The world is a hard place. In order to make it, you need to eat, sleep, work, exercise, and socialise. You never know what life will throw at you at any given point, and you have to be prepared for anything. However, there are ways to take your mind off this, by playing games which require you to collect resources, build shelters, and do whatever is needed to survive in hostile environments.
Survival gameshave shot up in popularity over the last few years. Indie games like Valheim and Sons of the Forest have toppled many a triple-A giant in terms of player counts. This has spurred a number of developers to ride the wave with their own survival games in hopes of capturing a small portion of the market. 2024 has its own share of survival games, and we’ve made a handy list of them.
Updated Jun 30, 2025 By Vaspaan Dastoor:2024 is filled with survival games. We’ve updated this list with a few more - one that chrages you with becoming the most powerful vampire in the land, while the other gives you powers to fight invading aliens.
Once Human
The Outlast Trials
Being hunted is better when you have friends by your side
WHERE TO PLAY
The Outlast Trials is a horror game in which you must complete various tasks and puzzles. While doing so, you’re hunted by a few deadly creatures. You can attempt to survive alone or with three other players.
The Outlast Trials puts more emphasis on survival than the traditional survival game. After all, the title is all about staying alive. You do this by keeping away from a bunch of creepy creatures as they attempt to hunt you down. While that doesn’t sound like a completely original concept, the game does feel unique, mainly due to the co-op component. Desperately trying to stay alive as you attempt to complete puzzles with some buddies by your side is a lot of fun.
Your survival isn’t the only thing that matters
Frostpunk 2 is a survival game where you aren’t just looking after yourself. You’re taking care of an entire city of people struggling to survive the harsh, icy weather. So, it’s a city-builder, as well as a survival game.
Survival games and city-builders don’t typically go together, but they merged perfectly for Frostpunk and promise to do the same in Frostpunk 2. Like in the original game, you’re tasked with looking after an entire city of people struggling to survive in harsh, wintery conditions. This problematic weather is due to an apocalyptic blizzard that has ravaged the Earth. Not only do you have to manage your people’s resources, but you have to actually manage the people, too. This includes making some difficult decisions.
You need Pals with guns to survive.
You may know Palworld as Pokemon with guns, but there’s so much more to it. There’s a massive world to explore, with other players you can meet. It also features crafting and building mechanics, which your captured Pals will help you out with. Survival gets a bit harder when the local wildlife has guns.
Palworld has taken the world by storm, rocketing up the Steam player charts only a few days after its early access launch. What’s baffling is that it has done so purely based on the “Pokemon with guns” angle. However, once you get into the game, you’ll realise that it has a lot of survival elements, like resource collection and building structures.
A light in the darkness
As a Realmwalker, you’ll have to make your way across the Fae Realm, dealing with all the dangers that come with it. Mystical monsters are around every corner, and you’ll have to use all your skills to survive.
Nightingale’s unique take on the survival genre is the mystical Fae Realm. You may think it’s a cakewalk surviving in a beautiful land filled with mystical creatures, but you’re going to have to put your skills to the test. Just because your surroundings are pretty, it doesn’t mean they won’t kill you.
War Hospital
Nothing is fair in war.
Another take on survival games, War Hospital charges you with managing a field medical facility. Since you’re in the field, resources and personnel will be limited, and the flow of wounded will be extremely unpredictable. You’re going to have to make some tough decisions for the good of the many.
War Hospital puts you in command of a field medical facility, where supplies and personnel are always short. You’re going to have to make decisions which will either save or cost lives and, as we know, you’re never quite prepared for war.
Aye aye Cap’n!
After countless delays, it looks like Skull And Bones will indeed come out this year. Live the pirate life as you sail the high seas, loot treasure, and build whatever you need, be it a ship or a cannon. The world is your oyster, all you need to do is build a pirate armada to sieze it.
Surviving on land is one thing, but the open sea is a whole different board game. Skull and Bones finally looks to be launching this year, and those you want to live the pirate’s life may enlist. You’ll have to craft all the things you’ll possibly need to be to survive out at sea - be it supplies or weapons.
The forest gives, the forest takes
Another indie survival game that shot up in popularity, Sons of the Forest saw players flocking to it during the early access period, and with the 1.0 version soon coming out, you can expect another wave. The game adds an element of horror to the survival and crafting mechanics. You even have assistants to help you construct elaborate shelters.
Sons of the Forest takes survival horror quite literally, and adds elements of both to the game. While it’s all fun and games, building houses, crafting items, and exploring, the forest throws some terrifying creatures at you. You’ll need to use your ingenuity to build a shelter that manages to keep all the nightmarish creatures out.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
At long last, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl looks to be coming out this year. While there still isn’t a confirmed date, GSC Game World has gone through a literal invasion to put out this game, and it will no doubt reflect in the gameplay.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl will task you as a Stalker to enter the exclusion zone, which is filled with dangers of all kinds. You’ll have to find valuable items and resources and craft them into tools that will help you survive.
I drive
Pacific Drive is what you get when you mix survival games with the movie Drive. Sure, your car is a dusty old station wagon, but there are some great vistas to admire as you make your way through the Olympic Exclusion zone. You’ll need to maintain and upgrade your car if you want to explore more of the zone and make it out alive.
Have you ever wished to drive down to a place you’ve never been before, just to see what’s there? Pacific Drive follows the same concept, except that the place you’re driving down to is ripe with paranormal activity. You’ll see strange occurrences and terrifying sights. Upgrading your dusty old station wagon is the only way to make it through alive.
Cloudy, with a chance of monsters
Enshrouded charges you, a Flameborn, to take back the land that has been overcast by a mysterious fog that corrupts everything in its path. You’ll have to scavenge for resources and craft items that will help you survive in this dangerous kingdom.
Enshrouded is based in a kingdom that’s covered by a destructive fog that corrupts everything it touches. As a flameborn, you’ll have to find, craft, and build in order to reclaim the kingdom from this deadly fog.
Stay away from the light
V Rising puts you in the shoes of a newly converted vampire. As you may expect, you must feed, fight, and explore the land to become more powerful than Dracula himself. This action-adventure game can be played solo or with your brood of online friends.
You’ve been turned into a vampire, but you might as well make the most of it. Defy Dracula and become the most powerful vampire in all the land. You’ll have to fight, feed, and craft weapons if you’re going to become the most feared vampire.
You were human, once
In a post-apocalyptic future, where mysterious aliens have taken over the world, you’ll have to work with friends to survive and conquer territory. What’s unique about Post Human is that you’re not completely helpless, you have meta-human powers to help you survive.
Adding meta-human abilities into the mix makes Post Human a bit different from the usual resource-management-based survival game. You’re going to need all the help you can find if you’re going to battle monsters and find out the truth about Stardust, the mysterious alien that has taken over the world.
FAQ
Are survival games still popular?
Survival games have become one of the most popular genres in gaming. A recent example is Palworld, which has smashed Steam player count numbers in a matter of days since it launched.
What is a survival game?
While there is no concrete definition, a survival game is one in which you start off with barely any resources and, over time, collect and craft items to make you more powerful. Some survival games also include building mechanics that will help you survive.
