It’s hard to blame anyone wondering about the best survival games of 2024. The first two months of the year have given us several surprise hits that collectively drew the attention of millions of players. Jumping into new entries in the genre can often prove hazardous, especially during early access, but all the titles featured below make an excellent case for doing so.
This article conveniently gathers all the survival games that launched throughout 2024 and are worthy of your time, delving into their different flavours and why you should consider giving them a shot.
The Best Survival Games of 2024
Whether you’re keen on cleansing the corruption that’s taken root in a mysterious fantasy land, braving the perils of a cannibal-infested island, constructing an imposing estate, or collecting controversial creatures, there’s already something for everyone on the list below.
- Palworld
- Enshrouded
- Nightingale
- Sons of the Forest
Palworld
Release Date: January 19, 2024 (Early Access)
Palworld is, perhaps, the oddest entry on our list of the best survival games of 2024, promising an unusual blend of creature collecting, dungeon delving, farming, building, factory automation, alongside many, many guns.
Somewhat aptly described as Pokémon with guns, the ceaseless comparisons drew the attention of The Pokémon Company itself, after fans debated whether plagiarism was afoot or not.
Amidst the roaring crowds, Palworld reached a staggering 2,101,867 concurrent players shortly after launching into early access, which shows that there’s certainly a market for taming fantastical creatures and giving them guns to shoot at whoever dares threaten you.
Enshrouded
Release Date: January 24, 2024 (Early Access)
As strange as it is to call a fantasy survival game less outlandish, Enshrouded’s setting feels considerably more familiar than Palworld’s, even when you count the corrupted monsters you face and the magic spells you can wield.
In it, you take on the role of a Flameborn hell-bent on reclaiming the realm of Embervale from the deadly fog that seized it. To do so, you’ll need to venture into the unknown, besting foes and collecting resources that help you improve your character’s abilities and gear.
You can also build yourself a home that can take lots of shapes thanks to Enshrouded’s flexible construction system that lets you place down individual blocks. A skill tree with multiple branches then gives you free reins to decide your character’s playstyle, while the ability to respec encourages experimentation.
Nightingale
Release Date: February 20, 2024 (Early Access) Nightingale’s gaslamp fantasy world hides many secrets beyond its appealing aesthetic and discovering them is made particularly enticing through the ability to customize the worlds you visit.
The Fae Realms are connected by portals and, every time you visit one, you get to choose not only where you’re going and who you’re facing but also how easy or difficult you want your adventure to be, all thanks to the inclusion of Realm Cards.
Beyond this stand-out feature, Nightingale ticks all the marks you’d expect from one of the best survival games of 2024, throwing a variety of enemies your way as you collect resources to craft gear and build your very own estate. The lack of an offline mode at launch caused a bit of an uproar, but developer Inflexion Games is working on correcting that.
Sons of the Forest
Release Date: February 22, 2024 (Early Access)
Sons of the Forest cheats its way onto our list thanks to its full release, which adds new cutscenes, enemies, and, most importantly Raccoons (with a capital R).
The sequel to 2018’s The Forest sees you tracking down a missing billionaire on a rather ominous remote island. The moment you encounter the locals, the title’s horror stylings make themselves known.
From there, it’s all about staying alive while crafting weapons, building shelters, and braving the changing seasons and their impact on the island. You don’t have to go at it alone, though, and can recruit both other players and very helpful AI companions to your cause.
With the best survival games of 2024 now covered, drop by our list covering the strategy games you don’t want to miss this year.
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