No matter what you say, all the games have a unique appeal. I guess there are very few people who wouldn’t enjoy this genre. The sheer thrill of exploring and trying to do your best to survive excites the instinct in us. The best survival games push you to your limits and bring out your best survival instinct.
Finding a game that utilizes all your skills and is fun to play is not easy. This game is a popular genre; almost every game says they are the best. But how would you know which one is the best game on PC? That is why we are here. We have listed 20 survival-focused games you can play in 2023.
Best Survival Games on PC
Let’s dive into the list of the best survival-focused games on PC. And hope that you will find the most suitable game for your taste.
1. Valheim (USD 8.19)
The best game of the survival genre, without any doubt, is Valheim. The game released its early access in February 2023, and boy. It was fun to play. This survival crafting game is something else. You might have played many Viking games, but Valheim brings a new concept to this genre.
This co-op survival expert game is set in a massive world where you must face fearsome bosses and look for food, shelter, and everything you need to survive. Additionally, the environment is always against you, but you have to find a way to survive no matter what.
2. Subnautica (USD 10.49)
If we skip Subnautica, there is no meaning in making a list of the best games in 2023. It is top-notch underwater crafting this game that is exciting to play. The game was released in January 2018 and is still one of Steam’s most-played gamesSteamis; rated 95 on SteamSteam and worth the praise.
The game puts you in a new, alien water space with only your skills and handy tools. Surviving in cold, harsh underwater will take every bit of your energy. The game’s graphics are so perfect that they give you the feeling of being trapped underwater. The developers have put a lot of thought into making the game. You should check out Subnautica.
3. Don’t Starve (USD 11.49)
The terrifying thing about an actual survival situation is alone. When alone in a harsh environment, you must do everything to live one more day. The story of Don’t Starve is just like that. The game is a solo mission of surviving in a cold God-forsaken land. The wild is ready to devour you in its freezing hand.
Don’t Starve has a Tim Burton-style 2D gameplay that is lovely to play? The art style is worth mentioning and is one of many reasons to like the game. Bizarre creatures are lurking around the corner. Werepigs, Deerclopses, and many other terrifying monsters roam in the wild to hunt you. You have to plan and escape from all of that. And don’t starve. You have to find food so that you don’t die of starvation.
4. Grounded ($10.49)
Grounded (early access) is brought to you by Obsidian Studios, and they did a pretty fantastic job making this game. The game was published in 2020, and soon it took hold of survival gaming fans. How would you survive if you found that you have shrunk mysteriously? That is the central concept of Grounded. You are a tiny man desperately trying to survive in a random backyard.
You have grounded crafting, hunting, and adventures in it. Fighting “giant spiders,” finding food in a ditch, or crafting your bed out of waste, you must do it all to survive in Grounded. Once you find yourself chopping down grass with your tiny knife, you must collect dews to make a drink. In short, you will never get bored of this unique survival thriller.
5. This War of Mine (USD 19.99)
The game offers a very distinctive style of survival. You have to play as part of a civilian group trying to survive in a city after being destroyed by war. It is a game with traumatic consequences. Confined in a building, snipers aim their barrels at you, and other survivors are there to siege your hideout. It is truly a mess that you have to survive in.
Every decision you make in the game has an outcome in the long run. Every situation is life or death, and you don’t precisely know what may fall next on your shoulder. The randomly generated survivors each have their own stories to tell. You will find them in the survivor list, from an Ex-firearm dealer to a doctor or a professional cook. It is your duty how you can utilize their strength in this best co-op survival game.
6. Oxygen Not Included (USD 8.49)
Oxygen Not Included is the best game, in my opinion. I have more than 100 hours in this game. The game was released on July 30, 2019, and boy. It is fun to play. It is not like your usual realistic game. The Oxygen Not Included game has a specific goal and story to it.
In Oxygen Not Included, you assign duplicates in different tasks. Duplicates are clones of real people. The duplicates are 3D printed via a printing machine in a colony where you must decide everything. What task will the duplicates do, how can they survive, what will they eat, and even where will they poop. Everything is in your hand!
