When playing some harsh and stressful survival games, you'll want to make sure that you're ironically as comfortable as possible in your gaming station. It just so happens that the PlayStation 4 (PS4) is one of the coziest gaming devices you can have since you get to sit back far away from the television or monitor on your couch with your arms more relaxed than on the PC.

Hence, you could say that playing survival games is best experienced on consoles, mainly the PS4 (let the comment section console wars begin!). Thankfully, there is no shortage of survival games in PS4's collection. Some of them are even exclusives that are not available on the Xbox consoles or the PC. To shorten your scouring time for such games, we have here a list of 10 of the best of them.

Updated May 13, 2024 By Matthew Mckeown: There’s nothing better than pitting yourself against the elements. You versus the figurative wilderness and only your vast crafting list full of strange flora and fauna to keep you company, it’s something that survival games do very well.

On PS4 you’re pretty spoiled for choice, especially as more and more PC titles start to branch across. The library is absolutely heaving with great picks and all you need to do is choose which one to sink your precious free time into. To help you make the right decision, here’s an updated look at the current best PS4 survival games.

Truberbrook

A survival dventure game with a unique style, Truberbrook from BTF is a handmade almost stop-motion puppet-style journey back to 1960’s Germany that feels like going through an animated Wes Anderson film. Follow the story of Hans Tannhauser as he gets to the bottom of a mystery that involves the fate of the world in a remote town rural town in Truberook.

Oozing with charm and taking inspiration from Twin Peaks and Star Trek of all things, Truberbrook is perfect for a cozy evening in with some very atmospheric and immersive storytelling. Around 10 hours long, there’s a lot of interesting themes and character beats at play that are emotionally touching and very memorable. If you like a good mystery, then check this one out.

Rimworld

A survival game that’s perfect for psychopaths, Rimworld from Ludeon Studios has you managing a colony of survivors on a far-flung distant world. You only start with three of them but it’s up to you to organize, build, manage, and tame this alien wilderness.

There’s so many layers to Rimworld that you can create pretty much any kind of colony you can think of. The AI continually evolves your own handbuilt story as your survivors interact, grow, and form their own relationships as time goes on, so things always play out differently. Plus, with great mod support, regular updates, and a massive amount of customization to tweak each new colony, Rimworld will keep you occupied for hours.

There is no ‘story’ in Rimworld, instead, the game generates an overarching plot through random events.

Vigor

An Early Access multiplayer survival game from a team with a lot of experience in this particular field. Virgor from Bohemia Interactive, the crew behind DayZ is on some slightly rickety legs but it’s taking some steps that are worth looking into.

Set in post-war Norway in the 90’s, the harsh and unforgivable environment of the Outlands awaits. You’ll need to utilize your survival skills in order to succeed whilst also recovering resources for your Shelter from the hostile wilderness back home. There are over 60 different kinds of weapons to wield, so your loadout is down to you. Keep an eye on your map, watch the treelines, and good luck.

Death in Vigor wipes your inventory, so keep that in mind when going into any firefight.

Dysmantle

Everyone loves a Zombie apocalypse and 10tons Ltd definitely know that. In Dysmantle you play as a lone survivor in your classic setting of a world overrun with Undead. In this case, you’re stuck on an island and whilst you can stay in your Shelter, you’ll stand a better chance scavenging the towns nearby.

Everything can be broken down into materials, but don’t make too much noise as there are more than Zombies prowling those woods. Nature has been twisted by the infection and unless you’re adequately armed you might just end up as another post-apocalyptic statistic. There’s a mystery to solve, an Outpost to build, puzzles to solve and a big crafting and farming system to chew into.

You can’t always win every fight. Tactical retreats are encouraged as it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the hordes.

Fade To Silence

A surprisingly solid and challenging survival experience from Black Forest Games, Fade To Silence is a co-op survival trip into the frozen wilds. The world is in ruins and corrupted monstrosities stalk the lands and it’s up to you as ‘Ash’ to try and survive this endless winter.

Unfortunately, as the leader of your Colony you have plenty of mouths to feed, so you’ll need to scavenge resources across the massive map. The weather will wear you down, the Eldritch creatures can easily hack you apart and if that doesn’t kill you, roaming Blizzards will. The world is set against you, so if you enjoy a challenge then it’s worth checking this one out.

It’s highly recommended to play Fade To Silence in co-op otherwise you’ll hit a lot of brick walls playing solo.

Once Human

An open-world Indie Survival Game that’s gotten a lot of traction online, Once Human from Starry Studio has a lot of unique quirks, monsters, and mechanics that are worth checking out.

