The 11 best survival games 2021 from Ark to Valheim

In this article on the best survival games 2021 we tell you:

  • Which survival games you should play in 2021
  • What distinguishes the best survival games
  • For whom the tips from our best list are suitable
  • Which games offer VR support

As the genre title suggests, survival games are first and foremost about pure survival. You collect resources, make tools, build your own home, and fight off dangerous fauna.

The genre of survival games has been overflowing with games in recent years. To help you keep track, we present the eleven best and most exciting survival games that you can play in 2021.

Minecraft

  • Platform: , , , , ,
  • VR Headset: , ,
  • Addons: Numerous skin packs to Star Wars, Toy Story, Final Fantasy & much more
  • Game modes: single player, online and offline multiplayer

Minecraft, as a modern classic, cannot be missing from the best survival games, of course. With its famous block graphics, it has been conquering the hearts of gamers since 2011.

The game principle is basically very simple: pretty much everything you see can be mined with the right tools, processed and then used to build your own structures.

At night, monsters like zombies or the now iconic Creeper will appear and explode if they get too close to you. Either entrench yourself or craft armor and weapons and go into battle.

Thanks to continued updates and a huge mod community that is still hard at work on additional and fresh content, Minecraft lives on ten years after its original release. Anyone who has missed out on the phenomenon so far should take a look at the survival game par excellence by 2021 at the latest.

Who is Minecraft suitable for?

Minecraft has given someone like me, who loved to play with Lego as a little boy and let his imagination run wild, a journey back to his own childhood. If you just want to start building again and stimulate your creativity, Minecraft is the right choice for you.

Our guides to Minecraft:

Subnautica

  • Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
  • VR headset: Oculus Rift / Rift S, HTC Vive / Vive Pro
  • Addons: Standalone expansion "Below Zero"
  • Game modes: Singleplayer

Away from the rather simple block graphics of a Minecraft, Subnautica takes you into an imposing underwater world full of wonders, but also dangers.

You crash with your spaceship on an alien water planet and from now on you are completely on your own. From now on you have to filter water, catch fish and build your own underwater station with crafting materials in order to survive.

But be carefulthe deeper you dive, the more hostile the environment becomes. When one of the dangerous alien fish suddenly comes shooting at you out of the darkness, you're in for quite a pumping. Unlike Minecraft, Subnautica is not for people with weak nerves.

Who is Subnautica suitable for?

The dense and eerie atmosphere is one of the survival game's greatest strengths. All underwater and diving fans who don't mind minor scary moments should definitely check out Subnautica.

Our guides to Subnautica:

The Forest

  • Platform: PC, PlayStation 4
  • VR Headset: Oculus Rift / Rift S, HTC Vive / Vive Pro
  • Addons: No
  • Game modes: single player, online and offline co-op

The Forest is also not for the faint of heart. The premise of the survival game is heavily based on the TV series Lost. You crash with your son on an island in the middle of the ocean and suddenly wake up in the wreckage of a plane.

Now you can search for your son alone or with up to three friends in co-op mode. Of course, the island is not quite as deserted as it seems at first glance.

Soon you'll have to deal with the hostile islanders. In order to survive, you'll not only have to take care of a regular food supply, but you'll also have to build a small base, which you'll protect from attacks by the islanders with traps - even a tree house with a freight elevator is possible.

Especially the exploration of the huge cave systems makes for tense nerves, because behind every dark corner one of the crazy islanders can be waiting. The crafting system is also a bit more "special", so you can improve your weapons with the teeth of defeated enemies, among other things.

Who is The Forest suitable for?

If you've always wanted to try the Lost experience - paired with horror and action elements - you should definitely give The Forest a try. And if The Forest is too scary for you alone, just grab a few people and explore the island together.

Our guides to The Forest:

Ark: Survival Evolved

  • Platform: Android, iOS, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
  • Addons: Some map expansions as well as the Genesis Season Pass
  • Game modes: single player, online multiplayer, offline split screen on PS4 & Xbox One only

A survival game in which you can ride dinosaurs. Need we say more? First, however, you are thrown half-naked into a world full of prehistoric animals and have to fight for survival from then on.

