Highlights

• Steam offers a selection of free survival games that players can dive right into, with solid entries worth checking out.
• One standout game is "The Planet Crafter: Prologue," a paid game that offers a free prologue showcasing its gameplay loop and ambition.
• "Muck" is a roguelike survival game where players can work solo or with friends to survive on a procedurally-generated island.

One of the more challenging genres out there is survival games. These tend to put players in the middle of nowhere with nothing on them, and they must scour to collect as many resources as possible to stay alive for an extended period of time. Sometimes, there is even a competitive aspect to it with the threat of being killed by another player.

There are a ton of great offerings for those that are interested in survival games, but there are many that need to be paid for. Luckily, Steam has an entire section dedicated to free games that players can pick up and jump right into. Among the many free survival games on Steam, there are a handful of solid entries.

The focus will be on somewhat traditional survival games (with one exception). Survival horror and battle royales will not be included since those are separate things.

Updated on February 14, 2024, by Mark Sammut: The specifications have been added for every highlighted free Steam survival game.

The Planet Crafter: Prologue

Steam User Rating: 96%

This recommendation is a special case as The Planet Crafter is not a free-to-play game, and players will need to drop some cash to get the full experience (which is still in early access). However, Miju Games released a Prologue that can be played for free, and it does a great job showcasing the project's gameplay loop and ambition.

Players find themselves dropped onto a mostly barren planet, and they will have very few of the necessary resources to survive out in the wild at first. However, slowly but surely, they will improve their oxygen supply, all the while expanding their heat and pressure. Before long, this planet will start to be molded in the player's image, creating something that could be described as home. While crafting takes center stage, The Planet Crafter also works as a light survival game.

Mitos.Is

Steam User Rating: 80%

Once an addicting browser game, Mitos.Is became such a hit that it moved to multiple platforms. While it is still available to play on almost any browser, it can also be downloaded on mobile through iOS or Android. In addition, the team added the molecular survival game on Steam.

The main premise of the game is that players take on the role of a small cell, consuming other cells to become larger. Meanwhile, other cells controlled by other individuals will attempt to consume the player and anything smaller than them. Along with the original premise, there are numerous variants of the original idea implemented in the Steam version of the game.

Mitos.Is is not a conventional survival game, but its premise shares enough in common with the genre to warrant an honorable mention.

No More Room In Hell (Survival Mode)

Steam User Rating: 89%

Survival horror games are their own thing separate from the survival genre, but there can be some overlap between the two genres. A standout in this category is the free Steam game No More Room In Hell.

This Source Engine experience is a co-op game that can have up to eight people fighting zombies together. Along with the usual survival elements, the objectives vary depending on the session. This means that each playthrough is different, with new goals to complete. More importantly, the game includes a survival mode that refocuses the gameplay toward base protection, with players having to withstand the zombie threat while waiting for extraction.

Fallout Shelter

Steam User Rating: 88%

Sometimes, survival isn't about the player trying to stay alive. Instead, it's about the player trying to keep others alive. That is the premise of Fallout Shelter, a mobile spin-off of the Fallout franchise that later came to the Steam platform as a free-to-play game.

A base-building game, Fallout Shelter tasks the player with taking charge of a vault. The goal is to build a vault that is sustainable for Dwellers to live in while keeping them out of danger from the outside world or from within the vault. Players can also interact with individual Dwellers to customize their looks or control their lives.

Fistful Of Frags

Steam User Rating: 91%

A delightful shooter that made a name for itself in the last decade and a free survival game on Steam is Fistful of Frags. Set in the Wild West, players will have plenty of weapons in their arsenal as they learn to take on other players in first-person combat.

There are both PvE and PvP modes to choose from, ranging from deathmatch to co-op. There is also a single-player mission structure that challenges the player to get a hang of the various tools available to them and get better at the game in the process. It is yet another game that uses Source, Valve's signature game engine.

Unturned

Steam User Rating: 91%

Zombie apocalypses tend to be the go-to setting for a handful of survival games. However, those looking for something a bit more lighthearted should turn to Unturned, a voxel zombie survival game that is played almost entirely online.

Along with the usual survival elements across the massive maps, there are also NPCs that players can interact with to take on quests and receive necessary items. There is a massive community scene for Unturned, with plenty of maps and items available on the Steam Workshop for people to download.

Muck

Steam User Rating: 94%

It makes sense for developers to create survival games that double as roguelikes. Muck is exactly that, where players can work solo or with friends as they attempt to survive as long as possible on a procedurally-generated island.

The gameplay is similar to others in the genre. Once landed on the island, the player can go and collect resources that they can use to craft necessary tools. They also can build a base to try to be safe. While the day doesn't pose many dangers, nighttime is when the enemies come out and challenge players to stay alive as long as possible.