Dropped in a post-apocalyptic world twisted beyond recognition by an alien creature known as Stardust. Everything is infested and warped into new and deadly forms as the world falls further into ruin. Find out the truth behind the invasion, fight massive mutated bosses, customize your loadout, and build a home in the middle of nowhere as you try to survive. There’s plenty to see and do, plus lots of meters to manage to keep you on your toes.

The main mechanic is balancing your Sanity. Which reduces when facing monsters, mutants, and eating tainted food.

Niche - A Genetics Survival Game

A colorful and cartoonish romp into the genetic sciences, Niche is an apt name for this game as it’s quite a specific genre they’re gunning for. Developed by Stray Fawn Studio, Niche is all about survival of the fittest through evolutionary adaptation.

It looks simple on the surface, but this turn-based 4X game is far from it. There are a lot of tiny things you can tweak with your creature and as you move around the board to different habitats there are various hazards to contend with. Evolving to counter them is key and there are plenty of genetic dead ends you can fall into that will wipe your species off the map. The creatures are adorable and its simplistic setup is easy to get to grips with.

Be aware that some evolution choices will be detrimental to your creatures in the long run. Try to plan ahead.

V Rising

Build a dread fortress filled with Ghouls and show the lands beyond who the new Undead Overlord in charge is with V Rising. This unique survival game from Stunlock Studios has a fun twist in that instead of just fighting all the monsters, you are one.

At your command is a budding Vampire Lord and it’s up to you to build up their fortress, expand their influence, and upgrade them into the deadliest Blood-Sucking Beast around. There’s a surprising amount of depth to the survival mechanics and the games continually updated with new mechanics, items, and more to make it the ultimate Vampire based Survival game around. If you’re looking for a challenge with a twist then check out V Rising.

A lot of the early game involves hiding from sunbeams and darting to shadows, but over time you’ll build up a stronger resistance to that pesky sun.

The Greyhill Incident

A Ufologist's dream, The Greyhill Incident is a simple yet unsettling and spooky survival game from Refugium Games that has you surviving the night in a backwater town as aliens invade. Tall heads of corn hide shambling grey shadows and it’s up to you to wrangle the other survivors and get help.

Sneak from house to house, scavenge supplies from empty farmsteads, and don’t let the Greys see you. You’re outnumbered and extremely outgunned so every decision is crucial. Despite some rough edges here and there, Greyhill Incident is an enjoyable evening for those who enjoy anything involving UFOs.

Don’t let the Early Access tag spook you, The Greyhill Incident earned its stripes since launch and is worth giving a chance.

No Son Of Mine

A horror-themed survival game that relies heavily on stealth, subterfuge, and a healthy dollop of puzzle-solving. Stay out of the dark and evade the dark entity known as The Boy as you try to escape the terrifying place you find yourself trapped in.

At your disposal is The CB 9000, a strange gadget that lets out a big blast. You’re constantly hunted and never safe, but at least there are signs to watch out for that signal when you’re not safe. Lights flicker, odd sounds moan in the dark and it’s all very unsettling. It’s an Indie Survival game that requires a bit of lateral thinking, but it’s an enjoyable couple of hours.

The Survivalists

A cutesy Survival sim reminiscent of The Escapists since it’s from the same team, The Survivalists sets you on a remote desert island with one goal, survive. Your new home has a day-to-night cycle, weather, and a range of animals and even mythical monsters to fight.

Everything is procedurally generated and it’s not too difficult to get a basecamp up and running, especially if you train a Monkey army to do all the work for you. There’s multiplayer for groups to work together, plenty of things to craft, and if you fancy a challenge then try the Temples that are scattered around the isles for big rewards.

The Monkey teaching mechanic involves taming and training the local Chimps. You can have up to 15 or more of them following you around, so it’s worth spending time on.

Death Road To Canada

A randomly generated road trip into hell, Death Road To Canada from Rocketcat Games is going to test your Zombie Survival skills to the absolute limit. Hordes of up to 500 Zombies can swoop in from nowhere and each stop on the road is never safe.

Play as anyone you want with the quirky character customization options or create your friends and family to show up as NPCs that might get eaten or rescued. There are interactive events to keep the story flowing and bring in a group of friends with split-screen co-op or Smart Device Remote Play. Great for short stints or long-winded journeys, Death Road To Canada promises a new adventure every time.

Terraria

An utterly gigantic procedurally generated world awaits in Terraria. Build, fight, and survive before night falls and the lands fill with shambling monsters and demons. Over the decade the game has been out it’s filled with even more new areas, realms, bosses, items, and other stuff to uncover, Terraria is chock-full of fun things to do.

There are NPC’s to recruit, a village of your own to build and so many customization options for how you build your character in the game. Each new update is free so you’re never locked out from anything, plus there’s multiplayer and it’s honestly great for groups. It’s a huge time-sink, but it’s one worth checking out.

