There’s always time for a chill survival game, but these entries in the genre are anything but, and work hard to make their players feel vulnerable.
In a survival game, players are conscious of the choices that they make — just one wrong move could be the difference between life and death. These highly-immersive worlds seem real to them; here, resources are scarce, and danger is always lurking around the corner, ready to take them by surprise, and even a small cut on the hand could lead to death if not treated in time. This vulnerability that players feel is what sets survival games apart from other genres.
Here, the goal isn’t just to exist, but rather, players are battling the elements, adversaries, and sometimes even their own minds. Below, we’ve curated a list of the best survival games that make players feel vulnerable. 10 UnReal World
Platforms: PC, macOS, Linux
Release: 1992
Developer: Sami Maaranen, Erkka Lehmus
UnReal World is a popular game in the survival genre, and it offers a distinctive, old-school experience that is loved by a multitude of fans for its simulation elements. At the beginning of the game, players’ chosen character is dropped into a simulated fictional world that’s inspired by Iron Age Finland. However, though it is also considered to be a part of the fantasy genre, there aren’t a lot of fantastical elements, especially at first, because the game offers an in-depth survival experience where even performing a basic task, such as catching a squirrel, can be challenging.
Also, players may take some time to become familiar with the interface — to call it archaic would be an understatement — but once they get the hang of the controls, the game will start to progressively get better. Players can do almost everything here, but survival does not come easy. 9 Medieval Dynasty
The goal of this game is for players to create their own dynasty instead of being the typical lone survivor who is trapped in an unfamiliar environment. It follows a fairly elaborate storyline that brings together survival, RPG, and city-building mechanics. This game is more streamlined in its survival mechanics when compared to a lot of the other games on this list.
However, what makes Medieval Dynasty so intriguing is the ability for players to create their own village and all the mechanics that surround it. Although players oversee the entire village, they only have to focus on the survival of the protagonist. This makes this game an interesting pick in the survival genre. 8 Neo Scavenger
This turn-based survival game is set in a strange, post-apocalyptic world. To players, it will feel like they have immersed themselves in one of the most elaborate choose-your-own-adventure books. The hex-based map and limited series of actions make it so that almost every choice has a consequence, with scavenging being a central part of the gameplay.