As in most survival games, you can craft tools, weapons and clothing, as well as build your own dwelling. The special thing about Ark are of course the dinosaurs, which you can tame and even ride. Who hasn't always wanted to fly through the air on a pteranodon?

You can also explore the worlds of Ark on official online servers with up to 70 other players. But beware: not all players are interested in peaceful coexistence.

Who is Ark: Survival Evolved suitable for?

Ark () is actually suitable for every survival fan who can even remotely relate to dinos. Hardly any other game conveys the feeling of living among dinos as well as Ark: Survival Evolved.

Rust

  • Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • Addons: Instruments Pack (new instruments) & Sunburn Pack (new beach items)
  • Game modes: Online multiplayer

Rust started in Early Access back in 2013 and was released as a final version in 2018. While it was a bit quieter around Rust between the years, the survival game experienced a renaissance at the beginning of 2021 through so-called streamer servers.

On these servers, the who's who of the German streaming scene gathered and played together or against each other, sometimes in real role-playing game style with police, store vendors, robbers, etc.. As a result, Rust was suddenly on everyone's lips again and player numbers more than doubled within a month.

Rust does without a single player mode and can therefore only be played online on official or rented servers. In addition to other players, there are also rows of hostile and armed NPCs in the game world, who guard special places with valuable loot.

The basic gameplay in Rust consists of mining resources, crafting items, providing enough food and eating, and exploring the large game world - always on the lookout for better equipment.

Who is Rust for?

If you're in the mood for a tough survival game that doesn't take you by the hand, in which you can do whatever you want and you enjoy role-playing, then Rust is just right for you. If you don't want to go into the game completely unprepared, we recommend our beginner's guide to Rust.

Valheim

  • Platform: PC
  • Addons: No
  • Game modes: Singleplayer, Online multiplayer

The survival game 2021 par excellence should not be missing in any list of the best survival games: Valheim. Just five people have developed this surprise hit.

The game is based on a Viking setting with mythological influences and is one of the more accessible survival games in the list. You build your own Viking longhouse and explore the huge game world, which is composed of dark forests, icy mountain ranges, musty swamps and hot desert plains.

A special feature are the bosses in Valheim, which you can summon and then fight in the different biomes. They not only add variety to the gameplay, but also reward you with important items that you need to advance in the game.

Valheim: Get the best armor and weapons

Valheim cheats: All codes and console commands

It's best to grab a few people and plunge into Viking life together, because exploring and building entire villages is only really fun with a group of players - even the boss battles are better to master with friendly support than all by yourself.

Who is Valheim for?

You already had a lot of fun with Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but the crafting elements and the expansion of your settlement were too simple for you? Then Valheim should be just right for you, because here you can let your creativity run free and build the Viking village of your dreams.

Our guides to Valheim:

Green Hell

  • Platform: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
  • Addons: No
  • Game modes: single player, online co-op

Green Hell is aimed more at hardcore survival experts. In the Amazon rainforest, the green hell, you fight for bare survival with up to three other players.

The survival mechan ics in Green Hell are not limited to eating and drinking, you also have to take care of your mental health. In addition, the game mechanics go a lot deeper than most of the competition. For example, after taking a bath in the river, you'll have to check your arms and legs for leeches and remove them.

But leeches aren't the only thing that can harm your body; you can also catch parasites, food poisoning, rashes or worms under your skin. As you can see, Green Hell takes jungle survival simulation very seriously.

Who is Green Hell suitable for?

If most survival games are too simple and superficial for you and you're looking for a real survival simulation, Green Hell is for you. And the best thing about it: Green Hell has long since left Early Access, but the developers continue to provide the game with regular content updates.

