The Greatest Survival Games On Xbox Game Pass

Key Takeaways

• Survival games are polarizing due to the lack of clear goals, open worlds, and challenging resources, but they provide thrilling experiences for fans.
• Xbox Game Pass offers a variety of survival game choices, including hybrid versions combining survival elements with other genres.
• From icy investigations in Kona to battling ocean predators in Maneater, each survival game offers unique challenges and strategies for players.

Survival is a divisive gaming genre. While there are certainly some lukewarm fans, most people either love or hate this gaming experience. The mixed reactions come from the features that define these titles. Huge open worlds, a little direction, lack of a proper goal, logical crafting, hard-to-find resources, and most importantly, the risk that you could lose it all isn’t appealing to everyone. Others love the rush it provides, though.

Fortunately for fans of this genre, there’s increasing innovation in this style, so now there are hybrid versions that try to take what’s best about survival games and graft it onto other game styles. With the variety in this genre, players with Xbox Game Pass have access to some great survival games, including a few of the best.

Updated December 4, 2024, by Ben Jessey: Xbox Game Pass is a service that contains a litany of wonderful survival games. We put the best ones on this list. However, more great ones have recently been added to the service. Therefore, we’ve returned to the piece to add a few more to the collection.

Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl

Stalker 2 is an open-world survival game in which you must keep yourself safe in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, which was created after the 1986 disaster. It is a hazardous place, as it contains plenty of radiation, mutated creatures, and morally questionable individuals.

So, part of the survival aspect of this FPS is not getting killed by those things. Yet, you also have to make sure you’re well-fed and manage your resources. This is all because your character entered the dangerous zone to discover more about the special crystal that appeared in his home.

Aliens: Dark Descent

Aliens Dark Descent is a real-time tactics game set in the Alien universe. You are in control of a squad of marines to whom you must give commands. So, you choose where they move and what actions they take. In fact, their survival is down to you, as there is a permadeath mechanic in play, meaning you have to be careful.

Not only do you need to look after their physical health, though. They also get fatigued mentally, which can give them some debuffs, making it more likely that they will fall. What makes it even more likely they won’t survive is they’re mainly up against the always-dangerous Xenomorphs.

Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders

Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders isn’t a pure survival game. Instead, it’s a game that takes from multiple genres. There are elements of survival, action-adventure, RPG, and base building. Plus, it’s an open-world title.

The premise of the game is that the Sheriff of Nottingham is enjoying a tyrannical reign, and you have to help build a community for rebels, refugees, and anyone else who isn’t a fan of the villain. So, you must build up, protect, and provide for your little community in the hope it can one day challenge the tyrant.

Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut

Many survival games are set in a post-apocalyptic world, as it tends to be a situation that is hard to survive. That is the case in the RPG title Wasteland 2. In it, you control and manage a group of rangers. As them, you make all sorts of decisions and participate in turn-based battles.

You can consider this partially a survival game because there is permadeath in play. Therefore, if one of your rangers dies, they’re gone forever. So, try not to be too reckless in battle.

Core Keeper

Core Keeper is a sandbox survival game that puts plenty of focus on crafting. So, it’s similar to the likes of Terrarria and Minecraft. However, unlike those games, you don’t get to feel the fresh air or stare at the clouds. This is because the game is set in an endless, procedurally generated underground cavern.

Much of the title is about mining resources and building things. Yet, it wouldn’t be a survival game if there weren’t some dangers. One of the biggest is your own stomach, as you need to keep your hunger bar full to stop yourself from starving. There are also enemies to deal with that may kill you before your hunger does.

Wasteland 3

While Wasteland 3 is primarily an isometric turn-based RPG, it still has a survival element. This is because there is a permadeath feature, so any member of your crew can die during the game. Now, they won’t die of hunger or thirst, but they can perish during the game’s turn-based battles.

The crew in question is led by two members of an Arizona Ranger Team who have so far managed to stay alive in the post-apocalyptic frozen wasteland previously known as Colorado. As them, you complete quests, have conversations, and take part in battles.

Generation Zero

Generation Zero is an open-world first-person shooter with some survival elements. You don’t need to watch your hunger or make sure you don’t get thirsty. However, the whole concept of the game is about surviving in a world that has been taken over by robots.

These machines are deadly, so you’re encouraged to sneak around and take cheap shots to live through encounters with them. You also need to go around scavenging resources to help craft things and build bases.

Fallout: New Vegas

Surviving in the regular Fallout: New Vegas mode is tricky, as you’re living in a post-apocalyptic open world featuring all sorts of mutated creatures and morally corrupt humans that are willing to kill you. Yet, things ramp up even more in the hardcore mode, as it essentially turns New Vegas into a true survival game.

