Survival games can be hard for people who are just starting out. If you’re new to survival games, you can check out these lists of the best ones.
One of the most famous types of games is the survival game. Survival games have a lot in common, but the big hits are always pretty different. For example, Minecraft lets you explore with blocks, while Subnautica puts you in dangerous situations underwater.
You also can’t just jump right into survival games. They are normally hard because that’s how they are made. Against all odds, you are still alive. There’s going to be poison. There won’t be any food. There won’t be any water. So, where do I start? These are the best survival games for newbies that will help you get used to the genre.
V Rising
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
40 Hours | Yes |
When V Rising first came out, it became very famous very quickly. In the survival building game, it has made a name for itself by making a world where you can both play against tough bosses and play against other players.
There are some pretty cool features in this isometric vampire game. For example, the sunlight system makes it hard to move during the day, the blood system lets you get short or almost permanent stat boosts from NPCs in the wild, and the growth system is very strong.
Raft
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
25 Hours | Yes |
In Raft, you are dropped in the middle of a huge ocean and have to stay alive. Get things from the waves, catch fish to stay alive, and slowly build your raft to help you handle the dangers of life at sea.
You and your friends can play Raft together or by yourself. It’s a good game for people who are new to the genre because it’s easy to understand: you’re on an ocean raft. Short trips into the depths are possible, but most of the time you’ll be collecting things from the waves and protecting your boat from any dangers.
Stranded Deep
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
21 Hours | Yes |
Stranded Deep is a well-known survival game. You are stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere and have to stay alive. It doesn’t get much easier than that. Stranded Deep also doesn’t have a lot of game features. As long as you don’t count the mega-sharks, there isn’t anything too hard to make or too complicated to achieve.
Stuck Deep has lots of things to do. Gather water, grow food, and build a base. Eventually, you’ll need to leave your small island to find more resources. Stuck Deep is the best survival game we can think of for people who are new to the genre.
Minecraft
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
There is no story or ‘goal’. | Yes |
One of the most well-known games is Minecraft. It has sold millions and millions of copies on many devices, and even though it’s been out for more than ten years, it still gets regular improvements. It makes sense that you might want to start playing survival games with Minecraft, which is one of the most well-known ones.
You can have fun with Minecraft in lots of different ways. You can join a creative server and spend hours just building, or you can choose a very hard survival run where dying means your save is over for good. People can play Minecraft with their friends on secret servers that are easy to set up or on public servers where everyone can join in.
Astroneer
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
22 Hours | Yes |
Astroneer might be the best survival game for people who are just starting out. This is because the goal isn’t so much to stay alive as it is to have fun. It’s a beautiful game where you have to stay alive on a strange planet while also exploring new areas and borders. Astroneer is a sandbox action game.
Because there aren’t many survival elements, this is the kind of game that you should play if you want to ease into the genre. Not having to worry about staying alive makes it a great game for people who are just starting out.
Subnautica
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
30 Hours | No |
Subnautica puts you on a strange world with a huge ocean that you can explore at your own will. Other survival games tend to either not give enough information or hold back too much. Subnautica, on the other hand, finds a good mix so that you don’t feel rushed or lost as you try to figure out what’s going on in the ocean.
From the start, Subnautica doesn’t tell you what resources you need to make your gear better. Instead, it tells you to explore ruins and the ecosystems around them. There is no map in a huge open world, so you will use lights and other points to plan your journey and find out what dangers are out there.
Don’t Starve / Don’t Starve Together
Game | How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|---|
Don’t Starve | 30 Hours | No |
Don’t Starve Together | 35 Hours | Yes |
Even though the graphics are cute, Don’t Starve is a scary and fun open-world survival game where devils live in dark fantasy worlds. Even though it’s not the easiest game, it does teach you how to stay alive as night falls.
It’s like a roguelike game because you can die over and over again, fight with hack-and-slash moves, and play as different characters with their own special skills. If you want to play with a friend, you can buy the separate version of Don’t Starve Together, which has co-op.
This War Of Mine
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
11 Hours | No |
This War Of Mine is a side-scrolling survival game with a strong anti-war message. You play as a citizen stuck in the middle of a never-ending war. A lot of media that deals with this kind of viewpoint can come across as preachy or harsh, but This War Of Mine does a great job of handling the subject.
Getting food, bandages, and protection for your growing group of survivors is what this game is all about at its core. The game has a day and night cycle. During the day, you are in charge of your base. At night, you have to look for goods in nearby areas while staying away from the local troops and thieves.
