Related
Summary
Survival is a divisive gaming genre.
While there are certainly some lukewarm fans, most people either love or hate this gaming experience.
The mixed reactions come from the features that define these titles.
Others love the rush it provides, though.
Sometimes you just want to brave a world alone.
Updated March 28, 2025, by Ben Jessey:Xbox Game Pass includes a bunch of survival games.
Therefore, we created this list to include many of the best ones.
Now, we’ve updated the collection to add more.
You’ve got to watch out for mutated creatures and other players.
Also, you’re free to get diseases and be mutated if you’re not careful.
So, you have to look after yourself in this game.
Its a multiplayer title in which a group of players perform small tasks around the map.
At least one of them is a killer in disguise.
So, whichever side youre on, you’re gonna wanna survive.
Youre able to get out of there, though, and explore the galaxy in a ship.
You also need to keep yourself alive, meaning you gotta double-check youre well-fed.
After all, Earth cannot be avenged if you starve to death.
When you beat Dead Space 3, you unlock a new game + mode called Pure Survivor.
Naturally, this makes things more difficult and tiresome as you wont always be near a bench.
You must contend with both them and the target.
Here are the best bounty hunters in video games!
It is more of a first-person shooter than a traditional survival game.
Trailmakers
Trailmakers is a sandbox game with vehicle construction mechanics.
The game allows you to build all sorts of interesting modes of transportation.
So, part of the survival aspect of this FPS is not getting killed by those things.
Yet, you also have to confirm you’re well-fed and manage your resources.
Aliens: Dark Descent
Aliens Dark Descent is a real-time tactics game set in the Alien universe.
You are in control of a squad of marines to whom you must give commands.
So, you choose where they move and what actions they take.
Not only do you oughta look after their physical health, though.
What makes it even more likely they won’t survive is they’re mainly up against the always-dangerous Xenomorphs.
Robin Hood - Sherwood Builders
Robin Hood - Sherwood Builders isnt a pure survival game.
Instead, its a game that takes from multiple genres.
There are elements of survival, action-adventure, RPG, and base building.
Plus, its an open-world title.
That is the case in the RPG title Wasteland 2.
In it, you control and manage a group of rangers.
As them, you make all sorts of decisions and participate in turn-based battles.
you’re able to consider this partially a survival game because there is permadeath in play.
Therefore, if one of your rangers dies, theyre gone forever.
So, try not to be too reckless in battle.
Core Keeper
Core Keeper is a sandbox survival game that puts plenty of focus on crafting.
So, it’s similar to the likes of Terrarria and Minecraft.
This is because the game is set in an endless, procedurally generated underground cavern.
Much of the title is about mining resources and building things.
Yet, it wouldn’t be a survival game if there weren’t some dangers.
There are also enemies to deal with that may kill you before your hunger does.
As them, you complete quests, have conversations, and take part in battles.
Generation Zero
Generation Zero is an open-world first-person shooter with some survival elements.
You don’t need to watch your hunger or check that you don’t get thirsty.
You also need to go around scavenging resources to help craft things and build bases.
You need doctors and medical supplies to heal major injuries, and you must avoid dehydration and starvation.
You also need to get sleep to avoid sleep deprivation.
This is all while still participating in gunfights and battles with deadly beasts.
Once there, you investigate the disappearance of several people.
This investigation tasks you with exploring and interacting with things.
This is all fine, except the town you are visiting is really, really cold.
As such, the icy weather is a constant threat.
This is where the survival element comes in, as you must keep yourself warm enough not to freeze.
The other main threat is the occasional pack of wolves you’ve got the option to run into.
These people aren’t the only threat, as you also have to fend off starvation.
We Happy Few
We Happy Few isnt what youd call a pure survival game.
The survival horror genre has exploded over the last decade.
Here are some of the best available to play right now on PS4.
Those not on the medication realize that its a ruined dystopia.
You have to get out of there, mainly by fighting or sneaking.
You’re on the former’s side as you control large mechs.
It’s a tower defense-style game where you must protect your base from waves of enemies.
So, in this game, survival is about keeping your base intact.
It differs from most other games in the tower-defense genre because you experience the game from a third-person perspective.
