Key Takeaways
- PS4 is a cozy gaming device for survival games with exclusive titles not available on Xbox or PC.
- Explore realistic games with options for hunting and crafting.
- Experience survival in post-apocalyptic worlds with unique town-building mechanics and more.
When playing some harsh and stressful survival games, you’ll want to make sure that you’re ironically as comfortable as possible in your gaming station. It just so happens that the PlayStation 4 (PS4) is one of the coziest gaming devices you can have since you get to sit back far away from the television or monitor on your couch with your arms more relaxed than on the PC.
Hence, you could say that playing survival games is best experienced on consoles, mainly the PS4 (let the comment section console wars begin!). Thankfully, there is no shortage of survival games in PS4’s collection. Some of them are even exclusives that are not available on the Xbox consoles or the PC. To shorten your scouring time for such games, we have here a list of 10 of the best of them.
Updated September 30, 2024 By Matthew Mckeown: As great as survival games are, they don’t always make the translation over to console very well. Either due to bugs or the controls being too awkward to work with a gamepad. So it can often feel like you’re starved for stuff to play.
However, there are great survival games to play if you know where to look in the wilds of the Playstation Store. To help you on your hunt, we’ve tracked down the latest releases that are worth checking out with an updated look at the best PS4 survival games out now.
Smalland: Survive The Wilds
Pixie Power
If you’ve ever wanted to know what it was like to be a tiny Pixie in the wilderness, then Smalland: Survive The Wilds from Merge Games should be on your radar. This unique survival game has all the hallmarks of the genre, but with a unique twist, you’re very, very small.
The world you can explore is massive, literally. So you’ll have to craft and research strong gear and equipment in order to survive or tame some of the wildlife that’s now much larger than in real life. It’s tough when you’re tiny, but it’s not hard to build a camp and make a place for yourself in these wild lands.
Bring in a few friends in multiplayer to make the experience easier to deal with.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Legends Of The Zone
A Returning Cult Classic In A Fancy New Skin
Listen up Tovarishch, the anomalies are active and only the most talented, or lucky, Stalker is going to make it back alive in this fantastic return to a classic series. A three in one pack that puts you back in the legendary Zone once more, S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Legends of The Zone is highly recommended for fans of challenging survival games.
Set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Legends of The Zone is a remaster of the classics that tightens up a few things whilst ironing out a lot of the infamous bugs of the time. There’s no hand-holding here, and unless you’re fast with the Quick Save button, you’ll be another victim of the Zone in no time.
Starsand
It’s Dune, But Not As We Know It
A sand-based survival game with a lot of potential, Starsand from Tunnel Vision Studio sticks you in the middle of an alien desert and it’s up to you to survive and thrive. Despite being a little rough around the edges, Starsand has some medieval Dune vibes to it that work in its favor.
Just like on Arrakis, everything out there can kill you. From giant bugs, roaming Sandstorms, gigantic Sandworms, and even the constant blistering heat. So there’s a lot to manage and account for. Plus, there are tombs and hidden dungeons to explore out there in the dunes so getting out into the sands is encouraged.
Focus on finding an Oasis and setting up a basic camp first before you explore out.
The Flame In The Flood
Roguelike River Rafting
A roguelike river raft trip you definitely want to go on. The Flame In The Flood from The Molasses Flood has all the Huckleberry Finn charm of backwater drifting, but in a much darker and dangerous world.
The wildlife is as dangerous as the torrents you’ll be dragged through, and getting off your boat to explore is just as important as upgrading your roaming home. Society in America has broken down, but there are still helpful folks waiting just around the river bend. A gorgeous game from top to bottom, The Flame In The Flood is a must-play for fans of surviving on boats.
Astroneer
Automating Other Worlds
According to System Era Softworks, the team behind Astroneer, space is vast and ready to be industrialized. And they’ve got just the team of adorably chaotic astronauts to do it. Set during the 25th Century, intergalactic travel is commonplace and those floating worlds out there are in dire need of mining.
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There’s seven planets in total to travel between and tear apart for your own needs, or just to build the best factory around. Dig your way through the planets cores and shape the landscape to suit your needs with an array of odd yet useful gadgets on your own, or bring in some friends and carve up space as a crew. If you like micromanaging production machines you’ll love the Astroneer.
Hunting Simulator 2
Seeking The Most Dangerous Game
If the Cabela games taught us anything, it’s that people enjoy blowing animals apart with high-powered rifles. Step in Hunting Simulator 2 by Neopica. With just your gun and your trusty dog to keep you company, this survival game plops you down in the wilderness with trophy hunts in mind.
Explore the forests of Colorado and Europe, or brave the scorching sands of arid Texan deserts as you track down over 33 separate species to shoot. There are 160 different types of weapons to pack, accessories to tweak them, and various types of clothing to camouflage you better. All the animals have realistic behavior and AI, so it’s not just a target shoot as they’ll put up quite the challenge. If you enjoy hunting but don’t have the time or gear, then check out Hunting Simulator 2.
