There are all sorts of free video game titles out there, although when you start looking for specific, smaller genres, you might miss a bit of everything available. Still, there are plenty of games to choose from if you do a bit of digging. For example, those who want excellent free survival games for the PC platform should check out this list below. We've tried to keep it from being inundated with battle royale games, but you can still find some great titles to enjoy. No list is definitive as they are all opinionated, so we'd love to hear some of your favorite survival games by leaving a comment below.
unhappy spacemen
Unfortunate Spacemen is a relatively new video game that was released in June 2022. It is a free-to-play MMO that offers quite a diverse set of game modes for players to enjoy, but all of them are action-oriented with a focus on being an FPS. In this game, players are thrown into the future where going to different alien planets is just another daily chore. However, there are certainly quite a few different hostilities that you may need to overcome and this is where players take on the role of being, as the name suggests, a hapless astronaut.
This game doesn't have a big influence on survival elements, so don't expect too much in the genre. Still, there are areas worth noting such as health and oxygen. Being in space, there may be areas that are toxic or just lacking in oxygen in general, which means monitoring your vital sign levels. As mentioned, there are different game modes that players can try out.
For example, you have the standard story mode where you can play solo or with a few friends. Here you will have a variety of tasks to complete and from there it is a battle to fight off a slew of alien monsters that are invading the area. That said, you might find more interest in Shapeshifter mode. This is a 16-player game mode and among you is an alien who transforms into looking like normal astronauts. From there, paranoia can kick in as you all try to complete items to escape, but you don't necessarily know which of you is the alien.
Darwin Project
There is a constant influx of battle royale games released in the market and not all games are a hit. In fact, Darwin Project is a game that sounds good but didn't quite pull in the crowds the developers, Scavengers Studio, were hoping for. Instead, this game is slowly losing support, with the title receiving no more future development, but will continue to be playable until at least the end of this year. Maybe if more players show interest in the game, that might prompt the developers to provide a bit more support.
Still, Darwin Project can be an interesting title to check out. This game is based on an experience accompanied by a show. Overall, the title features 10 prisoners who must fight to stay alive. Scattered across an open world, players are given very few resources such as an ax with a bow and arrow configuration. From there, it's up to players to collect goods and stay alive.
Without firearms, weapons are based on melee combat with an ax or firing a bow and arrow in hopes of landing a shot. Still, the fight lasts a bit longer than a traditional battle royale game where players are likely to be knocked out in seconds. Meanwhile, during this action, a separate player takes on the role of a show director where he can make changes to the game to keep things a bit more interesting for the viewers as well as the players.
As the title suggests, it has survival elements, although nothing very complex. Really, players focus on adjusting the character's temperature in the game. If you start dropping too low due to the character's coldness, you'll find your HP bar depletes. In order to make sure your character is warm, you will need to light fires.
Elysee ring
Ring of Elysium is another battle royale game, but is actually quite popular and has a strong following. It is a third person shooter where players are basically dropped into a large open world map. With a life-threatening storm, the goal is to reach an evacuation point, but the helicopter is limited to a few seats, which means the battle will be fierce for a spot. There are a plethora of hopeful survivors scavenging for resources and carefully trying to reach the evacuation point, this means you'll need to keep a clear line of sight all around the map as you move on. Sticking close to woods or buildings is probably your best way to get around, as you never know who might create a spot to pull a few hopes rushing across the map.
There is of course plenty of equipment to keep players warm and healthy. However, it is still an FPS game, which means taking down your opponents. Outside of simple healing and shooting, there are several strategies to use. Knowing the map can be crucial in knowing where to pay attention, collecting supply drops if possible and of course a wide range of vehicles. Vehicles can also be a boon or a disaster. While they can allow players to quickly scan the map, they can also bring a ton of noise, letting players know where your location is.
Fallout shelter
Fallout is a huge franchise and we all know that for the great open-world RPG series. However, he has recently hosted different game spin-offs. We had Fallout 76, an MMO version of Fallout, and even a mobile title that has since spread to other platforms called Fallout Shelter. This game puts players in the role of a vault supervisor and features quite simplistic gameplay as you mainly manage the vault with different dwellers.
As you progress, you will unlock new constructions to further expand your vault and even allow more dwellers to join. However, there are still a number of hostile enemies that can sneak in. Due to the constant threat from outside, you will need to manage your dwellers to successfully defend the vault in the event of a break-in. Likewise, you might want to give a few characters a better loadout that will allow them to pop out of the vault for resources.
As a supervisor, you will also need to note the various resources that populate your vault. This means having enough food, water, and energy to keep your vault not only functioning, but keeping the dwellers healthy.