Survival Games To Play If You Like Rust

The survival genre is saturated now that many developers have attempted to recreate this popular game type. Survival games are characterized by minimal resources, unforgiving environments, and zombies—sometimes. Rust came out in 2013, years before many of the survival games people check out today. While games like ARK: Survival Evolved improved on much of what Rust built, others fall short in terms of content.

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Players start as primitive humans who could eventually be flying a helicopter or building bridges. Rust is a fight-or-flight type of game where survival is by any means necessary. Make alliances or prepare for battle; the choice is up to the player. There's a reason why this game is such a massive hit: allowing players to form meaningful in-game stories as they try to negotiate with survivors and scrounge up as many weapons and supplies as possible.

Updated on August 21st, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: At this point in time, Rust is probably one of the most recognizable survival games out there. It is both one of the main poster children of the survival genre overall and a game that sort of reinvented the genre as well. There are a lot of games that have come out since Rust first exploded in popularity that have obviously been inspired by Rust or are trying to target the same audience as Rust. So with that in mind, why don't we take a look at some of the most well-known and most deserving Rust-like games and talk about what exactly makes them so enjoyable to play?

39 Once Human

A Very 'Otherworldy' Survival Game

First up is Once Human, a very recent survival game that takes place in a post-apocalyptic future in which an event called The Starfall caused the vast majority of humanity to mutate into these 'Deviations'.

Players will be in control of their create-a-character, who of course has amnesia, as they slowly find out what's going on with the world, build a base for themselves, and advance their Meta-Human abilities. As far as survival games go, Once Human is very in-depth, and fans of Rust will likely find a lot of overlap mechanics between the two, which makes it absolutely worth checking out.

38 Nightingale

Surviving in a Victorian London X Faewilds World

Nightingale is another survival game that takes place in a very magical world. Essentially, Nightingale takes place in the Faewilds as the player (and their co-op companions) steadily make their way through all kinds of portals, searching for the last human-run city in the Faewilds, which is also called Nightingale.

This game tries to do a lot of new things as far as survival games go, letting players actually add 'modifiers' to the different realms they travel across using different Minor and Major Realm Cards, as well as letting players create their own 'home' Realm that they can then give cards to other players so that they can visit said Realm. It's an incredibly unique game with a lot of depth as far as survival mechanics go, and it has a pretty expansive end-game as well.

37 Palworld

Rust Meets Pokemon

Palworld is the best survival game recommendation for people who happen to be fans of Rust as well as Pokemon games, which is a bigger demographic than one might expect. Palworld has all the FPS gunplay of Rust with all the adorable creatures and creature battling of the Pokemon games mixed in, and it also has a lot of completely unique mechanics as well.

Players who enjoy the raiding aspect of Rust whether that's attacking other bases or defending their own, will find a lot to love in Palworld as well. And even from a core PvE standpoint, Palworld has a lot of progression to get through, a ton of base-building individuality to explore, and a whole lot of story progression as well.

36 Don't Starve Together

A Co-op Survival Game With A Dark, Gothic Aesthetic

Don't Starve Together

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Released

April 21, 2016

Developer(s)

Klei Entertainment

Platform(s)

PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC

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Don't Starve is one of the original indie survival games that took the world by storm with its charming aesthetic and hardcore gameplay. Players had to spend a lot of time struggling against all odds before finally understanding how the game works, letting them finally survive a few nights and get a hang of how things work.

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Don't Starve Together adds a multiplayer spin to this game that a lot of fans will have a great time with. The idea of combining one's survival efforts with a friend is way more riveting than most people would assume, making for a blast as players survive the nights together while dealing with the abominations that try to end their streak.

35 State Of Decay 2

A Survival Game With Base-Building Elements That Can Be Enjoyed With Friends

State of Decay 2 is a fun survival game that shines when players tackle this game in co-op. The base-building elements of this game are pretty addictive as players try to form a base that can handle the toughest assaults without breaking a sweat.

The game's survival aspects are some of the best parts of the experience, and players will have a blast as they take out a wealth of zombies in a post-apocalyptic world that's about as harrowing as most people would expect. A group of friends can form some great core memories as they interact with the many mechanics in this fun experience.

34 Darkwood

A Dark, Brooding Survival Game That Uses Its Oppressive Atmosphere Brilliantly

Darkwood's oppressive atmosphere is its crowning strength, with the simple addition of a vision cone making the top-down perspective of this game as harrowing as can be. The title is a bit challenging to get into, but players who power through and don't panic at the sight of enemies will find this game to be an extremely riveting experience.

Despite this game not featuring a multiplayer element, fans of survival horror games should make it a point to check out this incredible title. The game had a noticeable Lovecraftian tinge to it, even if the developers had said that they had no idea about Lovecraft's work before crafting the story for this title.

33 Chernobylite

A Survival-Horror Game Set In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

A game set in the infamous wasteland surrounding the Chernobyl Power Plant, Chernobylite is a great survival game with horror elements that fans can check out for themselves. The classic survival gameplay is as enjoyable as they come, making this title a safe bet for Rust fans.

Chernobylite also features a single-player campaign where players take on the role of a scientist searching for their fiancee. It's a serviceable narrative and compliments the gameplay for the most part, barring some awkward combat-heavy encounters.

32 Sons Of The Forest

A Much-Awaited Follow-up To The Lauded Survival Horror Game

The Forest was a great survival game with horror elements that ended up being a harrowing and rewarding experience as players managed to survive against all the odds. So, suffice it to say, fans were hyped to the moon and back for its sequel, which promised to make things bigger, better, and more engaging than ever before.

While Sons of the Forest did have its fair share of controversies early on, the reception to this title's Early Access has been nothing short of great, with fans loving the improved mechanics and satisfying survival gameplay loop that players were expecting from this title. Fans can only wait and hope that the narrative lives up to its initial promise and any kinks stemming from its poor performance are ironed out later on in development.

31 Subnautica: Below Zero

Another Hyped Sequel To A Survival Game That Was More Narrative-Focused

Subnautica was a brilliant combination of underwater exploration and survival gameplay, forcing players to get over their thalassophobia and slowly progress through the game, uncovering its mysteries over time. The title clearly did something right since fans couldn't get over its amazing worldbuilding and fun survival gameplay, even if the challenge wasn't as high as most people would've wanted.

Regardless, it was only a matter of time before a sequel would be greenlit and released, and Subnautica: Below Zero ended up being a worthy continuation of the series' legacy. The emphasis on the game's narrative was a step above its predecessor, and most fans appreciated this ambitious approach despite a few flaws that reared their ugly heads throughout the game.

30 Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

One Of The Most Open-Ended Survival Games Ever Made

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

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Released

March 1, 2023

Platform(s)

PC

Developer

Kevin Granade & community

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No one expected a top-down roguelike survival game with rudimentary graphics to be one of the deepest and most engaging survival games of all time, but this is precisely why Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is such a gem of a title. The game is hardcore, and new players should expect to die over and over again as they come to grasp the game's mechanics.

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The best part about this title is how it rewards player knowledge and skill, letting them mow over most enemies and hazards that were giving them a tough time early on once they become veterans of this game. The title certainly has a barrier to entry, but fans of survival games like Rust who want a challenging experience will love what Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead brings to the table.