Pacific Drive
Cross-Dimensional Car Repair
Being trapped in another dimension isn’t so bad when you’ve got a customizable and souped-up Station Wagon to keep you safe. In Pacific Drive from Iron Wood Studios, you’ve been sucked into a dangerous and unstable area known as the Exclusion Zone.
What follows is a long road trip across a fractal and fractured landscape that’s constantly in flux. You need to find your way out whilst helping out the locals, and around every new bend is another anomalous threat to deal with. A thrilling science fiction survival game, Pacific Drive comes highly recommended.
Daymare: 1988
Nostalgic Horror In A Nutshell
A little rough around the edges, but full of bizarre charm and early Resident Evil-esque nostalgia, Daymare: 1988 is a survival game that puts a lot of emphasis on horror. After a small town’s populace has been twisted and turned into mutated monstrosities, it’s up to three survivors to turn the tide.
Each character has their own unique story and situation that unfolds and throughout your travels through the town, you’ll need to collect evidence, manage resources, and generally just try to survive. It’s a very odd but simple game with enjoyable mechanics, a strange plot, and some interesting enemy types to encounter.
Surviving The Aftermath
Braving The Wilderness And Much Worse
A post-apocalyptic survival game with a unique difference, in Surviving The Aftermath from Iceflake Studios you’ll be taking charge of not just yourself, but an entire community. Grow from just a shack in the woods to a sprawling piece of scrap-covered suburbia and complete tasks to meet the needs of your community.
But it’s far from smooth sailing as bandits, bad weather and worse will assail your town, so you’ll need to be prepared for everything. A satisfying simulator with a lot of replayability and some great spots to build towns, Surviving The Aftermath is a hidden gem more people need to be playing.
Away: The Survival Series
POV Nature Documentary Creator
Normally in Survival games, it’s man versus the wild, but in Away from Breaking Walls, you’re on nature’s side for once. Find out how tough it is for a tiny woodland critter to make it by day to day as you follow the story of a Sugar Glider.
Explore the remote wilderness, glide above the treetops in style but just watch out for predators. Keep your adorable little Sugar Glider safe and experience your own nature documentary-style adventure from their pint-sized perspective. There are additional animals to unlock ranging from beetles and other bugs to bigger critters like lizards, crabs and more. It’s a fun little jaunt that does something different and it’s worth picking up if you find Sugar Gliders adorable.
Truberbrook
Wes Anderson Would Like A Word
A survival dventure game with a unique style, Truberbrook from BTF is a handmade almost stop-motion puppet-style journey back to 1960’s Germany that feels like going through an animated Wes Anderson film. Follow the story of Hans Tannhauser as he gets to the bottom of a mystery that involves the fate of the world in a remote town rural town in Truberook.
Oozing with charm and taking inspiration from Twin Peaks and Star Trek of all things, Truberbrook is perfect for a cozy evening in with some very atmospheric and immersive storytelling. Around 10 hours long, there’s a lot of interesting themes and character beats at play that are emotionally touching and very memorable. If you like a good mystery, then check this one out.
Rimworld
Colony Simulator For Crazy People
A survival game that’s perfect for psychopaths, Rimworld from Ludeon Studios has you managing a colony of survivors on a far-flung distant world. You only start with three of them but it’s up to you to organize, build, manage, and tame this alien wilderness.
There’s so many layers to Rimworld that you can create pretty much any kind of colony you can think of. The AI continually evolves your own handbuilt story as your survivors interact, grow, and form their own relationships as time goes on, so things always play out differently. Plus, with great mod support, regular updates, and a massive amount of customization to tweak each new colony, Rimworld will keep you occupied for hours.
There is no ‘story’ in Rimworld, instead, the game generates an overarching plot through random events.
Vigor
DayZ’s Bigger Brother
An Early Access multiplayer survival game from a team with a lot of experience in this particular field. Virgor from Bohemia Interactive, the crew behind DayZ is on some slightly rickety legs but it’s taking some steps that are worth looking into.
Set in post-war Norway in the 90’s, the harsh and unforgivable environment of the Outlands awaits. You’ll need to utilize your survival skills in order to succeed whilst also recovering resources for your Shelter from the hostile wilderness back home. There are over 60 different kinds of weapons to wield, so your loadout is down to you. Keep an eye on your map, watch the treelines, and good luck.
Death in Vigor wipes your inventory, so keep that in mind when going into any firefight.
Dysmantle
Bob The Builder In A Broken Wasteland
Everyone loves a Zombie apocalypse and 10tons Ltd definitely know that. In Dysmantle you play as a lone survivor in your classic setting of a world overrun with Undead. In this case, you’re stuck on an island and whilst you can stay in your Shelter, you’ll stand a better chance scavenging the towns nearby.
