These tough-as-nails indie survival games will push players to their limits.
Survival games are one of the most popular video game genres of recent years; their simple and addictive gameplay loops, focus on exploration, and often-included multiplayer interaction make the genre a particularly unique one.
Due to their often open-world nature, survival games are typically large endeavors, but indie developers still manage to create detailed and expansive experiences. This list includes games from small development teams all the way to independent studios, with every game on this list being relatively affordable at the time of writing. 10 Pathologic – A game about being a plague doctor
This story-driven single-player survival game features a dark, creepy, and grim aesthetic; the colors of its environments, the music, the writing, and the characters of the world all work in tandem to unsettle the player.
Pathologic is more focused on its narrative than its survival elements, but its gameplay is built around a survival game skeleton; the plagued town in which Pathologic is set is completely open-world, and the game encourages players to explore in order to stay well-fed and keep their immune system strong. 9 NEO Scavenger – A survival game roguelike
This post-apocalyptic roguelike RPG may not look like much on the surface, but its gameplay is full of deep simulation and complex mechanics that force players to make tough decisions as they fail over and over against the game’s steep learning curve.
NEO Scavengermay be a roguelike with its randomized map, turn-based gameplay, and permanent death, but its gameplay loop is firmly focused on survival game mechanics. Players must worry about hunger, thirst, weather, and even a realistic wound system. NEO Scavenger is ridiculously brutal and unforgiving, and its roguelike nature won’t be for every survival game fan. However, it’s a great game for those that enjoy a challenge. 8 Space Trash Scavenger – A deep-space survival game
In this science fiction indie game, players salvage floating debris and titular space trash from their zero-gravity surroundings in order to build their base and survive in the harsh environments of space. Space Trash Scavenger has a great, cartoon visual style and even features light trading mechanics.
On top of the usual resource gathering, crafting, and base-building gameplay of the average survival game, Space Trash Scavenger also has players defending their ever-expanding space rig from hostile aliens.
