In the expansive world of gaming, the survival genre continued its remarkable growth in 2020, capturing the imaginations of countless players. Many enthusiasts were particularly eager to discover which new titles would push the boundaries of resource management, base building, and exploration. For those captivated by the detailed overview in the video above, a closer look at these noteworthy new survival games offers additional insights into their unique mechanics and anticipated experiences.
The year 2020 was distinguished by a diverse array of fresh entries into the survival category, ranging from fantastical adventures to grounded simulations. Players were presented with numerous opportunities to test their wits and endurance against challenging environments. These titles, meticulously designed, promised to deliver compelling gameplay loops and novel interpretations of core survival elements.
Exploring Top New Survival Games of 2020
The landscape of survival gaming is frequently evolving, and the year 2020 proved to be a significant period for exciting new releases and promising early access titles. Each game brought its own distinct flavor to the genre. A comprehensive understanding of their core premises and features can be especially beneficial for gamers seeking their next great adventure.
Windbound: A Zelda-Inspired Island Survival Adventure
Kicking off the list of top new survival games is Windbound, a title that drew considerable attention for its distinctive aesthetic and gameplay mechanics. It was released on August 28th for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, making it widely accessible. This game is recognized for its strong resemblance to The Legend of Zelda, particularly in its visual style and emphasis on exploration.
However, while some elements might evoke traditional Zelda experiences, Windbound distinguishes itself through its rigorous survival focus. Players must navigate treacherous waters, traveling between procedurally generated islands, and gather essential resources. The core loop involves crafting tools, hunting for food, and maintaining a seaworthy vessel, adding a crucial layer of challenge to the island-hopping adventure.
The Riftbreaker: Base Building Meets Bullet Hell
Next up is The Riftbreaker, a hybrid title that skillfully merges several genres into a cohesive survival experience. While primarily a survival game centered on base building and resource management, it surprisingly integrates elements of action RPG and even bullet hell combat. The urgency of its gameplay is often highlighted, as players are constantly pushed to make quick, strategic decisions to defend their growing outposts.
A demo for The Riftbreaker was made available, allowing players to sample its exhilarating pace and complex systems. The full game was expected sometime in 2020, although the exact date was not specified. This blend of strategic construction and intense, fast-paced combat ensures that players are always engaged in critical tasks.
Occupy Mars: The Game: Surviving on the Red Planet
Occupy Mars: The Game truly lives up to its descriptive title, offering players a comprehensive Mars colonization and survival simulation. The primary objective involves transforming the harsh Martian environment into a self-sustaining habitat, which necessitates extensive exploration and resource acquisition. Crucial activities include setting up farms, constructing machinery, and establishing habitable shelters.
Initial supplies are limited, prompting players to efficiently manage resources like water and oxygen, which are pivotal for survival on Mars. The game also features an open-world sandbox design, allowing for considerable freedom in how players approach colonization. A prologue was released, and developers are known for being highly responsive to player feedback, actively integrating suggestions into the game’s ongoing development.
The Eternal Cylinder: A Surreal Alien Survival Tale
For those seeking a truly unconventional experience among new survival games, The Eternal Cylinder presents an exceptionally unique premise. This open-world adventure places players in control of bizarre creatures known as Trebhum, tasked with surviving in a surreal, alien landscape. The central and most formidable threat is an immense, rolling cylinder that systematically destroys everything in its path.
Players must employ traditional survival tactics such as gathering food and managing resources, but with the added twist of creature mutation. Trebhums can evolve and adapt by consuming different flora and fauna, acquiring new abilities essential for evading the omnipresent cylinder. This visually stunning game, with its otherworldly beauty, was expected to launch in 2020, although a firm release date was not announced.
Wild: Prehistoric Survival and Animal Possession
Wild, an intriguing open-world survival game, transports players back to a prehistoric era filled with ancient dangers and untamed wilderness. As a human survivor, players possess the extraordinary ability to possess various animals. This mechanic offers unique strategic advantages, allowing for reconnaissance, stealth, or direct combat by controlling creatures like crows or bears.
The game’s visuals are often described as lavish and epic, presenting a vast, beautiful, and dangerous world to explore. While initially announced as a PS4 exclusive, its prolonged development has led to speculation about a potential release on PS5. Despite the lack of recent updates or a specific release date, the innovative animal possession gameplay continues to spark significant interest.
