We present to you the currently best survival games of 2018, in which you fight for pure survival. Pure survival singleplayer games are excluded; it’s only about games that also offer multiplayer.
The survival genre in video games is versatile and offers many niches. Ultimately, the goal for the games is always to create a sense of paranoia in the player and make them fear for their life. This triggered survival instinct can be related to base building, resource gathering, or fighting against waves of undead.
The most interesting and best survival games for the year 2018 are summarized here for you. The games listed here can be played either in early access or in full release.
Do you want to see the currently best survival games instead? Then check this out: The 10 best survival games 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One.
Conan Exiles
Developer: Funcom
Publisher: Funcom
Release: May 8, 2018
Model: Buy-2-Play
Platforms: Windows (PC), PS4, Xbox One
Shop: Conan Exiles on Amazon.de – Affiliate link (we receive a small commission)
What is it about? In this open-world survival game, you play in the harsh world of Conan the Barbarian. Build a base alone or with friends and annihilate your enemies in brutal fights and large battles. You start the game with basically nothing, gather resources, and initially construct small huts, then fortifications, and eventually entire cities on the massive map. You fight your way through to your goal to leave the land of the exiled.
You have swords or bows available as weapons. For those who prefer bigger options, there are siege weapons or explosives. The giant god avatars that you can summon and control to fight with are also powerful.
Conan Exiles is ideal for players who enjoy exploring large, realistic, brutal worlds. Fans of the Conan franchise and players who value deep, challenging combat will also find a home here. Conan Exiles consumes many hours and is quite complex: If you want to be engaged with a survival game for a long time, enjoy meta-gameplay, and like to play longer sessions, then Conan Exiles offers another reason to give it a try.
What makes Conan Exiles special in the survival genre?
- Brutal battles with severed limbs
- Uncensored nudity
- Game set in the Conan universe
- You can command an army of slaves
- You can control god avatars
- In-depth combat and skills system reminiscent of RPGs
- Guide “The Journey” accompanies you from start to finish
The Forest
Developer Endnight Games
Publisher Endnight Games
Release April 30, 2018
Model Buy-2-Play
Platforms PC (PS4 release planned for 2018)
Shop: Steam
What’s it about? After a plane crash, you wake up alone (or with other players) in a massive forest. Your goal is to find your son Timmy. Gather resources by cutting down trees or collecting stones to build huts. The forest is inhabited by disgusting mutants who are not happy about your presence. With strong weapons and brutal traps that swing stones and crush the mutants’ skulls, you defend yourself against the enemies.
Walls made of logs keep the enemies at bay while you gradually expand your fortresses. During the day, you have a good chance to explore the large map, gather resources, and build without interruption. At night, the mutants are in a warlike mood and seek you out.
The Forest is ideal for horror fans looking for a survival simulator. The thrilling and simultaneously believable horror atmosphere is unique in the survival genre and is further emphasized by the intelligent AI of the enemies.
What makes The Forest special in the survival genre?
- Horror factor due to the creepy mutants
- Dark atmosphere
- Forest setting
- Living AI that feels “real”
- Easy-to-understand crafting system
- Much freedom in base building
- No time pressure – you set the pace
Rust
Developer Facepunch Studios
Publisher Facepunch Studios
Release February 2018
Model Buy-2-Play
Platforms Windows (PC), MacOS X, Linux
Shop: Steam
What’s it about? In Rust, you start with nothing but a rock. Primitive tools and weapons help you survive and gather food in the beginning. As the game progresses, you carry real weapons like pistols or shotguns and instead of shabby wooden huts, you build massive bases.
Common for survival games, you will suffer from hunger and thirst in Rust, and you must fight wild animals. The real danger comes from other players, as Rust places a strong emphasis on PvP. Practically every other player is a threat to you. A dose of humor and trolling is also part of Rust. It can happen that fresh naked players are just building their first shelter, which is then blown up by a pro with a rocket launcher. Therefore, your frustration threshold should be set accordingly high.
Rust is ideal for players who see the focus on PvP anyway and can overlook weaknesses in discovery and construction. Because PvP is the centerpiece: The struggle for survival against other players is nerve-wracking and varied, but also has a high difficulty level. Those who are frustration-resistant and appreciate the high potential skill factor will fit right in. Teamplay can also be quite fun because of this.
What makes Rust special in the survival genre?
- Powerful weapons like rocket launchers
- Offers PvE and PvP servers
- Enjoyably crazy community
7 Days to Die
Developer The Fun Pimps
Publisher The Fun Pimps, Telltale Publishing (Console)
Release December 2013 PC – Early Access, July 2016 Console
Model Buy-2-Play
Platforms Windows (PC), Mac OS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Shop: Steam
What is it about? In 7 Days to Die, you play an interesting combination of first-person shooter, horror, survival, a touch of roleplay, and tower defense. The setting is in a post-apocalyptic world, where part of the survivors have been infected with a virus. After seven days, the virus is deadly – those who die become bloodthirsty zombies.
