An open-world co-op survival game called Green Hell has nearly broken its previous concurrent player count record years after launch, and there is a good reason for it. Green Hell has long been cherished by hardcore fans of the survival genre. However, many believe the game remains incredibly underrated and should have been played more.
Steam hosts many open-world survival games that focus on crafting. Some of the genre's biggest names include No Man's Sky, Subnautica, and Rust. Green Hell, however, feels more like a hidden gem among these high-profile titles, a game many survival-crafting fans may have never heard of. Luckily, that's starting to change, as Green Hell is finally gaining some well-deserved attention on Steam.
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Green Hell Has Nearly 20,000 Concurrent Players on Steam Right Now
According to SteamDB, Green Hell reached nearly 20,000 concurrent players on December 23, a notable achievement for a six-year-old game. Interestingly, the game's previous peak concurrent player count was also around 20,000, but that record was set back in 2020. Developed by Creepy Jar, Green Hell follows the story of a guy trapped in the Amazon jungle. The game offers both single-player and co-op modes, along with a story-driven campaign and a free-roam option.
There Is a Good Reason Why Green Hell Is Blowing Up on Steam
As part of Steam's 2025 Winter Sale, Green Hell was recently discounted by 90%, dropping its price to around $2 to $3 USD, depending on the edition. This has given fans of the genre a perfect chance to try out this underrated open-world survival game at an incredibly low price. That said, the special promotion ends soon, and players have only until January 5 to take advantage of the discount before the price returns to its normal $20 USD for the standard edition.
What Makes Green Hell a Classic Survival Game
Many consider Green Hell one of the most realistic survival games ever, and its focus on immersion has played a key role in its lasting appeal. While the survival genre sees numerous releases each year, few games have matched Green Hell's level of realism. The game offers an extensive range of actions for players, like crafting, foraging, building, and fighting, along with a variety of conditions to manage. Beyond standard survival elements like hunger and thirst, players must also monitor their character's sanity and mental health, or risk losing touch with reality.
Green Hell is also a brutal survival game because it gives players very little knowledge about the Amazon jungle they have to survive in. Players must learn most things through trial and error, which means frequent deaths, especially in the early hours. Fans of hardcore open-world survival games are likely to appreciate this aspect, as it enhances immersion and leaves players in awe of the Amazon's wildlife, where every creature and plant can become a threat.
Those who enjoy Green Hell's first-person action and vast open-world map might also like The Planet Crafter, Raft, and Sons of the Forest. Fortunately, all three are currently discounted on Steam by up to 69%, making this holiday season a great time for fans of the genre to expand their libraries. Fans of Green Hell's developer, Creepy Jar, will have to wait a bit longer for a new release. The studio is working on StarRupture, a first-person, open-world base-building game with a sci-fi theme. Unlike Green Hell, StarRupture will feature more FPS-style combat, but it is expected to retain the same in-depth survival mechanics and expansive exploration that have become Creepy Jar's signature. StarRupture is scheduled to launch in early access on January 6, 2026, just one day after the current Green Hell promotion ends.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 58%
- Released
- September 5, 2019
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Creepy Jar
- Publisher(s)
- Creepy Jar
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival
Source: SteamDB