But with such a variety of survival games out there, one may end up confused about which game they should play first. That’s where we come in! We created a list of multiplayer survival games that you may want your friends to tag along with you. So grab a friend and start playing.
Rust
When talking about multiplayer survival games, Rust will never fail to disappoint. You can play the game with a few of your friends and the massive number of people who are online daily. Join into one of the servers and start crafting and remaining up. As far as the gameplay, you wake up on a beach, and your survival journey starts. You can hunt, build, and battle to survive. And what’s more? Playing with your friends makes surviving a bit bearable. The game has average graphics; hence it can run decently on a low spec gaming setup, but definitely, a mid-range gaming setup and up will give you a much better thrill. However, The steam page for Rust recommends the game to be installed on an SSD, or else the load time would take some time. The game also needs at least 10 GB of RAM, which might not be present in a standard setup.
The Forest
A lone survivor of a plane crash, you find yourself on an island inhabited by mutated cannibals. This survival (horror) game lets you chop down trees, craft houses, hunt more as you progress. The way this game makes you explore the lands and the caves leaves you waiting for the next scare. Furthermore, the multiplayer feature of the game makes survival even more exciting. The Forest does not support cross-platform multiplayer.
Conan: Exiles
Conan: Exiles sets you in a vast open-world sandbox, leaving you to build, fight and continue with the story. Set in the world of Conan the Barbarian, the game starts with Conan himself freeing you. Explore, hunt, build, fight; the game delivers everything in immersive gameplay. But, the graphics aren’t spectacular, so you shouldn’t expect a realistic experience. Although it is a multiplayer game, it does not support cross-play as well.
Minecraft
One of the oldest survival games, Minecraft has never stepped down from its spotlight. The game showcases blocky 3D graphics with the least requirements for PC. You can build anything you want with the help of its unique blocks like Redstone. But do not mistake its simplicity. There are zombies and monsters that you have to fight during the night. Gather your friends from any platform and mine, build, fight, and complete the story. Or create your own country and battle each other. The possibilities are endless.
Terraria
In a 2D survival game, you can gather resources, dig and mine, and fight monsters. An adventure-packed game, Terraria gives you the freedom of sandbox-like building. So go crazy with your creativity. Although the game does not offer cross-platform gaming, it allows you to play with your friends on similar platforms.
Don’t Starve Together
An unforgiving multiplayer game, Don’t Starve Together, makes you gather resources, build and explore. Immerse in its unique art style and play with your friends and survive the night. Whether you play this game with your friends or with strangers online, you will never run out of things to do. Collect, craft, and above all, survive alongside others. However, you have to keep in mind that cross-play is not available in this game.
7 Days To Die
Ever wondered what you would do if you and your friends were the survivors of a zombie apocalypse? If yes, then 7 Days To Die brings you what you desire. A survival game that puts you with nothing in an abandoned open world. You will have to go around gathering resources and crafting during the day. And when the night falls, you barricade yourself in and survive the hoards of zombies until dawn. Although the steam page for the game mentions cross-platform, you should not expect to play this with your friends who are playing on consoles. The cross-play is only available for PlayStation and Xbox players.
GTFO
GTFO, one of the hardcore co-op shooter games, puts you in an area filled with different monsters. You’re a prisoner and are following The Warden’s orders to go into an underground complex. You then have to explore, find resources, get what you came for and get out. Best when played with a team of four, GTFO brings you excitement and fear all in its first-person shooting and amazing graphics. Keep pushing and do not make a mistake, and make it out alive. One thing to keep in mind is that GTFO is still in early access, which means the game isn’t complete yet. The developers have promised to release the full game by the end of 2021. However, when you play the game, you do not feel that it is still developing as it is already smooth and immersive.
Dead By Daylight
A 1v5 competitive horror game, where one is a killer, and the rest need to escape. Dead by Daylight has become one of the most loved survival multiplayer games on Steam, with more than 50,000 players every day. The ever-changing maps, doubt-filled gameplay, and gruesome visuals leave you with an adrenaline-filled experience. Work with everyone to find the killer, or doubt everyone and betray them. Do whatever you need to survive. There is no cross-play feature for this game so make sure your friends are on the same platform before getting this game.
Valheim
Set in the world of Vikings, Valheim gives you and your friends an opportunity to experience what being a Viking is like. You are the chosen warrior of valkyries, sent to the tenth world to slay creatures that are a threat to the world tree. The classics of survival mixed with the lore and the open-world definitely gives you a bang for your buck. Valheim gives you immersive gameplay even though it is still in early access. You can play this game with up to 10 players or create persisting servers.
