First person island survival games. The best

Survival games are some of the most popular genres on Steam, despite many of them being in early access - in some cases for several years. The desire to stay alive is in our DNA, so it is not surprising that we are so absorbed in this activity in the virtual world.

With so many different games in this genre, how do you find the best one? The following games are, in our opinion, the best survival games on PC, set underwater, in space, or in dangerous worlds filled with zombies, mutants, or even dinosaurs.

The Long Dark

Focusing on atmosphere and survival in harsh environments, The Long Dark stands out among the wide variety of games of this genre. You play as a pilot stranded in the frozen desert after a mysterious global disaster. There are no zombies, mutants or other players: you will have to fight with wildlife and our own human fragility.

Ark: Survival Evolved

You are thrown almost bare-handed onto extensive map, filled with dinosaurs, you'll have to contend with extreme heat and cold, hunger and dehydration, and other people (though you can also play alone). Craft weapons and equipment, build a base, tame and ride dinosaurs, join or fight with other players. The free Primitive Plus add-on adds crafting and farming features, and the upcoming Tech Tier update promises to add weapons and equipment straight out of sci-fi movies.

Don't Starve

Don't Starve, combining charming animations and gritty gameplay, is a thrilling adventure and one of the best survival games (and this is a rare case of a game leaving Early Access mode). Crafting becomes challenging and fun as you try to survive stressful days and deadly nights. Fight (and eat) animals, practice science and magic, and take care of your mental health so you don't go crazy. The standalone extension Don't Starve Together also allows you to play with friends.

DayZ

Yes, many players are already tired of waiting for the multiplayer zombie survival game to leave early access mode, and the fact that DayZ Rooted in military simulator ArmA, can be a little intimidating for newbies. However, DayZ's survival elements are strong, with a complex system of nutrition, hydration, and health maintenance that goes beyond just snacking, drinking water, and dressing wounds. Find food and resources in a detailed open world, engage in intense battles with other players, customize weapons and equipment for your ships, and try not to die: if you do, you'll have to start all over again.

Subnautica

Explore an alien underwater world by piloting a homemade submarine through mysterious underwater landscapes. Among beautiful coral reefs and deep-sea caves and depressions, you will collect necessary resources and livelihoods, create habitats and a fleet of submarines, and create new technologies that will help you survive in the depths. It's hard not to compare this game to Minecraft, but the developers Unknown Worlds managed to add something unique to the genre of survival games.

Miscreated

At first glance, this game seems to be one of the many DayZ clones that have appeared over the past few years, but Miscreated began to stand out against their background as a stable and enjoyable multiplayer game, built on the Cryengine engine, with excellent graphics. When you start the game with only a flashlight and a change of clothes, obtain weapons and equipment while exploring deserted surroundings and military bases. Not only mutants and wildlife pose a threat to you, but also other survivors.

Starbound

In Game Starbound you can visit distant galaxies in your starship or build your own small farm, thereby combining intense survival with a cozy pastime. The pixelated 2D world is a joy to explore, and along the way you'll meet friendly alien NPCs and fight surprisingly tough bosses. There is a storyline and side quests, but there is no need to complete them right away - you can do it at any time convenient for you. You can also play with friends on dedicated servers or simply invite them to your game via Steam.

Rust

Join or fight other players (or try to survive alone), start with primitive tools and weapons, and eventually firearms, and powerful bases. You will have to fight wild animals, hunger and thirst, but this game is also built on interaction with other players, and main threat comes from a dozen other players on the server. Rust is still experimenting with gameplay (they recently removed character levels and the experience system), and we're interested to see where this leads in the future.

Minecraft

You may have heard about this game. There are many ways to play Minecraft: alone, with friends, with strangers, in research mode or in one of thousands of mods on a special server. As a survival game, it still shows itself with the best side: with a well-developed system of hunger and thirst and thoughtful crafting and construction. Once immersed in this beautiful block world, you will not want to leave.

The Forest

After you manage to escape from the wreckage of the crashed plane, you will discover that you are not alone. You share a mysterious island with a terrifying tribe of cannibals, and while you search for food and drink, build simple shelters to sleep under, and build traps for wild animals, you will have to defend yourself from the hungry and determined locals. The environments are built in Unity 5, providing stunning visuals and graphics.

Terraria

A wonderful, expansive and exciting (and inexpensive) crafting survival game. Explore randomly generated worlds, collect resources, and enjoy a simple but clever crafting system. Build tunnels through huge caves, fight monsters, make friends with NPCs, build your palace and play alone or with friends in multiplayer mode. Terraria has been around for years, but it has stood the test of time.

Hurtworld

Don't be fooled by the slightly cartoonish graphics: Hurtworld- This is not a picnic. If you managed to survive the first few hours of looting, battles with mutants and other players, then you will be able to claim a piece of land, build your base on it and repair time-worn transport (if, of course, you can find necessary details). The emphasis here is not only on interaction between players, but also on the weather: for example, if it's cold enough, the steak in your backpack will freeze rather than go rotten. In a game that punishes you for any mistakes, there are some nice concessions, such as when you die, your weapon is saved.

