Summary
- In V Rising, players climb to the top of the blood chain, slaying monsters and other vampires.
- Ark: Survival Ascended offers massive world exploration, primal beast fights, and base-building with dinosaurs.
- The Isle is an open world where players fight, eat, grow, and can become prey to bigger dinosaurs in hardcore gameplay.
Survival Games are challenging and filled to the brim with action, and some of them can even pit players against players in a world where resources are scarce and hostile creatures or NPCs roam around. Survival Games with PvPvE elements that also have massive Open-world maps to explore are some of the best options for players looking for something different from the usual.
Best Survival Open World Games With Unique Settings, Ranked
This ranked list of open-world games spotlights games that have such a unique setting that invites players to explore their dangerous sandboxes.
In this list, players will find several options to spend their days looting, gearing up, and fighting against AI enemies and other players trying to get their hard-earned resources. From a game where blood flows as the main currency, to a strange combination of Mad Max's dystopian post-apocalyptic world and The Planet of the Apes.
6 V Rising
Climb To The Top Of The Blood Chain Slaying Monsters And Other Vampires
V Rising
- Released
- May 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
V Rising is a game where players assume the role of a recently awakened vampire, and they will fight their way from the dusty crypt where they were resurrected to the high hierarchy of vampire society. By beating enemies who have the remnant of the blood of the vampire progenitor, players will unlock new abilities and powers. Players also need to deal with minor AI enemies, which they can kill or drink their blood from, gathering resources in the process, to build better gear and a safe place for them to rest.
But players should be aware that other vampires also roam the lands of Vardoran, and PvP action in points of interest as well as in-game events are quite common. To gather their strength and dominate in player-versus-player battles, players need to obtain all the magic spells, artifacts, and weapons by defeating all the V Blood bosses. So, if what readers are looking for is a good open-world survival, with high doses of ARPG action, then V Rising is just the thing they need.
5 ARK: Survival Ascended
Fight Primal Beasts And Other Players In This Massive World
Ark: Survival Ascended
- Released
- October 26, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Open-World
Ark: Survival Ascended is an enormous Open-world survival with PvPvE elements, where players need to conquer ancient beasts, gather resources, build their bases, and then use the Dinosaurs to raid other players and steal their resources as well. Compared to the first game (Ark: Survival Evolved), it has tremendous visuals, but optimization might be a problem for those playing on PC.
The PvP battles in this game are out of the charts, but the main attraction is its wide array of creatures to fight, tame, and also a ton of weapons to try. Players should be careful, though, since in this ruthless world, nobody can be trusted. Building their own clans with friends is one of the best ways to enjoy this survival game.
4 The Isle
Fight For Your Life, Eat, Grow, And Hunt Other Players
The Isle
- Developer(s)
- Afterthought LLC
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PC
The Isle is an open world PvPvE survival where players need to pick a dinosaur species, then try to survive into adulthood by any means necessary. If they die, they will have to restart from zero, and they'll lose all their progress. It's quite a hardcore game, where searching for food can be a thing of life and death, not to mention drinking water.
It doesn't matter if players choose herbivores or carnivores, or which species they pick; everyone can become prey to the bigger dinosaurs. The Isle is a game that is quite satisfactory to play in groups of friends, and players can form their packs and raise whelps as they grow in strength and reach adulthood. It is an interesting game, but a hardcore one, since death lies waiting at every step.
3 7 Days To Die
The Zombies Are Not The Only Threat In This Post-Apocalyptic World
7 Days to Die
- Released
- June 28, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- The Fun Pimps
In 7 Days To Die, players need to fight for their lives in a world that sends increasingly difficult zombie hordes after them every week, during a phenomenon known as Blood Moon. To build a suitable base to protect themselves, players need to scavenge for loot basically anywhere they can: from trees, from broken cars, even extracting lead from sinks.
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But players need to be extremely careful, as other players can ambush them while they loot, and of course, zombies are still roaming around day and night. This survival open-world game is extremely fun to play in groups as well. Of course, players can opt out of the PvP part by joining a PvE server or joining their own worlds and invite their friends to play with them.
2 Conan Exiles
Hunt Your Enemies And Enslave Them, Raid Other Players And Conquer The Exiled Lands
Conan Exiles
- Released
- May 8, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Action-Adventure
Conan Exiles is set in the Hyborian Age, and transports players to the Exiled Lands, a cursed place only a few fools dare to set foot in willingly. They have been branded by a magical amulet that prevents them from escaping these cursed lands, and they will have to forage for food, water, and other precious resources if they want to survive.
Players have the option to play solo or in groups, to dominate other human NPCs, and create immense strongholds to equip themselves with better gear, then wage war against each other. But the game also has another important factor added to the mix: the existence of Avatars. These gigantic manifestations of the Gods can be summoned by offering countless sacrifices and can be used to blast other players' bases with ease. It's a really fun game to play, though its PvPvE sandbox is so big that it requires hours to explore.
1 Last Oasis
Planet Of The Apes Meets Mad Max
Last Oasis
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Partial Nudity, Use of Drugs, Violence
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Open-World, RPG
In this enormous procedurally generated world, players need to jump from one oasis to the next, harvesting resources on board of gigantic contraptions named Walkers, which are basically boats with legs. Every few days, each oasis burns due to the scorching sun, and they will need to pack up their gear and move to the next. But, there's no safe haven for them at the end of the road: the devastated lands are filled with Rupu, savage primates that will attack them on sight, as well as other mutated creatures (including gigantic sandworms) that will hunt them down relentlessly.
To add spice to the mix, players can hunt and kill each other, and even battle using the Walkers and dozens of contraptions like scattershot shotguns, dartguns, or even flamethrowers. It is also important to mention that the Markets are always safe places, and if players wish so, they can trade among each other using these hubs. But beware: once players are out of the central Market zone, they become targetable again, and others can still attack them mercilessly.
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