These Unique Survival Games Will Put Your Skills to the Test

Published 01/02/2024, 1:40 PM EST

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Survival games are the purest kind of video games ever. All players have to do in these titles is survive. But not every survival game is the same. Every game mentioned beyond this point has some kind of twist to follow. Some are set in an unusual post-apocalyptic world. While others feature unusually drawn-out characters.

And this kind of variety is needed. After all, not every game is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which can sell millions of units without adding much to its core formula. To fulfill this need to be different in a highly competitive survival game market, these games ended up doing something that made them unique and something everyone must try.

7 unique survival games players need to try

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1) The Forest

This is the kind of survival game that adds a layer of real horror to its environment. Players take control of Eric LeBlanc and find themselves roaming a dark forest in search of their son Timmy. During their search, players must collect resources and build useful items and structures to survive the unforgiving forest.

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If things weren’t grim enough, there’s a bunch of cannibals that are always waiting for the players to make a mistake. This first-person survival game literally takes a very dark turn as the story progresses. It’s available on the PS4 and PC.

2) Subnautica

Remember Interstellar? There was a planet in that movie that was completely covered with water. In Subnautica, players control a spaceship called Aurora. This ship eventually crashes on a planet that is completely covered by an ocean, with the exception of a few small islands.

Players are required to explore this ocean and survive. They can catch fish, and equip themselves with new equipment to go deeper into the ocean to find better resources. The goal is to escape, but succeeding would not be very easy. The pathway is full of mysterious and exciting incidents. It’s available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

3) Don’t Starve

This game is one of the longest-running and most complicated survival games ever made. It features a scientist named Wilson who finds himself trapped in a dark alternate universe called “the constant.” In this world, he must keep eating to not starve, and he must also make sure his sanity remains at normal levels. The most important thing is that players need to keep Wilson away from the dark. Creepy things linger in the dark.

Keeping track of all these things and simultaneously finding a way out of this world becomes the norm. It’s not easy either. Constant is full of weird wildlife. Seasons change, and they affect Wilson in different ways. It’s not an easy game to master, but it’s one of the most rewarding experiences a survival fan can ever have.

4) Valheim

A Viking fighting his enemies and hoping for a place in Valhalla dies and finds himself not in the place he so desired but in a different world. This is a world before the afterlife, a step to complete before gaining entry into Valhalla. Here he has to prove himself, survive the wilderness, and deal with various monsters.

It is a unique-looking game with an exceptional concept. Valheim is still in early access, yet it’s one of the most polished games you’ll ever play.

5) Grounded

Tired of playing survival games with grim worlds? Well, grounded would provide you with a brand-new experience. This game takes place in someone’s backyard. Here, a bunch of kids are shrunk to the size of ants and are forced to survive. As with most games, hunger and thirst are factors. Players need to keep eating food and drinking water to stay alive.

Players collect resources to build weapons and traps. They have to fight various big insects, such as spiders. This is not the game for people who fear insects.

6) The Long Dark

After surviving a forest, a planet covered by water, a deadly alternate universe, and your own backyard, what else remains? Well, what about the Canadian wilderness in the freezing cold? This is not a game for those who take their survival lightly, though. Players have to keep track of the temperature, calorie intake, fatigue, wind chill, wildlife, and a bunch of other things. Survival is unforgiving, but those who persevere remain alive to see an exceptionally well-made ending.

There’s also a hardcore survival mode specifically designed for players who think they have mastered the story mode. Players can hunt animals for food while making sure they themselves do not fall prey to animals such as wolves and bears.

7) This War of Mine

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For every gamer out there looking for a real challenge, this is the game to play. It is one of the hardest and most gut-wrenching survival games ever made. Players play as a group of survivors hiding in an abandoned building amidst an ongoing war. They have to make this building into a home.

Then they have to go out for supplies to keep themselves and their co-survivors fed. Sometimes they have to steal from other survivors, and other times they have to kill others. These actions would keep their characters fed but would affect them psychologically. It’s a game that will hurt players for every mistake they make. That hurt can come in the form of a game over screen or a bunch of characters constantly blaming themselves for all that’s wrong in the world.

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Once players try these games, they won’t dare say all survival games are the same.

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Written by:

Rohit Sejwal

1,315Articles

One take at a time

?Stories hit way better when you are part of them!? Which is why I am a gamer first, writer second and a filmmaker as well. Being associated with movies has given me a very different perspective on gaming. Writing about video games has been on my mind for years and being an eSports writer at EssentiallySports gave me that chance.
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Edited by:

Rohan Karnad