With the rise of shooters in popularity, the survival genre saw a massive evolution in the 2010s. This came in the form of the survival horror genre, one that combined elements of the two genres; there were other genres that also blended with the survival one.

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Due to this, we’ve considered any game that made surviving its focal point as something that qualifies it as a survival game. As for Metacritic scores, we’ve taken either the lowest or highest version of a game released across the PC, PS, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms as the one to be included in this list. That said, here are the five best and worst survival games that were released in the past ten years.

10 Worst: 7 Days To Die - 35

Art from 7 Days to Die

Set in a world that has seen the nuclear fallout after the third World War, the player is required to survive somehow against the number of enemies - implied to be ones infected from the radiation - and look for supplies.

While the premise for 7 Ways to Die sounds good, the game itself was branded as bland and unoriginal, bringing nothing new to the table while relying on the player choosing to prolong their gameplay as there’s not much to offer other than simply attempting to survive as long as one can.

9 Best: Resident Evil 7: BioHazard - 86

Resident Evil 7 Biohazard

Although it has been compared to P.T., Resident Evil 7: Biohazard managed to be its own thing by making the survival aspect its top priority. The action was heavily toned down, to the point where it had hardly to do with anything.

In its place, keeping in line with the story, where the main character had to overcome a crazed family out to kill him, the game was lauded for having the player on their toes and prioritizing the survival portion over attempts to fight.

8 Worst: Escape Dead Island - 32

When an adventurer arrives on an island seeking an explanation for people vanishing mysteriously, he finds out the reason to be a zombie outbreak and has to escape before he too is killed. Escape Dead Island would’ve made for a better movie than a game, at least where its execution is concerned.

The criticism mainly had to do with the sub-par gameplay, as it didn’t have any replay value and the zombies were considered dull to the bone. The stealth sequences were deemed as the only real survival aspect, while the rest was generally considered as needless fluff.

7 Best: Subnautica - 87

person underwater in subnautica

In the future, humanity has taken to exploring new worlds to establish colonies. In the latest find, an explorer takes to the seas in search of learning more. Subnautica predominantly takes place underwater, where the goal is to evade the dangers lying deep below.

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The game’s positive point was considered the vast exploration options that came with the underwater environment, as well as making survival a unique experience as the surroundings were implemented in making it a challenge for the player to avoid death, such as overcoming hunger, lack of oxygen, and losing energy.

6 Worst: DayZ - 31

dayz banned in australia for something that isn't even in game yet

What started out as a mod turned out to be a fully-fledged game, as DayZ was released to much fan excitement. Unfortunately, that’s where the goodwill ended as the game itself was too much of a chore. 

Although the main aspect was that of survival, featuring stuff like malnutrition and disease that were a threat, it was too much work for too little reward. More than anything, DayZ had the player grinding around the world with hardly any direct involvement. It tried to be like a few other survival games, but ended up feeling like work.

5 Best: Frostpunk - 87

In an alternate history, many natural disasters has led to the breaking of established society, and it is now up to certain people to rebuild what was destroyed and make a better world. While it’s a city-building game, Frostpunk has stuck with the survival tag.

Positive reviews highlighted how the game kept the tension high by keeping the number of survivors dwindling, and certain decisions could lead to massive losses in population due to things like hunger crises, more natural disasters, and an inability to repair damage. All of these factors make for a surprisingly engaging game that makes you want to strive to let the people live.

4 Worst: Infestation: Survivor Stories - 20

Seeing as the game was so bad that it is no longer even playable, we’re not surprised that critics blasted Infestation: Survivor Stories hard. The goal here was to survive the zombie apocalypse by remaining one step ahead of the rest. However, this attempt led to the game being more about purchasing stuff rather than looking to fight and live.

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It was an online open-world offering, one which was lambasted for not presenting what was advertised. This was due to the game having only limited online modes, small map sizes even though extremely larger ones were promised, and multiple servers that never saw the light of day.

3 Best: Minecraft - 93

While Minecraft is largely known for being one of the best sandbox games ever made, it also features a mode entirely dedicated to survival. This is considered as being among the most engaging parts of the game, as players relish the challenge.

Critics have praised the increasing difficulty of the Hardcore mode, as only a single death could lead to total destruction of the world the player-created, which in turn makes victory all the sweeter. Other elements like cooking food or fighting enemies enable Minecraft to be a well-rounded affair.

2 Worst: Alone In The Dark: Illumination - 19

Were the developers looking to create a record for the lowest rating a game could achieve? We don’t know, but the game sure as heck came close to it. The Alone in the Dark series is known for being survival horror, although it appears as if the series itself had an identity crisis.

While technically it had survival features, the game was panned mainly due to it being a cop-out, in that the majority of it had to do with blasting through enemies with little to no skill required. This had the effect of making the game a soulless effort, as a person putting even the least amount of dedication would have the same experience as a more seasoned gamer.

1 Best: The Last Of Us - 95

Easily the ultimate game when it comes to the survival genre, The Last of Us set a new standard by making the matter of survival an emotional one. By putting in the reality of the apocalyptic world - such as finding notes from deceased survivors, or locating items that made living in such a hellish place worthwhile for a few moments - the game injected new life in the genre.

It also helped that the fighting mechanics were crafted to be as down and dirty as possible, meaning engaging in these sequences showed off the brutality of killing. This aspect was unanimously praised, as the game proved there was a difference between living and surviving.

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