Summary
Online survival gamesare not for the faint of heart and are notorious for challenging and pushing gamers to their absolute limits. Players are not stepping into the shoes of an overpowered main character; instead, they are thrust into a situation where they must manage their limited resources while facing unforgiving mechanics. To survive, players must rely on strategy, quick thinking, and sometimes, rocky alliances. One wrong move can spell starvation, disease, or an unforgiving end at the hands of the environment or, worse, other players.
Whether battling unrelenting monsters, braving the wilderness, or trying to stay sane while hunger consumes them, every moment is a fight for survival, which is not guaranteed. Mistakes are unforgiving, but persistence is rewarded. For those players who love high-stakes gameplay with no hand-holding and testing their skills in worlds where the margin for error is razor-thin,these brutally difficult survival games offer unforgettable experiences.Where survival is not guaranteed, it is earned.
Like its predecessor,Sons of the Forestis beautifully haunting and expertly blends exploration, tension, and combat. LikeThe Forest,its predecessor, it begins with an aerial vehicle crashing into a dense forest, but this time, the player is part of a search and rescue team and not alone. Rather, they can find Kelvin early on, a deaf and mute man who will help them build, and Virginia, a mutant who can fight. These companions are instrumental in aiding the player on their quest to locate and save the Puffington family.They are also necessary to keep alive for several different endings.
To survive, the player must manage the essentials: hunger, thirst, and sleep. However, they must also build andcraft or find weaponryto fight against the ferocious cannibals and grotesque monstrosities, like the deformed conjoined twins and mutant babies. Enemies can swiftly overwhelm players and destroy their structures, especially at the start of their journey. However, not all cannibals are immediately hostile; they mourn, express anger, curiosity, and fear depending on the player’s actions, showcasing the game’s sophisticated AI. The game also has dynamic weather, eerie sound design, and a massive map, which makes the player feel isolated, but paradoxically, always seen by the unseen. Due to the size of the maps, players are given multiple ways to traverse the world: hang gliders, golf karts, and boats. However, it may still take nearly an hour to get back to their base, and players can get lost trying to find items for the story quite easily. The game is exclusively PvE, but players can play online with up to 8 others, and things will get progressively harder the longer they survive.There is a lot to fall in love with, and there is nothing like it.
7 Days to Dieis a genre-defining open-world survival horror game that fuses tower-defense and RPG mechanics. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic Arizona ravaged by a Third World War turned nuclear, and a zombie pandemic to boot. Players begin with just a stone axe, bandages, a flashlight, and some basic provisions. To survive, they must manage their hunger, thirst, injuries, and hostile weather. Players can also complete quests, level up, and read books and magazines to improve their crafting and unlock additional perks. This, alongside crafting, building bases, scavenging, and trading, is what will help them fend off zombies.
There are multiple biomes to build in and loot: Desert, Forest, Snowy Forest, Burnt Forest, Wasteland, and the Plains. Building a base in any biome will determine the amount of loot, zombies, wildlife, resources, or weather that players will encounter. Additionally, players can hijack and build upon existing structures, like skyscrapers, army camps, or inside caves. Players can also dig deep underground for their base or build one that reaches the skybox, which increases the game’s replayability. However, be cautious when building bases, as zombies can destroy them. The game’s true difficulty is felt during The Blood Moon, which makes zombies spawn more frequently and behave more aggressively. There are a variety of enemies, like feral, acid-spitting, and screaming zombies. The number of zombies can quickly overwhelm and kill the player, which is especially scary with permadeath activated. However, bosses are very limited; the only boss is theunique boar called Grace, but there are unique enemies, like zombie dogs or vultures. Whether playing solo, with up to 8 friends, or playing on PvE and PvP servers,7 Days to Dieis an unforgiving survival experience that demands players to adapt and overcome challenges.
7 Days to Diehas no real story, but the developers, The Fun Pimps,have expressedtheir plans to add one.
ARK: Survival Ascendedis a remaster ofARK: Survival Evolved, and it retains the core elements that made the original so addictive and popular. Players build gigantic bases, craft weapons, tame and breed dinosaurs, level up, advance their technology tree, and engage in fierce boss fights and PvP battles. Unlike other survival games, food and water are abundant, but the weather can be harsh, such as in the snow or desert, although not to the extent that it would be considered “difficult.” Rather, the difficulty comes from the game’s depth and high stakes.
ARKboasts an array of dinosaurs with distinct purposes, like the Doedicurus and the Ankylosaurus, which are usedfor gathering resources.Solo players may find farming resources difficult, as it is slower, and important resources like Tek are dangerous to obtain, impeding their ability to advance as quickly as those with tribe support.Further, breeding top-tier dinosaurs can take as little as hours or as long as days, but they can be killed in minutes.Entire bases that took years to build can be lost through an online or offline raid by enemies, allies, or even fellow tribe members. However, there is no permadeath, so players cannot lose their characters, but this thrilling, high-stakes PvP is what makesARKunique. To succeed, players must bite the proverbial bullet and form alliances, as it is paramount to surviving among the larger “Alpha” and “Mega” tribes, despite the risks.ARK: Survival Evolvedhas PvE servers for those who want to engage with bosses and the story, and PvP servers for those who want to test their mettle against other players.
Don’t Starve Togetheris the standalone multiplayer expansion toDon’t Starve,a deceptively whimsical survival game that is anything but easy. The game drops players into an unforgiving and stylized world (isometric, 3D, with 2D sprites) with nothing, and their goalis not to starve, die, or go insane. The game features 19 unique characters, each with drastically different mechanics, from summoning a ghostly sister, a giant aggressive teddy bear, or making balloons. All equally powerful, to be sure. The game has a steep learning curve but offers hours of replayability, due in large part to Klei Entertainment adding skill trees for characters, frequent updates, and rewarding players with cosmetics for playing.
