Survival games aren't going anywhere. In fact, they seem to be increasing in number, with new survival games claiming the ultimate experience every day on Steam. But before you drop more cash on another early access game, there are some fantastic, and immersive games already available. Some of which are single-player and others are MMO's. They run the gamut of sandbox worlds, from tropical islands to frigid forests beyond the horizon of civilization. But each of them offers an experience that is as memorable as it is unforgiving.

The following list was compiled subjectively, and is in no way indicative of any order. Some of the following games are single player and others are MMO's. And while there are undoubtedly other worthwhile survival games that deserve to be highlighted, the following are ones the author still has installed in his Steam library.

Top Survival Games

Ark: Survival Evolved



Developer/ Publisher: Studio Wildcard Release: June 2, 2015

Finally, a game that incorporates dinosaurs in an open world survival game. Ark: Survival Evolved drops you in the midst of mammoth reptiles, on a tropical island set against a science fiction backdrop. Stranded on the shores of a foreboding, but gorgeous, jungle you must survive dangerous predators. Its character creation must be inspired by Perfect World, as it gives the player complete control to design an absurd avatar. To level, players slaughter monsters in RPG fashion, leveling up with each dead dino, and unlocking new craftable items, as well as increasing character stats. Tame dinosaurs, turning them into your pets, and ride them to travel deep into the island's interior. Ark is still very much an early access game, but touts plenty of features that promise to set it apart from other sandbox survival games—besides dinosaurs.

DayZ



Developer/ Publisher: Bohemia Interactive Release: December 16, 2013

Of course DayZ is on the list. It is, perhaps, the mod-turned game that sparked the fiendish craze for the open world survival genre. In 24 hours DayZ sold over 172,500 copies and remained on the top of the Steam sales charts for two weeks in a row, without being discounted. It delivers a gripping atmosphere, steeped in uncertainty. It’s not that zombies are dangerous, but other players who are unpredictable and heinous—spawning an innumerable number of videos depicting the lengths players will go to exact cruelty. An enormous world gives way to open fields, dense forests, and abandoned villages littered with loot. But each step must be taken with caution, as ghillie suit snipers and roaming bandits shoot without asking. DayZ was the survival game that lead me to lose trust in other players, after being shot in the face multiple times during a friendly conversation.

The Long Dark



Developer: Hinterland Publisher: Hinterland Release: September 22, 2014

As one of the only survival games to pit you against the environment, The Long Dark delivers an exceptionally harsh experience in the frigid Canadian wilderness. It proves that you don’t need fantasy monsters or zombies to add tension to a sandbox survival game. After surviving a plane crash from a global disaster, you’re left alone to fend off wolves, bears, and the unforgiving cold. Phenomenal cell-shaded artwork immerses you in the beautiful north with a distinct appearance. You move from summer home villages to fire towers in the mountains, keeping your fingers crossed that a blizzard doesn’t freeze your strength, and your spirits. While other games employ skill progression, or constructing buildings as a measure of your success, The Long Dark’s reward is surviving through the night. It’s an engaging experience that stays with you even after leaving the game, one that delivers a brutal survival simulator despite its charming presentation.

Unturned



Developer: Nelson Sexton Publisher: Smartly Dressed Games Release: July 7, 2014

Developed by one person, Nelson Sexton, Unturned takes DayZ’s foundation and fuses it with simple, Minecraft-inspired graphics. While the world is boxlike, the Unity engine is fully harnessed, presenting a striking visual style reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons. Zombies patrol every town on the map, and decapitating the undead allots experience that translates into new skills and buffs. Unturned features a robust crafting system that allows you to construct bases, tools, and weapons. And it captures the omnipresent tension of its compatriots; players are merciless, shooting on sight even while you’re yelling, “Friendly!” Unturned is simple enough to run on nearly any computer, yet it parallels any other survival game on this list. If you’ve never played survival games, Unturned is the perfect place to start.

Tree of Life



Developer/Publisher: oddonegames Release: May 27, 2015

Emphasizing community over combat, Tree of Life may be the most distinct sandbox survivor. With childlike graphics, and a lightweight client, it’s a game aimed at everyone. Explore a massive island with various environments, and level skills in an RPG fashion—the more you punch a Wetlands Tree, the more proficient you become in Martial Arts and Logging. The game’s main focus is village-building. When night falls, the undead and other monsters attack man made structures, and only players can defend against them. Working together, players are encouraged to specialize in a skillset and form a thriving community. While it doesn’t always happen in practice, Tree of Life is a fantastic cooperative game.