Yet, there is a survival mode that adds aspects of the genre to the experience.
In this mode, you have to stay well-fed, hydrated, and well-rested.
You also have to deal with any illnesses or crippled limbs that you fall victim to.
So, it really is a pure survival game.
Throughout the game, you make your way through a very creepy oil rig.
You aren’t alone on this rig, as there are monsters creeping around.
So, the survival aspect in this one is all about surviving your encounters with these beasts.
Wartales
Wartales isn’t just a survival game.
It’s also an open-world, turn-based RPG.
In it, you control a mercenary group that travels around the map, fighting enemies and finding resources.
There is no ultimate goal for your crew.
They just need to survive in this harsh medieval world.
And death is permanent in Wartales, so watch out.
Another thing you better keep an eye on is the amount of food you have.
Hungry mercs won’t be happy and may even leave your crew if you’re not feeding them.
It’s a unique sort of survival title.
you’ve got the option to defend yourself against them as the game includes third-person shooting mechanics.
The combat feels unique because you take down enemies by targeting their limbs.
This helps it stand out from many others in the genre.
State Of Decay
State of Decay is an action game set in a zombie-filled world.
In it, you have to complete quests while finding time to manage a community of survivors.
That ever-growing community is filled with playable characters that it’s possible for you to freely switch between.
None of them are zombie-proof, as each is at risk of being killed.
This is where the survival aspect comes into play.
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is an original and simple survival game.
You’re placed onto a plot of land, and a ridiculous number of enemies are thrown at you.
It’s so much so that it’s also considered a bullet hell game.
Your only goal is to survive the onslaught as long as you’re free to.
As their name suggests, the role of the killer is to go around murdering everyone.
If they all die, the killer wins.
As the survivors, you aim to open up the exit or find another way to escape.
It is essentially a highly violent game of cat-and-mouse.
Instead, you control a group of civilians who are trying to survive during this difficult time.
They’re all hiding inside a damaged building, hoping to avoid the conflict.
You must keep them safe by maintaining their hunger and health while keeping their mood as high as possible.
The original game, simply titled Plants Vs Zombies, is one ofthe best tower defense titlesin recent memory.
However, you don’t defend a tower.
You defend yourself and your home instead.
So, it’s also a survival game in part.
The thing you’re trying to survive against is a horde of zombies.
Grounded
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be the size of an ant?
Well, Grounded helps feed that curiosity.
You play as a shrunken human who must survive in a backyard with plenty of bugs and other creatures.
They all share their own purpose, with some being more useful than others.
The spiders, for instance, are definitely not helpful as their goal is to kill you.
While dealing with those beasts, you must eat and drink to stay alive.
But after several updates, the game has become a more polished and fascinating adventure.
Think you might survive anything thrown your way?
Here, you’ve got the option to check out the best survival games available on PC.
There is usually something around that’s trying to kill you.
Instead, you must manage an entire city of people whose world has been destroyed due to global cooling.
But sometimes, the unpopular choice will help keep people alive in the long run.
The game has limitations, but it’s still amusing and perfect for family time with your little crafters.
However, Terraria limits the world significantly by making it a two-dimensional, pixelated setup.
It makes up for this limitation by giving you an even more comprehensive array of monsters to fight.
There are several epic bosses and powerful waves of outrageous enemies you might summon by crafting magic items.
There are also plenty of well-developed NPCs that you’ve got the option to trade with.
They also sometimes give you scraps of information and questsanother very fun one for family play.
It has enough of the survival identity present but stretches its legs far beyond what you would expect.
Astroneer
Astroneer is a very pure survival game.
And a missing Astroneer usually runs out of air and dies.
State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 is a post-apocalyptic zombie horror survival game.
What makes it different from many others is that you are not a lone survivor.
Players can invest in skills that hold specializations meant to assist in survival.
What are the best skills in State of Decay 2?
This game can be bloody, but it’s also bloody fun.
The team-based ethos gives it an uplifting core that contrasts sharply with the gruesome setting and grueling challenges.
you’ve got the option to really rule the land from the back of a Baryonyx.
Split-screen may seem like a thing of the past, but people still want it.
With more split-screen titles coming, these are the best for Xbox One.