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Everything can be broken down into materials, but don’t make too much noise as there are more than Zombies prowling those woods. Nature has been twisted by the infection and unless you’re adequately armed you might just end up as another post-apocalyptic statistic. There’s a mystery to solve, an Outpost to build, puzzles to solve and a big crafting and farming system to chew into.
You can’t always win every fight. Tactical retreats are encouraged as it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the hordes.
Fade To Silence
A Winterland Wonderland This Is Not
A surprisingly solid and challenging survival experience from Black Forest Games, Fade To Silence is a co-op survival trip into the frozen wilds. The world is in ruins and corrupted monstrosities stalk the lands and it’s up to you as ‘Ash’ to try and survive this endless winter.
Unfortunately, as the leader of your Colony you have plenty of mouths to feed, so you’ll need to scavenge resources across the massive map. The weather will wear you down, the Eldritch creatures can easily hack you apart and if that doesn’t kill you, roaming Blizzards will. The world is set against you, so if you enjoy a challenge then it’s worth checking this one out.
It’s highly recommended to play Fade To Silence in co-op otherwise you’ll hit a lot of brick walls playing solo.
Once Human
Mutants Run Amok In The Woods
An open-world Indie Survival Game that’s gotten a lot of traction online, Once Human from Starry Studio has a lot of unique quirks, monsters, and mechanics that are worth checking out.
Dropped in a post-apocalyptic world twisted beyond recognition by an alien creature known as Stardust. Everything is infested and warped into new and deadly forms as the world falls further into ruin. Find out the truth behind the invasion, fight massive mutated bosses, customize your loadout, and build a home in the middle of nowhere as you try to survive. There’s plenty to see and do, plus lots of meters to manage to keep you on your toes.
The main mechanic is balancing your Sanity. Which reduces when facing monsters, mutants, and eating tainted food.
Niche – A Genetics Survival Game
Bending The Laws Of Nature A Litte
A colorful and cartoonish romp into the genetic sciences, Niche is an apt name for this game as it’s quite a specific genre they’re gunning for. Developed by Stray Fawn Studio, Niche is all about survival of the fittest through evolutionary adaptation.
It looks simple on the surface, but this turn-based 4X game is far from it. There are a lot of tiny things you can tweak with your creature and as you move around the board to different habitats there are various hazards to contend with. Evolving to counter them is key and there are plenty of genetic dead ends you can fall into that will wipe your species off the map. The creatures are adorable and its simplistic setup is easy to get to grips with.
Be aware that some evolution choices will be detrimental to your creatures in the long run. Try to plan ahead.
V Rising
Build-A-Dracula Simulator
Build a dread fortress filled with Ghouls and show the lands beyond who the new Undead Overlord in charge is with V Rising. This unique survival game from Stunlock Studios has a fun twist in that instead of just fighting all the monsters, you are one.
At your command is a budding Vampire Lord and it’s up to you to build up their fortress, expand their influence, and upgrade them into the deadliest Blood-Sucking Beast around. There’s a surprising amount of depth to the survival mechanics and the games continually updated with new mechanics, items, and more to make it the ultimate Vampire based Survival game around. If you’re looking for a challenge with a twist then check out V Rising.
A lot of the early game involves hiding from sunbeams and darting to shadows, but over time you’ll build up a stronger resistance to that pesky sun.
The Greyhill Incident
UFOs And Little Grey Men Menacing Farmsteads
A Ufologist’s wet dream, The Greyhill Incident is a simple yet unsettling and spooky survival game from Refugium Games that has you surviving the night in a backwater town as aliens invade. Tall heads of corn hide shambling grey shadows and it’s up to you to wrangle the other survivors and get help.
Sneak from house to house, scavenge supplies from empty farmsteads, and don’t let the Greys see you. You’re outnumbered and extremely outgunned so every decision is crucial. Despite some rough edges here and there, Greyhill Incident is an enjoyable evening for those who enjoy anything involving UFOs.
Don’t let the Early Access tag spook you, The Greyhill Incident earned its stripes since launch and is worth giving a chance.
No Son Of Mine
Puzzle Solving With Poltergeists
A horror-themed survival game that relies heavily on stealth, subterfuge, and a healthy dollop of puzzle-solving. Stay out of the dark and evade the dark entity known as The Boy as you try to escape the terrifying place you find yourself trapped in.
At your disposal is The CB 9000, a strange gadget that lets out a big blast. You’re constantly hunted and never safe, but at least there are signs to watch out for that signal when you’re not safe. Lights flicker, odd sounds moan in the dark and it’s all very unsettling. It’s an Indie Survival game that requires a bit of lateral thinking, but it’s an enjoyable couple of hours.