The most important thing is Oxygen is omitted, which means you have to find a way to provide breathable Oxygen to your duplicates; otherwise, they will suffocate and die. Yes, they die of different causes; from starvation to sickness, they can die. The ultimate goal is to build a rocket and escape from the planet to a safe place. It is not just a challenging game. It is a deep and complex game that requires thoughtful actions.
7. Minecraft (Free/Paid)
If you are out looking for the best survival crafting game, then Minecraft is the real deal. When it comes to fighting games, we often think there must be zombies and a deserted island, but Minecraft broke that thought and brought us a crafting-based sandbox game. Millions of people around the world play this epic sandboxing game. It is fun, creative, and, most importantly, can be enjoyed with friends.
The survival in this game is entirely up to you. There is no story to follow. You create your own story here. You can play solo, craft, or form a squad to defend yourself from the creeper. Indeed it is an excellent game for PS4, Xbox, and PC.
8. Frostpunk (USD 10.49)
Frostpunk is one of the best city builder games developed and published by 11-bit studios. The players must do everything to survive in the cold, barren environment of the ice age and build a livable community for their people.
Frostpunk is not just about ruling your people; surviving is the primary goal. The city froze before it could stand and prosper. As a group of survivors, you must rebuild the city and make it livable and prosperous again. The game perfectly combines city-building games under the same roof. You have to give hope to your people and assign them to different tasks. The cold environment is not on your side, but you must tame it.
The graphics of the game is mesmerizing. The story develops slowly and lets you take in all the excitement. In a frozen world, you have to manage a city. Now, what could be more fun than that?
9. Rust (USD 12.99)
Rust is one of the best co-op games you can play on PC. The game was on every gamer’s chat list because of its naked men. Yes, it is a survival game in and out. You won’t get any dress when you start your life in the wilderness. You have to collect food, shelter, and, most importantly, dress to wear.
Rust simulates every perfect detail of living alone in the wild. You will eventually come across player-created towns and cities. It is like living your life but virtually in Rust. Starting at zero, you can accomplish cars, guns, and many other things.
10. DayZ (USD 44.99)
Without a zombie game, this list is not near complete. So we present DayZ, the best zombie survival game on pc. You can even say that this is the king of zombie apocalypse games. It is a great game that features weapons, crafting, and hand-to-hand combat under the same title.
If you are a fan of fighting diseases, gross bodily fluids, and scary, un-dead, DayZ might be up your alley. It is unlike other zombie games where you are confined to a place. Instead, it offers exploration. Yes! You can explore the map and choose your battles. DayZ is full of adventures and excitement. The price of this AAA game might put a dent in your wallet, but you know all good things come at a price.
11. ARK: Survival Evolved (USD 15.99)
This game has dinosaurs, and you must survive prehistoric times. Do I need to say anything more to convince you? I can say that it is the best ancient background-based game. One can say it is one of the best multiplayer games ever made.
ARK: Survival Evolved is a complete game that requires all the features you look at in such games. You punch trees to get wood, use the collected wood to build a hut as shelter, hunt down your prey, and tame the beasts. The game will excite your inherent survival skills. If you start playing ARK: Survival Evolved, you will get addicted to its graphics, sound design and not forget the story development.
12. Escape from Tarkov( $44.99 USD)
Escape from Tarkov is a hyper-realistic game for PC featuring shooting and looting. It is a fantastic game with a pinch of battle royale in it. Instead of starting on a massive map, Escape from Tarkov spawns you in a designated place with many other players.
There are a large number of hostile NPCs in the area that you have to defeat. You have to shoot your way through them to reach the extraction point. You can loot as much as you want and sell or trade them for in-game items. Get this uncensored AAA-rated game from their official site.
13. Conan Exiles (USD 18.99)
Conan Exiles is another apocalyptic game that features realistic events. The game shunts you into the Hyborian barbaric age. The setup of this game is pretty well-known. From cultivating your food to building the shelter, you must perform everything in Conan Exiles.
