The 20 Best Survival Games On PlayStation 5, Ranked

Metacritic Score: 82 Unique Survival Mechanics: Redstone Mechanics, Crafting and Smelting, Shelter Building, Tool Durability Why Minecraft is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: For many fans of the survival genre, Minecraft is their OG sandbox game, letting players unleash their creativity while testing their survival skills. Start with nothing but your fists and slowly build up to crafting epic structures and exploring intricate cave systems, chances are if you've been in the gaming world at all over the last decade, you know exactly what you are getting with this adored classic. With virtually limitless possibilities, consistent updates, and a long and stories history behind it, Minecraft remains the single biggest survival game in the gaming world to this day.

Metacritic Score: 87 Unique Survival Mechanics: Oxygen Management, Base Building, Predator Avoidance and Defense Why Subnautica is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: If the ocean depths fascinate and terrify you in equal measure, Subnautica is your dream (or nightmare) survival game. Stranded on an alien water world, you quite literally dive into stunning, bioluminescent marine environments to scavenge materials and uncover the planet’s hidden secrets. Resource management is crucial as you craft advanced gear and build underwater bases, but be weary, the deeper you explore, the more wonders, and horrors, of the deep will rear their ugly heads.

Metacritic Score: 70 Unique Survival Mechanics: Temperature and Weather Effects, Taming and Breeding Dinosaurs, Tribes and Alliances Why Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Every survival game has their unique schtick to help them stand out in the growing sea of open sandbox worlds, and no schtick took just about everyone by surprise more than Ark: Survival Evolved. Throwing you into a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs and mythical creatures, players get to live out their greatest caveman-meets cybernetic future fantasy in a game that on paper seems a bit ridiculous, but in reality is endlessly enjoyable. You start off with absolutely nothing and must gather resources, craft tools, and eventually tame these massive beasts to build an empire.

Metacritic Score: 83 Unique Survival Mechanics: Life Support and Hazard Protection, Base Building and Habitat Creation, Economy and Trading Why No Man's Sky is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Sure, it had a rocky start, but no game bounced back bigger and better than No Man's Sky. With its endless universe filled with procedurally generated planets, every journey feels like a new, one of a kind adventure. The game seamlessly combines exploration and survival, requiring you to gather resources, build bases, and upgrade your spaceship in order to not just survive, but thrive in this never-ending universe. For anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what is out there, prepare to have all your questions answered.

Metacritic Score: 83 Unique Survival Mechanics: Stealth and Evasion, Base Fortification, Sanity Management Why The Forest is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Disgusting, horrifying, and beautifully grotesque, The Forest is a game that emphasizes the horror in survival-horror, as this cannibalistic nightmare is one that will keep you looking over your shoulder with every bizarre sound you hear. Stranded in a mysterious forest inhabited by cannibalistic mutants, you must gather resources, build shelters, and craft weapons to survive, and the game's environmental design is stunningly eerie, making every exploration trip both beautiful and terrifying. Its intelligent enemy AI adapts to your actions, creating unpredictable and tense encounters so real, after a few you are probably going to need a moment to capture your breathe and remind yourself, it's just a game.

Metacritic Score: 81 Unique Survival Mechanics: Mining and Terrain Modification, Fishing and Farming, NPC Management Why Terraria is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: While Minecraft may have gotten all the survival game attention throughout the 2010s, there was always one other game that stayed in the background, building a massive cult following and quickly and quietly solidifying itself as maybe the best survival game of all time, and that is Terraria. With a 2D sandbox adventure that’s both charming and challenging, you start with your basic tools,; you dig, build, and fight your way through a world teeming with monsters and hidden treasures, and uncover an exciting and seemingly never-ending adventure. The game’s pixelated art style gives it a timeless appeal, the challenging bosses and diverse biomes keep you constantly engaged, and the multiplayer support lets you team up with friends to build grand structures or take on formidable foes, making every session a new adventure.

Metacritic Score: 69 Unique Survival Mechanics: Raid Defense and Offense, Resource Raids and Scavenging, Combat and PvP Why Rust is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Rust is the ultimate multiplayer survival game where the stakes are always high. Starting nearly naked, you must scavenge for resources and craft everything from weapons to fortified bases. Player interactions are the game’s highlight, as alliances and betrayals are common, making every encounter a potential life-or-death scenario. Rust’s open-world dynamics make it an ever-evolving game where you can never let your guard down, so If you thrive under pressure and love interacting with other players, Rust is a must-try.