Among Us
Although released in 2018, Among Us came into focus in 2020, when everyone was staying in their home. Almost all the streamers were playing this game as well, due to which it got its fame. You play as a 3D astronaut in a spaceship (or other maps) and are rushing to repair it. The catch? Well, there is an imposter among us! Keep doing your tasks, talk to each other during meetings, kick out the imposter and survive to win the game. The best part is that no matter what platform you are playing Among Us on, you will always be able to play with your friends.
ARK: Survival Evolved
One of the best survival games, ARK: Survival Evolved, lets you interact with your environment, tame dinosaurs, craft, build and survive. Your goal is to create an Island with different breeds of creatures and be the dominant one, or even escape the place. Although the game is available on almost all platforms, cross-play is only available with Xbox and windows or on mobile. Another important factor is that ARK: Survival Evolved is free to play on iOS and Android but does have in-app purchases.
Crashlands
An adventure-survival RPG game, Crashlands offers a wonderful story and beautiful soundtrack that makes the gameplay even more immersive. Befriend locals, create epic weapons, fight and explore. You can even tame creatures within the game as you embark on a journey with one of the game’s characters. And the cherry on top; the game offers co-op as well. So whether you’re on your couch with your friend or on different platforms, you can enjoy Crashlands to your heart’s content with epic cross-play.
Day R Survival
Day R Survival is a free-to-play text-based graphic game where you are placed in post-apocalyptic Russia. The mission is to explore a huge area, craft, fight, and survive the radiation as much as possible. Aside from being free, the game also offers an online co-op mode. You can chat, exchange items and even help each other in fights. The game also features realistic chemistry in the game which definitely makes it worth a try.
Satisfactory
Gather your friends and industrialize the alien world. Together with your friends, you find yourself in an alien land with alien creatures. The world seems to be full of resources that you can use to build. Build your factory and explore in first-person mode. Create cars, jump pads, and everything you can think of and fully automate your factory. Oh, and don’t forget some aliens might be violent towards you!
Back 4 Blood
A zombie-filled survival horror game where you explore the map and look for resources while killing zombies. Your goal is to keep pushing through hordes of zombies and reach a safe place to clear the levels. The game difficulty gradually gets higher as you progress through the levels. The 4-player co-op game offers cross-play as well. So no matter what platform you and your friends use, you can have a fast-paced FPS horror adventure, surviving hordes after hordes of zombies.
PUBG
Player Unknown Battlegrounds, or PUBG, is one of the most popular battle royal games out in the market. You are placed in a map that is constantly shrinking, only for you to gather weapons to fight other players in a 100 v 1 setting. Truly exciting. The game allows up to 4 players co-op where you battle other teams of the same size. Although PUBG for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC is paid, the PUBG mobile is free to play with in-app purchases available. Similarly, it is cross-playable only on consoles and on mobiles.
Apex Legends
Another battle royale survival game, Apex Legends, hit the market with a storm. A 3-player co-op fps with stunning graphics, Apex legends is free to play on all available platforms. Another fact that makes this game so much desirable is the ability to play cross-platform. So no matter what platform you and your friends use, you can always play together.
Raft
Another survival game set in the ocean. But unlike Subnautica, Raft features survival on the surface of the water. When the game starts, you find yourself stranded on a wooden raft with resources drifting in the ocean. Your job is to collect resources, make a better raft, sail through the ocean and complete the story arc. The game is not available on multiple platforms, but it is a multiplayer co-op game that you can play alongside your friends who own it.
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky is a survival game that has taken it up a notch and set the gameplay in the galaxy. As a player, you explore procedurally created galaxies, finding different stars and their systems, each with planets and life on them. But you are not alone in space. You can come across other players that journey through the galaxy like you. You can trade, loot, or fight them and, at the same time, craft and upgrade your ship. A fun and immersive gameplay that has beautiful graphics.
The Wild Eight
Another procedurally generated co-op survival game, The Wild Eight, is a single-player game with co-op up to 8-players where you are the survivors of a plane crash in a snow-filled environment. What makes this game unique is its art style alongside the top-down view as you embark on your journey.
Deep Rock Galactic
You are a space dwarf, mining space resources, what could be more fun? Deep Rock Galactic is a 1-4 player survival game with a procedurally generated map and a 100% destroyable environment. The violent gameplay with excessive use of powerful weapons definitely makes the gameplay unique and interesting. On top of that, being a cross-playable game makes it even better. Of course, there are other survival games that are great in themselves. This list features ones that lean towards a realistic or an immersive experience that features a multiplayer mode.
