Survival Games With Turn-Based Combat, Ranked

Summary

Survival games typically focus on managing vital resources for living, with common features like realism and immersion.
Turn-based combat is not often used in survival games due to potential immersion break, but these games showcase how well it can work.
Games like Dead State: Reanimated offer unique experiences by blending RPG elements with survival in intriguing settings.

In any type of survival games, regardless of the variety within this genre, you’ll often find several shared elements. These games tend to be challenging, requiring players to strive hard for their continued existence. Additionally, resource management is a key aspect, as players must carefully manage essential resources for their… let’s say, endurance. This could involve maintaining warmth in a game set in a cold environment or preserving sanity in a game filled with strange creatures.

While there are shared aspects among survival games, it’s common to find differences even in the harshest ones. For instance, many survival games choose not to incorporate turn-based combat within their gameplay. This is understandable because immersive survival games require immediate decision-making, which turn-based combat usually eliminates, potentially disrupting the player’s engagement with the game. Interestingly, some survival games have managed to seamlessly combine turn-based combat with the genre, demonstrating its adaptability within this field.

6. Dead State: Reanimated

An Immersive And Tactical Zombie Survival Game

This game is a captivating fusion of Role Playing Game (RPG) and survival elements, making it an excellent choice for enthusiasts who enjoy popular zombie games such as Project Zomboid. In this title, players are tasked with managing and coordinating a group of survivors during the onset of the zombie apocalypse rather than in its aftermath. What makes this game intriguing is that it doesn’t focus on the traditional ‘post-apocalyptic’ setting seen in most zombie survival games; instead, it places players right in the midst of the world’s impending end, where rumors and discussions continue to influence people’s understanding of the unfolding events.

10 years on, this small publisher’s game remains remarkably relevant, offering a level of narrative responsiveness that modern games ought to aspire towards. In this game, your decisions as a player instantaneously affect the attitudes of characters within the party.

5. Dead In Vinland

Brutal Norse Survival

Released: April 12, 2018
Platforms: PC
Developer: Ishtar Games

In nearly every scene, the game’s hand-drawn artwork stands out, particularly during combat sequences, which are turn-based, intense, and highly rewarding. Surviving on a frozen, enigmatic island is no easy task, but for role-playing game enthusiasts, it’s a must-play experience. Instead of one main narrative, there are numerous quests with varying outcomes that contribute to the overall conclusion, which is a culmination of these individual endings.

Positioning “Dead in Vinland” perfectly within the realm of Role-Playing Games (RPGs) is achieved due to its rich, evolving characters, a narrative that branches and responds to player actions, and ample opportunities for customizing the gameplay according to individual preferences.

4. UnReal World

A Roguelike And Survival Classic

The term ‘cult classic’ is frequently used these days to describe lesser-known games that have dedicated fan bases who highly value them. If we set aside the exaggerated language, only a select number of games would truly deserve this label – and ‘UnReal World’ is certainly one of them. This game falls under the category of passion projects in the roguelike genre, and it has evolved into a title with an extraordinary level of complexity, rivaling heavyweights such as ‘Dwarf Fortress’.

In this game, players are free to roam an elaborate, automatically generated environment boasting delightful graphic styles. Players can choose to concentrate on raw survival as a hunter or fisherman, or embark on a quest for something greater as a hero or adventurer. While some visuals might be confusing for newcomers, it’s rare to find such depth and complexity in survival games as this one offers.

3. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

A Venerated Post-Apocalyptic Roguelike

In discussions about survival games that really push players to their limits, Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead should undoubtedly be among the top contenders. Navigating through a world devastated by extraterrestrial invasion and infested with the undead is no walk in the park – quite the contrary. But overcoming such harsh circumstances can bring an immense sense of accomplishment.

The extensive liberty given to players in shaping their actions could potentially lead to a complex user interface, but once mastered, it transforms into an unlimited tale generator straight on your computer. Every player who has grasped the mechanics of CDDA seems to have a peculiar story to share about their characters’ unique adventures.

2. Wayward

A Charming Pixel Graphics Survival Title

Released: April 22, 2016
Platforms: PC
Developer: Unlok

For avid RPG enthusiasts seeking to infuse more fantasy into games such as Terraria or Minecraft, Wayward offers an excellent choice. With nearly a decade of development, this game has evolved into a richly layered survival adventure brimming with intrigue and discovery.

In a turn-based format, the game maintains an intense, life-or-death ambiance characteristic of survival games, yet it offers the opportunity for thoughtful planning and strategy associated with role-playing games (RPGs), as players are given time to consider their actions carefully.

1. NEO Scavenger

Survive With Scraps In A Devastated World

In no other game does “keeping afloat” shine quite like NEO Scavenger. It’s undeniably one of the finest survival games available, outperforming formidable rivals to claim the top spot as the best turn-based survival game on our list. Unlike many other games where players start with basic stone tools and eventually acquire gyrocopters and laser weapons, this game forgoes tech trees in favor of a more realistic, unpretentious scavenging experience – essentially, it’s all about diving into dumpsters.

In an abandoned structure or on a deceased individual, you can claim it as your own. If not, make do with an alternative. If gamers have two crocs of unusual colors on their characters’ feet, a Captain America shield sweatshirt that appears worn, and some tool to ward off homeless people – they are engaging in what is known as the ‘meta-build’, likely outpacing the equipment trend. Few games generate the same sense of vulnerability in players as NEO Scavenger , and the turn-based conflict with other struggling survivors or grotesque abnormalities only reinforces this feeling.

2025-03-14 14:35