Survival Games With The Most Terrifying Open-Worlds

Survival games pose a unique challenge compared to most genres. The atmosphere of these games can inspire terror, but there's a lot more beyond the surface. Players are often left alone in a hostile environment to figure out how to survive. They can learn to hunt or fish for food, but without the comforts of civilization, their place at the top of the food chain isn't quite set in stone.

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Dangerous predators, hostile humans, and other creatures tend to patrol these worlds. Healthy and safe food is often scarce, and the climate is usually deadly, with extreme temperatures and weather events forcing all living things to run and hide. These elements can give players a constant feeling of anxiety, especially since even the smallest of mistakes can mean risking everything.

8 Conan Exiles

Deadly Animals, Deadly People, And Mysterious Forces

Surviving in the Exiled Lands is no small feat. Players start in the desert with nothing and quickly learn that almost everything wants them dead. They will encounter heavy sandstorms, hyena packs, hostile human exiles, and more. If playing online, rival players also pose a unique threat. To make matters worse, this is only the first area of Conan Exiles, which is relatively tame compared to later regions.

The game map faithfully demonstrates the brutality of Conan the Barbarian's world. It features a strong blend of survival sandbox and RPG mechanics, with varied animals, cultures, and mysteries to encounter. This mystery makes the world incredibly dangerous, punishing unprepared players with threats of all kinds.

7 Valheim

Viking Purgatory Is Exactly How It Sounds

Valheilm's world is beautiful, with high-contrast colors and stylized graphics reminiscent of early 3D gaming. It features a massive procedural map that slowly becomes more threatening as the player leaves the peaceful Meadows at the center. The first real challenge is exploring the Black Forest, a haunting place with stronger enemies to fight.

The atmosphere of Valheim is one of its best features, with fog obscuring the distance, creating an air of mystery. The swamp is terrifying, with undead warriors and poisonous creatures roaming within. The Plains are beautiful from a distance, but stepping foot there will reveal its deadly nature. Each biome poses new threats to overcome.

6 The Long Dark

Freezing Cold And Alone

Wolves and other predators may roam this frozen world, but the true antagonists of The Long Dark are hunger and cold. The basic needs of shelter, warmth, and food are the primary obstacles that the player must overcome. Another is loneliness, with that game featuring few sounds other than the distant howls of wolves, blizzards, and the player's footsteps in the snow to keep players company.

The constant threat of starvation and hypothermia is enough to make the player anxious when wondering where to find resources for their next meal and next campfire. On top of this, the animals are dangerous, too. The wolves hunt in packs and are quick and agile, and it's near-impossible to hear cougars as they silently close in.

5 Rain World

Diverse Creatures And Torrential Rain

In Rain World, players are transported to a distant apocalyptic world to survive as a small cat-like creature. They must find food for the energy to execute longer jumps that are necessary for hunting and escaping the extremely varied wildlife. The player is low on the food chain and often must outsmart predators to escape, as neither running nor fighting are good ideas in this world.

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Just as the world starts to make sense, the rain begins, slowly at first, but before long, it becomes an inescapable monsoon that kills everything in the open and drowns everything in hiding. The only way to survive this daily phenomenon is to find one of the small bunkers tucked away in the quiet corners of the map. This creates a sense of urgency and fear that few games can replicate.

4 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl

A Grim And Irradiated World

Few open world survival experiences are as rich and in-depth as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. In this title, players are thrown into The Zone, an irradiated area affected by an unexplained second nuclear disaster. Here, they will fend off strange creatures, mysterious anomalies, and rival STALKERS, trespassers of The Zone.

The anomalies are dangerous and easy to stumble upon thanks to their non-physical nature. Players must look out for energy fields, strange gravity, and more. Aside from this, they must also carefully manage relationships with human factions. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl players will slowly learn to choose battles, manage resources, and do everything possible to survive the harsh, atmospheric landscape.

3 Project Zomboid

Zombies And Permadeath

Project Zomboid is a complex game with countless stats, skills, and recipes that all aid in survival. While dealing with a single zombie or maybe two is manageable, they can quickly surround an unaware player. In the towns and cities of the world, zombies are everywhere, making it very easy for players to wind up running away from a sizable herd.

However, zombies aren't the only threat in Project Zomboid. It is also important to find food and shelter, bandage injuries, and maintain physical and mental health. Dynamic seasons also play a part. It requires careful planning to prepare for the cold winter, with insulated shelter and food stores. The threat of zombies swarming the base is always present, and permadeath makes every action count.

2 Sons Of The Forest

Dangerous Mutants And Cannibals

Sons of the Forest is more in-depth than its predecessor, featuring more creatures, more advanced enemy behavior, and the inclusion of friendly NPCs to help build and defend a base. The world is deadly, with cannibals patrolling the island and reporting back to their camps, calling reinforcements, and scouting the player's base.

Nighttime is especially terrifying, with dimmed vision making it harder to see enemies coming. On top of that, exploring the caves will reveal deadly horrors beyond imagination. As the protagonist spends more time in the forest, more creatures will slowly appear, and the cannibals become more and more aggressive depending on player actions.

1 Green Hell

Surviving The Amazon

The rich biodiversity and mysteries of the Amazon Rainforest is alluring to many. Green Hell allows players to explore this dense jungle, but it's not a walk in the park. As the name suggests, this game is incredibly challenging, featuring realistic injuries, hunger, and wildlife. The player must also survive encounters with other humans, some friends, and some foes.

Players must learn the nuances of the environment in order to survive what awaits them in Green Hell. They need to know what plants and animals are safe to eat and also what areas to avoid. Encounters with deadly jaguars and hostile tribes are incredibly risky, too, and even the environment requires care to traverse, as it's easy for players to lose their way and become stranded at night.

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