Games That Standardized Survival Mechanics

The survivalist genre of gaming has gone through many changes and updates over the years. Typically, such games take players into potentially deadly terrain, where making it out alive at all is a tall order.

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Focusing on more realistic themes such as resource management, hunger, and health and well-being, these games can often provide players with gritty, lonesome experiences. Thrust into harsh and unforgiving environments, gamers must pay attention to a variety of internal and external factors in order to keep going. Of the many great survival games out there, a select few have set themselves apart with their well-realized mechanics and survivalist gameplay.

5 Rust Is A Thrillingly Competitive Survival Game

Metascore: 69

• Initial release date: December 11, 2013
• Platforms: Playstation 4, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, macOS,
• Developers: Double Eleven, Facepunch Studios

Throwing players into an unforgiving wilderness setting, Rust revolves around survival in treacherous terrain. The multiplayer feature ensures that, on top of the potentially deadly wilderness, players must also worry about the threat of other players.

On top of the hazards posed by other players, gamers must contend with a litany of dangerous animals. In order to stay safe in the face of so much adversity, players must be ready to engage in combat, from guns to more basic weaponry. Beyond the predators and opponents out and about, players must also focus heavily on acquiring enough resources - many fo which will typically be looted - to stay alive and well-fed. With hunger, hydration, and general well-being to worry about, this harsh, often intense effort is a superb survivalist experience.

4 The Long Dark Is An Eerie Look At Survival In A Cold, Bleak Wilderness

Metascore: 77

Crashed pilot Will Mackenzie’s ordeal in the unforgiving Canadian wilderness makes for intense fare in this first-person endurance test. Grounded thanks to a near-fatal magnetic storm, Mackenzie must be resourceful in order to survive and find his way back to civilization.

In order to survive, players must constantly monitor Mackenzie’s health, including issues such as energy, keeping fed, and maintaining a safe body temperature. Of the gameplay modes on offer, it’s hardly surprising that the survival mode offers the most challenging survivor experience. The sole goal of this mode is to stay alive, with permadeath awaiting the moment players finally come unstuck. With everything from severe injuries to wild animals to worry about, this mode is an incredible showcase of the nerve-wracking intensity survival gaming can provide. The story mode provides more narrative engagement for players to get hooked on, all while still emphasizing the survivalist mechanics that makes this atmospheric game so compelling.

3 Don’t Starve Is An Imaginative, Visually Distinctive Survival Game

Metascore: 78

There are few functions a survival game can challenge players with better than permadeath. In this gothically designed adventure game, players are first introduced to Wilson, a scientist with the ability to rapidly grow his beard.

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Other playable characters introduce new features into the game, including dangerous pyromania, and impressive strongman athleticism. The protagonists find themselves in the Constant, an eerie dimension chock-full of grim monsters. Despite the fantastical themes and set-ups, the game’s heavy emphasis on hunger, crafting, psychological well-being in times of stress, and, of course, the dreaded permadeath feature, all make it an incredibly in-depth survival experience. With its distinctive art-style and characters, this Tim Burton-influenced gem makes for a one-of-a-kind survival gaming experience.

2 Minecraft Is A Seminal Top-Seller

Metascore: 82

This beloved sandbox survival extravaganza is the best-selling video game of all time, with over a whopping 300 million sales since its release. Players are introduced to a procedurally generated setting where they must build and develop all manner of structures.

Survival is a key theme of the game, as players must constantly be mindful of environmental hazards as they go about gathering materials. When playing the survival game mode, gamers are given a harder go, and must consistently be mindful of their health, hunger, and resources. Despite the relative freedom in its gameplay and objectives, Minecraft’s frequent zoning in on themes such as crafting, the need for shelter, and environmental endurance make it a fascinatingly off-beat example of survival gaming.

1 Subnautica Is An Oceanic, Survivalist Adventure

Metascore: 87

In contrast to the many survival games out there that focus on dangerous land, Subnautica takes players into the ocean. Players take on the role of Ryley Robinson, a crash survivor now stranded on a maritime planet.

Whilst deep-sea traveling, players must construct ocean bases, keep an eye out for essential resources, and confront a variety of dangers. From deadly oceanic wildlife to giant sea monsters, there are all manner of potentially lethal predators for players to remain wary of. On top of finding sustenance and building structures underwater, the constant need to monitor oxygen safety ensures the tense survival mode of thought stays at the forefront of this sci-fi adventure.

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