The Best Casual Survival Games, Ranked

When simply surviving is a challenge, stress is almost inevitable. The survival game genre has boomed over the last decade, and many different games have incorporated some form of survival mechanics. The idea of trying to live some part of a normal life during a game has continued to grow more popular, and many gamers love a brutal, hardcore experience.

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However, many other players prefer a relaxing experience, even in a survival setting. Base-building and exploring without quite such constant threats from enemies can make for a brilliant gaming experience of a different sort. Some true greats in the classic genre as well as more niche entries provide exactly these sorts of experiences.

8 Lego Fortnite

Metacritic Score: TBD

One of the key features that makes a survival game a more casual and relaxing experience is the choice to change the game mode to something a little easier to get to grips with, or even remove combat entirely. The recently released Lego Fortnite game has been a huge success because it does just this, adding survival elements to the popular battle royal and allowing cooperative play with up to the same players in a world, with plenty of settings options and creative islands to explore.

Players can remove or add hunger meters and enemy mobs, even death can be removed as an option. This means that players can roam the world with their friends, collecting materials and building without interference if they choose to have a more casual experience. Even with the harder options turned on, Lego Fortnite remains a relaxing survival experience compared to many of the more aggressive games in the genre.

7 Among Trees

Metacritic Score: TBD

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows
• Released: 2020-06-14
• Developers: FJRD Interactive

One of the first survival games to focus on the building and exploration aspects over the deadliness of trying to survive in a trying situation, Among Trees, has given players a lot of simplistic joy as they scavenge materials and seek to turn a cabin in the woods into a home. This indie survival project comes with sandbox elements and plenty of relaxing nature to explore.

Not bringing a lot of survival elements to the table, at least not seriously and dangerously, Among Trees is easy to play and allows players to really relax in a survival setting, or learn how survival mechanics and games work in a less stressful atmosphere. One of the best current indie survival games available, Among Trees is a must-see for all survival fans.

6 Palworld

Metacritic Score: TBD

The surprise mega-hit of 2024, Palworld, has changed the nature of survival game grinding seriously. Players land on an island where intelligent creatures roam wildly, and players must capture and tame many of these beasts in order to both survive and thrive. With enemies of all sorts to be faced, including the more violent pals themselves, players are able to focus on whatever elements of this game they find most pleasing, and they can either play solo or join in with friends.

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Dubbed a “survival game version of Pokemon” by many, Palworld gives a truly original gaming experience, as players can get pals on their base to do many of the mundane tasks that players would be forced to do alone in many other survival games. With simplistic versions of hunger and warmth meters, playing Palworld is generally a relaxing, vibrant experience that can be a great introduction to survival mechanics.

5 Len’s Island

Metacritic Score: TBD

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
• Released: 2021-06-15
• Developers: Flow Studio

There are a lot of games that let players choose what areas to focus on, and Len’s Island is one of the very best examples as it gives players the option to simply build a home and a farm, tending to crops, and explore the island at their leisure. Players who are seeking something a little less relaxing can grab some weapons and explore the depths of the island, but there’s plenty to do that doesn’t involve these more action-packed antics.

Having had two years in early access, Len’s Island features a procedurally generated map which has grown fifty times larger since the game was first released on Steam. While there are some almost inevitable combat elements, so much of the game takes place in safety on the surface of the island that players will gradually feel ready for something a little less casual as they venture deeper.

4 Astroneer

Metacritic Score: 71/100

Almost not featuring enough mechanics to count as a survival game, Astroneer has been described by critics as “on the soft side of survival” due to the creative adventure game having little danger and plenty of freedom. Players take on the role of an astronaut who attempts to re-activate the cores of different planets they travel to by collecting resources and crafting different structures.

Players don’t have much to fear until they dig deep into the planets they are placed on, and even then, Astroneer continues to provide a grind-filled but rewarding experience that introduces players more to the difficulty of obtaining resources to continue crafting, more than other more challenging survival mechanics.

3 Grounded

Metacritic Score: 82/100

A literal backyard game, Grounded puts players in the role of a character that has been shrunk to the size of an ant, and now has to survive the dangers of their own back garden. Ants, spiders, and more provide dangerous enemies and disrupt the highly enjoyable nature of the other survival mechanics in the game, but they remain nothing more than a nice introduction to fighting enemies with one’s own survival on the line.

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Grounded gives players a surprising survival experience. Instead of placing players in a challenging situation, it makes a normal situation much more dangerous by adding the challenge of being so small in stature. A unique survival experience for chill gamers to collaborate together in, Grounded is now available for more platforms than ever!

2 Minecraft

Metacritic Score: 82/100

The “original” survival experience and best-selling game of all time, Minecraft, continues to have a massive amount of popularity over a decade after its initial release. Minecraft has three game modes that have become the standard for several other survival games: survival, hardcore, and creative, having something for everyone in the many procedurally-generated worlds.

Casual survival game lovers can set their survival game mode to easy for a relatively relaxing experience, or simply go into creative mode and build to their heart’s content without any restrictions. With it being easy to play alongside as many other players as anyone could wish, as well as the variety of platforms it is available on, there is truly something in Minecraft for everyone.

1 Subnautica

Metacritic Score: 87/100

One of the most universally respected and beloved survival games of all time, Subnautica delivered a quintessential experience that should be seen by all gamers. Having the three game mode options, Subnautica can be played in creative mode, where players can build bases and explore without fear, but it is also relatively relaxed most of the time in survival mode, as there is nothing dangerous to be found in many areas.

While reaper leviathans and other huge creatures are to be found in the depths of Subnautica’s oceans, players can generally avoid most of this and still collect many of the materials required for crafting in survival mode, though if they want to complete the full story they will inevitably have to venture past the sea dragons in the lava zone. Still, even these tense situations can be handled with decoys fired from a cyclops vehicle, making Subnautica one of the most complete and enjoyable survival games ever made.

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