No longer does sleeping in a bed miraculously heal broken limbs, nor are you able to live without eating and drinking. You need doctors and medical supplies to heal major injuries, and you must avoid dehydration and starvation. You also need to get sleep to avoid sleep deprivation. This is all while still participating in gunfights and battles with deadly beasts.

Kona

In Kona, you play as a private investigator who visits a town in North Quebec, Canada. Once there, you investigate the disappearance of several people. This investigation tasks you with exploring and interacting with things.

This is all fine, except the town you are visiting is really, really cold. As such, the icy weather is a constant threat. This is where the survival element comes in, as you must keep yourself warm enough not to freeze. The other main threat is the occasional pack of wolves you can run into.

The Quarry

The Quarry is not a survival game in the traditional sense. After all, you’re not managing your hunger or thirst, nor are you hunting for resources or crafting things. However, the entire game is about survival. You’re trying to keep your group of playable camp counselors alive as they face many dangers during one fateful night.

To keep them breathing, you have to make the correct decisions and pass quick time events. If a character dies, you still continue to the end of the story, as the game contains multiple endings, which are determined by who lives to the conclusion.

Maneater

Maneater isn’t an out-and-out survival game; it’s also an open-world RPG. In it, you play as a shark in the ocean, which isn’t the traditional setup for a survival game. After all, sharks are predators and not often prey. Yet, you are both in this game.

You are a predator to the little fish swimming around and the unarmed humans on land. However, you also occasionally run into bigger and badder creatures, which is when you become prey. The goal of the game is to survive while building yourself up so you’re capable of taking on the more deadly monsters that roam the ocean.

Palworld

In Palworld, the land you’re trying to survive in is filled with cute Pokemon-like creatures. At first glance, you may not want to hurt them, but your best chance at survival requires you to at least capture them. After all, when you’ve got them under your command, you can put them to work, which helps you build up your resources.

This may seem cruel, but you will be thankful for those supplies when rival trainers come to take you out. These people aren’t the only threat, as you also have to fend off starvation. The creatures can also help with that by being food if you don’t let pesky morality get in your way.

We Happy Few

We Happy Few isn’t what you’d call a pure survival game. After all, it’s an action-adventure game at heart, but it contains some survival elements, such as the need to eat, drink, and sleep to keep yourself at your best.

The reason you need to be at your best is because your characters are trying to escape a village called Wellington Wells. It looks like a great place to live if you’re on the hallucinogenic drugs that residents are forced to take. Those not on the medication realize that it’s a ruined dystopia. You have to get out of there, mainly by fighting or sneaking.

Iron Brigade

Iron Brigade is set in an alternate version of history where post-World War 1 battles are contested between big man-controlled mechs and robots. You’re on the former’s side as you control large mechs. It’s a tower defense-style game where you must protect your base from waves of enemies. So, in this game, survival is about keeping your base intact.

It differs from most other games in the tower-defense genre because you experience the game from a third-person perspective. So, instead of placing units to protect your base, you must take a hands-on approach and stop the ongoing forces with your mech.

Fallout 4

For most people who play Fallout 4, it won’t be a survival game because if you play on the regular difficulties, it’s an RPG. Yet, there is a survival mode that adds aspects of the genre to the experience.

In this mode, you have to stay well-fed, hydrated, and well-rested. You also have to deal with any illnesses or crippled limbs that you fall victim to. So, it really is a pure survival game. However, it’s still a Fallout title, meaning you still have to roam the post-apocalyptic wasteland that’s filled with all sorts of mutated creatures and morally bankrupt people who aren’t afraid to eliminate you.

Still Wakes The Deep

Still Wakes the Deep is a first-person survival horror title with walking simulator elements. Throughout the game, you make your way through a very creepy oil rig.

You aren’t alone on this rig, as there are monsters creeping around. When they appear, all you can do is attempt to sneak, run, or hide because you have no way to fight them. So, the survival aspect in this one is all about surviving your encounters with these beasts.

Wartales

Wartales isn’t just a survival game. It’s also an open-world, turn-based RPG. In it, you control a mercenary group that travels around the map, fighting enemies and finding resources. There is no ultimate goal for your crew. They just need to survive in this harsh medieval world.

This is tricky as you get into many battles where your group can pick up injuries, dent their armor, or even die. And death is permanent in Wartales, so watch out. Another thing you need to keep an eye on is the amount of food you have. Hungry mercs won’t be happy and may even leave your crew if you’re not feeding them. It’s a unique sort of survival title.