This War of Mine

The war is depicted not from the point of view of an elite soldier, but from the point of view of a group of civilians who are simply trying to survive amidst the chaos. This War of Mine differs from other survival games in its atmosphere of despair and hopelessness. You'll be faced with tough choices as you manage the survivors' health, both physical and mental. Searching for food and supplies at night is stressful and painful, and no matter how much food you find, it will never be enough. This is not just a game of survival, but a harsh and truthful look at the very essence of war.

H1Z1: Just Survive

Although Early Access has undergone strange metamorphoses (it was once planned to be a free game, but now you have to buy it), Just Survive still very fun game. Similar to DayZ, but much simpler: you try to mine Consumables, while dodging zombie attacks while fighting (or befriending) over a hundred other players on the same server. Build bases, weapons and equipment, fight for food supplies and stay healthy in this multiplayer sandbox.

Unturned

A game Unturned It's free, but that doesn't mean it's poorly made. Its teenage creator has released over 150 updates to the zombie-infested sandbox since 2014, which makes it easy to see why it's been downloaded by millions of players since its release. Despite its limited visuals, Unturned has well-designed crafting, skill, and survival systems, as well as a fairly large audience.

Many people believe that survival games gained their popularity for some inexplicable reason. There seems to be no plot, most projects never do, and those that come out look very far from ideal. However, the demand for the “survival” genre is quite justified - users want to give up comfort and try themselves in the role of a lone hero, a chosen inhabitant of our planet. In real life, you definitely wouldn’t want to hide from the frost in ruins, build a fire and fight with wolves for a piece of meat. In the virtual world it is a completely different matter.

In addition, a huge part of survival games are equipped with an advanced crafting and building system. Each of us wanted a tree house or our own personal bunker, and if for this you only need to carry a virtual hammer in your hands and collect stones, then construction takes on a different meaning. You are given the opportunity to collect wood, build your own small cozy house from it, and then protect it from other survivors with all possible ways, enjoying the "fortress".

Plus, there are some small details that you don’t immediately notice. In this kind of games, in 95% of cases there is no plot, no cut scenes and no need to study the history, characters and other things that are boring for some. Not everyone likes projects with a complex plot; some just want to play and act. Add here the ability to play with friends in co-op or multiplayer and we get the perfect option for spending time.

Of course, not all survival products are worth your attention - some have nothing at all besides boring game mechanics and bugs, and some are so “alpha” versions that you don’t even want to download them. I decided to select the most exciting versions of survival games, which a connoisseur of the genre should definitely pay attention to. And, of course, be sure to write about your favorite projects - we will expand each other’s horizons.

Rust

At the time of the announcement of the Rust simulator, many were sure that this game would be a real breakthrough in the gaming industry. The creators promised us a huge virtual world, a lot of activities and the need to survive in harsh conditions. After the product entered the early access stage, it became clear that nothing like that would happen - a lot of bugs and cheaters prevented the project from becoming a masterpiece in the genre, but somehow the new product hooked users. On this moment Rust has sold 5.5 million copies, there are a lot of user servers, modifications and a responsive community ready to help you in any matter.

As with all games in this genre, you need to fight for survival. However, the virtual world itself does not annoy gamers as much as other players and a small number of bugs. Of course, there is a problem with thirst and food for the character, he may suffer due to low temperatures and attacks by wild animals. But much more problems are caused by users who have already managed to “upgrade” and are now preventing others from recognizing this virtual world. But here you can build houses and craft clothes with weapons! In terms of game mechanics, Rust was implemented very coolly; there are really a lot of interesting processes.

The creators of the project were inspired by Minecraft and DayZ. At the initial stage, the project was more reminiscent of DayZ, but then, gradually, the developers turned towards crafting, buildings and things like that. You need to get wood and stones, build a house out of it, then fill it with different objects and furniture in order to go for the next portion of resources and create something cooler. You can play in the company of friends, then it’s even more fun and exciting. And it’s much easier to defend against dangerous opponents. Despite a lot of bugs and some shortcomings, the game is one of the best in its genre.

Peculiarities:

• you can build houses;
• there is craft;
• there is a huge variety of weapons;
• you can have fun in the company of friends.

May not like:

• enemies run naked;
• cheaters;
• costs $35.

Subnautica

When the first screenshots and trailer of Subnautica appeared online, fans of survival games took to Steam and added the product to their wishlist. The developers were able to explain the essence of the gameplay in just a couple of pictures, which looked much more interesting compared to competitors in the genre. If you look at modern popular projects in the survival genre, you will see a lot of similar implementations. You get wood with stones, build a building from this, fight with other players and enjoy this process while the development team fixes bugs and adds content.

With Subnautica, things turned out completely differently. This is a full-fledged game with a plot and a unique virtual world. Our hero crashes on his huge spaceship. Instead of getting to the planet he needs, he finds himself in a small lifeboat in the middle of the water. There is nothing here but water. In any case, no land is visible on the horizon. The entire planet is covered with water. What to do and how to proceed? If you imbue yourself with the situation and imagine yourself in the place of this character, you will immediately get a shiver - there is water everywhere, unknown creatures are swimming in it and there is no chance of survival at all. Or is there?

