Survival games make up one of the most popular genres in gaming at the moment, and this increased interest has helped the rise of exciting titles such as The Culling and Ark: Survival Evolved.
Most games contain an element of survival, but interest in this genre has focused on games which revolve around the struggle to survive, whether it’s against harsh worlds and monsters or fellow players.
The Survival genre is growing and has provided a perfect space for adventurous developers to try new and unconventional ideas that are sometimes met with great success.
Here is a look at the 10 best survival games released or planned for release in 2016.
The Flame in the Flood
The Flame in the Flood has a unique art style paired with an engaging sound track, and features an intuitive crafting and loot system. Although the game is single-player and lacks the player-vs-player threat of multiplayer survival, the creatures and difficulty of The Flame in the Flood seem to present the player with a fairly decent challenge.
The Flame in the Flood is currently available for PC, Mac and Xbox One.
The Culling
The Culling is a player-vs-player survival arena, and matches are composed of a 16-player battle royale with the last survivor being declared the victor. The game has proven popular on Twitch since its release and aims to provide a PvP survival arena experience without being hindered by additional features.
The Culling is still in Early Access, but is available to purchase and play on Steam.
The Forest
The Forest puts the player in the role of an aeroplane crash survivor who has found themselves stranded in a forest which is inhabited by humanoid, cannibalistic mutants. The Forest focuses heavily on survival mechanics such as warmth and hunger, and allows the player to craft a variety of structures and items to assist them in surviving the eerie and disconcerting environment.
The Forest is both multi-player and single-player and is available on Steam in Early Access.
Subnautica
Subnautica has been praised by players for its gorgeous graphics and fluid underwater mechanics. Subnautica expertly conveys the sense of overwhelming volume that the deep ocean presents, and the world is filled with both treasures and dangers.
Subnautica is available on Steam in Early Access and is coming soon to Xbox One Preview.
We Happy Few
We Happy Few is set in a post-World War II dystopian England, where all citizens of the randomly-generated town are addicted to a drug which causes them to become permanently happy and definitely unhinged. The player is thrown into this world as a ‘downer’ and must escape the town.
We Happy Few will be released on Windows and Xbox One sometime in 2016.
Ark: Survival of the Fittest
Ark: Survival of the Fittest began as a custom game mode for the Jurassic Park-esque open-world survival game, Ark: Survival Evolved, and then evolved into a standalone title.
Ark: Survival of the Fittest is free on Steam.
The Long Dark
The Long Dark features a unique art style and has received high praise for its crafting and survival mechanics. The Long Dark is a big attraction for hardcore survival fans, as the game is a basic but challenging wilderness survival title.
The Long Dark is available on Steam in Early Access and on Xbox One Preview.
Worlds Adrift
Worlds Adrift features an exciting blend of multi-player vehicle combat and involved crafting. The premise of the game is that the world has been shattered into countless floating islands, which players can only reach by building ships that sail the skies.
Worlds Adrift is set to release sometime in 2016.
Escape from Tarkov
Escape from Tarkov is set in a fictional Russian city and is a multi-player survival game with similarities to titles like DayZ and H1Z1.
Escape from Tarkov will release later in 2016 after a closed beta period.
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky has become one of the most anticipated games of the year, featuring a ton of exciting and revolutionary features that are set to re-define the sandbox and survival genre.
No Man’s Sky is set to release on 21 June 2016 on Windows and the PS4.
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Subnautica is awesome, the developers are constantly updating it and adding new features, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering it’s in Early Access, but at least it’s still actively being developed. The whole deep ocean exploration aspect is a welcome difference.