18 Survival Games Like Rust

Discover 18 highly-rated survival games like Rust that will put your survival instincts to the test and force you to build bases and face off against players.

In survival games, players typically begin with basic tools like a wooden bat, minimal armor made of cloth, and just enough rations to survive the first few days. As they explore, gather resources, and build a base, they can craft advanced gear and weapons. Over time, players progress from using rudimentary tools to wielding powerful firearms and fortifying their bases with turrets to face tougher challenges and enemies.

With many survival games on the market, Rust stands out for a reason. Beyond the usual survival elements like gathering, building, and exploration, Rust offers intense PvP action. Players can engage in fierce battles, form alliances, and immerse themselves in live roleplay scenarios—whether negotiating for survival or eliminating rivals. If you’re looking for similar high-stakes gameplay, here are some of the best Rust-like survival games to keep you on the edge.

Survival Games Like Rust

18. Escape From Tarkov

Platform: Windows
Release Date: July 27, 2017
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 5 players)

Escape From Tarkov is an action first-person shooter game with a realistic combat system and MMO features. It’s a story-driven game where players experience living as one of the mercenaries who survived the initial stage of the Tarkov conflict. Like Rust, it’s a mix of PVP and survival, and once you die, you risk losing the items you looted.

17. Project Zomboid

Platform: Windows, Linux, MacOS
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Mode: Single-player, PvE, Co-op (Up to 32 players)

Project Zomboid is a standout 2D survival game with impressive features that keep you on edge. Set in a zombie apocalypse, your mission is to survive against relentless hordes of the undead. The game offers numerous dedicated servers, catering to both PvE and PvP gameplay preferences.

With full Steam Workshop support, Project Zomboid also allows you to enhance your experience by adding mods from a vast selection. This makes every playthrough unique.

16. Conan Exiles

Platform: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: May 8, 2018
Mode: Single-player, PvP, Co-op (Up to 40 players)

Conan Exiles is a multiplayer survival game set in the brutal world of Conan the Barbarian. In this vast open-world sandbox, you’ll explore harsh landscapes filled with dangers that push you and your companions to scavenge for resources and build shelters.

As you progress, you’ll confront deadly monsters and other players, engaging in a dynamic, combo-based combat system that keeps the action intense.

15. DayZ

Platform: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: December 14, 2018
Mode: Single-player, PvP, Co-op (Up to 60 players)

DayZ is a pioneering zombie survival game that helped define the genre. Originally launched as an Arma 2 mod, its immense popularity led to the creation of a standalone version. DayZ even inspired games like Rust, contributing to its success.

Despite the competition, DayZ remains a favorite for its immersive, roleplay-heavy gameplay. This allows players to experience the tension and unpredictability of surviving a zombie apocalypse.

14. Medieval Dynasty

Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: September 23, 2021
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 5 players)

Medieval Dynasty puts your survival and management skills to the test. You play as a town planner, a builder, and a warden who foresees their village’s survival. You must coordinate with your residents to gather resources, produce goods, and grow your community while protecting them from danger.

13. Bellwright

Platform: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 4 players)

In Bellwright, you’ll recruit people and lead a rebellion against your homeland’s oppressive sovereign. You must establish a settlement with your companions and invite villagers to strengthen your new home.

You’re also required to craft, build, and defend your base against bandits or brigand factions and eventually liberate lands to expand your territory.

12. 7 Days to Die

Platform: Windows, Linux, MacOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: July 26, 2024
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 8 players)

7 Days to Die focuses more on PvE rather than on PvP. Set in an apocalyptic world riddled with zombies, players must survive in a unique combination of survival horror and tower defense. Every 7 Days, a blood moon will call forth hordes of mutated zombies to take down your base. If the zombies bite you, you’ll get infected and must find the best ways to cure the infection before it kills you.

11. ARK: Survival Evolved

Platform: Windows, Linux, MacOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: August 28, 2017
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 70 players)

A new ARK: Survival game has been released, but due to its server issues and poor optimization, it’s hard to recommend. However, ARK: Survival Evolved tells a different story. This game remains a masterpiece, offering rich content and satisfying gameplay that can easily provide players with countless hours of entertainment.