In addition to the non-standard virtual world, we are also given the opportunity to try cool mechanics that were previously poorly implemented in other projects, even outside the “survival” genre. You need to dive underwater and control the supply of oxygen, catch small fish and filter the water, look for resources to collect the most necessary tools. At the same time, be sure to avoid all large predators, try to make your way deep into the planet, look for a platform to build a base. A lot of tools, weapons and a variety of inhabitants of the “water” planet make the game one of the best in the genre.

Peculiarities:

• a planet without land;
• survival takes on a completely different look;
• mass of underwater inhabitants;
• crafting with elements of logic;
• there is a plot component.

May not like:

• at the beginning of the game it is very scary to dive into the ocean;
• they do not allow you to swim into a huge ship;
• sorry for the fish.

The Long Dark

Game The Long Dark was very popular among players and specialized media for its extremely realistic gameplay. The creators of the virtual world put survival in the first place, and not crafting and painting weapons in new color. Our hero can die if he goes to bed with an empty stomach, because there is a calorie mechanic - they are consumed even if you are resting on the bed. The character may freeze, go out into the blizzard in a torn down jacket and without gloves, or be eaten by more cunning people wild animals, for whom cold and snow are not as scary as an ordinary person. Danger comes from everywhere, but we need not to lose heart and move on.

The developers even added a storyline to give you an understanding of the purpose of survival. Not to say that we have a direct dramaturgy planned and the character will strive for something specific, but the hero has a story. Canada, in a parallel universe, died from the economic crisis and came under the wing of the United States. However, America decided not to help the injured party, but to suck out all natural resources and leave the country in ruins. Gradually everything was covered with snow, people either left here or died without food. Our pilot ends up here by the will of fate, trying to find a friend of his youth. Interesting, isn't it?

The project attracts primarily with its complexity and attention to detail. Your character will freeze, you need to constantly find shelter and make fires, you need to get food and sleep. Plus, clothes here wear out and tear, they need to be patched, otherwise you won’t be able to escape the cold. There is only snow, ice and destroyed houses around, no one is waiting for you with open arms, and there are also angry wolves running around. And not only wolves. Considering the presence of a plot and such a realistic survival model, the game has fully deserved its place in the top of the best games in the survival genre. True, it’s solitary and you can’t run on the ice with friends.

Peculiarities:

• there is a plot;
• beautiful graphics and clear interface;
• realistic survival;
• a lot of enemies.

May not like:

• too boring training;
• The plot cannot be called complete.

ARK: Survival Evolved

I saw it back when the project entered early access mode. Even then it was clear that this was a game with an amazing virtual world and an idea that had not been implemented anywhere else. We need to survive together with dinosaurs in the vastness of some fictional location, where modern technologies and the extraction of stones and wood in the most primitive manner. Here you can build houses and surf the waters, you can fly on a tamed dinosaur and fight in your free time. Isn't this what we dreamed about?

At the time the game appeared on my computer, I received 13 FPS on low settings and saw stones only at the moment when I approached them almost point-blank. Now the product has been optimized and brought to life, you can play with pleasure and comfort. We begin our journey to the coast, without food, water or any items for survival. You need to cut down trees with your fists and collect stones, then build tools from all this in order to cut down forests again. Depending on the multiplier on the server, you will either constantly build and fight, or be engaged in resource extraction day and night. I definitely recommend trying both options, just for contrast.

Thanks to the setting with dinosaurs, the virtual world looks very exciting and unusual. You can tame almost any dinosaur and fly over your enemies, showering them with bombs. You can build a huge fort and store resources there, build stoves and houses to live with friends and defend yourself from other people. A huge set of items for crafting, character improvement and learning recipes require a lot of time to master all the mechanics. And, most importantly, you won’t be bored all this time, especially if you play with friends. Although, at low rates you can easily build houses alone while enjoying the scenery.

Peculiarities:

• world with dinosaurs;
• cool construction system;
• fighting is very exciting;
• many user servers.

May not like:

• a lot of mechanics need to be learned independently, without training;
• strangers have no plans to coexist peacefully.

State of Decay

Microsoft decided to hit the owners Xbox One already the second exclusive game this year - first Sea of ​​Thieves was released, now State of Decay was shown. Both projects turned out to be quite controversial and cannot be called masterpieces, but the efforts of the developers to come up with something interesting cannot be ignored. If in the saga about sea adventures we were shown a lot of new mechanics, then State of Decay gives the user the opportunity to visit the world of The Walking Dead, only in the role of the main character, and not as a viewer of the series. I think you have already guessed what we are talking about.

We will play for a character who survived the apocalypse. The majority of the planet's population was not so lucky - they either died or turned into zombies. Now dead enemies are walking the streets, there are a lot of dangers around, and we need to survive all this and gain resources to move on. The idea of ​​​​a zombie invasion is far from new, but recently almost no one has used it (ha ha), so there is no feeling of the same type. We have an open world, a lot of weapons and equipment. Even the vehicles are promised to be cool, with tuning and all the goodies.

