Which Exploration and Survival Games Should I Try?

So one of the great things about computer games is the amazing variety. It does make it hard sometimes to play games outside of your comfort zone especially when time is limited. I am usually a strategy/RPG/Adventure game player. Alpha Centauri is one of the best games if not the best game I have ever played. I have not tried an exploration or survival game really and not sure I would like them at all. In MMO's I can enjoy exploration but only in limited amounts and I hate jumping puzzles/platforming.

I would like to move outside my comfort zone a bit however see if I might enjoy exploration and survival games (I do enjoy exploration in Mass effect 1 and 2). I don't want to waste my time on bad ones though. So, what are the best games in this genre? Which ones should I try out to find if this is something I might like? Something with a demo or something that is cheap is preferred but if there is an accepted "best in genre" will consider it.

Thanks!

Subnautica and The Solus Project are kinda cool. Both are single player oriented though (the latter is even pretty linear), which I guess makes them fairly non-standard for the genre.

I'm not against survival games per se, but a lot of them are just retreading the same ground as Day Z with zombie apocalypse stuff around run down town and forest environments. Of the at this point "traditional" open world multiplayer ones, I think Rust seems to be the most popular and refined of the bunch.

Don't Starve is great entry point to the genre

Easy to get into but deep enough to keep you entertained for hours

Minecraft. Like, seriously. I know it's ubiquitous, but a lot of games have tried to replicate it and have failed utterly because they can't get the balance of survival-exploration right, or they make their mechanics so obtuse and convoluted that it's a pain to figure out. Minecraft's balance is pretty good and you can always just set it to exploration mode to get ride of the survival and combat.

Also, I thought Don't Starve was pretty good, but I think it might be kinda stressful if you haven't played any of the genre.

Maybe that survival mode in Rise of the Tomb Raider?

Yeah, I haven't tried any game that does survival/crafting better than minecraft yet.

If you don't mind there being way less game and way more exploring (and lots of pretty and science) check out Space Engine. It's more of a model universe you can go around in freely. It includes whatever stellar bodies we are aware of and have classified, and then procedurally generates everything else which goes as far as more galaxies than I can count. It's also completely free.

If you want more of a game, I second Minecraft as a great intro. It's so very easy to get into, but with so many systems on systems that work rather well, it's rare to run out of things to do. Starbound is also in this same vein with more of a narrative and less options for hand-built contraptions.

There is a great little survival game on Steam early access called The Forest, and I can't recommend that game enough. I am over 50 hours in and I am still having fun with it. There are these mutant/cannibal things that are constantly trying to murder you, but it of that's not your cup of tea, just type "veganmode" at the main menu and POOF, those annoying buggers are gone and all you have to worry about is survival and base building. Oh, and typing "meatmode" at the menu brings them back anytime you want.

You are basically the survivor of a plane crash, and you and up to 3 other friends can craft, build, explore and survive on a very mysterious and creepy island. There is also a single player mode if you'd rather do that. Being early access there is a little bit of jank, but the devs are constantly adding updates and bug fixes. It is well worth the $15 dollars.

If it worked well on PC I would recommend No Man's Sky although it seems like it having some issues for a lot of people right now. If you liked the idea of exploring planets and space you could definitely do that on a much more massive scale. When they get it fixed I would say that is something worth checking out.

Would RimWorld count as a survival game? Because I've been having quite a bit of fun trying to keep my colonists alive in it.

No, just check it out right now. It runs 100% fine for me, which means it's possible it'll run fine for you. If it doesn't, just ask for a refund. It's pretty simple.

@zaldar: Far Cry Primal should be relatively cheap and is sort of a half exploration/resource gathering game half story driven melee game (might be a good way for you to see if you like resource gathering/exploration stuff.)

@thatbendorf: I've actually been thinking about picking that up but I was leary because of the zombie horde aspect. Didn't know you could turn that off. I'm down for a wilderness survival sim. Thanks.

Minecraft never seemed interesting to me and everything I have read and seen about no man's sky makes it look really really boring subnautica and the solus project I don't know much about do they have demos? Far Cry Primal I may have to look at if it is cheap enough. Starbound also did not look like something I would find interesting.

Ark: Surival Evolved is fun, more so with at least two friends. I never thought about getting into Minecraft, since it looks ugly/childish to me, and I don't want to mainly mine/build... Ark has plenty of weapons/combat too. I have a video below, it looks like gameplay for the most part.

You should try Miasmata.

It sounds like you don't actually want to play an exploration/survival game.

I'm going to second Subnautica. It's a gorgeous game in a world worth exploring. It's still in early access but has been pretty stable for me so far.

I wouldn't recommend No Man's Sky just yet as it's hyper repetitive and not all that compelling. The space flight feels pointless and the planets are generally pretty ugly with no real motivation to make them worth exploring. I've put a shitload of hours into NMS while catching up on some old Bombcasts and Beastcasts and I've yet to see anything that spiked my sense of wonder or even that hinted at anything existing beyond stale procedurally generated planets with no mystery or style. NMS feels more like the planet exploration from Mass Effect 1 than it does anything else.

Ooh, go with Miasmata. If your trying to see if you like survival games why not start with the very first in this horrible horrible trend.

Without your saying why you don't find those games interesting, it so far does indeed sound like you just don't want to play an exploration/survival game.

I will second The Forest, though. The 'story' seems like it will be compelling and the environment/enemies are cool and spooky. It isn't finished yet, though, so you can only get so far before there is nothing left to do (about 15 hours of gameplay for me and a friend).

Fallout 4 survival mode is alright (assuming you haven't played it yet). It scratches that exploration and survival itch alright. It has a shit ton of issues, but I don't find them deal breakers.

@blackmanshow said:

Miasmata is one of the only games I can think of that actually has an interesting exploration mechanic.

I'd recommend Don't Starve. It has a great cast of characters that have their own challenges and the game is quite a challenge until you get the hang of it. It get bonus points from me being one of the only survival games to leave early access. If you really enjoy it the expansions are definitely worth it as well.