Best PC Survival Games of 2022 (Part One)
Considering that the instinct of self-preservation is written into human DNA, it is not surprising that survivalists are so popular in the video game industry. The best representatives of this genre are able to test the player, so to speak, in full, setting him the most difficult tasks and problems, which can be solved only thanks to ingenuity and iron endurance.
In addition to the elementary health bar in modern survival games, you need to monitor many other factors: hunger, thirst, diseases, ambient temperature, and so on. In addition, no self-respecting survival toy can do without such game mechanics as collecting useful resources, building, hunting, fishing, cooking and farming.
There are countless survival games on the market right now. This begs a logical question: which of them is worth paying attention to? As many of you may know, with popularity comes a very obvious disadvantage: a bunch of low-quality crafts, quickly knocked down on the knee.
Today we take a look at the 23 best games (part two coming soon) for PC survival in 2022!
V rising
In short: crafting, building bases, survival and vampirism.
Status: In Early Access as of May 17, 2022.
Link: Steam
It would seem that a vampire who has gained immortality should only care about one thing – blood. However, in V Rising, bloodsuckers need not only to extract scarlet nectar, but also to cut down trees, crush stones and even build bases, and this should be done preferably in the shade: the sun burns very much.
We will not hide, a little strange concept, but it works with a bang. Over time, unpretentious wooden bases turn into luxurious stone castles that can be filled with devoted servants. Of course, the player can not only use weapons from the Middle Ages, but also use various vampire abilities. V Rising is an interesting mix of action RPG with elements of the survival genre.
Valheim
In short: exploring the world and building bases in the underworld of Norse mythology.
Status: Released to early access February 2, 2021.
Link: Steam
Valheim has acquired a whole bunch of fans almost from the very release – and this is not surprising! A huge procedurally generated world, awesome boss battles, a great base building system where the developers were able to organically add elements of cooking and crafting. Valheim can be played alone, but the game fully reveals itself in co-op, especially given the many game mechanics that are quite difficult to keep track of on your own. Highly recommend Valheim if you are a fan of Norse mythology.
Subnautica
In short: survival, crafting and building – underwater!
Status: released on January 23, 2018.
Link: Steam
Explore an alien underwater world in a homemade submarine! Subnautica players will need to not only collect resources and provisions, but also create bases, entire fleets of submarines, and craft new technologies that will help them survive in the harsh deep water. Subnautica is one of the most popular “survivors”, and all because its developers managed to implement a very unique concept.
Grounded
In short: you are a tiny person who is trying to survive in the yard of the house.
Status: Released September 27, 2022.
Link: Steam
Obsidian thought why not shrink the player down to the size of an ant and send them on an adventure through the backyard of a private home? Grounded is just about that. We are engaged in collecting resources and arranging the base, simultaneously fighting off giant insects and hungry birds. From such an “interesting” perspective, even the most ordinary courtyard seems like a magical and mysterious place.
Frostpunk
In short: survival, city building, overcoming emergencies in an icy world.
Status: Released April 24, 2018.
Link: Steam
Frostpunk is a mix of city building, social simulation and survival elements set in a dark, icy world. Confronting cold, hunger and embittered people, you will have to build a city in a snow-covered crater, which is heated by a hefty coal furnace. Gather vital resources, hunt rare game, and keep your town happy. Do you love making tough decisions? Well, in Frostpunk you will be pleasantly surprised.
Project Zomboid
In short: the most elaborate survival horror in the zombie apocalypse setting.
Status: Released November 8, 2013.
Link: Steam
If you are looking for an elaborate and extremely difficult survival game, then you have found it. Project Zomboid has a fairly high barrier to entry: it takes literally dozens of hours for some people to more or less understand the in-game mechanics. However, when you understand that yes, how it works, it will be impossible to tear you off. In Project Zomboid, you have to do … yes, almost everything that comes to mind when you think of zombies: search buildings, search for and cook food, strengthen the windows of your shelter, sneak past the hordes of the dead in the night and other pastimes inherent in the setting. Plus there is multiplayer!
Escape from Tarkov
In short: a brutal, hyper-realistic shooter with a strong focus on resource management.
Status: Still in beta phase.
Link: Official site
Escape from Tarkov is a wild combination of iconic survival mechanics and the now popular battle royale. Game matches take place on relatively small maps with real players and a few dozen bots. To survive, the player needs not only to get to the exfiltration zone, but also to collect all kinds of loot in order to sell it at auction to other players or use it personally in subsequent game matches. In a sense, Escape from Tarkov is similar to poker, where not chips or money are put on the line, but life. Perhaps the main advantage of Tarkov is the hyper-realistic shooting mechanics and the insanely detailed weapon/equipment personalization.
outside
In short: a role-playing game in a fantasy setting with survival mechanics.
Status: Released March 2019.
Link: Steam
It’s technically impossible for the player to die in Outward, but that doesn’t stop Outward from being one of the best survival RPGs in the fantasy setting today. The main danger in Outward is not numerous opponents or powerful bosses, but the game world itself: you need to tirelessly monitor the scales of hunger, thirst and health. Arid deserts will draw all your strength out of you, bogs and swamps will poison you. Each sortie requires a responsible approach, because the game does not have a fast movement system.
Rim World
In short: a sci-fi colony management sim inspired by Dwarf Fortress
Status: Released October 17, 2018.
Link: Steam
RimWorld has been in early access for a very long time, but still managed to reach a release in the fall of 2018. The player takes on the role of caretaker of a procedurally generated human colony on a similarly procedurally generated unknown planet. Expand your base, keep your colonists healthy, and deal with the aftermath of random disasters that include alien attacks and deadly disease outbreaks. But the most difficult task in RimWorld is to make sure that the colonists get along under the same roof.
Raft
In short: survive on the open ocean on a raft that can be turned into a floating fortress.
Status: went to release in July 2022.
Link: Steam
Well, isn’t it idyllic? Float on your raft, enjoy the water surface, collect anything, for example, the wreckage of other rafts or barrels of provisions, and fight off an overly annoying shark, which, well, doesn’t want to leave you alone at all. It’s good that your comrades and friends can help you fight off the toothy adversary! And depending on the chosen difficulty, Raft can be both casual fun and the most difficult test.