It’s worth saying right away that there is no multiplayer here, the product was created for single play. This, on the one hand, is cool, because you can play for fun and not worry that real players will put a bullet in the back of your head. On the other hand, sometimes in such a harsh world you want to meet real people, communicate with them, or at least fight. Of course, there is a co-op mode, but you can only play it with friends, otherwise there is no point, and finding a team of friends to play State of Decay will be problematic. Otherwise, the game is very well thought out, well implemented and will be interesting to play, even without a crowd of real users around.

Peculiarities:

• open world;
• zombie;
• transport with tuning;
• character customization.

May not like:

• no multiplayer;
• The zombie theme is not new at all.

DayZ

In 2013, when the game was just released as a beta with early access, gaming market analysts predicted huge profits for the project and millions of fans around the world. However, the developers decided not to rush too much and lost all their advantages. Products based on the features of DayZ game mechanics were released in 2015-2017 and have already gathered their base of gamers, and the “discoverer” has not yet left beta. However, the old-timer makes it into this roundup of the best survival franchises. Why? It's simple - soon the slightly forgotten product will be completely remade for a new game engine.

The creators of DayZ reported that they plan to transfer their brainchild to their own engine in the very near future. In version 0.63, gamers will be given a completely new game, which will be noticeably different in its mechanics from the original project. In addition, the creators promised that they would pay attention exclusively to bugs and shortcomings, while new features will appear after the official release. Of course, with such development experience, it’s generally not very decent to talk about the presence of bugs, but we will hope that the final version will really be polished to a shine.

This game included in the selection in advance. For now, it’s impossible to say with certainty about DayZ’s popularity after the patch. Fans have already forgotten what this virtual world looks like and went to conquer PUBG with others. Of course, I would really like to see the good old DayZ with new mechanics and stable work, which will again be played by streamers and regular users. Let's wait and hope that the developers will be able to realize their idea and the new game engine will really help the project gain momentum.

Peculiarities:

• a pioneer in the genre;
• new game engine;
• a huge army of fans.

May not like:

• is not very popular at the moment.

Stranded Deep

The creators of this project decided to take the plot seriously - we have a full story of how main character got to the place where he is now destined to survive. We are flying in a comfortable private jet, but something happens and we crash. Half of the plane is torn off right in the air, but we survive and our character wakes up already in a lifeboat. There is an oar in your hands, there is only water around and nothing else, but in the distance you can see land. Well, let's swim in that direction before the sharks find us. However, getting to the island is not difficult, especially if you compare this with the further process of survival.

Traditionally for games of this genre, we need to look for food and other supplies for life. To do this, you can pick up various devices that you will assemble in advance from scrap materials. You can hunt crabs, fish and other underwater inhabitants. The main thing, I repeat, is not to catch the eye of the sharks, otherwise we ourselves will become food. In addition to hunting, you also need to build a house for yourself, maybe even a two-story one, and accumulate resources for additional luxury items. In general, ahead of the player lies the path from a starving guy with an oar to a prosperous resident of his own island.

The gameplay will appeal to connoisseurs of conventional realism. There is no special attention to the details and make sure that your skin does not get sunburned, there is no need. You won't freeze at night either. You just need to eat periodically, work on improving your island, sometimes go deep into the ocean for the necessary items and fight with local underwater predators. Thanks to a greater emphasis on casualness, the game will suit a wider range of users. Actually, there are already quite a lot of Stranded Deep fans, the game is gradually acquiring new functions and crafting elements, so no one will be bored.

Peculiarities:

• survival on the island;
• crab hunting;
• war with sharks;
• presence of a plot;
• quite an interesting system of buildings and crafting.

May not like:

• casual survival;
• Single playthrough only.

The Forest

Most modern survival games are based on resource extraction, crafting and construction. The danger is presented in the form of nature, which mercilessly punishes everyone who is not prepared for disasters and living conditions. In some places the frost does not allow you to relax, in others you have to deal with the lack of food water. Only a few projects in our selection today pose a serious danger from opponents, be they AI or real players. That’s why The Forest is interesting - here it’s equally important for you to get food and defend yourself from mutant cannibals.

Combining horror with the survival genre is quite difficult, but the developers of this game did it very well. Since the release of the project into early access on Steam, 3.8 million copies have been sold, which is a dizzying result for such a non-standard implementation. After four years of development, The Forest still made it to release - they promise in April, after which the creators of The Forest will begin porting their brainchild to the PlayStation 4 platform. I think the owners of the Japanese console will appreciate this desire of the Endnight Games Ltd team to conquer console players.

IN this project our hero finds himself in a forest inhabited by cannibals. They are some kind of mutated form of a person and are very dangerous for you and me. The difficulty of survival is that there is a thicket around you, there is no way to get out somewhere or climb into a cave and spend the night. You need to survive taking into account the fact that at any moment a couple of aborigines can run out from behind a tree. Your task is to build a shelter for yourself during the day, and at night to protect it from attacks by predators and mutants. It will be difficult, the enemies will amaze you with their variety and bloodthirstiness.

