In the realm of videogames, survival games have carved a niche for themselves. They encapsulate the primal human instinct to survive against all odds and provide a thrilling virtual experience. This article bring to the table a comprehensive list that consists of the best offline, single-player survival games that you can enjoy on your PC. So, let’s dive into the world of survival gaming.
The Forest
Release: 30 April, 2018
Developer: Endnight Games Ltd
The Forest sets the tone for our list. This game plunges you into a terrifyingly beautiful world teeming with life. You play as a lone survivor of a plane crash, stranded in a forest filled with cannibalistic mutants. Your mission? Survive and uncover the mystery that lurks in the forest.
With intricate survival mechanics like hunting for food, chopping trees for firewood, and building shelters, The Forest offers an immersive survival experience. As day turns into night, the game shifts into survival-horror, where every rustle might be a predator lurking.
Son of the Forest
Release: 20 February, 2023
Developer: Endnight Games Ltd
Son of the Forest is the sequel to the popular survival game mentioned above, The Forest. In this game, players must navigate a mysterious, dangerous forest while battling hostile creatures and managing resources. The game’s immersive environment and challenging survival mechanics make it a must-play for fans of the genre.
Subnautica
Release: 23 January, 2018
Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Subnautica is a unique, underwater survival game. After crash landing on an alien ocean world, you must explore the depths, gather resources, and create equipment to survive. This game stands out due to its stunning underwater environments, compelling storyline, and the constant threat of terrifying sea creatures.
Sunkenland
Release: 23 August, 2023
Developer: Vector3 Studio
SunkenLand is a post-apocalyptic survival and exploration game set in the near future when water covered most of the Earth. You can explore sunken cities, scavenge resources and valuable technologies, build your base, trade, fight and survive.
You can play solo or play with a friend in co-op mode. The game features diving, base building, base defense, crafting, trading, combat, boat driving, underwater adventure and many unique locations to explore. It has received very positive reviews from players and critics.
Outward (Definitive Edition)
Release: 17 May, 2022
Developer: Nine Dots Studio
Outward Definitive Edition is a survival RPG game that lets you explore the vast world of Aurai solo or in co-op. You have to manage your basic needs, fight enemies, and discover secrets. The game includes both DLCs, The Soroboreans and The Three Brothers, which add new features, locations, and mechanics. The game also has quality of life improvements, such as enchanting system and city building.
Valheim
Release: 2 February, 2021
Developer: Iron Gate AB
Valheim is a popular survival and exploration game set in a Norse-inspired world. You play as a slain warrior who has been carried to the tenth world, Valheim, by a valkyrie. There, you must prove yourself to Odin by conquering the realm and slaying the ancient enemies of the gods.
You can craft powerful weapons, armor, and tools, construct longhouses and fortifications, and fight against fearsome creatures and bosses. You can also explore the vast, procedurally generated world, which consists of different biomes, such as meadows, black forest, swamp, mountain, plains, mistlands, ashlands, and deep north. Each biome has its own challenges, resources, and secrets to discover. You can play solo or with up to nine friends in co-op mode
Don’t Starve
Release: 24 April, 2013
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Don’t Starve is a dark and quirky survival game with a unique, hand-drawn art style that sets it apart from the crowd. The game focuses on exploration, resource gathering, and crafting while maintaining your character’s sanity amidst supernatural creatures and other dangers. The game’s unique aesthetics and challenging gameplay make it a must-play for survival enthusiasts.
State of Decay 2
Release: 13 March, 2020
Developer: Undead Labs
In State of Decay 2, you manage a community of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies. This game focuses on base-building, resource management, and character development. The choices you make significantly impact the narrative and the survival of your community.
Terraria
Release: 17 May, 2011
Developer: Re-Logic
Terraria is a 2D survival game that combines elements of sandbox, adventure, and action games. Players dig, fight, explore, and build in a huge, procedurally generated world. The game stands out with its depth and variety of content, offering hundreds of hours of gameplay.
