest from Endnight Games was a survival title as players were stuck in the woods looking for a means of escape. It was a mixture of survival and the constant threat of hostile enemies that left fans enjoying the game. There are still players discovering this title today. Now a new sequel is in the works called Sons of the Forest. Players are seemingly taking a trek back into the woods as a means to hunt down the supernatural elements that lurk within it. From what we can tell so far, there is more emphasis on survival, with the player having to gather various resources such as cutting down trees. That’s added on top of the hostile enemies lurking within the woods. You’ll find that they can attack you and destroy your fortified base, which means all that hard work might have to be completely redone before nightfall hits.

#2 Frostpunk 2

• Developer: 11 Bit Studios
• Publisher: 11 Bit Studios
• Platforms: PC
• Release: TBA

Frostpunk 2 will continue where the original, brutal game ended. While still dealing with a world-ending perpetual winter, humanity has gathered in a few select cities around heating centers. Steam may have been the name of the game last time but now the citizens have their eye set on oil. As you rise up to make this last civilization work, you will be forced to make some severe choices in the name of survival. This game will test your mental and physical fortitude as a city-building, strategy, and management simulator rolled into one. Figuring out food, shelter, and just general human order will make sure you have your hands full.

#1 State of Decay 3

• Developer: Undead Labs
• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S
• Release: TBA

The zombie apocalypse may be the pinnacle of survival horror, and the State of Decay franchise does it in a unique way. For these survival horror games, you play a character who is searching for resources and other survivors in an open-world setting riddled with zombies. Instead of battling hordes of the walking dead, though, a major component of these games is stealth. You will try to avoid the zombies rather than slaying them. Of course, you will still be able to defend yourself if you do come across them. Adding to the weirdness, humans are not the only zombies! Animals can be affected too.

Not much of the plot has been released for State of Decay 3, but the trailer for the game shows a young woman living in a snowy stretch of woods. Armed with a knife and a crossbow that she appears to carve the ammo for herself, the young woman leads a quiet life hunting for food. Then she comes across a zombie deer eating a wolf carcass before the screen goes black. We’re really looking forward to this one!