Ark: Survival Evolved Alternatives and Similar Games

The Forest is a first-person survival horror game that takes place in well, the name of the game says it all. You’ve crash-landed in a dense forest, and apart from some resources left from the wreckage, you’re on your own in the creepy, detailed woods, unless you choose to play with friends. Survive day and night, and be wary particularly in the night when cannibals tend to be quite more aggressive compared to when they roam at daytime.

Rust is an online-only survival game where players are the main threat in procedurally-generated worlds. Team up with other players and form your own base as you hunt animals, craft numerous items, keep yourself warm and take care of hunger and thirst. Apart from using guns, bows and melee weapons, vehicles such as boats can also be found throughout the map, but also hostile AI-controlled vehicles such as attack helicopters too.

Conan Exiles puts you in a beautiful open-world of Conan the Barbarian filled with various monsters you get to fight in a combo-based combat system. Explore the harsh desert as well as other biomes, uncovering many mysteries and finding valuable treasure as you interact with numerous NPCs. Dress up appropriately depending on the temperature of the area and build anything that you want solo or with friends, but be ready for any attacks from monsters on your well-fortified base. Just like ARK, Conan Exiles lets you choose whether you want to play in single-player mode, with friends or on public servers where players also pose a threat.

If you’re looking for a survival game overrun with zombies, then this first-person sandbox RPG is what you’re looking for. 7 Days to Die is loaded with over 500 crafting recipes and allows you to play in procedurally-generated maps and the Navezgane campaign world, all of which feature destructible environments due to the game’s voxel-based nature which also allows for freedom in building, though due to the game’s realistic physics whatever you try to make must be done in a logical way. Not all zombies are the same; in fact there is a myriad of different zombies, some of which have special abilities that make them very dangerous.

If you’re into survival games then it’s certain you’ve heard of this open-world post-apocalyptic sandbox. DayZ plunges you into Chernarus, a huge and dynamic 230 square km area full of infected, as well as friendly and hostile wildlife. A total of 60 players roam in one server, doing whatever it takes to survive as they hunt, craft, deal with injuries and diseases and more, ultimately forming their own story through gameplay.

Raft is a unique first-person survival game where you start off in the middle of the ocean on, you guessed it: a raft. As you play you’ll get to turn this small raft into a large floating home as you gather debris, find small islands and dive deep underwater in search of valuable resources. Craft and take care of hunger and thirst as you also withstand shark attacks. Whether you choose to play alone or with friends, Raft is quite an interesting game worth checking out.

Don’t expect to murder your friends in Subsistence, a PvE open-world survival game playable in single-player and co-op in first-person. Thrown into the wilderness you’ll get to craft, mine, farm and cook as you upgrade weapons and build your base day and night. Apart from hostile wildlife, there are also AI-controlled Hunters to defend yourself from who, just like you, can also build their own bases.

In SCUM, you are a prisoner of a television show on an island where participants fight to the death. Explore a 144 square km open-world that is filled with beautiful vegetation, while you gear up and prepare for gory battles. Playable in single-player and multiplayer, SCUM particularly stands out with character depth, using complex systems to make survival feel quite realistic, such as the advanced metabolism system, a unique in-depth feature that tracks every single food you eat as well as the nutrients it gives you. Oh and yes, you can poop too.

Subnautica is a first-person survival game that stands out with its unique setting that has you survive underwater. Amazing sound design and an immersive atmosphere might send chills down your spine as you carefully go deep in search of resources, keeping an eye on oxygen as well as any surprise attacks. If you’ve already played Subnautica then you may want to take a look at its standalone, frosty expansion.

If you’re looking for a survival game set in space, then Osiris: New Dawn is your answer. Set in the year 2078, you explore a solar system named Gliese 581 which features various planets with different biomes. Going from planet to planet with your trusty spaceship is not interrupted by loading screens, making the “Colonize” mode a seamless experience. Gather various minerals and plants as you navigate planets in a variety of different vehicles, create bases and use mining drones. Made by only two people, this game looks absolutely stunning and is well-worth checking out.

Miscreated takes place in a detailed post-apocalyptic open-world where the weather can pose a threat. Thunderstorms, blizzards, tornadoes and more can happen as you explore and shoot down a variety of different mutants. Craft and easily build your base with a well-designed building system that lets you place things the way you want. Use hundreds of different modern weapons to take down any threat, be it the player or the game’s abominations. Developed on CryEngine, a game engine from Crytek, Miscreated definitely won’t disappoint you visually, while its diverse gameplay, dynamic environments make Miscreated a PvPvE survival game you may not want to miss.