Our guides to Green Hell:

Don't Starve

  • Platform: Android, iOS, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
  • Addons: Reign of Giants, Shipwrecked, Hamlet
  • Game modes: single player (online and offline co-op only with Don't Starve Together version)

Don't Starve dances out of the lineup of the best survival games mainly because of the Tim Burton look and because of the perspective. Instead of the first-person or third-person view, you control your character in Don't Starve from the isometric perspective from diagonally above.

At first glance, Don't Starve reminds us of action role-playing games like Diablo 3 or Titan Quest, but it quickly turns out to be a tough survival game. As the game's title suggests, the first thing to do is not to starve to death, but your mental health also plays an important role - similar to Green Hell.

The game world is randomly generated each time you start the game, so you'll never visit the same world twice. Don't Starve is also teeming with strange creatures. Be especially careful when cutting down trees, because every now and then they come to life and don't take kindly to the tree cutters.

Who is Don't Starve for?

Are you a fan of Tim Burton movies and a bit of crude humor, and are you not afraid of a survival game that hardly explains anything to you? Then Don't Starve might be your survival game of 2021.

Grounded

  • Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
  • Addons: No
  • Game modes: single player, online co-op

Grounded from the role-playing experts at Obsidian (Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds) puts you in the front yard of an apartment building. The trick: You are shrunk to the size of ants and have to defend yourself against giant spiders and other nasty creatures.

Together with up to three other players you explore the garden, build a base out of leaves and stones and try to get back to normal size. Unlike most survival games, Grounded offers a story that you can follow, but don't have to.

The game lives from the extraordinary setting, which no other survival game offers. In addition, there are rock-solid gameplay mechanics and regular updates, since Grounded is still in Early Access.

Fun Fact: If the spiders are too scary for you - just like me - you can activate the "Arachnophobia Safe Mode", which takes away the spiders' scary appearance and allows even people with a fear of spiders to enjoy the game.

Who is Grounded suitable for?

If you prefer a lovingly designed game world to randomly generated areas and have always wanted to experience the world from the smallest perspective, then you should give Grounded a chance. The survival game is also included in the Xbox Game Pass ().

Our guides to Grounded:

Raft

  • Platform: PC
  • Addons: No
  • Game modes: Singleplayer, Online Co-op

You are floating on a small wooden plank in a huge ocean and there is no land in sight. What sounds like a nightmare at first is the beginning of an extraordinary survival game: Raft.

Instead of exploring the underwater world like in Subnautica, you build your own raft in Raft and get to the bottom of the seemingly non-existent land masses. Crafting materials are simply fished out of the water (how convenient that mankind has disposed of all its garbage there all these years) or fetched from the few remaining mini-islands.

Thus, you'll enlarge your raft (even a multi-story raft is possible), build engines to move faster, and fish diligently to cook on the grill. Like Grounded, Raft has a storyline that you can follow to solve the mystery of all the water.

Who is Raft suitable for?

Raft is still in Early Access and the story cannot be completed yet. However, if you are looking for new survival fodder, you can take a look at the raft adventure with a clear conscience. Raft already offers enough scope for many hours of gameplay and all players will receive future updates for free.

Icarus

  • Platform: PC
  • Addons: No
  • Game Modes: Singleplayer, Online Co-op

A terraforming experiment has gone badly wrong - and the planet Icarus is no longer inhabitable. Yet humans were supposed to find a second home there. From a space station you are sent as a prospector to Icarus again and again to mine valuable resources there.

Each mission on Icarus is different, but more importantly, you have to complete the missions in a certain amount of time. Your landing ship will depart back to the space station at a set time, leaving you in doubt if you are not on board in time.

During your mission, you'll have to build a base from everything you find around you. At the beginning, a small, rudimentary dwelling will be enough to protect you from wildlife and bad weather. However, you should keep expanding the base so that you can unlock new features in your development tree.

Who is Icarus suitable for?

Are you a survival fan and want the whole thing in a sci-fi setting? Then Icarus is made for you. The survival game combines the typical genre elements with an unusual story. A new addition are the missions that you have to complete under time pressure, which gives the game a whole new appeal.

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