Space Engineers

By its nature, Space Engineers is a sandbox game, but there is a survival component. As the name of the game suggests, you will need to survive in space. So, you must mine and gather resources in order to craft things like tools and weapons.

While weapons can be important when you go up against base turrets and things of that nature, combat isn’t the biggest danger to your survival attempts. What you really need to manage is your oxygen and power, as running out of those things can be deadly. Beyond surviving, there isn’t a real goal in the game. You’re just free to experience life in space.

Forager

In Forager, you’re free to roam a very colorful open world as a cute little creature. As Jamie Latour wrote in his review, “Forager lets you set your own goals and create what you want, which makes for a peaceful vacation.” So, you’re in charge of your own experience.

But you’re encouraged to collect resources, build things, and explore. You do get into a few fights, too, which is where the survival aspect of the game comes in. Beyond that, it isn’t the most perilous of survival games, as it’s more about building a life than staying alive.

Dead Space

The original Dead Space is an iconic game, and this 2023 version is “the definitive version of Isaac Clarke’s first chapter,” according to reviewer Jade King. It’s more survival horror than simply survival, meaning what you have to live through is generally very scary.

You’re up against a seemingly endless number of alien monsters known as Necromorphs as you attempt to navigate an abandoned ship in space. You can defend yourself against them as the game includes third-person shooting mechanics. The combat feels unique because you take down enemies by targeting their limbs. This helps it stand out from many others in the genre.

State Of Decay

State of Decay is an action game set in a zombie-filled world. In it, you have to complete quests while finding time to manage a community of survivors. That ever-growing community is filled with playable characters that you can freely switch between.

None of them are zombie-proof, as each is at risk of being killed. When they fall, they don’t just get back up, as there is a perma-death feature in the game. This is where the survival aspect comes into play.

Amnesia: The Bunker

Amnesia games are typically about surviving scary monsters that are hunting you, and The Bunker is no different in that regard. After all, you play as a French soldier who is stuck in a WW1 bunker with a monster stalking them.

You don’t have enough supplies to take the beast on, so you have to hide and outmaneuver the creature. Along the way, you can do some exploration to learn more about the bunker and what is happening down there. Reviewer George Foster calls it “a truly terrifying experience that shows how bright the series’ future can be.”

Darkest Dungeon

Along with being a survival game, Darkest Dungeon is also an RPG dungeon crawler. In it, you must explore and cleanse dangerous dungeons that are underneath your estate. You do that by sending in groups of brave adventurers.

Yet, even the mightiest of heroes struggle to deal with the mental anguish they go through while down in these dungeons. So, you must manage their stress, which can send them to an early grave if it gets too high. Of course, that is not the only thing that can kill them – they can also die in battle. Their survival is in your hands.

Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors is an original and simple survival game. You’re placed onto a plot of land, and a ridiculous number of enemies are thrown at you. So much so that it’s also considered a bullet hell game. Your only goal is to survive the onslaught as long as you can.

It doesn’t have an array of deep mechanics like many other survival titles, but it doesn’t need them. The various weapons and upgrades, along with the pure fun of surviving, are enough to keep the game interesting for many hours.

Dead By Daylight

Whether or not Dead By Daylight is a survival game depends on what team you’re on. After all, this is an asymmetric multiplayer game where one person plays as the killer while everyone else controls the survivors.

As their name suggests, the role of the killer is to go around murdering everyone. If they all die, the killer wins. As the survivors, you aim to open up the exit or find another way to escape. It is essentially a highly violent game of cat-and-mouse.

This War Of Mine: Final Cut

This War of Mine is a unique war-themed game because you don’t play as a soldier on the front lines or a special ops member. Instead, you control a group of civilians who are trying to survive during this difficult time.

They’re all hiding inside a damaged building, hoping to avoid the conflict. You must keep them safe by maintaining their hunger and health while keeping their mood as high as possible. To do that, you need to scavenge for items and supplies, making the stakes of your survival just as high as theirs.

Plants Vs. Zombies

There have been a few different Plants Vs Zombies games, which have varied in both quality and genre. The original game, simply titled Plants Vs Zombies, is one of the best tower defense titles in recent memory. However, you don’t defend a tower. You defend yourself and your home instead.

So, it’s also a survival game in part. The thing you’re trying to survive against is a horde of zombies. And you do that by utilizing different plants that all have their own powers, which can keep the monsters at bay.

Grounded

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be the size of an ant? Well, Grounded helps feed that curiosity. You play as a shrunken human who must survive in a backyard with plenty of bugs and other creatures. They all share their own purpose, with some being more useful than others.