Salt
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
68 Hours | Yes |
Salt is another game that takes place on the open seas. The point of the game is to look around at different things and find new gems.
When you play Salt, it’s a lot less stressful than the other games on this list. The only difference from Astroneer is that you won’t always be put in difficult scenarios. You are free to fish all the time if that’s what you want to do. Even saying “this game is good therapy” was a reviewer on Steam.
Flame In The Flood
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
9 Hours | No |
The survival game Flame in the Flood takes place in a “post-societal” America. The idea behind it is pretty simple: try to stay alive as you swim down a randomly created river.
You can gather things along the way and make tools to keep yourself safe. If you like roguelike games and survival games, this is a great game for you.
Crashlands
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
28 Hours | Yes |
The next game is Crashlands. In this top-down survival game, you crash-land on a planet full of aliens. The top-down view is great for beginners because it lets you see more of what’s going on around you and keeps you from getting scared.
Also, Crashlands is pretty funny, with lots of funny conversation and things. That being said, Crashlands is the best survival game for beginners because it is not too serious.
Valheim
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
76 Hours | Yes |
Valheim is a well-known survival making game that takes place in a world that is randomly created and is based on Norse mythology. You can go out by yourself or with other people and build a strong Viking base that can hold you and all of our goods.
Valheim has a very well organized system for crafting. One of the many things you can make is guns. Another is decorations for your home. This game can get pretty tough at times, especially in dangerous spots. However, you can play games at your own speed and improve your skills before going out into the real world.
Outward
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
34 Hours | Yes |
As the name says, Outward is all about going to new places and discovering them. You start the game in a small town that owes you money. As the game goes on, you can go to new towns and join any group you want.
You are free to choose how you play. You can become both a strong mage and a skilled scout with Outward. When you finish a quest, the world around you might change too. It’s possible to wipe out the starting city by letting a certain group of enemies strike it.
Grounded
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
23 Hours | Yes |
Grounded takes you to your backyard instead of a big world where you can play. You will have to stay alive in the tall grass while trying to figure out why you are so small after being shrunk down to the size of a bug.
As in most games, Geometry Dash Subzero is best when played with friends. You can build a base to protect yourself from the risks of the garden. You should try Grounded with your friends if you want the best group survival game.
Forager
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
15 Hours | No |
It takes place in a bright and lively 2D world full of things you can find and use. Of course, there are so many tools that you could happily grind for hours on end.
This tiny making survival game isn’t as realistic or scary as the ones that came before it. As a whole, you should have a relaxing time as you build your base and travel the world.
Terraria
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
52 Hours | Yes |
Another old-school survival game that feels like a 2D Minecraft is Terraria. You can beat dozens of bosses before you reach the “final boss,” which is different from Minecraft. You can ask NPCs to join you along the way, and they’ll sell you useful things.
It’s easy to get started: just beat the boss and improve your gear and weapons. You can spend your time becoming the greatest hero, or you can take a small break and build epic bases. Just make sure your NPCs have a place to live!
Among Trees
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
6 Hours | No |
Are you stressed out by survival games? If this sounds like you, you should check out Among Trees! The bush is dangerous, but you can also take it easy and enjoy the beautiful world around you.
It’s important to know that Among Trees doesn’t get any fresh material or fixes. A lot of people say the game is “abandoned,” but that doesn’t make it less fun! You can still have a great time in Among Trees, where you can travel, make things, and even cook.
The Long Dark
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
21 Hours | No |
A “geomagnetic disaster” puts you in a cold forest in The Long Dark, just like it did in Among Trees. Some of the games on our list have bad guys, like zombies. The Long Dark doesn’t have any of these, but that doesn’t mean the world isn’t dangerous.
Fight the harsh cold and creepy silence while you try to stay alive. If you think you can handle it, you can also play in Survival mode, which lets you die more than once. This does mean that your save is lost when you die in the game.
Dysmantle
How Long To Beat Main Story | Multiplayer? |
---|---|
33 Hours | Yes |
Dysmantle is the last one. In this zombie survival game, you can take apart almost everything in the world to make places to live. When compared to other zombie survival games, Dysmantle is a little less tense. You can always see what’s going on around you when you have an isometric point of view.
It’s easy to make things in this game; you can even build your own base from scratch. When it comes to zombie survival games, this is one of the easiest ones to get into.