The boss list is massive and they can require complex tasks, items, or events in-game to unlock. We have some helpful guides on the process (here).

Song In The Smoke: Rekindled

If you’re interested in a prehistoric Survival game that’s a little artsy but heavily focuses on staying alive in the wild, then Song In The Smoke: Reikindled is worth looking into. This PS VR game throws you deep into terrifying woods filled with plenty of hungry creatures.

There’s a giant tree in the distance that you’ll need to reach, but in the meantime, you’ll need to hunt, gather, and build up your base camp. The worst creatures come out at night and you’ll need a big fire to keep them at bay. It’s a survival game with a simple style but some surprising depth once you scratch past the surface.

Tribes of Midgard

A survival game with a difference, Tribes of Midgard is a Survival Game that meets pseudo-Tower Defense as you build up your town whilst fending off the forces of Ragnarok. Giant towering creatures assail you regularly and you’ll need to work fast in order to survive.

The worlds are randomly generated, as large as you would like to make them, and open to up to a maximum of ten players. So you can get quite the large group going pretty easily, and you’re going to need that backup. There’s quite the learning curve, but once you settle into it Tribes of Midgard can be very rewarding. Plus there’s always plenty to do in each new roguelike session.

It’s worth playing on public multiplayer servers first as solo can be quite the trial by fire as there are a lot of mechanics to get to grips with.

Forever Skies

Subnautica but in the sky Forever Skues from Far From Home has you serenely sailing the skies of a now-ruined world. Skyscrapers tower above the toxic cloud layer below and your only way of safely getting around is with a hand-built Airship. Although, you'll need to give this craft a lot of TLC as it's your only lifeline.

Acting as a mobile base, your craft starts puny at first, but over time it can be upgraded and increased in scale, complexity, and survivability. To do that you're going to have to get out there and explore. The lands are vast and there's a lot of loot and vital crafting parts to discover. However, make sure you go in well-armed as there are plenty of hostile creatures lurking in those dilapidated ruins.

Forever Skies is new to the survival scene and a little rough around the edges but it's regularly updated with new items, events and other fun situations to deal with.

Chernobylite

Explore an alternate Pripyat in Chernobylite from The Farm 51. A dimensional rupturing element created in the now infamous ‘Reactor Number Four’ has warped the lands around the dormant Nuclear Facility yet still some people thrive there.

Nightmarish mutants and hostile PMC Soldiers wander the various rundown areas of The Zone, and it'll take every ounce of your Survival Game skills to stay alive. With an exciting story that messes with time and space at its core, large areas to explore, NPCs and a base to manage, and plenty of crafting options to keep kleptomaniacs happy, Chernobylite has a lot to offer. The game is still regularly getting new features and the devs are very active with their Community, so it's still got a lot of life left in it.

Astroneer

Set in the far future of the 25th Century, Astroneer from System Era Softworks lets you live out the Space Pioneer fantasy as you harvest distant worlds for their precious resources. This science fiction sandbox game has you building all sorts of interesting and unique items and machinery to help you harvest those strange planetoids.

Your adventures can be done solo or with a group of friends. There are seven worlds in total to tear apart and with how the game handles terrain deformation, you can get pretty creative with how you perform those excavations. There's endgame content that involves unraveling an alien mystery, and even though it may be in Early Access, it has taken some good steps and has a lot of potential.

Breathedge

What started as a trip to properly dispose of your grandfather's remains quickly turns into a mad scramble for survival in Breathedge. The way out involves making your way through the gigantic fractured spaceliner you were once a passenger on. Unfortunately, you're not exactly equipped for deep space exploration.

You'll have to scrape together a functioning suit from what you can find, but it's not going to be easy. With a dark sense of humor, a unique art style, and a sequel waiting in the wings, it's an interesting survival game worth checking out. Though it doesn't quite hold up during the final chapter, those first open areas are pretty massive and it's easy to lose a lot of hours just drifting around in zero-g.

The back-half of Breathedge has less survival elements, but there is a sequel coming that focuses more on that aspect.

Dredge

An eldritch-tinged ocean awaits in Dredge from Black Salt Games. This survival game meets simplified fishing simulator puts you in the role of an amnesiac trawlerman who awakens on unfamiliar and haunted shores. Strange characters call these isles home and they will help you on your journey to recover your memories and escape these corrupted waters.

There's a surprising amount of depth in Dredge, both mechanically and literally. There are a lot of ways in which you can customize and improve your fishing skills and your humble little boat. And you'll need to as there are lots of hostile critters cruising around out there that want to take a big meaty bite out of your boat. Unravel the dark mystery of Dredge, if you dare.