Oxygen Not Included
Release: 30 July, 2019
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Oxygen Not Included is a space colony survival game where players are tasked with managing and expanding a space station while keeping their colonists alive. The game features complex physics-based systems that simulate temperature, oxygen levels, plumbing, and more.
The Long Dark
Release: 1 August, 2017
Developer: Hinterland Studio Inc.
The Long Dark is a first-person survival game that places you in the freezing wilderness after a global disaster. You must manage resources, fend off wildlife, and make decisions that impact the narrative in this immersive, exploration-survival experience.
DayZ
Release: 14 December, 2018
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
DayZ is a multiplayer open-world survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world infested with zombies. Even though it’s primarily an online game, it offers an offline single-player mode where you can practice survival skills against AI zombies.
Raft
Release: 20 June, 2022
Developer: Redbeet Interactive
In Raft, you start on a tiny raft in the middle of the ocean and must use debris floating by to expand your living space and create tools. While battling hunger and thirst, you must also keep an eye out for the man-eating shark circling your raft.
Ark: Survival Evolved
Release: 20 August, 2017
Developers: Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Efecto Studios, Virtual Basement LLC
Ark: Survival Evolved puts you on a mysterious island filled with prehistoric creatures (many dinosaurs) that you can hunt, tame, and ride. The game features a blend of survival mechanics, exploration, and even base-building, making it an exciting survival adventure. You can play solo offline or play online with other many players.
No Man’s Sky
Release: 12 August, 2016
Developer: Hello Games
No Man’s Sky is a space exploration survival game with a procedurally generated universe. Players must manage their character’s resources, engage in combat, and discover new planets to survive in this vast, open-world game.
RimWorld
Release: 17 October, 2018
Developer: Ludeon Studio
RimWorld is a survival game that focuses on storytelling and colony management. It incorporates a unique AI storyteller that generates events and crises, making every playthrough different. It’s a game about managing people, their needs, their moods, and their relationships.
7 Days to Die
Release: 14 December, 2012
Developer: The Fun Pimps
7 Days to Die combines elements of first-person shooters, survival horror, tower defense, and role-playing games. Set in a brutally unforgiving post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead, the game presents an open-world sandbox filled with zombies where the main goal is to survive for as long as possible.
Project Zomboid
Release: 8 November, 2013
Developer: The Indie Stone
Project Zomboid is an isometric, sandbox survival game set in a zombie-infested world. Players must manage health, morale, hunger, and other needs while also dealing with hordes of zombies in this challenging, open-ended survival experience.
Grounded
Release: 27 September, 2022
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Grounded is a survival game that shrinks you down to the size of an ant. You must navigate a suburban backyard, gathering resources, crafting, and building a base while dealing with the world’s many insect inhabitants.
Conan Exiles
Release: 2018
Developer: Funcom
Conan Exiles is an open-world survival game set in the brutal lands of Conan the Barbarian. Players must survive in a savage world, build a home and a kingdom, and dominate their enemies in epic warfare.
Astroneer
Release: 2016
Developer: System Era Softworks
Astroneer is a sandbox adventure game set during the 25th-century interstellar age of discovery. Players must colonize planets, create structures, and mine resources in a solar system.
Darkwood
Release: 2017
Developer: Acid Wizard Studio
Darkwood combines survival and horror into a top-down, open-world game. With its eerie atmosphere and complex gameplay mechanics, Darkwood offers a unique survival experience.
Minecraft
Release: 2017
Developer: Mojang
No survival game list would be complete without mentioning the iconic Minecraft. A sandbox game with blocky graphics and virtually unlimited possibilities, Minecraft provides a fantastic survival experience. The game entails players surviving in a procedurally generated 3D world by extracting raw materials, crafting tools, building structures, and combating various creatures.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the survival game genre is as diverse as it is intriguing. Whether you prefer battling zombies, exploring uncharted territories, or building your dream castle, there’s a survival game out there for you. So, brace yourself for thrilling adventures as you try to outlast the odds in these captivating survival games.