Continued survival means mastering a difficult day and night cycle. At night, the world goes pitch black, and players must acquire a light source to navigate and survive, or risk taking damage, dying, or going insane. Insanity causes shadowy monsters to materialize and deal significant damage. However, they can be killed for the resources required in the mid- to late-game. Moreover, players must contend with harsh seasons. These bring new challenges in the form of harsh weather, unique resources, and bosses that can terrorize the player and end a run. Gamers can play solo, online co-op, or join a PvE or PvP server. While this game is primarily PvE, PvP offers fun and intense combat.However, like many online survival games, some of the stakes can be circumvented by switching off permadeath.Nevertheless, it remains one of the most difficult online survival experiences available.
Green Helllives up to its name. It sees one to four players brave the elements and balance their health and stamina bars, which is achieved by maintaining a balanced diet. Nutrition is broken up into four categories: hydration, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Balancing this is key to keeping sane. Going insane will kill the player, as they fight tribesmen and hear voices that are not there. Sanity is improved by being near a fire, eating honeycomb, and sleeping well and off the floor. It is lost by eating bugs or people. However, the jungle is abundant, so these resources are readily available. On harder difficulties, abundant too is the wildlife and the deadly cannibalistic Waraha tribe. Players who do not think logically and critically will be swiftly punished. For example, a player eating without washing their hands can contract parasites, not treating wounds can cause infections, and eating meat from poisonous animals can poison the player.
Green Hellfeatures in-depth building and crafting, as well as unique and punishing mechanics, which can make players feel triumphant upon overcoming them. It is not PvP, but it is difficult enough without it. The game offers multiple difficulties and even a permadeath mode, where one small mistake can end a game, making itone of the most challenging online survival games available.
DayZis a hardcore survival game set in the post-Soviet Republic of Chernarus, which zombies have overrun. Players can customize their character somewhat by selecting from presets and changing their outfits. Afterward, they will spawn with only some fruit and bandages and can progress by looting houses and gathering resources, tools, and weaponry. This, alongside building a base, will help fend off the zombies, wolves, bears, and, more importantly, other players, who might kill the player at any moment. However, other players are few and far between, and the map is so large that one might not see another player for multiple play sessions, but be prepared and have a weapon and/or a microphone on hand, just in case. Encounters are unpredictable, and people are prone to shoot if a player does not speak. Players can find allies who may give them items or invite them to a squad, but they should be prepared for betrayal, as trust is a rare commodity.
DayZdoes not hand-hold the player. They can die from starvation, dehydration, sickness, weather, broken bones, bleeding, torture, force-feeding from other players, or from the various hostile mobs they might encounter. Thismakes the game highly punishing, especially due to the game’s permadeath, where death doesn’t just reset progress, but deletes the entire character. However, unlike other games,players who playDayZsolo or in a small group can thrive in this game, as they use fewer resources, make less noise, and can coordinate efficiently. InDayZ, it feels like anything and everything is out to get the player, and knowing there are no second chances makes for an intense and thrilling experience.
Project Zomboidis an unforgivingasymmetrical online zombie survival game.Originally a single-player experience, it now supports online co-op and PvP servers,but don’t expect to win, because death is inevitable. As the game states, “This is how you died.” Survival is not about beating the game; it is about the challenges the player overcomes, how long they last, and the story they make along the way. When a player starts or joins a game, they must make four decisions: their spawn location, their occupation, their traits, and what they look like. The most impactful decision is choosing their occupation and traits. There is an array of occupations that provide unique benefits, but some require more skill points than the player will have to spend, necessitating the selection of both positive and negative traits until they balance out. This system leads to endless roleplay possibilities, such as playing as an unemployed shut-in who panics when outside due to agoraphobia. Very relatable.
Over time, the challenge of surviving will only get harder, as power and water shut off, food spoils, and buildings decay. As the world collapses around the player, they will experience dynamic weather, like thunder that attracts zombies, and freezing snow. Long-term survival hinges on looting, improving skills, reading books for knowledge, building bases, and farming. Eerily, if a player has died before, they may find their last character’s zombified self, alongside their equipment, reminiscent of the Ubisoft classicZombiU.Despite the game’s admittedly clunky controls, steep learning curve, and dated graphics, it offersan enriched experience that hardcore survival fans will appreciate.
Rustis a harsh and unforgiving multiplayer survival experience. The biggest danger is not traditional survival; other players are the deadliest threat. In the game, players do not create a character. Instead, they are thrust right in and spawn with nothing but a rock andmust gather resourcesto make tools, shelter, food, and water. Progression is achieved by obtaining blueprints and rarer resources that unlock vehicles, turrets, guns, and explosives. Eventually, players will move from merely defending themselves to raiding others and taking their valuables.
The core ofRustrevolves around gathering, crafting, building, crafting raid gear, and ultimately, raiding. It is a deceptively simple and addictive gameplay loop. Typically, the best loot is found in dangerous areas with radiation; however, venturing there increases the likelihood of encountering well-armed players or being ambushed. Additionally, if the player does not have much time to invest,they can be raided while offline by those who do, and may find the steep learning curve all the more difficult. Moreover,Rusthas a notoriously toxic community and the occasional hacker, which may be discouraging. Players have to accept this, as there is PvE, but it is lackluster, and not what people play the game for. Players can play solo, but it is far better and easier with friends or allies. Those interested should not let the negatives discourage them, as the game receives consistent updates and makes foran unforgettable gaming experience.
