On PS5, survival games range from lonely wilderness treks to cooperative base-building sandboxes, and the fast SSD loading and big open worlds suit the genre well. The best of them make gathering, crafting and staying alive feel like a story of your own, whether you are diving into an alien ocean, raiding with friends or surviving a frozen wasteland alone.
1. Subnautica#
Unknown Worlds sets you down on an alien ocean planet with a lifepod, a scanner and a slowly draining oxygen meter. Descending into kelp forests, glowing caves and crushing deep trenches while crafting better gear is the genre at its most atmospheric, and fear of the deep is its sharpest tool. The PS5 version arrived in May 2021 with better resolution and faster loading. The story is thin and some late-game sections lean on guesswork, but nothing else on the platform matches its sense of discovery.
2. Valheim#
Iron Gate's Viking survival game drops you into a Norse afterlife with clear boss-driven progression, from a timber cabin to longships and fortresses. It reached PS5 with the 1.0 release in September 2026, with crossplay across platforms. Its chunky, low-poly look hides deep building, sailing and combat systems, and it is at its best with friends. Solo play can feel grindy, and the inventory and base management take patience to learn.
3. The Long Dark#
Hinterland's survival game is quiet, cold and punishing. You wander the frozen Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic disaster, managing warmth, calories and fatigue, with wolves, thin ice and blizzards as constant threats. There is a narrative Wintermute mode as well as an open Survival mode, and its hand-painted look and sound design are superb. It arrived on PS5 in November 2025. It is strictly single-player and slow, so anyone wanting action or co-op should look elsewhere.
4. Grounded#
Obsidian shrinks you to the size of an ant and leaves you in a suburban backyard, where blades of grass are trees and every spider is a nightmare. Crafting, base-building and bug combat come together with a lighthearted mystery story, and up to four players can team up. It reached PS5 in April 2024. The creature-fear factor is real for arachnophobes, and the late game can turn into a long grind for materials, but few survival games are as charming.
5. The Planet Crafter#
Miju Games turns survival into terraforming: you start on a barren planet with a small base and gradually build machines that create oxygen, heat and pressure until life takes hold. Watching the landscape change from red desert to green forest is deeply satisfying. It launched on PS5 in July 2026. It is a calm game with little combat or urgency, so those wanting constant danger may find it slow, and the middle hours can become repetitive.
6. Abiotic Factor#
Deep Field Games puts you in a secret underground research facility overrun by creatures from other dimensions, playing as scientists armed with a crowbar and improvised gear. It mixes Half-Life-style humor with crafting, base-building and co-op survival for up to six players. It arrived on PS5 in July 2025. It works alone, but it is clearly designed for groups, and the inventory and item management can get clumsy.
7. Raft#
Redbeet Interactive's survival game starts with a small wooden raft in a limitless ocean and a hook on a rope. You scavenge drifting debris, catch fish, fend off a shark, expand the raft and eventually visit islands that tell a fragmented story. It came to PS5 in December 2024 and works well for solo or co-op play. It is relaxed and inviting rather than deep, and the loop gets repetitive once the novelty fades.
8. Green Hell#
Creepy Jar sends you into the Amazon rainforest with almost nothing, and the game is punishing by design. You monitor not only hunger and thirst but also parasites, infected wounds and your sanity, and the forest feels genuinely hostile. It reached PS5 in August 2024. It is one of the most realistic survival games available, but the learning curve is steep and the controls can feel stiff on a gamepad.
9. Days Gone#
Bend Studio's open-world game follows drifter and ex-outlaw biker Deacon St. John through a post-pandemic Oregon filled with hordes of Freakers. Motorbike upkeep, scavenging, crafting and horde encounters push survival pressure into an action adventure. The Remastered version arrived on PS5 in April 2025 with sharper visuals and extra modes. It is more a story-driven action game than a pure survival sim, and the slow opening tests patience, but the horde fights are a highlight.
10. Subnautica: Below Zero#
Also from Unknown Worlds, Below Zero moves the action to a frozen arctic region of the same planet and adds a more personal narrative about Robin Ayou and her sister's death. It has new creatures, a snowy surface to explore and a less punishing pace than the original. It launched on PS5 in May 2021. The underwater ideas feel less fresh the second time around, but it is a polished, comforting return for fans.
11. V Rising#
Stunlock Studios' vampire survival game has you awaken weak after centuries of sleep, hunting humans by night and building a gothic castle. Base construction, blood management and boss hunts mix survival with action role-playing combat. It launched on PS5 in June 2024. The castle-building is excellent, but the late game leans on grinding, and the game is at its best with a clan.
12. Medieval Dynasty#
Render Cube's survival-life simulation drops you into a medieval valley with a hut and a vision: hunt, farm, craft and eventually lead a village. It reached PS5 in October 2022, and a June 2024 update added co-op. It is among the most relaxing and rewarding builders in the genre. The interface and animations are rough, and the pace is slow, so it suits patient players who like managing a settlement.
13. Core Keeper#
Pugstorm's top-down sandbox drops you into a vast underground cavern full of biomes, bosses and ancient secrets. Mining, farming, cooking and fighting blend into an easy loop that works alone or with friends. It launched on PS5 in August 2024. The pixel-art look is charming, though the survival pressure is gentle, and players looking for danger or narrative depth may find it tame.
14. The Alters#
11 bit studios builds survival around an unusual idea: stranded space miner Jan Dolski can create alternate versions of himself, each with a different profession and life story, to keep a mobile base alive on a hostile planet. It arrived on PS5 in June 2025. The mix of resource management, moral choices and the ticking sunrise is gripping. It is more of a story-driven management game than a classic survival sandbox, and its pacing can feel stressful.