You have completed Sons of the Forest and are now looking for co-op alternatives? MeinMMO presents you here 5 survival games on Steam that you can tackle now – selected based on what aspect you liked best in Sons of the Forest.
Here you will find 5 strong survival games that you can tackle after Sons of the Forest. Depending on what you enjoyed the most, choose one of the points:
If you are not necessarily looking for survival, but other co-op adventures as well, then check out our video on the topic:
Exploration – Valheim
What kind of game is this? Valheim is Viking survival for up to 10 players. You start only with a cloth shirt, fight your way through the harsh world in a Nordic setting, and rise to become a celebrated Viking warrior.
With its fluid combat system, numerous biomes and bosses, Valheim managed to celebrate a decent hype at the beginning of 2021 and was immediately regarded as one of the best survival games. The graphics are rather functional, but you can alter the landscape similarly to Minecraft. Additionally, you can build fantastic Viking villages.
The goal of the game is to find and defeat the great bosses of the world. Each boss opens up a new biome with new materials that improve your crafting options.
Why Exploration? Valheim offers procedurally generated open worlds – each map is different, but can also be selected by seed. The game challenges you to explore the great worlds and find hidden clues about the bosses.
The gameplay loop constantly switches between:
- We have defeated a boss and are exploring a new biome
- We know where the next boss is and are improving our equipment
To unlock fresh resources, you are constantly searching new areas. You may even have to travel across the vast ocean and can construct portals between your settlements.
Price and reviews on Steam: Valheim costs €19.99 in early access and has 95% positive reviews (as of 02.03.2023 via Steam) – available in the Xbox Game Pass.
Base Building – Raft
What kind of game is this? Raft is raft survival and should be played with a maximum of 8 players. You start on a tiny platform that can hardly be called a “ship” and build yourself a nice home on the sea with the help of driftwood.
In Raft, you are constantly surrounded by water and explore an almost deserted Earth. You visit islands for new resources and follow the clues to learn more about the story of this flooded world.
The goal of the game is to find and play through all the major story islands. In the process, you build a fabulous ship with which you sail across the oceans.
Why Base Building? Sons of the Forest offered an interesting change with its free building system, and you get something similar in Raft. Instead of looking for a reasonably flat piece of land as usual, you build on the sea on your raft.
This is very refreshing and an exciting approach to base building. Any survival fan who enjoys using building tools should definitely try Raft – solo could be a bit exhausting since there is always a lot to do. However, enemies rarely annoy you, aside from the friendly shark.
Price and reviews on Steam: Raft costs €19.99 and has 93% positive reviews (as of 01.03.2023 via Steam).
Story – Grounded
What kind of game is this? Grounded is garden survival for up to 4 players. You land as a shrunken mini-human in your garden and must somehow return to normal size. To do this, you build a base from the typical materials found in a garden and thoroughly explore the backyard.
The setting has a very special charm, and it feels refreshingly new to cause mischief in the familiar yet still strange environment. You encounter thieving ants, house-sized ladybugs, and… yes, unfortunately also spiders. However, you can make the critters look different if you have something against spiders.
The goal of the game is to complete the story and return to normal size.
Why Story? In Grounded, you have a clear thread to follow to progress in the game. First, you find out what is actually going on, and then you set about returning to human size.
This is generally a bit stricter than in Sons of the Forest. Grounded is therefore optimal if you want clear instructions for a co-op survival game. Raft also works excellently for that.
Price and reviews on Steam: Grounded costs €39.99 and has 89% positive reviews (as of 02.03.2023 via Steam) – available in the Xbox Game Pass.
Combat – 7 Days to Die
What kind of game is this? 7 Days to Die is zombie survival with an MMO approach. You can create servers with many players, but also experience everything in co-op, except for PvP. You start with nothing but your bare hands, gather, build, and craft your way to the top of the food chain.
7 Days to Die is based on voxel graphics – similar to Minecraft. You can mine, rebuild, terraform, and do whatever else you have in mind. Additionally, there is a comprehensive building system based on placed frames that you fill with wood, stone, and later concrete.
The goal of the game is to survive as long as possible. It plays a bit like a tower defense game. The presence of your base attracts more zombies week by week, and a mega wave starts every 7 days.
Moreover, the procedurally generated open worlds invite exploration tours. Since the zombies run at night and are considerably stronger, you need a shelter for the night. This can make for exciting tours, including overnight stays.
Why Combat? Like in Sons of the Forest, you handle close and ranged combat in 7 Days to Die. You are constantly busy driving the rotting neighbors off your property. An RPG system ensures that your strength constantly increases. New recipes bring variety.
The difficulty gradually builds up. You can still manage the first “blood moon night” with a bow and arrow. After a few weeks, the next one becomes a survival test.
7 Days to Die offers a lot of content but can be particularly overwhelming for newcomers to the genre.
Price and reviews on Steam: 7 Days to Die costs €22.99 in early access and has 88% positive reviews (as of 02.03.2023 via Steam) – available in the Xbox Game Pass. The console version is a stripped-down game and no longer receives updates.
One More Round! – The Forest
If you have completed Sons of the Forest but still want more adventures in the forest – grab the first part. The Forest works just as you would expect but offers less good graphics and no NPC companions. The AI of the natives is also simpler.
However, you will find cannibals, mutants, a convoluted story, and a large island to explore. The whole thing takes place a few years before Sons of the Forest, and you fight your way through the caves to uncover the island’s secrets. And to save your son.
Price and reviews on Steam: The Forest costs €16.79 and has 95% positive reviews (as of 02.03.2023 via Steam). The PS4 version is also recommended, costing €16.99.
After connecting a game together, it sometimes leaves an uncomfortable void. We hope you were able to find a suitable title for yourself so that you can grind right away.
If everything goes smoothly, we can actually look forward to more survival hits in 2023: 8 new survival games to look forward to in 2023