Peculiarities:

• open world in the form of a forest;
• advanced construction;
• character crafting and customization;
• a wide range of predators;
• enemies are cannibals;
• Quite a depressing horror atmosphere.

May not like:

• It's really scary to play;
• It requires strong nerves and a stable psyche.

Hurtworld

Many users compare this game to Rust due to its fairly similar mechanics and visuals, but they are very different. At the beginning of the game, your character also has nothing with him - you literally wake up in the middle of the desert, where there is nothing edible and no shelter from the wind, sun and heat. Our character will need to survive in these harsh conditions by collecting local fruits and thereby satisfying his hunger. By the way, if long time your hero will be malnourished, then he will quite calmly throw away his skates, figuratively speaking. So don't waste your time, try to find fruits or wild animals to get meat.

In addition to basic survival parameters, such as water and food, our hero also needs to light fires so as not to freeze at night, plus hide from the heat, and so on. This makes us think about our own home, which can protect the gamer from all bad weather. Of course, no one will let you build a mansion, resources are very limited here, but you will always have the opportunity to collect wood and build yourself a small shack. Luxury is not needed for this area, and a roof over your head is quite appropriate and necessary. True, other players may envy you and try to take the house for themselves.

Yes, the game is multiplayer, which means there is no need to run around alone in a huge open world. You won’t constantly bump into living users either; the world is designed in such a way that you don’t come across other surviving characters very often. If you want and have transport, you can, of course, find a couple of players who are tired of life, but you won’t be able to fight right away. Yes, and transport, even if it can be customized, also falls into hands after a long process of accumulating resources. An excellent example of a survival project with nice colors and visuals.

Peculiarities:

• craft is well thought out;
• good construction system;
• there are weapons and vehicles;
• multiplayer game.

May not like:

• players do not want to make friends and build common houses.

H1Z1: Just Survive

Many played a “battle royale” game called , which was released quite a long time ago, but was not in such demand as PUBG is now. At the same time, the developers also created a survival project called H1Z1: Just Survive. Although it did not become the best-selling title in the genre, it gained some popularity among gamers. The open virtual world survived the zombie apocalypse (those zombies again!), after which humanity was left with minimal resources for survival. Your task is to collect enough provisions to live in this dangerous new world.

The creators of the project stated that they developed their project with an emphasis on game mechanics, where zombies are only a secondary problem. This is a multiplayer game, where each of the residents is very tight with food, water and supplies. Accordingly, living players will bring much more problems - outside the safe zone, other inhabitants of the new planet will be waiting for you, wanting to kill your hero and take all his belongings. You need to have a weapon and the ability to shoot, plus you will have to adhere to certain banal rules of survival - do not run in open areas, do not light fires at night, do not make noise.

H1Z1: Just Survive looks quite nice and runs smoothly, even if you don't have the best powerful computer. This is a big plus, since most competitors in the genre have not yet left early access mode and everything is very bad there with the stability of frames per second. In addition, although the product is not in great demand among gamers, it has its own established community and there will be people to make friends with. There is an open world, the opportunity to fight or secretly explore locations, tasks and battles with zombies are well implemented. All this is already waiting for a fan of the genre who is not averse to trying his luck in a world ruled by zombies.

Peculiarities:

• big dangerous virtual world;
• We’re not just fighting zombies;
• weak, but still a plot.

May not like:

• this zombie apocalypse again;
• physics needs improvement.

Raft

Cool games are obtained when they are done with soul and without the goal of making money. Raft was created by students as a project for a university; they developed a small virtual world with a boy on a raft. When this product was put online, gamers really liked the idea and implementation of survival on the open ocean, they downloaded the “demo version” 7 million times, and a small team of developers decided to develop their student project into a full-fledged game. Very soon, but already now we can say that this is one of the best survival games.

The theme itself, as you may have noticed, has previously been used by game developers of this genre. But, if in Subnautica the setting takes us to the future with innovative technologies, then we have nothing like that here. We found ourselves in the middle of the ocean on a small wooden raft, sharks were swimming around, we were hungry and thirsty, but there was nowhere to wait for rescue. Well, we will survive on our own - get food, collect debris in the ocean, accumulate resources to build a larger raft and additional buildings on our sea house. There are plenty of options for the development of events, it all depends only on your imagination and desire to create.
It is worth noting that the creators of the product decided to move away from realistic survival. You can build a raft that is larger than a football field, build trees (trees!), multi-story buildings there, install a stove, make a fire, and so on. All this, naturally, was done for the sake of a more interesting gameplay, although the realism is lost. Our hero has enemies under water, but the greater threat is hunger, thirst and the scorching sun. So you won’t be fighting with underwater inhabitants very often, although sooner or later you’ll have to fight a toothy predator.

Peculiarities:

• very nice graphics;
• interesting game mechanics;
• one of the best implementations of life on a raft;
• unlimited possibilities for buildings;
• realism was killed for the sake of fascination.

May not like:

• 100 m² raft;
• lighting a fire on a wooden raft;
• You can beat a shark to death with a sharpened stick.

