Survival games have been around for a while, and for good reason. Games that challenge you to stay alive by gathering resources, battling enemies, and slowly building up your defenses offer a gameplay loop that’s hard to resist. But in recent years, the rise of online multiplayer has resulted in a lot of survival games geared at co-op audiences. I love a good co-op game, but sometimes, you just want to sink into a solid single-player game.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Some of the most iconic survival games like Minecraft, Valheim, and Grounded lean heavily into multiplayer elements. And they can be a lot of fun when you’ve got a crew to join up with. But not every game that’s great for multiplayer delivers a satisfying single-player experience. So, if you’re in the mood for a great survival game that works well for solo gamers, these 5 should be on your list.
5) I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch
Price: $19.99
If you’re looking for a recent survival game that’s actually designed around a fully single-player experience, I Am Future should be on your list. This game released on Steam in 2024 and just recently arrived on consoles. Unlike many survival games from recent years, this one doesn’t feature any co-op or PvP gameplay.
As its name suggests, I Am Future takes a more casual, relaxing approach to the survival genre. You can customize the difficulty settings to make things extra cozy, or keep the hunger decay and pests turned on for more of a survival vibe. You’ll work to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, all while solving the mystery of who you used to be and what happened to all the other people.
4) V Rising
Platform(s): PC, PS5
Price: $34.99
If you’re looking for a solid vampire game that also offers a decent single-player experience, look no further than V Rising. This game puts a supernatural angle on the survival genre with its open-world survival meets vampire vibe. It was originally launched in Early Access back in 2022, with its full 1.0 release in 2024. V Rising does feature multiplayer co-op and PvP, but it’s also very friendly for solo play.
In V Rising, you play as a newly awakened vampire. To survive, you’ll need to hunt for blood, grow your strength, and build up your castle to take shelter from the sun. The game offers adjustable settings that can be tweaked to make it easier for solo players to gather resources and complete certain in-game tasks, making it a great survival game to play on your own.
3) Icarus
Platform(s): PC (PS5 and Xbox planned for early 2026)
Price: $34.99
Though it can be a bit of a grind for solo players, 2021 survival game Icarus comes highly recommended for a single-player survival experience. At its core, the game is billed as a PvE survival game set in a savage wilderness. It supports multiplayer for campaign and sandbox-style play, but can also be enjoyed on your own. In fact, Icarus offers a dedicated solo skill tree to help balance out the challenge when playing on your own.
In Icarus, you will find yourself in the wilderness of an Earth-like planet with a toxic atmosphere and aggressive wildlife. You will need to keep track of your oxygen, find food, and build up your base to make the most of this abandoned expanse. There are multiple biomes to explore, with a wide variety of resources to collect and skill trees to level. If you like a survival game with some grind that has features designed with the single-player experience in mind, Icarus might just be a great fit.
2) 7 Days to Die
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S (with older version still available on PS4 and Xbox One)
Price: $44.99
Prefer your survival games with a touch of zombie horror? 7 Days to Die will give you just that, putting players into an open world full of zombies. Released in 2024, the game does a nice job of balancing its multiplayer and single-player gaming experiences. Though it does offer the option to play with (or battle against) friends, many gamers enjoy playing 7 Days to Die on their own.
In this survival horror game, you get a blend of zombie FPS and survival crafting, with a dash of RPG and tower defense for good measure. You’ll need to gather resources to build up your base to withstand the onslaught of zombies. As you do, you’ll unlock new skills and combat abilities to increase your odds of fending off the hungry hordes.
1) The Long Dark
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Price: $34.99 (or $19.99 if you just want the Survival Mod, no story content)
Released in 2017, this is the oldest game on our list. But as far as single-player survival experiences go, it’s hard to top The Long Dark. This game was designed specifically as a first-person, single-player open-world exploration adventure. It features a few different gameplay modes, from a story-driven campaign to an open-world sandbox survival experience. And players rave about both options to this day.
The Long Dark brings players into a “quiet apocalypse” in an expansive frozen wilderness. Players will need to think carefully to outwit Mother Nature and stay alive. It has received several updates, including new gameplay features and modes, over the years. It is a definitive survival game that’s challenging, but satisfying, with options to help customize it to your preferences. For a top-tier survival experience geared for solo players, The Long Dark is quite possibly the best option out there.
Do you prefer a challenging or more cozy experience when playing survival games solo? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Iron Gate and Coffee Stain -
Image Courtesy of Apple -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