The Forest



Developer/Publisher: Endnight Games Ltd Release: May 30, 2014

A self-proclaimed survival horror simulator, The Forest draws its influence from cult classic films such as Cannibal Holocaust and The Descent. As a plane crash survivor you must survive on an island inhabited by man-eating mutants who have captured your son. Explore, scavenge, and build to survive the roaming bands of cannibals, doing whatever it takes to protect yourself from them. For a game still in development, The Forest is one of the smoothest early access games, despite its beautifully rendered world. Its environments are impressively dense with vegetation scattered in every direction. And there’s a hidden tension behind every bush, as you anticipate a roaming band of cannibals to end your hunt. The crafting system lets you build a unique fortress to protect yourself, with a variety of gruesome traps to deter cannibals. But the forest itself is the most engaging character. It begs you to explore, while hiding its most grisly inhabitants.

7 Days To Die



Developer/Publisher: The Fun Pimps Release: December 13, 2013

Not many survival games succeed in motivating players to work together, but 7 Days To Die’s unforgivable undead makes sticking together the only option. While not the most visually impressive, it is beautiful considering everything in its environment is destructible and can be built on. No rock or stone remains immune from the persistent hands of a dedicated player. Zombie hordes wandering the world are formidable, and claw at your stronghold until they’ve broken through. Only by heavily arming yourself and working with a friend can you survive the game’s apocalypse. 7 Days To Die is one of the best zombie apocalypse games that merges voxel building blocks, and a robust crafting system. It also gives me faith in developers, as The Fun Pimps have stuck by their game since its release in 2013, releasing frequent updates and patches.

Subnautica



Developer/Publisher: Unknown Worlds Release: December 16, 2014

After completing Natural Selection 2, Unknown Worlds turned away from the harshness of space and focused on one ocean-covered planet in Subnautica. A survival game without a speck of land, Subnautica strands you to explore an alien underwater world. Exotic creatures lurk deep beneath the sea, and will kill you if you venture unprepared. Using the only technology left from your destroyed spaceship, you can craft vehicles, buildings, and new tools to survive. Subnautica heavily emphasizes exploration, and its randomly generated underwater world evokes an atmosphere that is both mysterious and beauteous. Unknown lifeforms patrol a variety of biomes, both inviting and eerie. Subnautica is a charming experience that few other games can compare to, setting a tough standard for its rivals.

Project Zomboid

Developer/ Publisher: The Indie Stone Release: November 8, 2013

No other zombie game can replicate the paranoid experience of surviving the apocalypse like Project Zomboid. Stranded in quarantined Knox County, players must stave off death by scavenging their former neighbor’s homes, while avoiding hordes of the undead. The zombies can’t sprint but retain their traditional, Romero-stylized movements in an isometric world. Hunting in slow-moving packs, zombies can quickly overrun players if players are foolishly backed into a corner. Moving from house to house is a mimesis of what an actual armageddon survivor might do to live. An RPG-stylized skillset helps you become more task efficient, and expands upon gameplay options, enabling you to farm, build a home (complete with furniture), and learn new skills. The game begins by telling you, “There was no hope for survival.” For how long will you laugh in destiny’s face?

Rust



Developer/Publisher: Facepunch Studios Release: December 11, 2013

Both comical and knuckle-biting, Rust is the first game to make flailing genitals an acceptable way to survive the wild. After exceeding sales, and staying on top of the Steam charts for weeks, Facepunch decided to reprogram the game and port it to Unity 5. Now each server hosts a unique procedurally generated map, with sprawling environments pockmarked with Radtowns. Transform from nudist to a suave bucket-wearing killer as you chip away at trees and stones with your potato-shaped rock. Rust may have one the best house building tools in any survival game, offering nearly limitless potential with a simple pinwheel interface. If your base is beautiful, somebody with C4 is coming to tear it down, leading to some of the most exhilarating gunfights in any survival game. The environments are gorgeous, and environmentally determined status effects add depth to surviving the world. And Facepunch may be the most open development teams out there, delivering weekly updates to display the game’s progress to fans.

It's inevitable that this list will continue to evolve, and may look radically different even a year from now. The open-world survival genre is far from exhausted, with new games peering over the horizon every day. But if these are the games they're forced to compete with, I'm excited to see what the future of the genre looks like.

If you have a particular survival game that you think I missed please let me know!