Finding yourself absolutely alone in the uninhabited wild forest of remote northern Canada and being alone with the cold and uncontrollable elements is a real challenge not only in reality, but also a chance to feel all the difficulties of such a situation through the monitor screen.

The hero will have to learn how to start and maintain a fire, constantly obtain clean water and good food, fight predators and hide from bad weather. The situation will force the player to be rational, teach him to plan his every next step and always be ready for force majeure.

DayZ (2013)

World full of zombies and a handful of living people trying to survive in a harsh reality. This is an online game where players from all over the world interact with each other. Danger comes from everywhere: zombies, people, weather, bad fall or disease.

Absolutely everyone at the beginning of the game appears with a minimum in their inventory. The goal of each player is to “loot”, that is, to look for everything that is useful. There are no restrictions in this world: if you want, you can organize a base with a group of people and go on raids, or you can be an elusive loner.

Similar games: H1Z1, Rust, State of Decay, 7 days to die, dying light, Dead rising.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (2004)

A series of games describing the events that occurred on the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the disaster. The once prosperous land where thousands of families lived has turned into an exclusion zone with unpredictable anomalies, many different mutants and omnipresent radioactive radiation.

The open world is in constant change: after each new release, the location of artifacts and clusters of monsters changes. Each episode has a unique plot. In addition to which you can choose the path of development yourself, that is, make a fateful choice.
Survival is the very essence of the game. One wrong step and you could end up dead.

The Forest (2014)

Plane crashes claim thousands of lives every year, but it happens that there are survivors. One of these is the hero of this plot, who was lucky enough to survive on an unknown island. Finding himself alone, anyone begins to look for supplies and look for accommodation for the night. There are a lot of trees on the island - a huge forest. This circumstance allows the player not only to build a house and other household utensils, but will also have to erect barricades from the owners of the island, wild aborigines, eager to catch the uninvited guest. Every night a new wave of attack is launched.

I'm Alive (2012)

Post-apocalyptic world: ruins all around, everything is dull and gray, bloodthirsty people and insurmountable obstacles all around. But not for the main character, who must find his wife and daughter at all costs. He has parkour and self-defense skills. But bullets in this world are worth their weight in gold. As you progress through the story, you will have to face various situations and make choices in favor of one solution or another. The atmosphere of the game is reminiscent of the film “The Book of Eli”.

Far Cry (2004)

A series of open world games where you will have to face wild nature impenetrable jungle. The plot suggests fighting the main enemies, as well as leveling up the character’s skills by extracting resources and gaining experience. Here you will have to hunt both animals and bad people. The game provides a lot of pleasant realistic impressions and draws you into its world of endless struggle for many hours. In the game you will have to collect various ingredients to create medicines, drugs, bags and holsters. And the open world makes it possible to explore all its possibilities: from scuba diving to airplane flights.

Left 4 Dead 2 (2012)

Survive at any cost and by any means, protecting yourself and three other friends from a huge number of mutants and zombies - the goal of this network game, which is available on the Steam gaming platform.

Players are given a dozen maps to choose from, where they need to go from the starting point to the ending point, fighting back and helping their teammates along the way. Along the way, in addition to monsters, you can find many various weapons: from a regular ax to a flamethrower. Mutants have individual superpowers unique to them. And you definitely can’t kill such enemies alone.
The game allows you to play alone in offline mode, as well as online. Graphics, controls and gameplay are at the highest level, despite the game's release date.

Subnautica (2014)

Finding yourself alone on an alien planet is far from the worst thing that can happen, it is much worse if this planet is covered only with water. The player has at his disposal a submarine ship, a kind of “Home, Sweet Home!” You will have to explore the underwater world: caves, bottom, reefs, rocks, flora and fauna. For development it is necessary to search and extract resources. And development will lead the player to creating a fleet. A sand mode game where the goal is to survive on an alien planet with a completely different world. And the most hardcore thing is that you are alone.

The Walking Dead (2012)

The game, based on the series of the same name, will not leave any fan of survival games indifferent. There is no open world and endless action here, as many are used to seeing games in the survival genre. You will have to go through the story of characters who find themselves in a difficult situation. A world in which thousands of zombies and people are sometimes scarier Walking Dead. Everyone will have to make a fateful choice. And where it will lead in the end, everyone must find out for themselves, having walked their own path.

Ark: Survival Evolved (2017)

From the first seconds you remain naked on a huge map, or rather, a huge island. In the game you will have to deal with many factors of death: hunger, thirst, temperature, climate, disease, opponents, predators, etc.

• PC games: survival
• Year: 2013
• Genre: action survival
• Developer: The Fun Pimps

Happened in 2034 nuclear war, which practically destroyed the Earth and all of humanity. Those who survived were infected with a deadly virus from which they die within seven days and are reborn as terrible zombies. No one believed anymore, no one expected that this could be stopped. But, behold, hope appears and this hope is you. Main character games, perhaps the only survivor on this planet. The game is an open world sandbox in which you will fight for your life. Survival, crafting, hordes of zombies, building your own fort - all this in one game!

