The survival genre has been growing in recent years as one of the most popular genres for long gaming sessions. They’re perfectly suited to it for either a single player looking to chew through some time, a group of friends looking for a big PvE adventure, or a small squad looking to find some exciting PvP – survival games offer them all. We’ll look at some of the most exciting survival games to sink your teeth into, with a more complete list available at the gaming magazine gaming.org with all of your essential gaming news too.
V Rising launched into early access last year. This vampire-themed survival game gained a lot of attention right away for its very smooth gameplay unique features, and great progression system. For survival players it ticks all of the boxes, particularly after its Gloomrot update that came earlier this year.
Whilst the core of the game is focused around more PvP aspects with player castles being a resource within themselves, that isn’t to say there aren’t opportunities for players looking to play solo or in a small group in a private setting too. There are a lot of great features to explore, some fun bosses to fight, and of course the quintessential survival mechanics of gathering resources, processing, and upgrading gear. If you’re looking for something that’s a little different from the normal survival trope, V Rising is a great option with a fun gameplay loop and plenty of replayability.
Valheim launched in 2021. It was instantly a hit and became a benchmark of the quality of games that indie studios should be releasing. Managing to stick to its roadmap, Valheim has continued to release exciting content since its launch and there’s a huge amount to get done in the game, with a string of exciting boss fights across different biomes being one of the key gameplay loop experiences.
The game is great as a solo adventure but comes to life once a few more friends are involved with some of the boss fights and areas being a bit more challenging – whilst base building is a core feature in all survival games, for many Valheim excels here and truly offers a different experience from other games, and it’s a part of the game that can swallow up enough time by itself, and at just $20 it’s one of the cheaper survival games too.
Terraria is a game that doesn’t need much of an introduction. It has been a staple in survival since its launch in 2011. Although the developer has stated that development will stop on the game at the end of 2023, it’s still possible development will continue past this point, but if you’re a fan of the survival genre and haven’t given Terraria a go yet, it’s likely one of the best games that have ever released in this genre.
Much of the game is focused on the boss fights with there being quite a large number of fights to get through, and some of the gathering aspects being quicker and easier than other survival games, but the simplicity adds to the charm of the game as players have created beautiful worlds with the vast number of different materials and unique look as a 2d side-scrolling game.
LOTR: Return To Moria is the newest game in the genre to launch, but unfortunately not one that has excited many fans. A Lord of the Rings-themed game based around the dwarves and Moria, this game had the potential to be a modern masterpiece, but reviews have not been kind to the game as it appears to be quite shallow and missing out on what has made so many survival games great.
Despite this, there are brief moments where the game feels great, and if you’re looking for a new survival adventure then it may be worth a try, but as of yet this game doesn’t live up to the other greats just yet.