The Survivalists: Island Adventure with a Familiar Feel
The Survivalists introduces players to an adventure sandbox survival experience set within the charming aesthetic of older JRPGs and the universe of The Escapists. The emphasis is firmly on survival, requiring players to gather resources, construct bases, prepare food, and ward off threats. This game is also distinguished by its robust crafting system and procedurally generated wilderness, ensuring fresh experiences with each playthrough.
A demo for The Survivalists was made available, allowing players to delve into its engaging mechanics, including multiplayer co-op and dungeon crawling. It was slated for a Quarter 4 2020 release, promising a delightful formula for cooperative play with friends. The familiar yet fresh art style, combined with its sandbox elements, contributed to its appeal among new survival games.
Grounded: Shrunken Survival in the Backyard
Grounded offers a truly unique perspective on the survival genre, shrinking players down to the size of an ant within a suburban backyard. This imaginative premise instantly captivated audiences, as it transforms common household items and garden fauna into colossal obstacles and formidable threats. The backyard becomes a vast, perilous open world, challenging players to adapt to their tiny stature.
The core gameplay involves resource gathering, crafting makeshift tools, and building elaborate forts to fend off giant insects. This title entered early access, allowing players to experience its distinct charm and challenging environment firsthand. Its concept, reminiscent of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” ensures a fresh and engaging take on the familiar mechanics of survival games.
Survivalist: Invisible Strain: Zombie Apocalypse in Comic Style
Survivalist: Invisible Strain provides a distinct comic-book art style alongside its traditional zombie survival gameplay. This game merges the immediate threat of the undead with the overarching challenges of wilderness survival. Players are not only tasked with battling zombies but also with managing resources, building shelter, and fostering relationships within a persistent, evolving world.
Currently available in early access, the game is characterized by its open-ended nature and simplified, yet deep, mechanics. Despite being in development, it was offered at an accessible price point of $6.99, allowing players to contribute to its evolution. The blend of a compelling art style and strategic survival elements sets it apart in the crowded zombie survival subgenre.
Away: The Survival Series: A Nature Documentary Come to Life
Away: The Survival Series stands out by drawing inspiration from an unconventional source: nature documentaries. This game aims to translate the immersive experience of observing wildlife into an interactive, playable adventure. Players embody a sugar glider, navigating a breathtakingly gorgeous natural world and performing acrobatic feats like gliding through trees.
The gameplay emphasizes exploration, survival within a delicate ecosystem, and experiencing the world from a unique animal perspective. Although no demo or release date was provided, the stunning visual footage alone sparked significant intrigue. This title promises an unparalleled level of immersion and a fresh approach to the new survival games landscape by focusing on the beauty and brutality of the wild.
Deadside: A Refined Open-World Shooter Survival
Rounding out the list of new survival games is Deadside, a title that quickly garnered a strong reputation since its early access release in April. This game is frequently compared to other open-world survival shooters, particularly DayZ, but often cited for its substantial improvements. Notably, Deadside boasts superior graphics and significantly more advanced AI, offering a more polished and challenging experience.
While still in early access, the game presents a functional and engaging open-world environment, albeit with plans for further content expansion. Its blend of tactical shooter mechanics and survival elements, including PvPvE (Player versus Player versus Environment), has resonated with players seeking a refined take on the genre. As development continues, Deadside is poised to become a formidable contender among new survival game releases, celebrated for its smooth gameplay and realistic gunplay.
Gear Up for Answers: Your Survival Game Q&A
What is a survival game?
Survival games are a genre where players manage resources, build bases, and explore challenging environments to overcome threats and stay alive.
What kind of new survival games were released in 2020?
The year 2020 brought a diverse range of new survival games, including fantastical adventures, realistic simulations, and titles focusing on resource management, base building, and exploration.
Can you give an example of a unique survival game mentioned?
Grounded is a unique survival game where players are shrunk to the size of an ant and must survive in a suburban backyard filled with giant insects and oversized household items.
Were all the new survival games fully released in 2020?
Not all of them; many titles were available as demos, prologues, or early access versions, allowing players to try them while still under development.
Were these new survival games only available on PC?
While many were on PC, some games like Windbound were widely accessible, also releasing on platforms such as PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
