Whether you are a seasoned veteran with hundreds of hours of survival experience behind you or instead you’re looking to take your first steps into the survival genre, this list of the Top 10 Survival Games 2016 will have you covered. Being a huge fan of survival games myself, I’ve managed to come up with ten of the most promising survival games that you must play in 2016. All of them are at various points of development, however they will all be playable at some point this year. There’s a game here for everyone, whether you are looking for a straight-up survival game, PvP action, dinosaurs or even surviving on alien planets or flying between galaxies.
Please note that these games aren’t ranked, this is a just a list of the Top 10 Survival Games 2016 in no particular order.
1) Escape from Tarkov
Escape from Tarkov is a game which most people probably haven’t heard of before, however it is one that you must definitely keep an eye out for and could become one of the best survival games of 2016. Escape from Tarkov is a hybrid between a hardcore and realistic online shooter and a survival game. The game is set in Russia and while there is PvP, the developers are aiming to provide lots of non-combat activities for players to take part in. It looks beautiful and I suggest checking out the website and watching some of the videos to find out more. The game also features extensive weapon customisation as well as focusing on player characteristics including hydration, energy, blood pressure, bloodloss, fractures, concusion, intoxication, exhaustion, tremors and more.
2) Survive the Nights
Survive the Nights is set to begin open-beta testing later this year and is a zombie survival game which gives you all the tools to survive. One of the key things about Survive the Nights is that it aims for realism, meaning that you have to watch your calorie intake, temperature as well as your mental health. Killing other humans will make your character have blurred vision, shaky hands and you’ll even start hearing voices in your head! Add to that vehicles, crafting and base-building and Survive the Nights looks promising.
3) Rust
Rust has been around for a few years, however 2016 will see Rust’s development be taken even further as it closes in on version 1.0. Rust is by far one of the best multiplayer survival games around, with a number of mods being created for the game in addition to the work of the developers. That means there are hundreds of community run modded servers giving even more functionality and features than the base game. Rust can be harsh and brutal, especially at the start but if you enjoy being a lone wolf or can find a group of friends to play with, Rust will provide you with hours of survival fun.
4) Hurtworld
Hurtworld is the latest survival game to be released in Early Access but don’t let that put you off. The game aims to be a hardcore survival game while also being welcoming to new players. There is a mixture of PvP and PvE available, with players needing to go deeper into the world to kill creatures and mine rarer resources in order to make guns and other high-level gear. That puts most people on a level playing field and rewards working together. Vehicles are also in-game, although are quite rare and since Hurtworld is built on the same engine as Rust, mods will also be available for servers in a similar fashion to Rust which will help prolong Hurtworld’s longevity.
5) The Division
The Division aims to be is a lot more than just a survival game and while it is most certainly a hybrid, it does include several features which make it a survival game. The game sees players trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where loot is rare and danger lurks around every corner while trying to investigate the cause of the crisis which has devastated New York city. However in addition to that, there is an importance on food and water, although they aren’t directly used by the character, they do make the need for scavenging ever more important. The Division also has a mixture of RPG elements making the game more immersive. It’s a triple A title that’s for sure and hopefully it lives up to its expectations.
The current-generation of consoles are lacking survival games so The Division may just be one of the better PS4 survival games you can play.
6) ARK: Survival Evolved
ARK: Survival Evolved sees players trying to survive on an island inhabited by dinosaurs along with other pre-historic creatures, most of whom will put up more than just a good fight if you mess with them. ARK has all your typical survival elements such as temperature, food and thirst which all need to be managed and there’s a good mix of PvP and PvE, making it one of the most complete and feature rich survival games currently out there. Even if dinosaurs aren’t really your thing, ARK: Survival Evolved still has a lot to offer that’s for sure.
7) The Long Dark
The Long Dark is a beautiful yet tough game to play. It puts you in the shoes of a survivor in the cold Canadian Wilderness following a Geo-magnetic storm which has devastated the country. Therefore you must find shelter and scavenge for supplies in the few buildings you come across scattered across the snowy wilderness. Your aim is to simply survive as long as possible. If the cold doesn’t get, malnutrition might. If that doesn’t, then the wild animals which roam the world certainly will. The Long Dark provided me with one of my most intense gaming moments of 2015 when I was sleeping, only to be woken up by a wolf staring straight at me, mere feet away from my sleeping bag.
8) Empyrion – Galactic Survival
Empyrion – Galactic Survival is an open-world space survival game which allows you to explore various planets. You can fly across the planets or traverse them on foot, the choice is yours. Your main goal is to survive while ensuring that your ship is maintained, repaired and capable of travelling through the galaxy. The developers behind Empyrion are some of the most active and talented developers around, and have already added procedurally generated worlds as well as a whole range of other features in just a few months. If you want a solid space survival game with huge potential, this is the one for you.
9) Subnautica
Subnautica is another game in Early Access, however in its current state it is already a very solid game and is set to only get better. The game sees you play as a survivor after your ship crash lands on an alien underwater world. From here, you can explore and scavenge in the vast expanse of the worlds oceans which are filled with a number of both friendly and hostile alien creatures. You can build underwater bases as well as explore caves and dive into the deep depths of the ocean to ensure your survival. Subnautica also supports virtual reality and works with the Oculus Rift, in case you have one.
10) No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky looks to be one of the most ambitious games yet, featuring procedurally generated universes which contain over 18 quintillion planets. Not only does that mean the game is very open-ended and well, huge, it also means that there is a lot of planets for players to explore. Just a few then. The main aim of No Man’s Sky is to explore these planets and upload information about them to the Atlas although in short, No Man’s Sky gives you one huge galaxy to explore and do whatever you like in, whether that be trying to reach the center of the universe, trying to wipe out certain lifeforms or just seeing where each exploration takes you, No Man’s Sky gives you the choice.