Metacritic Score: 83 Unique Survival Mechanics: Health, Hunger, and Thirst Management, Insect Behavior and Ecosystem Interactions Why Grounded is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Grounded offers a delightful take on survival by shrinking you down to the size of an insect in a suburban backyard. The game’s honey-I-shrunk-the-kids vibe is both nostalgic and innovative, turning everyday objects into massive landmarks and turning insects into formidable foes. Resource gathering, crafting, and base-building take on new challenges due to your minuscule size, and multiplayer adds another level of fun as you and your friends tackle giant spiders and build elaborate mini-fortresses. Grounded’s unique perspective and charming visuals make it a standout in the survival genre.

Metacritic Score: 78 Unique Survival Mechanics: Sanity Management, Cooking and Nutrition, Temperature and Weather Effects Why Green Hell is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Dropping players into the dense, unforgiving Amazon rainforest, Green Hell makes survival a grueling yet rewarding experience. With a focus on “realistic” survival mechanics, you'll need to master everything from basic fire-making to advanced medicinal crafting if you want to have a chance at survival. While most of this sounds very run of the mill survival game 101, one of its standout features is the psychological stress gauge, which adds a layer of complexity as you struggle to maintain sanity, adding a nice wrinkle into the game.

Metacritic Score: 79 Unique Survival Mechanics: Vehicle Maintenance and Upgrades, Environmental Hazards, Route Planning and Navigation Why Pacific Drive is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: While most survival games beat players over the head with a, frankly, baffling number of choices and mechanics, Pacific Drive keeps it simple, its the apocalypse, and you have to drive to survive. Combining the thrill of a road trip with the tension of a post-apocalyptic setting, you must maintain and upgrade your vehicle as you navigate through eerie landscapes filled with environmental dangers and supernatural threats. The game's dynamic weather and day-night cycles add layers of complexity, making every drive unpredictable and tense. If you love the idea of a road-trip gone wrong, this game offers a fresh and exhilarating twist on survival horror.

Metacritic Score: 83 Unique Survival Mechanics: Blood Management, Blood Altar and Progression, Exploration and Territory Control Why V Rising is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Vampires have surprisingly got quite the stranglehold on the survival horror subgenre as of late, but none took the game world by storm quite as massively as V Rising. Blending gothic horror with survival mechanics, casting you as a newly awakened vampire in a dark, medieval world, the game has all the stereotypical elements you'd grow to expect in a survival game, gathering resources, crafting tools, and the like, but the twist is the necessity to feed on human and animal blood. The game’s day-night cycle adds strategic depth as you must avoid sunlight while building your empire, as all real vampires know, and the multiplayer elements allow for both cooperation and conflict as you battle other vampires for territory.

Metacritic Score: 84 Unique Survival Mechanics: Heat Management, Workforce Allocation, Food Production and Rationing Why Frostpunk is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Frostpunk is a survival game that doubles as a city-building sim, set in a frozen post-apocalyptic world. Managing resources, balancing societal needs, and making tough moral decisions are all crucial to keeping your colony alive. The game's steampunk aesthetic and hauntingly beautiful visuals add to its immersive quality, and the challenges you face, ranging from extreme weather to potential uprisings, force you to constantly adapt your strategy.

Metacritic Score: 78 Unique Survival Mechanics: Hunger Management, Sanity Management, Animal Companions and Followers Why Don't Starve is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: With an utterly unique Tim Burton-esque atmosphere, Don't Starve stands out as a frighteningly fun dip into the survival horror subgenre. Players are thrust into a hostile wilderness where they must manage resources, craft tools, and keep their sanity in check, which is easier said than done with an abundance of hand-drawn visuals that create a haunting, whimsical world full of bizarre creatures and dangerous environments. Every decision has weight, and the constant threat of permadeath keeps you engaged, so if you enjoy a challenge wrapped in a beautifully dark package, Don't Starve is a fantastic pick.

