Highlights
- Survival games are a divisive genre, with some people loving the challenge and others finding it unappealing due to the lack of direction and the potential to lose progress.
- Xbox Game Pass provides access to a variety of survival games, including hybrid versions that incorporate elements from other game styles.
- The survival games on Xbox Game Pass offer a range of experiences, from multiplayer horror titles like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to narrative-driven games like Soma.
Survival is a divisive gaming genre. While there are certainly some lukewarm fans, most people either love or hate this gaming experience. The mixed reactions come from the features that define these titles. Huge open worlds, a little direction, lack of a proper goal, logical crafting, hard-to-find resources, and most importantly, the risk that you could lose it all isn't appealing to everyone. Others love the rush it provides, though.
10 Best Indie Survival Games To Explore On Your Own
Sometimes you just want to brave a world alone.Fortunately for fans of this genre, there's more and more innovation in this style, so now there are hybrid versions that try to take what's best about survival games and graft it onto other game styles. With the variety in this genre, players with Xbox Game Pass have access to some great survival games, including a few of the best.
Updated December 6, 2023 By Ben Jessey: There are plenty of good survival games on Xbox Game Pass right now. Naturally, the catalog regularly changes as some titles leave while others get added. So, to keep this list accurate, we've done an update to add a few gems and take away one that has left the service.
Wartales
Wartales isn't just a survival game. It's also an open-world, turn-based RPG. In it, you control a mercenary group that travels around the map, fighting enemies and finding resources. There is no ultimate goal for your crew. They just need to survive in this harsh medieval world.
This is tricky as you get into many battles where your group can pick up injuries, dent their armor, or even die. And death is permanent in Wartales, so watch out. Another thing you need to keep an eye on is the amount of food you have. Hungry mercs won't be happy and may even leave your crew if you're not feeding them. It's a unique sort of survival title.
Forager
In Forager, you're free to roam a very colorful open world as a cute little creature. As Jamie Latour wrote in his review, "Forager lets you set your own goals and create what you want, which makes for a peaceful vacation." So, you're in charge of your own experience.
But you're encouraged to collect resources, build things, and explore. You do get into a few fights, too, which is where the survival aspect of the game comes in. Beyond that, it isn't the most perilous of survival games, as it's more about building a life than staying alive.
Dead Space
The original Dead Space is an iconic game, and this 2023 version is "the definitive version of Isaac Clarke’s first chapter," according to reviewer Jade King. It's more survival horror than simply survival, meaning what you have to live through is generally very scary.
You're up against a seemingly endless amount of alien monsters known as Necromorphs, as you attempt to navigate an abandoned ship in space. You can defend yourself against them as the game includes third-person shooting mechanics. The combat feels unique because you take down enemies by targeting their limbs. This helps it stand out from many others in the genre.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn't a standard survival game. It's an asymmetric multiplayer title "as thrilling as the 1974 movie it’s based on" according to TheGamer reviewer, James Troughton. In it, you can play as either the survivors or Leatherface and his cannibal family. When you're controlling the people who don't hunger for human flesh, it's a tense survival game where you have to escape from these horrible people.
The fact the killer hunting you down is played by other humans makes things more problematic. After all, you can't really study patterns or routes your hunter will take, as they can always switch it up.
Farworld Pioneers
In Farworld Pioneers, you roam around vibrant sci-fi sandbox worlds, gathering resources and building colonies. You can also craft large and impressive buildings to call home.
So, the title is certainly similar in several ways to the likes of Minecraft and Terraria, including the fact there are plenty of dangers around. Therefore, if you want to survive in this wild place for a significant amount of time, you should probably craft some impressive weaponry and armor.
State Of Decay
State of Decay
- Released
- June 5, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Undead Labs
State of Decay is an action game set in a zombie-filled world. In it, you have to complete quests while finding time to manage a community of survivors. That ever-growing community is filled with playable characters that you can freely switch between.
None of them are zombie-proof, as each of them is at risk of being killed. And when they fall, they don't just get back up, as there is a perma-death feature in the game. This is where the survival aspect comes into play.
Amnesia: The Bunker
Amnesia games are typically about surviving scary monsters that are hunting you, and The Bunker is no different in that regard. After all, you play as a French soldier, who is stuck in a WW1 bunker with a monster stalking them.
10 Best Open-World Survival Games
Looking to explore a vast and dangerous world? Here, you can check out some of the best open-world survival games out there.You don't have enough supplies to take the beast on, so you have to hide and outmaneuver the creature. Along the way, you can do some exploration to learn more about the bunker and what is happening down there. Reviewer George Foster calls it "a truly terrifying experience that shows how bright the series’ future can be."
Darkest Dungeon
Along with being a survival game, Darkest Dungeon is also an RPG dungeon crawler. In it, you must explore and cleanse dangerous dungeons that are underneath your estate. You do that by sending in groups of brave adventurers.
Yet, even the mightiest of heroes struggle to deal with the mental anguish they go through while down in these dungeons. So, you must manage their stress, which can send them to an early grave if it gets too high. Of course, that is not the only thing that can kill them - they can also die in battle. Their survival is in your hands.