When starting, the open game world, which consists of voxel blocks as in Minecraft, is randomly generated. Choose your spot where you want to build a fortress. This is important and must prove itself on the seventh day against the hordes of zombies that will storm the building. During the day, you gather supplies, hunt, explore, or build around your fortress. At night, the zombies have the advantage and can run faster.
The weapon selection includes the nail club, a chainsaw, or a rocket launcher.
Ideal for survival players who want to bunker down in their fortress and take out zombie masses from a safe distance.
What makes 7 Days to Die special in the survival genre?
- 7-day rhythm before being put to the test
- Gameplay appeals to tower defense fans
- Voxel world (consists of blocks)
- Vehicle system allows cars to be adapted in various ways
- Buildings collapse if you build poorly
- Creative mode for when you want to let loose
ARK: Survival Evolved
Developer Studio Wildcard
Publisher Studio Wildcard
Release First release August 29, 2017
Model Buy-2-Play
Platforms Linux, Windows (PC), Mac OS X, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Shop: Ark: Survival Evolved on Amazon.de – Affiliate link (we receive a small commission)
What is it about? In ARK: Survival Evolved, you start naked on a mysterious island. To survive, you hunt or gather fruits, as you need to satisfy your hunger and thirst. On the island, you encounter dinosaurs that you can kill, hatch, or even ride. You can also tame them and have them gather resources for you.
During your adventures, you gain experience points and learn blueprints to create new buildings, tools, or other items. You can craft these with the resources you’ve gathered. In the skill tree, you strengthen your character by improving attributes like stamina, movement speed, or crafting skill. If you wish, you can join large tribes (clans) and form alliances.
Ark: Survival Evolved is ideal for fans of dinosaur worlds and those who have always wanted to visit Jurassic Park (and would have preferred to build it themselves). Ark is suited for players who prefer simpler gameplay in survival games. The fights are relatively straightforward and behave like a shooter, but are quite visually appealing – especially the spectacular boss fights. The story is not particularly important, and building is a means to an end – the focus is on surviving against the dinos.
What makes ARK: Survival Evolved special in the survival genre?
- Huge selection of dinosaurs
- You can build your base on the back of a dino
- Many discovery opportunities on the island
- Boss fights
- Attribute system for character improvement
- Combat system with shooter elements
Don’t Starve Together
Developer Klei Entertainment
Publisher 505 Games
Release April 2016
Model Buy-2-Play
Platforms Windows (PC), PS4, Xbox One
Shop: Steam
What is it about? In Don’t Starve Together, you start on a randomly generated map. The eerie, animated look in the style of Tim Burton is the hallmark of the game. Maintaining your saturation, mental health, and vitality is important. You’ll find resources on the map to take care of these.
You can choose between different characters, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Some are good at fighting but quickly lose their sanity. Others can maintain their mental well-being for a long time but quickly fall in battle.
You won’t receive a tutorial or beginner level that explains everything. No, you are immediately thrown onto a map and must not starve. Creatures can kill you quickly or drive you insane. Up to 6 people can play together in a session. Invite friends or use matchmaking to play with random players.
Don’t Starve Together is ideal for you if you want to play a fun, dark adventure with friends. Don’t Starve Together works well for a group of friends who already play well together. The story shouldn’t be overly important to you, but you can enjoy the funny characters and the group play.
What makes Don’t Starve Together special in the survival genre?
- Gloomy comic look
- Tim Burton style
- Unique world in its own universe
- Challenging rounds
- Active mod community, special servers
Hunt: Showdown – The Horror Shooter
Developer Crytek
Publisher Crytek
Release February 2018 (Early Access)
Model Buy-2-Play
Platforms Windows (PC)
Shop: Steam
What is it about? Hunt Showdown is a “different” survival game. You are out as a hunter, alone or in a two-player team. In each match, a maximum of five teams start, which means up to ten players. PvE elements, such as hunting the selected bounty monster and PvP elements, such as shooting other players, are combined here.
The main goal of all teams is to find a disgusting big monster on the map. Once you’ve found and killed it, you must escape with the bounty to cash in. But that’s not so easy, as when you take the bounty, all other players are notified – and they want the same bounty!
They can now steal your bounty by shooting you. Thus, tactics play a major role in the game. Let the others do the dirty work and just steal their loot afterwards. But be careful! With the permadeath system, you only have one chance per match. If you manage to escape with the bounty, you secure money. With that, you can improve the equipment of your characters for the next match. If they die, their equipment is lost.
Hunt: Showdown is ideal if you are looking for a competitive game with survival elements. Have you always wanted to be a bounty hunter, but instead of cowboys, you’d rather shoot monsters and other bounty hunters? Then you are in the right place. If you like atmospheric environments, you will definitely be attracted to the swamp area in the game. Also, you should preferably be tolerant of camping, as that is one of the standard tactics.
What makes Hunt: Showdown special in the survival genre?
- Bounty hunting
- Small teams of a maximum of two people
- Dark gameplay
- Mix of PvE and PvP
- High tension and risk due to permadeath
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