Survival is one of the genres PC does best, from mod-friendly sandboxes and isometric zombie simulators to co-op crafting games that thrive on Steam. Keyboard and mouse suit the heavy inventory, base-building and crafting menus, and the platform's early access culture means many of these games have grown for years. Whether you want PC survival games for solo tension or survival games on PC to play with friends, the picks below run from tense solo experiences to games built for a group of friends.
1. Subnautica#
Unknown Worlds launched Subnautica in early access in December 2014 and released the full game in January 2018. You crash-land on an ocean planet and must gather resources, build submarines and bases, and dive ever deeper for answers. What makes it special is how exploration feeds the story, and how the ocean shifts from beautiful to terrifying. Hunger and oxygen are gentle enough that discovery always leads. Its weakness is fear: if deep water or giant creatures bother you, it is tough going, and the deepest areas can show pop-in and the occasional bug.
2. Valheim#
Iron Gate's Valheim, published by Coffee Stain, entered early access in February 2021 and reached version 1.0 in September 2026. You play a fallen Viking working through Norse-inspired biomes, building longhouses, forging gear and defeating boss creatures to progress, alone or with friends. The building is satisfying, and its lighting and low-poly look are lovely. It stands out for how gear and boss progression drive the whole loop. The weakness is grind: gathering, ferrying and repairing can drag, and ambitious builds sometimes fight with the structural physics.
3. Project Zomboid#
The Indie Stone released Project Zomboid in early access in late 2013, and it has been expanded steadily ever since. It is an isometric zombie survival sim in which every detail counts: noise, wounds, weather, food, even your character's skills and traits. Death is permanent and the story of each run is your own. It stands out for depth, multiplayer and a huge modding scene. The weakness is steepness. The interface and learning curve are harsh, and newcomers often die from a mistake they did not know they could make.
4. The Long Dark#
Hinterland Studio's The Long Dark drops you into the Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic disaster has killed all electronics. It began in early access in 2014 and got its story mode, Wintermute, in 2017. There are no zombies here, just cold, hunger, wolves and weather. Survival mode is the heart of the game, where every decision to travel or shelter carries weight. The art direction is quiet and striking. The weakness is pace: it is deliberately slow and can grow repetitive once you have mastered the systems.
5. This War of Mine#
11 bit studios released This War of Mine in November 2014, inspired by the Siege of Sarajevo. You control a group of civilians sheltering in a damaged house, scavenging by night and surviving by day while hunger, illness and morality press in. There are no heroes here, only choices with real costs. It stands out for its emotional weight and for showing war from the side of those who cannot fight it. The weakness is its bleakness: a run can feel punishing, and random bad luck can undo careful planning.
6. Don't Starve Together#
Klei Entertainment released Don't Starve Together in 2016, a standalone multiplayer version of its hand-drawn, gothic survival game. You gather, craft and cook through changing seasons, guarding against hunger, sanity loss and strange monsters. Its art style, humor and inventiveness are unmistakable, and it is best with friends who share the planning. The weakness is its lack of guidance. New players die quickly and often end up relying on a wiki to learn what works.
7. The Forest#
Endnight Games launched The Forest in early access in 2014 and released version 1.0 in April 2018. After a plane crash, you wake on a remote forested peninsula inhabited by cannibal mutants. It mixes base-building, crafting and horror, and the caves under the island are genuinely frightening. It works well solo or in co-op. It stands out for its atmosphere and its mysterious story. The weakness is combat, which can feel clunky, and the later stretch can become repetitive once you have built your fortress.
8. Terraria#
Re-Logic released Terraria in May 2011, a 2D sandbox that combines digging, building, crafting and exploration. You mine deeper, fight bosses and assemble gear, with the world filling with secrets as you go. It stands out for its sheer content: biomes, events, bosses and a long history of free updates. It also plays well in co-op. The weakness is guidance, since the game tells you very little. Many players lean on a wiki, and its survival pressure is milder than in the more punishing entries here.
9. Frostpunk#
11 bit studios released Frostpunk in April 2018, a city-survival game about keeping a society alive after a global freeze. You manage coal, food, heat and the hope of your citizens, and every law you pass has consequences. Its moral dilemmas are sharp, and the central generator makes a striking setting. It stands out for making survival a question of leadership. The weakness is that the campaign scenarios are not wildly different, and some players find the tight resource curve closer to a puzzle than a sandbox.
10. Green Hell#
Creepy Jar released Green Hell in early access in 2018 and launched version 1.0 in September 2019. You are stranded in the Amazon rainforest, where infections, parasites, poor diet and sanity loss are as dangerous as predators. The realism is the point: you treat individual wounds and track your mental health. It stands out for intensity and for a story mode with a real narrative. The weakness is its harshness. Early hours can be punishing and unforgiving, and the systems are demanding.
11. Raft#
Redbeat Games released Raft in early access in 2018 and reached version 1.0 in June 2022. You begin on a small wooden raft in an endless ocean, hooking floating debris, fending off a shark and expanding your vessel into a floating home. The calm, colorful setting and co-op make it easy to pick up with friends. It stands out for its simple, charming loop. The weakness is that the later game can become repetitive, and the story takes a back seat to building and gathering.
12. Grounded#
Obsidian Entertainment released Grounded in early access in July 2020 and released version 1.0 in September 2022. You are shrunk to the size of an ant in a suburban backyard, where spiders, ants and other bugs are huge threats. Crafting, base-building and a mystery story give it plenty to do, and it works well solo or in co-op. It stands out for its creative setting. The weakness is obvious if you fear spiders, and the crafting grind can drag.
13. Abiotic Factor#
Deep Field Games launched Abiotic Factor in early access in May 2024 and reached version 1.0 in July 2025. You are a scientist trapped in an underground research facility, fighting off creatures from other dimensions and crafting with whatever you can find. The setting is full of Half-Life-style humor, and co-op with friends is the ideal way to play. It stands out for its unusual tone and its strong world design. The weakness is that solo play can feel slow, and some areas are demanding without a group.
14. Enshrouded#
Keen Games launched Enshrouded in early access in January 2024. You are a survivor of a world consumed by the Shroud, a deadly fog, with voxel-based building, gliding and a grappling hook to traverse a large map. Its dungeons and boss fights give it a stronger action-RPG flavor than many of its peers. It stands out for the freedom of its terraforming and building. The weakness is combat, which stays fairly basic, and its content can feel thin compared with longer-running survival games.
15. Oxygen Not Included#
Klei Entertainment released Oxygen Not Included in early access in 2017 and reached version 1.0 in July 2019. It is a colony simulation set inside an asteroid, in which you manage oxygen, heat, food and waste for your clone workers. Its systems are deeply interlinked and wonderfully inventive. It stands out for rewarding clever engineering. The weakness is steepness: it is complex and unforgiving at first, and large colonies can strain performance.
16. The Planet Crafter#
Miju Games released The Planet Crafter in April 2024 after a long early access period that began in March 2022. You are a lone colonist on a barren planet, building machines to terraform it and watching it turn from desert to living world, with multiplayer for up to ten players. It stands out for the joy of seeing your progress transform the landscape. The weakness is pace: resource hunting is slow, and the threat level is lower than in most survival games.