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Minecraft

• PC games: survival
• Year: 2011
• Genre: sandbox arcade survival
• Developer: Markus Persson

Minecraft is an indie sandbox building game with elements survival, created by Markus Persson. The player controls a little man who can mine or create Various types blocks in a three-dimensional environment, forming fantastic structures. From the obtained materials you can build and craft whatever your heart desires, everything is limited only by the player’s imagination. The player doesn’t just build, he tries to survive on an uninhabited land, where he also needs to get food. As soon as the sun disappears behind the horizon, various monsters try to attack the player. Therefore, the first task on the first day is to build a home for yourself. This a game a great find for creative people.

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Robinson's Requiem

• PC games: survival
• Year: 1994
• Genre: adventure survival
• Developer: Silmarils

In the distant future, humanity has explored the technology of moving through space at the speed of light, but the galaxy still remains unknown. To study new stars and planets, researchers under the name "Robinsons" send special shuttles. The people in these shuttles consist mainly of criminals and antisocial individuals. You play as one of these “Robinsons” who finds himself on an alien planet. To quickly get away from this inhospitable planet, you need to find and save the woman with whom you maintain a telepathic connection, because only she knows the way out of the planet.

Deus

• PC games: survival
• Year: 1996
• Genre: adventure survival
• Developer: Silmarils

A simulator of human survival in an unfriendly environment. Terrorists have captured a research station on the planet Alcibiade, and an office called Alien World Exploration has hired you to not only neutralize them, but also save the station. Immediately after landing on the planet, you will encounter a mechanical monster and, as a result of the battle, you will lose all your weapons, all your food, and almost all your equipment. So you will have to start conquering the unknown world with your bare hands, getting everything you need. The game takes place in real time, with a change of day and night. What does a person need in the morning? At the very least, have breakfast. Otherwise, what kind of fighter is he? He will weaken from his wounds and die. Finding food and water is an important task. In addition to food, on an unfamiliar planet you need to carefully monitor your health, which can be done by body temperature indicators, blood pressure, body weight. If you notice something is wrong, call on all your medical knowledge to help and treat yourself with an emergency kit of medications. Antibiotics, vitamins, aspirin, blood plasma, disinfectant - for correct use all this becomes a considerable help in the struggle for survival.

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Survival: The Ultimate Challenge

• PC games: survival
• Year: 2001
• Genre: survival strategy
• Developer: Techland

The strongest survives. Here you will not meet evil aliens or brave special forces. But surviving in it is no easier than under massive fire from all imaginable types of weapons. There is no need to mine incomprehensible tiberium, just ordinary food, there is no need to build huge factories - an ordinary shelter is enough. Realism and vitality are the credo of this non-trivial game.

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The Forest

• PC games: survival
• Year: 2014
• Genre: action horror survival
• Developer: SKS Games

The main character of the game is forced to make an emergency landing on a plane in an impenetrable forest, which is filled with terrible creatures. Now your life is in danger and only your clear and thoughtful actions will help you survive. Everything you have at hand will be suitable for building a shelter for yourself. You have the power to fell any tree in the forest. To survive, you will hunt, collect and grow various plants. Set traps for evil creatures and light fires. With this you can scare away the enemy or simply warm up on a cold night. The game as a whole looks scary. If you don't believe it, try playing it right now and you'll see for yourself.

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Rust

• PC games: survival
• Year: 2013
• Genre: action survival
• Developer: Facepunch Studios

Rust is a game about survival in the world among players and zombies. You are not alone in this world. Besides you, there are people, zombies and animals here. If everything is clear with the first two, then with animals everything is more interesting. The developers want to pay more attention to nature in their game. Here you will meet rabbits, bears, and wolves. If the rabbit is not dangerous to us, then with bears and wolves it is not so simple. Predators are also trying to survive, so don't think that they will give up so easily. No, at any approach they will begin to bite and try to kill you so that you become lunch. Radiation also makes it difficult to live in peace. There is crafting in the game, but finding materials for crafting is not so easy.

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Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason | Cryptography: Sleep of the Mind

• PC games: survival
• Year: 2008
• Genre: action horror survival
• Developer: Action Forms

Welcome to our icebreaker, accommodate yourself with all the comforts and feel at home. Our constant companion and main problem will be the cold. A state of permanent frostbite of the first or second degree will be the norm for the hero. And sometimes it's worse. Cold? Well, that’s okay: look for light bulbs, turn them on and warm up. Are other guests bothering you? You can kill them, we don’t mind: they’ve been dead for a long time anyway. Are you suffering from hallucinations? Don't be afraid, these are not hallucinations: they are real.

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A lot of zombies broke out in the past 2013-14s, a lot has changed in the “Survival” genre since then. Then survival for us was in the world of zombies, but now everything is different. We can meet many good and bad, worthy of purchase, and not even worthy of Torrent “survivalists”. Nowadays there are “survival” games going around the world on islands, in forests, and with various mixtures of the past and the future. Welcome, and if you want to plunge into hard world, where you need to apply all your survival skills, then this is the place for you.