10. Green Hell

Platform: Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: September 5, 2019
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 4 or 10 using ModAPI)

Green Hell occurs in an Amazonian rainforest where your main goal is to survive the harsh elements, aggressive wild animals, and territorial tribesmen. Green Hell is considered challenging due to its realistic features, where you could die from starvation or infection from a minor wound.

9. State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition

Platform: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 4)

State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition lets players experience what it feels like to live and survive a zombie apocalypse. Each survivor in your community has their own story, personality, traits, and abilities, bringing in unique content where each new gameplay is never the same.

8. Don’t Starve Together

Platform: Windows, Linux, MacOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: April 22, 2016
Mode: Single-player, PvP, Co-op (Up to 6 players or more with workshop)

Don’t Starve Together is one of the most iconic survival games on the market. The game is a standalone multiplayer expansion of Don’t Starve that focuses on co-op mode. Team up with friends or start a rival group for PvE or PvP gameplay to survive hunger or attacks of giant monsters.

7. Sons of the Forest

Platform: Windows
Release Date: February 23, 2023
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 8 players)

Sons of th e Forest takes place on a remote island infested with cannibals. Survive the hellish nightmare by crafting shelter, gathering resources, and exploring the island for valuable weapons and tools. Reinforce your base for a cannibal or mutated monster raid, ensuring you and your friends will be the last ones standing.

6. Nightingale

Platform: Windows
Release Date: February 21, 2024
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 6 players)

Nightingale is one of the few survival games released this year. This game occurs in the Faewilds, a unique world full of faes and magic. Craft, build, fight, and explore the world through mystical portals that lead you to variants of realms such as eerie swamps, deep fae forests, and deserts.

5. Dawn of Defiance

Platform: Windows
Release Date: August 14, 2024
Mode: Single-player, Co-op (Up to 4 players)

Dawn of Defiance is a Greek myth-inspired survival game. From a Defier, you ascend into a soldier and then to a god-like anti-hero. You must build your own Greek structures, craft and upgrade your gear, and grow stronger so you can face and take down the trials of Gods.

4. Soulmask

Platform: Windows
Release Date: May 31, 2024
Mode: Single-player, PvP, Co-op (Up to 50 players)

Soulmask is a survival game centered on tribal warfare, where you compete against AI or online players to conquer territories and secure vital resources. You can form alliances or wage war by attacking enemy bases with weapons and armor crafted from materials gathered during exploration. Surviving in the deep forest is no easy task, especially when danger lurks around every corner.

3. V Rising

Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5
Release Date: May 8, 2024
Mode: Single-player, PvP, Co-op (Up to 60 players)

Play as a vampire in V Rising, hunting for blood and challenging holy soldiers or wage war in a world of conflict. You must build your own castle, capture and convert humans into loyal servants, and grow your vampire clan. Whether you play solo or with friends, you’ll compete for resources and race to defeat Dracula, all in the quest to become the ultimate vampire lord.

2. Palworld

Platform: Windows, MacOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Release Date: January 19, 2024
Mode: Single-player, PvP, Co-op (Up to 32 players)

Palworld is an iconic survival game that other developers have never done before. It is a mix of Rust and Pokemon, where you and your friends tame monsters to fight alongside you, taking on raid bosses, powerful monsters, or enemy players.

You must tame the strongest Pals like Jetdragon to increase your chances of surviving combat. If not in combat, they can assist you in managing your base by increasing production speed, gathering resources, or crafting yields.

1. Once Human

Platform: Windows
Release Date: July 10, 2024
Mode: Single-player, PvP, Co-op (Up to 8 players)

Once Human is a free-to-play open-world game set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world where you can choose a PvE or PvP server to match your gameplay style. You must upgrade your gear, get various resources like electronic parts, and defend yourself from monsters or players while minding your basic survival needs.