10 Survival Games That Make You Feel Vulnerable

Highlights

• Survival games immerse players in realistic worlds where every move can mean life or death.
• These games offer challenging tasks like hunting and crafting, making survival not easy.
• Players in survival games battle elements, adversaries, and their own minds, creating vulnerable experiences.

In a survival game, players are conscious of the choices that they make – just one wrong move could be the difference between life and death. These highly-immersive worlds seem real to them; here, resources are scarce, and danger is always lurking around the corner, ready to take them by surprise, and even a small cut on the hand could lead to death if not treated in time. This vulnerability that players feel is what sets survival games apart from other genres.

Here, the goal isn’t just to exist, but rather, players are battling the elements, adversaries, and sometimes even their own minds. Below, we’ve curated a list of the best survival games that make players feel vulnerable.

10 UnReal World

Survival Sandbox Set In Iron Age Finland

• Platforms: PC, macOS, Linux
• Release: 1992
• Developer: Sami Maaranen, Erkka Lehmus

UnReal World is a popular game in the survival genre, and it offers a distinctive, old-school experience that is loved by a multitude of fans for its simulation elements. At the beginning of the game, players’ chosen character is dropped into a simulated fictional world that’s inspired by Iron Age Finland. However, though it is also considered to be a part of the fantasy genre, there aren’t a lot of fantastical elements, especially at first, because the game offers an in-depth survival experience where even performing a basic task, such as catching a squirrel, can be challenging.

Also, players may take some time to become familiar with the interface – to call it archaic would be an understatement – but once they get the hang of the controls, the game will start to progressively get better. Players can do almost everything here, but survival does not come easy.

9 Medieval Dynasty

Survival RPG With Medieval Life Simulation

The goal of this game is for players to create their own dynasty instead of being the typical lone survivor who is trapped in an unfamiliar environment. It follows a fairly elaborate storyline that brings together survival, RPG, and city-building mechanics. This game is more streamlined in its survival mechanics when compared to a lot of the other games on this list.

However, what makes Medieval Dynasty so intriguing is the ability for players to create their own village and all the mechanics that surround it. Although players oversee the entire village, they only have to focus on the survival of the protagonist. This makes this game an interesting pick in the survival genre.

8 Neo Scavenger

Survival RPG With Permadeath And Complex Choices

This turn-based survival game is set in a strange, post-apocalyptic world. To players, it will feel like they have immersed themselves in one of the most elaborate choose-your-own-adventure books. The hex-based map and limited series of actions make it so that almost every choice has a consequence, with scavenging being a central part of the gameplay.

To elaborate, Neo Scavenger offers an in-depth combat simulation where players are provided multiple options, most of which, when chosen, will end in failure. It is uniquely compelling, driving players to try their best to uncover the game’s secrets, regardless of how difficult the challenges may seem.

7 Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

A Survival Game Spanning Human Evolution

This is quite a dense and complex game that can very easily become frustrating; however, it does offer a unique experience. The goal is nothing less than to ensure the evolution of mankind. Players start out as ape-like proto-humans in prehistoric Africa, and their aim is to gather knowledge, learn skills, and pass all of it on to the next generations, eventually leading to the evolution of humans.

What makes this game so tough, especially at first, is that players pretty much start with nothing. The actual controls are surprisingly responsive and controller-friendly, but everything else is a mystery; a good deal of exploration and experimentation is required. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey had mixed responses at first, rightfully so, since it can be unforgiving at times.

6 RimWorld

Dynamic Storytelling With Colony Management And AI

RimWorld can be considered a combination of the survival genre with elements of The Sims, making it a unique game. The developers call it a storytelling tool, and the majority of the entertainment is just seeing how things play out. The AI systems in this game are as good as it gets, and it is those systems that make this game feel realistic, providing players with an immersive experience.

Additionally, the graphics can take a little getting used to, and the actual command system can be somewhat confusing to new players, but it all does not matter a whole lot, as the real joy of this game is just seeing the colonists interact with each other.

5 Green Hell

Survival In A Realistic And Harsh Amazon Rainforest

What makes Green Hell really stand out is how realistic the game is. Players won’t feel that anything is exaggerated, it is just them against the elements in the Amazon rainforest. A huge part of the gameplay is understanding how to deal with the different conditions that would either have to be avoided or tackled while traveling through the jungle.

Also, when players deal with illnesses, they must keep in mind that even the smallest thing, like a rash, can lead to hallucinations that may drive them insane. If they are not healthy, they may lose the will to live. Most of the game is about dealing with the mundane parts of survival, such as crafting tools, building shelters, and finding food, thus adding a layer of realism and challenge to the entire experience.

4 The Forest

Survival Horror With Crafting And Open-World Exploration

The Forest is a game that fits well into both the horror and survival genres, offering an entertaining gaming experience for players. The survival mechanics are realistic, and players are required to keep their health, hunger, and stamina in check while crafting stools and scavenging for resources. The storyline follows a plane crash survivor who is desperately in search of his son on an unknown island.

Here, the player must fend off attacks from monstrous mutants and cannibals who reside on the island, and this factor of horror and survival makes it one of the most immersive and entertaining survival games around. Despite the supernatural aspects, it still has a realistic feel.

3 This War Of Mine

A Survival Game From Civilians’ Perspective

This game offers a somber experience where players control a group of civilians who are trying to survive a war in an unnamed Eastern European country. What makes this game stand out is that it does not depict some fantastical scenario like most other games on the list. Players are just regular humans doing their best to get through the perilous situation they’re in.

The depiction of desperation during this time adds to its realism, and depending on the player’s actions, it can even lead to them becoming depressed or suicidal. The overall experience of This War of Mine is very bleak, and the game is an accurate representation of how wars are brutal, and the impact that they have on common folk.

2 Project Zomboid

Open-World Zombie Survival With Deep Simulation Mechanics

This list would be incomplete without a zombie game. Project Zomboid takes the premise of a zombie apocalypse and makes things as realistic as possible, which is another way to say that players are going to have a hard time! This game is incredibly tough; players start off as lone survivors at the beginning, and the goal is simply to survive, which is much easier said than done.

The zombies are relentless in this game, and it only takes a few of them to take the player down. Though the graphics are simple and retro-styled, the simulation is quite in-depth – there’s crafting, building, farming, character development, and more. Overall, the complex systems and attention to detail make it one of the most realistic zombie games out there.

1 The Long Dark

Survival In A Frozen Wilderness

Set in the remote regions of Canada after a mysterious geomagnetic storm takes out any existing form of modern technology, the goal of the game is just to survive. The most important thing in The Long Dark is for players to keep warm; however, everything is temporary. The actual survival simulation in this game is not that complex, but the constant need for players to repair and replenish their gear will create a dire sense of urgency.

Things can get desolate over the course of the game, especially if players are just playing in Sandbox Mode. This is a laser-focused survival game in a harsh winter environment, and while it is not as complicated as the others on our list, very few games really have the power to capture the feeling of loneliness and desperation in the way this one does.