Best Survival Games 2025
The survival game genre has risen to become one of the most popular game genres to date. Being thrown into an unknown environment with the objective ‘survive’ has encapsulated gamers everywhere. The genre itself rose to popularity around 2016, with titles such as DayZ and The Forest being the leading players at the time. With huge popularity among content creators for their unique playstyle and the ability to survive in these worlds, not only alone but with friends, made for a rather addicting archetype for gaming. Now we’re in 2025; it’s time to take a look at where the genre is now and what survival games are worth picking up.
No Man’s Sky – Exploration Survival Game
No Man’s Sky is a procedurally generated space exploration survival game, and way back in 2013, it was announced taking the gaming world by a storm of hype. But when release day came, the developers delivered only a small percentage of what they had promised, which left gamers everywhere disappointed, to say the least. Despite all the negative press the game received, the developers at Hello Games committed themselves to changing that perception.
With update after update, the game slowly started to resemble what they had promised back in 2013. Skip forward to now, and the game offers a vast, vibrant, and ever-changing world. The previously lifeless, boring planets now teem with wildlife, NPCs (Non-Playable Characters), dynamic weather, and much more. The game now gives the player a genuine want to explore as every world has its own unique feel and challenges.
Find it on Steam here!
Rust – PvP Survival Game
Rust is a game that’s been around for almost as long as the survival genre itself. Although, over the last couple of years has seen substantial content updates and overhauls making it one of the hottest survival games around.
So, what even is Rust? Rust is a multiplayer survival game where “The only aim is to survive. Everything wants you to die – the island’s wildlife and other inhabitants, the environment and even other survivors. Do whatever it takes to last another night. “You collect resources until you’re able to survive, build a base, plant a farm or even raid other players for their loot. Rust is that base building, PVP (Player vs Player) survival game everyone’s playing right now, so maybe you should too.
Find it on Steam here!
Project Zomboid – Zombie Survival Game
Released in late 2013, the small indie studio The Indie Stone set out to create Project Zomboid as the ultimate sandbox zombie survival game. (A sandbox game is one that gives players great freedom to interact creatively, usually without a set goal.)
In the developers’ own words:
“Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in multiplayer, you loot, build, craft, fight, and farm to survive. With a hardcore RPG skill system, a vast map, and a highly customisable sandbox. So, how will you die? All it takes is a bite…”
As of 2025, Project Zomboid remains in early access and continues to evolve. For years, it maintained around 1,000–2,000 concurrent players on Steam. However, the massive ‘Build 41’ overhaul added multiplayer and other features, breathing new life into the game. Since then, player counts have soared, peaking at over 50,000 concurrent players!
Find it on Steam here!
Minecraft – Sandbox Survival Game
If by now you haven’t heard of Minecraft, you’ve clearly been living under a rock. And So, if by the slight chance you actually don’t know what Minecraft is, I’ll give you a brief overview. Minecraft is a voxel-based, procedurally-generated sandbox survival game. And what is a voxel game, you ask? A voxel-based game uses voxels instead of traditional polygons. This creates a way to illustrate a 3D image without relying on polygons.
With constant updates, the game keeps growing and changing. Recent updates have pushed Minecraft back into the spotlight. These include Caves & Cliffs, Trails & Tales, and Tricky Trials. Each brought new features, making the game more exciting and popular than ever.
Find it on Minecraft.net
Now it’s time to SURVIVE!
Armed with your list of the best survival games for 2025, it’s time to step into that tough world; and, of course, survive! And what better way to give yourselves the greatest chance of success in those harsh environments than a brand new Gaming PC from us (shameless plug).