Best Survival Games Set In Cities

Key Takeaways

Survival games aren’t limited to desolate settings. Cities offer unique challenges.
Miscreated, DayZ, and Urban Survival provide diverse urban survival experiences.
Games like This War Of Mine and Frostpunk offer unique perspectives on city survival.

As a seasoned gamer with a soft spot for city-building games that challenge both my strategic prowess and emotional resilience, I must say these three titles have left quite an indelible mark on my gaming journey.

In the realm of video games, when the term “survival game” arises, many players envision a barren wilderness, detached from contemporary civilization. Indeed, such games often immerse players in a solitary environment, be it a deserted island or an alien planet devoid of other human inhabitants. However, it’s essential to note that not all survival games follow this pattern.

Enthusiasts of survival games have likely explored diverse environments. It might seem odd for a survival game to be set within an urban landscape, but there are numerous methods to ensure daily life in a more contemporary setting is just as difficult and inhospitable as a frozen wilderness or the dense Amazon jungle.

8 Miscreated

Brutal Hardcore Multiplayer Survival

In comparison to other survival games that might be more refined or less labor-intensive, Miscreated stands out as one that enthusiasts of the genre appreciate due to its challenging resource gathering and leveling up process. What sets Miscreated apart is its multiplayer feature, allowing a group of friends to progress faster and potentially endure this post-apocalyptic journey more effectively, which has been likened to Rust in terms of its difficulty.

Despite the fact that Miscreated showcases sprawling, deserted metropolises left in ruins following a cataclysmic last war among mankind, gamers have access to an expansive open environment beyond these urban landscapes. It offers deep caverns, vast forests and a rich variety of vehicles for players to navigate as they delve into every corner of this fascinating, lifeless world.

7 DayZ

A Vastly Improved Survival Experience

Despite its ongoing imperfections, DayZ has undergone significant improvements since its chaotic debut. Originally a mod for Arma 2, it’s now transformed into an open-world, multiplayer-exclusive survival game set in the terror of trying to survive against zombie swarms in a post-apocalyptic version of Chernarus, a fictional land inspired by the Czech Republic.

Despite the game’s setting spanning both rural and urban landscapes of Chernarus, it manages to instill a sense of dread for players as they navigate a city overrun by grotesque undead creatures. Few zombie games have managed this level of intensity, and even fewer have dared to turn the experience into a full-fledged survival game while doing so. This sets DayZ apart as a distinctive and chilling contribution to the genre.

6 Urban Survival

Randomly Generated Nomad Survival

Platforms: Windows
Developers: Helix Games
Released: September 25, 2020

In contrast to most survival games, which are typically set in rural or post-apocalyptic environments, there are very few that take place in an ordinary urban setting where daily life persists. Standing out among these is the indie game Urban Survival, as it immerses players into a randomly generated city and challenges them not just to find shelter, but to rise above the homeless population and rule the streets.

In this entertaining and somewhat absurd urban survival game, the vast open-world cityscape teems with junk that players should scavenge for valuable items. You can recruit homeless individuals as soldiers to expand your growing homeless faction, while hostile forces will attempt to hinder your progress. It’s a unique blend of strategy, management, and pure survival adventure.

5 Dying Light

Dynamic Zombie City Horror

In a more relaxed and conversational style: Top-notch zombie games are designed to keep players on edge, constantly questioning their safety, thereby intensifying the fear factor as they progress through gameplay. A prime example is Dying Light, an engaging adventure set in a fictitious Middle Eastern city called Harran, where you assume the role of a secret agent tasked with retrieving a crucial document before the city’s zombie outbreak spirals completely out of control.

Navigating through the urban landscape via parkour, immersing oneself in an outstanding narrative, and confronting zombies that range from manageable during daylight hours to terrifyingly swift at night, makes this one of the top-tier zombie games available. As a survival game, it remains impressive even after nearly a decade, standing among the best in its genre. The open-world city of Harran offers an exciting and thrilling experience for players to traverse and survive within.

4 Project Zomboid

Knox County’s Temporary Survival Classic

While many zombie survival games exist, not many have adopted the approach from the Nazi Zombies mode in Call of Duty, which emphasizes not just surviving, but enduring for as long as possible. The scenic locale of Knox County serves as the backdrop for Project Zomboid. With its latest stable release in 2021, it now incorporates the city of Louisville, adding more depth and vitality to this zombie-infested game.

In the game “Project Zomboid,” players start in one of four towns surrounding Louisville. However, Louisville’s cityscape significantly expands the game’s scope. The game offers an urban setting, isometric view, and open-world environment in Knox County, giving it a distinctive atmosphere that sets it apart from other games in a crowded genre. With a thriving modding community and countless strategies to prolong survival, this game offers a high level of replayability, even within the survival genre.

3 Surviving Mars

City-Building On The Red Planet

In these exceptional urban survival games, it’s not just about one character surviving, but rather the entire city itself becoming a living, breathing entity. City-building mechanics have seamlessly integrated into the survival genre, and one standout game is “Surviving Mars“. The concept is clear from its players select a sponsoring nation from Earth and start constructing a colony on Mars. Along the way, they must confront various hazards derived from actual Martian data.

In the game Surviving Mars, players encounter numerous obstacles such as needing to transport most resources from Earth and combating a harsh environment. As you progress through the technology hierarchy, more colonists can be recruited, each with unique pros and cons. Balancing these elements is crucial in developing a self-sustaining colony that could be instantly destroyed by natural calamities or other unpredictable events, which are introduced at random as gameplay unfolds.

2 This War Of Mine

A Very Different Type Of War Game

Rather than centering on the active combat zones, This War Of Mine shifts its focus to a band of survivors huddled within a war-torn urban landscape, striving to endure the conflict while scarcely resourced. As the player guides the entire group, resource management, strategic planning, and survival skills become crucial elements in navigating the imagined city of Pogoren, offering an unusual context for a survival game experience.

In contrast to typical survival games where you venture out during the day and take refuge at night, players in this game must seek shelter indoors during the day as there are snipers present. This necessitates scavenging for resources at night to survive, and using that time to craft, cook, and recover from your exertions when it’s daytime. The game’s dark atmosphere, compelling interactions with NPCs and combatants, and innovative use of the city environment make “This War Of Mine” a captivating yet harrowing experience.

1 Frostpunk

The Ultimate City Survival Experience

A game called “Frostpunk,” another entry in the city-building genre, intertwines numerous concepts from traditional survival games, notably the unforgiving cold of a volcanic winter set in an alternate historical backdrop during the 19th century. By seamlessly merging management, survival, and strategy, “Frostpunk” expanded the city-building sphere by demonstrating the intellectual rigor and excitement needed to endure such harsh circumstances to the broader gaming community.

In Frostpunk, players must grapple with tough decisions, often uncertain about which path will best ensure the survival of their people and city. This game offers a variety of situations to navigate across multiple “generator” locations, and it frequently presents unexpected challenges. As such, Frostpunk stands out as one of the most demanding survival games currently available, making it an ideal choice for veterans of survival and strategy gaming.

2024-09-13 14:34