Valheim
Valheim
- Released
- February 2, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Iron Gate AB
In Valheim, you play as a Viking. But unlike the average Viking game that is typically all about raiding and pillaging, this one is about survival. You're a Viking who has just been slain in battle and brought to the Tenth World, which resembles a procedurally generated open world.
It isn't the most pleasant place to venture, as it contains plenty of dangerous foes that are ready to take you out. Not only have you got to defend against them, but you also must craft, forage, hunt, and mine to survive.
Soma
SOMA
- Released
- September 21, 2015
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
Soma is more of a narrative-focused survival game about a man who wakes up in an underwater facility far into the future. As him, you explore the place, speaking to the various mechanical beings housed there.
The experience is very thought-provoking as it makes you question the nature of being alive. The survival aspect of the game comes in the form of the monsters that stalk the place, who will kill you on sight. You must use stealth to stay away from their grip.
Amnesia: Rebirth
In Amnesia: Rebirth, you must make your way through some very dark desert caves and ancient tombs. You're looking for your companions. Instead, you typically find puzzles to solve, notes to read, and, worst of all, monsters looking to kill you. There is no way to fight these beasts. Your only options are to either run or hide whenever you encounter one of them.
So, it's a very scary game, but your fear level isn't the only one you've got to worry about. You also have to manage how scared your character is, too. The more frightened she is, the more she hallucinates, which makes things creepier and more difficult.
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is an original and simple survival game. You're placed onto a plot of land, and a ridiculous number of enemies are thrown at you. So much so that it's also considered a bullet hell game. Your only goal is to survive the onslaught as long as you can.
It doesn't have an array of deep mechanics like many other survival titles, but it doesn't need them. The various weapons and upgrades, along with the pure fun of surviving, are enough to keep the game interesting for many hours.
Stranded Deep
Stranded Deep
- Released
- April 21, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Beam Team Games
Things start badly for the playable character in Stranded Deep as they get into a plane crash. They manage to survive, but they're now stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with very few supplies. So, it's the perfect beginning to a survival game.
To stay alive, you need to manage your hunger, thirst, and general well-being. While doing that, you must gather resources to build rafts, tools, and shelters. Therefore, it's a very pure survival title. The way it separates itself from others in the genre is by putting a lot of focus on traveling across the ocean. This comes with its own dangers, as several deadly creatures are swimming around.
Dead By Daylight
Whether or not Dead By Daylight is a survival game depends on what team you're on. After all, this is an asymmetric multiplayer game where one person plays as the killer while everyone else controls the survivors.
As their name suggests, the role of the killer is to go around murdering everyone. If they all die, the killer wins. As the survivors, you aim to open up the exit or find another way to escape. It is essentially a highly violent game of cat-and-mouse.
This War Of Mine: Final Cut
This War of Mine is a unique war-themed game because you don't play as a soldier on the front lines or a special ops member. Instead, you control a group of civilians who are trying to survive during this difficult time.
They're all hiding inside a damaged building, hoping to avoid the conflict. You must keep them safe by maintaining their hunger and health while keeping their mood as high as possible. To do that, you need to scavenge for items and supplies, making the stakes of your survival just as high as theirs.
7 Days To Die
7 Days to Die
- Released
- December 13, 2013
- Developer(s)
- The Fun Pimps
There are many ways to perish in 7 Days To Die, such as through starvation or dying of thirst. Not to mention, multiple things can make your downfall quicker, like harsh weather, dysentery, and injury.
7 Days To Die: 15 Pro Tips And Tricks
These pro tips and tricks will help you survive the zombie hordes in 7 Days To Die.However, the biggest threat to your health in this title is, of course, the zombies. These monsters continually roam the game's open world and will attack you on sight. To make matters worse, they get stronger with each passing day. But you can craft bases to hide in and tools to help defend yourself. Plus, you can bring in some friends to help out, as the game supports multiplayer.
Plants Vs. Zombies
There have been a few different Plants Vs Zombies games, which have varied in both quality and genre. The original game, simply titled Plants Vs Zombies, is one of the best tower defense titles in recent memory. However, you don't defend a tower. You defend yourself and your home instead.
So, it's also a survival game in part. The thing you're trying to survive against is a horde of zombies. And you do that by utilizing different plants that all have their own powers, which can keep the monsters at bay.
Conan Exiles
Conan Exiles
- Released
- May 8, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Funcom
As you may expect from its title, Conan Exiles takes place in the Conan The Barbarian world. You don't play as the titular character, though. Instead, you control an exile who begins with nothing.
You must use what resources you can gather to avoid dying of hunger or thirst. To make matters worse, the open world is filled with dangerous creatures that will kill you if they get the chance. Plus, if you're playing on an online server, you must watch out for bloodthirsty players. So, there are dangers all around, which is what you expect with a survival game.
Grounded
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be the size of an ant? Well, Grounded helps feed that curiosity. You play as a shrunken human who must survive in a backyard with plenty of bugs and other creatures. They all share their own purpose, with some being more useful than others.
