Survival mechanics give us a feeling of urgency and add an extra layer of realism to our gaming experience.
From keeping yourself fed and hydrated to surviving severe weather conditions, these mechanics keep you on your toes and help immerse youdeeper into the experience.RPGs allow us to be a part of compelling storylines while also making our playthrough unique through the use of skill trees and equipment choices.
8 Most Brutally Realistic Survival Games
Staying alive: a great song, but a hard task in these survival games.
What better way to feel like you’re actually role-playing than having to collect food and cook meals so you don’t starve to death?
We can find survival mechanics in RPGs from many different genres, including: sandbox RPGs, MMORPGs, roleplaying shooters,roguelikes, and more. So we’ll review some of the best RPGs you need to play if you want tobecome the ultimate survivalist.
Prepare Yourself!
Outward’s survival mechanics force you to ensure you’re well-equipped before you start to explore.Starvation, dehydration, weather conditions, anddiseaseare all things you’ll have to deal with on your journey.
Stock up on potions, food, warm clothes, and water, and don’t be afraid to run away from certain scenarios if you feel like you’re not strong enough yet.
One of the really cool things about Outward is that, instead of dying, you’ll become incapacitated. What caused your incapacitation, and your location, will have an effect onwhat happens to you and where you’ll wake up.
You could have been captured by your enemies or saved by a friendly being. You might even wake up in an animal den.
7Darkest Dungeon
Don’t Have A Heart Attack
Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon is a turn-based roguelike RPG with unique survival mechanics. After your ancestors accidentally opened a portal to the underworld, evil creatures have been unleashed, and now it’s your time to lead a group of brave souls to save the world.
Stress is the biggest survival mechanic in The Darkest Dungeon. As you descend deeper into the dungeons, your heroes will accumulate stress, andwhen you reach a stress level of 200, you will suffer a heart attack and be at death’s door, which means any further damage you take has a chance of killing you.
10 Best Survival Games for Beginners
Surviving is fun if you pick the right games to do it with.
You’ll also need to keep these dungeons lit using your torches.As the light dims,you’ll accumulate morestress, and your enemies will become more powerful.
6State of Decay 2
The Plague
State of Decay 2
Scavenge resources, recruit survivors, and build a communityto strengthen your chances of surviving the zombie apocalypse. In State of Decay 2,building up your home baseis essential to your progress and to keep zombies frombreaking in and attacking your people.
Some of the zombies you encounter will be infected with the plague. If you’re bitten by them, you’ll be infected with the disease, and if too much time passes,you will die from it.
This is a really thrilling and unique survival mechanic that will have you rushing your squad members back to the infirmary toavoid losing them permanently.
Every survivor you recruit will have their own strengths and special skills, so choose wisely and create the strongest team you can.Your life depends on it after all.
5Enshrouded
Don’t Give Up
Enshrouded
If you love base-building, well-designed crafting systems, and gorgeous open-world landscapes, Enshrouded could be the perfect choice for your next play. As a corrupting fog called the shroud creeps over the land, mutating the life it touches, you’ll be setting down your home base using a flame altar.
The flame is what keeps the fog at bay, and increasing the flame’s strength will allow you to venture into the shroud forlonger amounts of time.This creates a unique survival mechanic, whereyou’ll need to utilize items like the shroud survival flaskto help you make it out alive.
The farming andcookingmechanics in Enshrouded offer us the ability to cook a vast number of different recipes that will greatlybuff your stats,which will be essential for your success when fighting powerful enemies.
4The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Hyrule’s Hero
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Fextralife Wiki
As you set out to investigate a mysterious substance found leaking from caverns beneath Hyrule Castle, you’ll quickly realize that yoursurvival will depend on your preparation.You’ll be faced with extreme weather conditions like lightning, frost, and heat, which will require you to think ahead before entering certain areas.
There’s a long list ofcooking recipesfor you to utilize to endure such conditions. You’ll need to stock yourself on hot meals to keep you warm when the temperature drops, and cold meals to keep you cool when things are heating up. There are also heat/cold-resistant gear that you can buy or find, such as the sapphire circlet.
8 Best Pixel-Art Survival Games
The cutesy art style doesn’t make survival any easier!
Additionally,attaching gems to your armor can also help you stay alive.Insert a ruby into your shield, and you’ll have immunity to the cold, while attaching a sapphire will give you heat resistance.
Raw Science
After a failed experiment, Max, Willow, Hoops, and Pete are left shrunken down to a tiny size, and must now fend for themselves in a backyard full of dangers. Grounded has some reallywell-balanced survival mechanics,a beautiful and immersive world to explore, and really engaging combat.
You’ll need to build a base for protection and a place to respawn or sleep, keep yourself fed and hydrated, and craft survival gear to help you endure things likepoisonous gas or scorching hot sand.
In Grounded, one of the main sources of water is water droplets that you’ll find clinging to the tops of grass blades which tower over you. You’ll need to knock them down and pick them up with your canteen.
With an impressive number of different foods you can cook,powerful weaponsto defend yourself with, and well-designed building mechanics,Grounded is a fantastic gaming experience.
2Fallout: New Vegas
Dystopian Survival
Fallout: New Vegas
After a devastating nuclear war between the USA and China roughly 200 years prior, you are left to survive in a dystopian world. Not only that, but there arefactionsfighting for control of the region and trying to assassinate you.
In Fallout: New Vegas, you’ll becomeexposed to radiationleft behind by the war, and encounter enemies that will deal radiation damage when they attack.If you reach 1000 rads, you’ll get radiation poisoning and die.
You’ll also have to manage your thirst and hunger levels to avoid stat penalties, and also ensure you get some sleep!Sleep deprivation will cause your agility and endurance to drop, and if you stay awake for too long, eventually you’ll die.
1Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Be Good To Henry
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
In Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 you’ll take the role of Henry of Skalitz, a man-at-arms in the resistance against the usurper, King Sigismund of Luxembourg. KCD2 isvisually stunning,the story is deep and thoughtfully written, and the combat is challenging and satisfying.
One of the things KCD2 does so well, is implementing survival mechanics that are really enjoyable, and don’t feel like a chore. You’ll need tokeep Henry fed and well-rested to keep his nourishment and energy levels up. If they drop too low, you’ll start experiencing some stat penalties.
Another great feature in this game is thesurvival skill. You can level this skill byforaging, hunting, butchering, and smoking meats, or processing herbs.The higher your skill, the easier it will become for you to live off the land while you’re exploring.
10 Best Survival Co-Op Games
From Don’t Starve Together to Minecraft and Rust, these survival titles offer an excellent co-op experience.