The spiders, for instance, are definitely not helpful as their goal is to kill you. And if you aren’t fond of spiders, don’t worry, as the game includes an Arachnophobia Safe Mode, where you can change how the creatures look. While dealing with those beasts, you must eat and drink to stay alive.

No Man’s Sky

It’s fair to say that No Man’s Sky had a difficult launch. But after several updates, the game has become a more polished and fascinating adventure. In it, you get the freedom to explore a bunch of procedurally generated planets, where you find materials that help you build up your gear.

However, it’s not as peaceful as it sounds, as these planets aren’t all devoid of life. There is usually something around that’s trying to kill you. And it would be best if you used your wits and whatever equipment you have to survive the attacks while making the planet as habitable as possible.

Frostpunk

Frostpunk differs from many other games in the genre because you’re not just looking after yourself or a small team. Instead, you must manage an entire city of people whose world has been destroyed due to global cooling.

Along with being a survival game, it’s a city simulator where you have to manage resources and your people. In the process, you must make some difficult judgment calls that aren’t always going to make you well-liked among the population. But sometimes, the unpopular choice will help keep people alive in the long run.

Minecraft

While Minecraft is certainly not the first entry into the genre, it led the charge for the current generation of survival games. Here, you have all the elements you expect of this sort of title in their starkest, blockiest form. With no real goal and virtually unlimited space and resources, you can build whatever you want, assuming you can survive the hazards of wandering Mobs, including the iconic creepers.

Many Minecraft players get trauma flashbacks at the sound of sizzling bacon, thanks to those stealthy, exploding beasts. The game has limitations, but it’s still amusing and perfect for family time with your little crafters.

Terraria

Terraria grew directly out of the excitement for Minecraft, making some similar concessions in terms of a block universe. However, Terraria limits the world significantly by making it a two-dimensional, pixelated setup.

It makes up for this limitation by giving you an even more comprehensive array of monsters to fight. There are several epic bosses and powerful waves of outrageous enemies you can summon by crafting magic items. There are also plenty of well-developed NPCs that you can trade with. They also sometimes give you scraps of information and quests—another very fun one for family play.

Medieval Dynasty

Medieval Dynasty is a fantastic blend of multiple genres, bringing aspects of survival, simulation, and strategy under one roof, making for unique and interesting gameplay. While not perfect, Medieval Dynasty delivers an unforgettable experience, placing you directly in the Middle Ages, forcing you to hunt, farm, and maintain a village for survival.

If you’re looking for something that shakes up the survival formula, this may be what you’re looking for. It has enough of the survival identity present but stretches its legs far beyond what you would expect. Living your day-to-day life out will be tense, rewarding, and exhilarating, but it can also be frustrating if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.

Astroneer

Astroneer is a very pure survival game. With neither time limits nor set goals, you wander the worlds of your solar system, collecting resources that enable you to research and build ever more complex technologies.

While there are no animals in this game, only plants, that doesn’t mean you’re free from threats. Not only can the flora kill you with poison, explosions, and impaling spines, but it’s easy to get lost, especially if you wander into caves. And a missing Astroneer usually runs out of air and dies.

State of Decay 2

State of Decay 2 is a post-apocalyptic zombie horror survival game. What makes it different from many others is that you are not a lone survivor. Instead, you have to work together with other people who have managed to avoid being eaten by the undead (not other players, but NPCs in the game). You must utilize their skills and build your own base to hold against the onslaught of the wandering zombie hordes.

This game can be bloody, but it’s also bloody fun. The team-based ethos gives it an uplifting core that contrasts sharply with the gruesome setting and grueling challenges.

Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition

Ark plops you down nearly naked in a world full of dinosaurs; it’s tough to hold your own. Dilophosaurs may be small, but they are vicious, and you’ll die many times before you learn how to craft the weapons and tools necessary to fend them off.

As you gain skills, though, the challenge makes this game very satisfying, especially when you start learning to construct shelters, transportation, and train dinosaurs. You can really rule the land from the back of a Baryonyx.

DayZ

DayZ is a survival game that is online only, forcing you to explore the world with the hopes, or fear, of running into other players trying to survive. The rush of running into someone and not knowing their plans can be incredibly daunting to many, which is understandable, but we strongly urge fans of the genre to attempt this unique experience at least once.

Additionally, DayZ has a relatively robust modding community, and a large gathering in general, allowing you to easily meet like-minded players, setting you up for nearly endless hours of enjoyment. There’s nothing like DayZ out there, and there’s no questioning where its success came from, as trying to survive amongst zombies and real players is inherently terrifying and engaging.