The spiders, for instance, are definitely not helpful as their goal is to kill you. And if you aren't fond of spiders, don't worry, as the game includes an Arachnophobia Safe Mode, where you can change how the creatures look. While dealing with those beasts, you must eat and drink to stay alive.
No Man's Sky
It's fair to say that No Man's Sky had a difficult launch. But after several updates, the game has become a more polished and fascinating adventure. In it, you get the freedom to explore a bunch of procedurally generated planets, where you find materials that help you build up your gear.
However, it's not as peaceful as it sounds, as these planets aren't all devoid of life. There is usually something around that's trying to kill you. And it would be best if you used your wits and whatever equipment you have to survive the attacks while making the planet as habitable as possible.
Frostpunk
Frostpunk
- Released
- April 24, 2018
- Developer(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
Frostpunk differs from many other games in the genre because you're not just looking after yourself or a small team. Instead, you must manage an entire city of people whose world has been destroyed due to global cooling.
Along with being a survival game, it's a city simulator where you have to manage resources and your people. In the process, you must make some difficult judgment calls that aren't always going to make you well-liked among the population. But sometimes, the unpopular choice will help keep people alive in the long run.
Minecraft
While Minecraft is certainly not the first entry into the genre, it led the charge for the current generation of survival games. Here you have all the elements you expect of this sort of title in their starkest, blockiest form. With no real goal and virtually unlimited space and resources, you can build whatever you want, assuming you can survive the hazards of wandering Mobs, including the iconic creepers.
Many Minecraft players get trauma flashbacks at the sound of sizzling bacon, thanks to those stealthy, exploding beasts. The game has limitations, but it's still amusing and perfect for family time with your little crafters.
Terraria
Terraria
- Released
- May 16, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Re-Logic
Terraria grew directly out of the excitement for Minecraft, making some similar concessions in terms of a block universe. However, Terraria limits the world significantly by making it a two-dimensional, pixelated setup.
It makes up for this limitation by giving you an even more comprehensive array of monsters to fight. There are several epic bosses and powerful waves of outrageous enemies you can summon by crafting magic items. There are also plenty of well-developed NPCs that you can trade with. They also sometimes give you scraps of information and quests—another very fun one for family play.
Medieval Dynasty
Medieval Dynasty is a fantastic blend of multiple genres, bringing aspects of survival, simulation, and strategy under one roof, making for unique and interesting gameplay. While not perfect, Medieval Dynasty delivers an unforgettable experience, placing you directly in the middle ages, forcing you to hunt, farm, and maintain a village for survival.
If you're looking for something that shakes up the survival formula, this may be what you're looking for, as it has enough of the survival identity present but stretches its legs far beyond what you would expect. Living your day-to-day life out will be tense, rewarding, and exhilarating, but it can also be frustrating if you don't know what you're getting yourself into.
Astroneer
Astroneer is a very pure survival game. With neither time limits nor set goals, you wander the worlds of your solar system, collecting resources that enable you to research and build ever more complex technologies.
While there are no animals in this game, only plants, that doesn't mean you're free from threats. Not only can the flora kill you with poison, explosions, and impaling spines, but it's easy to get lost, especially if you wander into caves. And a missing Astroneer usually runs out of air and dies.
State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 is a post-apocalyptic zombie horror survival game. What makes it different from many others is that you are not a lone survivor. Instead, you have to work together with other people who have managed to avoid being eaten by the undead (not other players, but NPCs in the game). You must utilize their skills and build your own base to hold against the onslaught of the wandering zombie hordes.
State Of Decay 2: The 12 Best Skills
Players can invest in skills that hold specializations meant to assist in survival. What are the best skills in State of Decay 2?This game can be bloody, but it's bloody fun, too. And the team-based ethos gives this game an uplifting core that contrasts sharply with the gruesome setting and grueling challenges.
Ark: Survival Evolved
Ark's subtitle is not just a sales conceit. It accurately describes what this game did to the survival genre. Plopped down nearly naked in a world full of dinosaurs, it's tough to hold your own. Dilophosaurs may be small, but they are vicious, and you'll die many times before you learn how to craft the weapons and tools necessary to fend them off.
As you gain skills, though, the challenge makes this game very satisfying when you start learning to construct shelters, transportation, and train dinosaurs. You can really rule the land from the back of a Baryonyx.
DayZ
DayZ
- Released
- December 13, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Bohemia Interactive
DayZ is a survival game that is online only, forcing you to explore the world with the hopes, or fear, of running into other players trying to survive. The rush of running into someone and not knowing their plans can be incredibly daunting to many, which is understandable, but we strongly urge fans of the genre to attempt this unique experience at least once.
Additionally, DayZ has a relatively robust modding community, and a large gathering in general, allowing you to easily meet like-minded players, setting you up for nearly endless hours of enjoyment. There's nothing like DayZ out there, and there's no questioning where its success game from, as trying to survive amongst zombies and real players is inherently terrifying and engaging.
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