(If you don’t like the games that are included in the “Top”, write games that, at your discretion, should be on the list.)

P.Zomboid is an indie game released in 2013, you will play the role of a survivor, you are alone in this world against zombies who react to the sound of your walking, to the light that comes from your house or a lantern. You can also play with friends, which will make the passage much easier. The maps are large, but there are not too many of them, you can spend a lot of your effort studying one map, but... if only there was transport.

The game has a lot of interesting things that await you. By the way, in addition to the usual wandering around the map, you can get comfortable in one place, build or strengthen a house, make a vegetable garden and periodically go out on reconnaissance, since hordes of zombies can appear at any moment, it would be better to distract them with something so that they don’t walked in the direction of your house.

Even though the game was released in 2013, compared to that alpha, the game has changed noticeably. Besides the interesting giggles of DayZ and Minecraft game brought with it very pleasant sensations. In addition to the new graphics, the player will receive much more crafting opportunities, survival in various conditions: Winter location\Desert\Forest\Steppe. The construction of houses has become much more interesting, because instead of the usual “wooden” and “stone” panels, you can build really strong and beautiful houses.

Many players complain about the requirements of the game, but I hope that soon it will be possible to play without fear of freezing in the game, because many who do not have very powerful PCs also want to try this wonderful game.

This is Survival-Adventure, it intersects survival in the open world, crafting also gets into it, its vastness is not so great, but it has its own worthy sides. You can build an analogue of a “house”, a fortification, even a trap, it all depends on your discretion.

7 Days To Die is a post-apocalyptic Minecraft with more “decent” graphics. The whole game is divided into two stages: Night and day, during the day the infected are slow, and resources are easier to find, but at night you will have to look for shelter and protect yourself from crowds of hungry creatures. (The developers were inspired by the film "I Am Legend")

In addition to this, you will be able to survive in the world of zombies with your friends, and also move not on your own two feet, but on decent transport, which I was never able to find.

A very beautiful survival game in the world of dinosaurs + a little bit of the future.

At the beginning, you create your character, then survive, tame dinosaurs, fight predators, fly on a pterodactyl, make weapons, upgrade, and go fishing. You can go to the underwater world, find caves, get resources, fight with players, enjoy the beautiful picture (and freezes).

Zombies and other players won't get you here, but sharks... maybe. The obvious advantage of this game is survival on the islands, cut down trees, build fruit, move to another island, and along the way you will meet a shark or other sea ​​enemy, pick up coconuts there, go back, build a fire, wait for the morning, and the next day go down to the depths of the ocean, explore the ships, find important items for survival. And don't tempt your luck by jumping into the ocean at night.

This is a game with a clear hint of the Lost series, we also suffered a plane crash, and there are various oddities on the island. A game in the spirit of Rust, craft, bet! And that would be okay, but the gameplay was made very interesting, thanks to the fact that there is something to do here, besides the usual “mining” you can run into a monster, or end up in a cave where there are deposits of “yummy”, dynamite, or even nasty pictures with the dead children and skulls of dead natives and monsters. It would seem that take it to survive, but the scheme of collecting and spending will not work here, attacks by aborigines and monsters will bring with them various problems, either houses set on fire, or an attack by a monster that kills with 4 hits, or a running animal that will bring more one monster.

You will move to snowy Canada, protect yourself from the cold and animals, explore open locations, look for various loot, heal with herbs. Battles for survival, every game day there are new problems, every time a new obstacle, a search for resources that will lead to a good injury or hypothermia, and most importantly, here you will not sit still, all the time you will have to stomp your wet boots along a cold path in a mixture of ice and snow, and the cartridge you decided to save in case can save your life.

3rd place

This War Of Mine

How terrible is this word, isn’t it? War! How much pain it brings to the hearts of people, in This War Of Mine we take control of a group of civilians, we will have to make moral choices that will affect events, two at home, with groups of 1-5 people, immersion in the atmosphere of the game, sometimes sad moments , each character has his own story, his own problems, but will he be able to see at a time when fanatics are fighting the army, and civilians are suffering from sniper shooting? It all depends on the player.

(I would like to make this game special because the developers made donations to save 350 refugee children)

Where, where, and in the world of creepy creatures it is always difficult, you will have to move around the map like crazy, kill spiders, tame pigmen, build your fortifications, look for resources that you also need to prepare, you can even change your character, each has its own weakness and advantage . Let's not forget the attacks of hounds, movements between worlds, interesting additions that await you in Don't Starve

The water adventures continue. Plunging literally into the world of "Subnatika", you will have to survive in underwater world on a planet uninhabited by humans. The whole peculiarity lies in the atmosphere of the game, because there is something shiny below, and there is a gigantic fish, and then you descend into the depths of SeaMota, enjoy the singing of the “sea angels”, look at the beautiful plants, and then swim with all your might to the base, because some living creature hit you from behind. The game can be scary, because it’s one thing to go into a cave, another thing to swim into it, knowing that there may not be enough O2. Build your base anywhere, explore everything you come across, you won’t come out unscathed!