Best Survival Games With Permadeath, Ranked

A popular genre among gamers, survival games pit players against the forces of nature. Players are locked in a high-stakes battle for survival, whether against starvation, predators, or resource scarcity. Victory is never certain. One moment, the player has conquered nature; the next, their character lies dead.

Some survival games feature permanent death (permadeath) mechanics. When a character dies they die forever, taking their skills, possessions, and the game save with them. Players brave enough to tackle such games will face heart-pounding thrills and scream-worthy terror. Permadeath survival games are an emotional rollercoaster, swinging from thrilling success to crushing defeat in an instant.

Every choice matters, and even a single mistake can prove deadly. Players will fail, and countless characters will die.

5 Kenshi

Permanent Character Death

Kenshi is a brutal survival RPG that holds no punches. Thrown into a hostile alien wilderness, players must learn to navigate its many dangers, from man-eating wildlife to cannibals. Nowhere is safe.

Permadeath plays a pivotal role in giving tension to the world of Kenshi. Every encounter is a terrifying fight for survival, as a beloved character could die at any moment. From heroic sacrifices to revenge-filled murder sprees, the death of a favorite character will forever change a player’s game.

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By  Mati Kent-Nye

While characters can permanently die in Kenshi, players can access their saves anytime. Being able to reload if things go badly undermines the game’s tension by allowing tragic tales and crushing defeats - the narrative backbone of Kenshi - to be erased.

4 Project Zomboid

Zombie Borne Permadeath

Project Zomboid challenges players to survive in a world ravaged by the zombifying Knox virus. Death comes in many forms, whether from zombies, starvation, or the elements.

Project Zomboid features true permadeath, meaning once a character is dead, they're truly gone, taking their hard-earned skills to the grave. There are no retries or do-overs here. Every moment of exploration could be a character's last. All it takes is one well-placed bite, and a beloved character is now a ticking zombie bomb.

In a constantly changing world, players must be ready to act at a moment's notice. Nowhere is this more important than with roaming hordes. Should one break into their base at night or meet them at the end of a street, players must be ready to act; their character's survival depends on it.

3 Don't Starve

Resource Scarcity

Don't Starve sees players learn to survive in a low fantasy-style wilderness inhabited by bizarre creatures. From one-eyed giant birds to pigmen settlements, all manner of monstrosities can be found here.

Players struggle daily to feed themselves, as food degrades quickly and stockpiles are hard to make, especially during the early game. Starvation is an ever-looming threat, lacing every moment of gameplay with tension.

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By  Chris Harkin

No time is the fear greater than during season transitions. Winters are brutal. Food sources vanish, and the cold becomes a deadly enemy. Even in the warmer months, the fear of winter looms large. It is in these months that players must frantically horde food lest they wish to perish in the coming cold.

2 Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Everything Is Deadly

In this roguelike horror game, players are thrust into a world ravaged by simultaneous apocalypses. From an alien invasion to a world-ending zombie apocalypse, nowhere remains untouched by chaos. Players must learn to survive in this ravaged land, scavenging the remnants of humanity and facing off against monstrosities to carve out a safe haven for themselves.

From the silly to the sane, players’ actions have realistic consequences. Paired with a punishing permadeath system, Cataclysm is a game oozing with tension, whether players are sleeping soundly or gunning down a zombie horde. Death is a guarantee in this game; one that often comes from the most unexpected of places.

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead's biggest strength is the freedom it gives players. Nothing is off the table here. Become a murderous cyborg, explore the world, or build an impenetrable fortress; the choice is in the players’ hands.

1 The Long Dark

Fear Nature

Trapped in the Canadian wilderness on an island ravaged by eternal winter, players must adapt quickly to the dangers of the natural world. This island is filled with hazards, from blizzards to hostile wildlife.

In this land of total isolation, players are left to wonder as to the fate of humanity. It's possible they are the only human left; the final bastion of hope flickering in the cold. Here, The Long Dark's permadeath system shines. Not only does the fate of their character rest on the player’s shoulder, but also that of humanity. When they fade into The Long Dark, it’s quite possible that so too will humanity.

Permadeath is essential to this game of creeping tension and sudden terror. For a player to be fearful, there needs to be stakes; and nothing works quite so well as threatening hours of gameplay.