Summary
One of the most popular genres out there issurvival games—whether playing solo or with friends, there’s a flavor of survival for everyone. The genre is vast, and its many subgenres practically guarantee something will grab your attention. Of course, no one wants to play a buggy, half-baked mess of a game.
Reviews can help steer players away from disasters, but sometimes a game gets unfairly bashed, or it just launched in rough shape and improved over time. In this list, we’re spotlighting survival games that got a bad rap—but maybe didn’t deserve it. Turns out, some underdogs just need a patch (or ten) to shine!
The survival games featured in this list were selected based on having a score of 60 or below onOpenCriticandMetacritic.
In Syndrome, you wake up on a spaceship and, surprise, you’re surrounded by a bunch of very dead crewmates. As you search for what—or who—killed them, you’ll need to survive this sci-fi nightmare. It’s a claustrophobic horror game where you’ll meet other survivors… but figuring out who you can actually trust is part of the fun.
While the game’s atmosphere and sound design earned praise, its story and mechanics took a few punches from critics. Some even said it feels a little familiar toAlien: Isolation. But hey, a great atmosphere is timeless, and Syndrome brings its own chilling flavor to the mix! If you love sci-fi vibes and creepy corridors, this shipwrecked adventure might just be worth boarding.
9Help Will Come Tomorrow
OpenCritic Score: 57/100
Set in Siberia in 1917, Help Will Come Tomorrow drops youinto the snowy wildernessafter a train crash. A ragtag group of survivors from different social classes must somehow work together until help arrives. Each character brings unique skills to the table, and their relationships actually affect how the game plays out.
The most common complaints? Overly complicated mechanics and not enough explanation for beginners. The atmosphere also caught some flak. Still, just because something’s tricky doesn’t mean it’s bad!If you’re into board games, it’s actually very similar to Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island. Once you wrestle with the UI and stick it out, it becomes a surprisingly rewarding survival adventure.
8Beyond Contact
OpenCritic Score: 56/100
Beyond Contact is a sci-fi survival crafting game that checks a lot of boxes with its vibrant style and variety of game modes. Set in the year 2766, you play as an elite member of the Space Corps, sent to the diverse open world of planet Ketern to investigate a mysterious energy source threatening the local civilization.
Some players have grumbled about the confusing interface and the awkward controller support, and critics have called the storytelling a little weak. The combat could use a bit more oomph, too. Still, if you get the hang of the controls, there’s a grind-heavy but deeply satisfying tech tree waiting to eat up your hours—with lots of fun little details to discover!
Shelter 2 has a pretty unique concept where you play as a pregnant female lynx. After giving birth, your goal is to keep your cubs alive, feed them, and protect them from dangers. With changing seasons and a vast open world, even after finishing the game, you can start a new game with your surviving cubs, creating a family tree.
It’s been criticized for limited gameplay depth, short duration, and a price that doesn’t quite match its length. Sure, no one wants to pay a lot for a short game, but sometimes shorter experiences are worth it. If it’s on sale, it’s definitely worth a try—especially for its theme and art style!
PixARK is a voxel-based open-world survival game, blending the blocky charm of Minecraft with the mechanics of Ark: Survival Evolved. Players can tame dinosaurs, build epic bases, and explore a massive, colorful world. The game shines even brighter when experienced with friends.
However, the Nintendo Switch version has faced heavy criticism for technical issues, and some players have found the sandbox gameplay to feel aimless. Still, PixARK has received plenty of positive reviews on Steam. Console struggles aside, sandbox games are all about crafting personal adventures—and honestly, not every game needs a strict goal to be unforgettable.
In 60 Seconds!, you play as Ted, a suburban dad whose peaceful life is rudely interrupted by a nuclear apocalypse. With only a minute to spare, you must dash around your randomly generated house, grabbing supplies and deciding—sometimes hilariously—who or what gets left behind.
The game’s quirky dark humor is its biggest charm, even if the clunky controls and wonky camera angles can make prepping for doomsday more frustrating than it should be. Still, it’s a great snack-sized survival game—perfect for short sessions between bigger gaming adventures. Plus, the house changes every time, so your poor decision-making stays fresh and unpredictable!
How to Survive drops players onto a zombie-infested archipelago and says, “Good luck!” For a game of its age, the survival mechanics, crafting system, and day-night cycle hold up surprisingly well. With a multiplayer mode, it’s a fun pick for anyone who enjoys bashing the undead.
While it doesn’t have terrible reviews, some players criticized the weak story, shallow character development, and a bit of repetitive gameplay. But honestly, in a survival game, mechanics matter way more than plot twists—and if you’re looking for deep storytelling, there are plenty of other zombie games out there. A little repetition never hurt anyone… unless you’re a zombie.
Generation Zero is a first-person survival game that drops you into an alternate 1989 Sweden, where the Cold War never quite ended—and robots decided to crash the party. While you’re scavenging and shooting, you’re also trying to uncover why giant machines have turned your sleepy countryside into a metal apocalypse.
Critics didn’t exactly throw a parade for this game—citing repetitive missions, limited enemy variety, and technical bugs at launch. Although 75 percent of Steam reviews are positive, the real kicker came when the devs announced the end of support. Yep, no more bug fixes. It’s not a terrible game, just… abandoned like a rusty Volvo.
Fextralife Wiki
Fallout 76 takes place in 2102, after Reclamation Day, in a post-apocalyptic America. Unlike previous Fallout games, this one is multiplayer and set earlier in the timeline. Players, as Vault 76 dwellers, explore the Appalachia region. While it offers an MMO-lite experience, the game initially received backlash due to the lack of NPCs, a feeling of emptiness in the world, and players' reluctance to see it as a true Fallout game.
The E3 2018 visuals didn’t match the final product, causing even more frustration. Despite the rough launch and some PR disasters, big updates have improved the game, and it’s now playable—though still with a few scars.
DayZ is a multiplayer open-world survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. It features realistic survival mechanics and permadeath, which appeals to hardcore fans. The game’s interaction with other players is one of its strengths, but its early access phase faced heavy criticism.
Technical issues, bugs, and a slow development process left many players waiting for years. Initially, the world felt empty and lacked content, tarnishing the experience. However, time healed these wounds, and DayZ has since evolved, becoming a thrilling survival game. Despite its early struggles, it’s still alive, with 77 percent of Steam reviews being positive from over 350,000 players!
