Survival Games Worth Playing Just For Their Exploration

Key Takeaways

The best survival games reward exploration with rare loot and resources, making it vital for progress.
The Long Dark offers a challenging survival experience in a snowy Canadian setting.
Valheim stands out by making exploration a central gameplay element, necessary for progression.

As someone who’s spent countless hours lost in virtual worlds, I must say that each of these games offers a unique and captivating survival experience. From the alien depths of Subnautica to the prehistoric landscapes of Ark: Survival Evolved, these games have transported me to places I could only dream about.

In the past few years, I’ve found myself drawn to the allure of survival games, which have skyrocketed in popularity. These games often delve into familiar concepts, like mastering the art of staying alive amidst a zombie apocalypse. Yet, others captivate me with their intricate portrayal of surviving under challenging conditions, offering a unique and engaging gaming experience.

One effective way of rephrasing this statement is: Top-tier survival games often motivate players to explore the vast game environment by offering rewards. Some survival games use scarce items and resources as incentives for exploration, while others necessitate exploration for advancement in the game. The most exceptional survival games design exploration to be challenging, encouraging players to meticulously prepare before embarking on their journey.

8 The Long Dark

Winter Is Coming

In simpler terms, “The Long Dark” is an advanced survival game that tests the skills of experienced players. Unlike most survival games, which can be as risk-free as regular breathing, this game appears to delight in inventing fresh methods to endanger players.

In the frozen landscapes of Canada after an apocalypse, delving into The Long Dark offers breathtaking snowy vistas as rewards. Yet, equipped with an intricate weather system that poses real danger, exploration demands careful preparation for survival. Essentially, it’s a remarkable survival game where exploration amplifies the sensation of solitude.

7 The Forest

Prepare To Be Scared To Death

The origin tale behind “The Forest” involves a character who endures a plane crash and becomes stranded on an island inhabited by cannibals and bizarre creatures. Initially, this plot may seem straightforward. But the intelligence of the cannibal characters is remarkable, as they actively pursue the player and summon assistance when necessary. The atmosphere can be downright chilling and unsettling at times.

In The Forest, exploration plays a crucial role in advancing through the game and unraveling the mystery behind the island and its denizens. This process yields exciting rewards like discovering concealed locations, for instance, vast cavern networks (which can be downright terrifying) and scarce resources.

6 Stranded Deep

A Survival Game With A Twist

In the opening scene of “Stranded Deep“, your character experiences a tragic plane crash in the vast Pacific Ocean. Your objective is to not only endure but also prosper, mastering the art of creating essential items for your survival. This adventure unfolds across both land and sea environments.

In the captivating game ‘Stranded Deep’, exploration is a necessity rather than an option. Players must scour other islands and various regions of the ocean to gather essential resources for their advancement in the game. The underwater ecosystems are particularly intriguing to delve into, although they can be hazardous at times.

5 Subnautica

Stunning Underwater Exploration

In the underwater world of Subnautica, the gamer discovers themselves on a planet predominantly shrouded in ocean waters. While there’s some terrestrial terrain, at the outset of the game, survival necessitates venturing beneath the surface of the sea. This calls for familiar strategies from survival games like resource accumulation, construction, and base development.

Subnautica earns its place on this list thanks to its stunning underwater landscapes. The map sprawls across vast and diverse terrains, teeming with peculiar alien sea creatures, some of which can be downright perilous. This game offers a genuine survival experience, but what sets it apart is the innovative shift of gameplay into the depths below the surface.

4 Ark: Survival Evolved

There Be Dinosaurs!

In “Ark: Survival Evolved,” you’ll find yourself in a survival game environment, this time on an island teeming with prehistoric creatures, such as dinosaur counterparts. Many of these creatures can be tamed and trained by the player, and some are even rideable!

The diverse ecosystem found within “Ark: Survival Evolved”, featuring multiple distinct biomes, some potentially dangerous, is what makes it worthy of inclusion on that list. To advance in the game, players must venture out to discover essential resources and items, which can only be found through exploration.

3 No Man’s Sky

A Game With Exploration At Its Heart

Initially met with a bumpy start, No Man’s Sky has since gained recognition as one of the top sci-fi survival games available today. The creators, Hello Games, have consistently rolled out free updates to enhance the initial gameplay experience and incorporate additional content.

In me, as a dedicated fan, every cosmic adventure in No Man’s Sky feels like a personal voyage toward the heart of the galaxy. This game is brimming with unexplored territories, from celestial systems and exotic planets, to intriguing alien lifeforms and unique flora. The thrill lies in being the first one to lay eyes on these wonders, and even naming them according to my own whims.

2 Terraria

2D Survival Sandbox

Two-dimensional survival games are quite scarce, and even rarer are those that offer an enjoyable and immersive gaming experience. One such game is Terraria, which stands out for its ability to create an intricate and detailed 2D survival world, despite its limited dimension.

Terraria stands out on this list due to its skillful creation of intricately detailed and diverse biomes within its procedurally generated maps. Additionally, the importance of delving into underground exploration zones cannot be overstated in the overall process of exploration. Despite being a 2D game, it effectively carves a niche for itself in a genre that is predominantly populated by 3D first-person games.

1 Valheim

Exploration Is Not Optional

In essence, Valheim embodies the spirit of a traditional survival game. You’ll encounter challenges in combat, crafting, constructing your base, and exploring the world, which you’ll inevitably face as part of your journey.

To make significant advancement in Valheim, one must embark on the journey of exploration. Each new level of resources, tools, weapons, and armor is only accessible after defeating the next boss. With the exception of the initial boss that appears near the starting area, this necessitates constructing a boat and venturing into unexplored shores. As you progress from biome to biome, you’ll encounter each boss in turn. That’s why Valheim holds the top spot on this list. It not only encourages exploration, but it integrates exploration as a fundamental aspect of gameplay.

2024-09-24 04:33