Survivalis important in most games. After all, not many titles allow you toplay as dead people. However, it’s the central theme of the aptly named survival game genre. Most of these games involve acquiring resources, staying well-fed, and not getting killed by your enemies. Yet, there is plenty of variation in the genre, so not all the titles are exactly alike.
TheXbox Series X|Sis home to a wide range of different types of survival games. Some of them allow you to build, others have you fighting all the time, and a few even have you looking after whole communities. Out of them all, these are the survival titles that stand out the most.
Frostpunkis a unique survival game because you aren’t just looking after yourself. You’re looking after an entire city of people. This is because the game is set in a world that has been severely impacted by climate change. As a result, the place is covered in ice and snow, which isn’t the perfect environment for a city, but you don’t have any other options. So, you must build and maintain a city in the snow.
Along with crafting different structures, you have to make plenty of tough moral choices and generally look after your people. This is where the survival element comes in because if you do a poor job of keeping people safe, they will start dying.
5Astroneer
Some of the mostwonderful survival games take place in space. This is the case inAstroneer, where you play as a little astronaut and mine for resources on different planets. You can use these resources to create buildings and other structures to build a life for yourself in this colorful universe.
Of course, space is dangerous, particularly as the planets you visit don’t have the required amount of oxygen. Therefore, you must keep your supply of it up, or you’re done for. This is the main survival element in the game.
An ordinary backyard isn’t normally dangerous, so surviving there is pretty easy. That is unless, you’re shrunk down to a minute size. This makes the creatures you wouldn’t unusually notice, such as ants and spiders, a lot more threatening.
This is essentially the premise ofGrounded. As a tiny human, you must roam around the backyard, scavenging for food and water while avoiding getting killed by the big bugs. Yet, not all of the creatures are bad. Some are actually useful and will help you survive among the grass and dirt. It’s a unique take on the survival genre.
Palworldputs you in a land filled with colorful and adorable creatures. However, while it may look like Pokemon, this is a very different type of game. For starters, you have firearms that you can use to hunt those sweet creatures. Alternatively, you can catch them and force them to work for you or fight with you. So, there are darker undertones in this title.
Yet, you’re encouraged to avoid letting morality slow you down, as putting these kidnapped creatures to work around your base can save you a lot of time and build up your resources. As a result, you’re more likely to be able to survive run-ins with other trainers who try to attack you. They can also keep you from starving, as the Pals can also serve as food. There are other things to eat if you aren’t a monster, but you must keep your Pals fed, too.
There aren’t many games involving Vikings, and even fewer of those are survival titles, soValheimstands out. It’s set in a place where Vikings have to prove themselves to reach the promised land of Valhalla. You don’t reach Valhalla by being a good and honorable person. This is a very different sort of afterlife where you have to show your expertise in battle.
Therefore, this game has more combat than you may expect from a survival title. But you can’t just charge straight head into battle from the start. You need to build up your resources tocraft armorand weapons to make sure you’re prepared for the fights.
Every time you start a new world inMinecraft, the game places you in the said world with no explanation nor many supplies. You’re then encouraged to do what you want, as this is a sandbox survival game. You can build structures, do some mining, or simply explore the place.
While doing so, you need to stay safe from all the dangerous mobs roaming the blocky world. Nighttime is particularly problematic, since most monsters spawn in darkness. Depending on how brave you are, you may fend them off with an array of crafted weapons or just hide. Yet, make sure you don’t hide on an empty stomach, as starvation is also something you must avoid.
Looking for a new and exciting survival game to try?Nightingale is available on Steamin Early Access starting June 20, 2025!
Survival Week
Welcome to the home of TheGamer’s Survival Week, a celebration of all things, well, survival. Here you’ll find features, interviews, and more dedicated to this popular genre, brought to you by Inflexion Games' upcoming open-world survival crafter, Nightingale.