Metacritic Score: 68 Unique Survival Mechanics: Resource Gathering and Crafting, Temperature Management and Environmental Hazards, Thralls and NPC Management Why Conan Exiles is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Barbarians are often a very difficult thing to get right in gaming, as truly feeling like one of these dangerous and masochistic beasts is hard to grasp, but Conan Exiles manages to toe that fine line and deliver a wickedly entertaining adventure. Conan Exiles catapult you into the barbaric world of Conan the Barbarian, where survival requires strength, strategy, and a bit of unrelenting ruthlessness. The game features an expansive open-world filled with ancient ruins, hostile wildlife, and dangerous NPCs, but where the game really shines is in the PvP multiplayer, which adds an extra layer of excitement as you raid enemy bases and defend your own. With its gritty combat system and rich lore, Conan Exiles offers a brutal yet rewarding survival experience.

Metacritic Score: tbd Unique Survival Mechanics: Resource Gathering and Crafting, Crafting and Upgrading Equipment, Environmental Hazards Why Enshrouded is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Enshrouded takes you to a mystical world where survival is intertwined with solving ancient puzzles and uncovering hidden secrets. The game's beautifully rendered environments are teeming with both resources and dangers. Crafting, building, and exploration are key, but what sets Enshrouded apart is its enigmatic storyline that unfolds as you progress. For fans of survival games who love a good mystery, Enshrouded offers a captivating blend of challenge and intrigue.

Metacritic Score: 82 Unique Survival Mechanics: Shelter Maintenance, Scavenging and Night Raids, Moral and Ethical Decisions Why This War of Mine is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: This War of Mine offers a harrowing survival experience that focuses not on grand heroics but on the bleak realities of civilian life during wartime. Balancing resource management, crafting, and moral choices, the game captures the harshness of survival in a war-torn city. Each character you control has their own backstory and skills, adding layers of depth to the heartbreaking and powerful story, and the game’s gritty, hand-drawn art style and somber soundtrack only enhance its emotional impact.

Metacritic Score: 86 Unique Survival Mechanics: Leveling Up and Skill Choice, Evolutions and Synergies, Weapon and Item Collection Why Vampire Survivors is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Vampire Survivors injects a shot of adrenaline into the survival genre, offering a rogue-lite experience that’s all about fast-paced combat and strategic upgrades. You fend off waves of nightmarish enemies, leveling up to unlock new abilities and powerful weapons, and the pixelated, gothic aesthetic adds to the game’s intense atmosphere. Permadeath means you’re always on your toes as you never quite know what moment will be your last, and each playthrough offers randomized upgrades that keep things fresh. If you’re a fan of high-octane action and tight survival mechanics, this game delivers a heart-stopping experience every time.

Editor Note: The release date for The Alters has unfortunately been pushed back to 2025. Once the game is released, voting will be opened for the game. Why The Alters is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: The Alters brings a fresh twist to the survival genre by emphasizing psychological depth and moral choices over the stereotypical “build to survive” type gameplay the survival genre is known for. As you explore multiple versions of reality, you'll confront different "alters" or versions of yourself, each with unique skills and perspectives. Resource management and crafting are crucial to navigating this labyrinthine world, but it’s the narrative choices that truly stand out and make this game one of the more unique and original in the entire survival genre.

Metacritic Score: 61 Unique Survival Mechanics: Shelter Building and Upgrading, Weapon Customization and Loadouts, Radio Signals and Alerts Why Vigor is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: On paper, Vigor might seem like just another run of the mill survival game, but were it sets itself apart is the blending of survival mechanics with a third-person shooter, and placing you in a post-apocalyptic Norway, quite the unique setting for these types of games. Gathering resources, crafting gear, and building your shelter are key aspects of surviving this hostile landscape, and the game’s dynamic weather and high-risk, high-reward encounters with other players create a constant sense of tension.

Metacritic Score: 73 Unique Survival Mechanics: Foraging and Hunting, Animal Behavior, Environmental Interaction Why Song in the Smoke: Rekindled is one of the Best PS5 Survival Games: Song in the Smoke: Rekindled takes the survival genre into the realm of VR, offering an incredibly immersive and realistic experience unlike nearly anything else out on the market. You find yourself in a primal world filled with mysterious flora and fauna, where every sense is engaged. Crafting, hunting, and building are intimately tied to your physical movements, making you feel every swing of your axe and arrow shot as you move around this dangerous and mysterious world.