What makes it interesting is that Conan Exiles features combat. You have to fight with enemies and other survivors too. You can use hand-made melee weapons or unlock a legendary rifle as a gamer. Moreover, you can also craft knives and machetes if you crave those. Overall, Conan Exiles is the best crafting game worth your money.
14. The Forest (USD 3.27)
The Forest is one of the scariest games you will ever come across. The game is terrifying from every perspective you look at it. After a plane crash, you, fortunately, survive in a deserted place. But soon, you find out you are not alone there. Some horrifying mutated human-like monsters are thirsty for your blood. You have to stay alive and find a way to get off that place.
I recommend playing The Forest with friends in multiplayer mode. It is too much to handle in a single-player setup. You must build shelter, explore, cultivate, and hunt your meals—a must-play survival horror.
15. Scum (Early Access)
Scum is a supermax open-world survival game available for early access on steamSteamt means it is not completed yet, and more features will be added to it when the final release is out. Despite that, Scum is on our list, and for good reasons.
It is not just a game but a decent simulation game too. It keeps track of your every action, what you eat, what you hunt, and what you craft. You will love this game for its graphics, story design, and how much thought was put into making it worth your time. It is just like you are living in the game world. You lose weight, burn calories, and get injured; you might die when your health reaches zero. It is an unexpectedly realistic game that you can play on SteamSteam Outward (USD 14.99)
Outward is a futuristic open-world game that you can play on your PC. It is an RPG that is filled with survival; elements. The great and unique thing in Outward is that you can never die. Not only the mythical monsters but also the environment itself is out there to hunt you down. The game is available on PC, Steam, Xbox, and PS4. You can play the game in solo mode and online multiplayer mode.
17. Astroneer (USD 10.49)
Astroneer is a sandbox-styled survival adventure game from System Era Softworks. The game is one of the best adventure games released early on SteamSteam2019; after the official final release, it surprised the gaming community.
Astroneer is a fun-to-play adventure survival that places you in an alien land. You have crashed, landed there, and have to survive with very few resources. But you can gather materials near you and craft many valuable things like weapons and gadgets. It is a fantastic survival-based open-world game to try. The cartoonish 3D graphics will make you smile when you play Astroneer.
18. The Long Dark (USD 10.49)
Have you ever wondered what you would do if you found yourself in a dark, icy, cold, frozen place? Well, The Long Dark places you in such a situation. In my opinion, it is the best survival horror game that offers players many options.
The Long Dark has an exciting story mode to give you the natural feel of survival horror. Set in the icy cold wilderness of northern Canada features fearsome bears instead of zombies and snowy mountains for tropical islands. The stylish art design of The Long Dark will catch your eye. And the sounds! What can I say? It will send a chill through your back.
19. CRSED: FOAD (Free)
At first, this free-to-play survival shooter seemed like a PUBG copy. Soon, it grew its fan base. I am talking about CRSED: FOAD, currently one of the best survival shooter games, along with PUBG, COD, and Free Fire. The gameplay is similar to other loot-based grinding games, and the last person standing wins the battle royale.
CRSED: FOAD can be played solo as well as in teams. It would be best to have an internet connection to enjoy this game. You will have a good time playing CRSED: FOAD. It is free, so why don’t you give it a try?
20. RimWorld (USD 11.99)
RimWorld is a sci-fi game that includes management skills too. You are in charge of a science-based colony, and you have to expand it by developing different gadgets and other types of equipment. The AI director in this fantasy world will work through absurd challenges at you, and you have to solve them individually. Not only that, the citizens of your colony have their interests, personality, and desires. It is not an easy task to maintain them all. The top-down 2D view of RimWorld might pique your interest.
Final Thoughts
From the first man to the contemporary modern civilization, we are trying our best to survive. It is no wonder that the game genre will be a popular one. We hope the list we provide will be enough to satisfy your thirst. Let us know which one is your favorite survival game PC in 2023.
