What are the best single player survival games with a campaign?

4

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Considered

10

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May 1, 2018

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4 Games Considered

4 Options Considered	Price	Steam Rating	Genre
-- Subnautica	$22.99	Very Positive	Survival, Open world, Exploration
-- The Long Dark	$31.99	Very Positive	First-Person Survival, Sandbox
-- The Forest	$14.99	Very Positive	Survival / Open World / Horror
-- The Solus Project	$19.99	Mixed	–

Subnautica

Top Pro

Great theme and looks

The game takes place underwater, and with that it looks quite good for an underwater game. Looking up at the sun through the ocean looks pleasant and real. Coral reefs have multiple colors and look real as well. Graphics wise this game looks great and pulls off its theme of an underwater survival quite well. See More

Top Pro

Incredibly satisfying tool-building mechanics

The whole process of creating new tools is mostly done using a sophisticated 3D-printer available from the start of the game. You gather various resources and transform them to create tools that you will need for your survival. For example, organic matter gets printed into raw carbon, combine carbon with some zinc and you get a battery; combine that battery with some glass and you get a flashlight that helps you see in the dark. It's very straightforward but incredibly satisfying when you build your tools, especially since you are doing all of this while swimming in an ocean filled with predators. See More

Top Pro

The sound effects really set up the overall atmosphere

The sound design in Subnautica is amazing. Even though the soundtrack can be bland at times, the sound effects for the ocean noises are incredibly atmospheric and really help to get the player in the mood for exploring a vast, alien ocean. See More

Top Pro

Interesting creature design

The creature design in Subnautica deserves some major praise. Spotting a new, never seen before creature is extremely rewarding and there's a large variety of alien creatures to look for. See More

Top Pro

Has a mode for people who just want to explore

Subnautica has three game modes: survival, freedom, and creative. The first one pits the player against the elements and forces them to think about food and water through its thirst and hunger mechanics. The second game mode basically removes every mechanic that is related to surviving, such as the aforementioned hunger and thirst mechanics. It also leaves all the items in your inventory after you die. In other words, it's a game mode for people who want to explore without having to bother with surviving. Which is nice, since Subnautica has a lot of stuff to explore. The third one will let you build a base of your dreams without worrying about food, oxygen, or thirst. It is the best mode for people who want to build and don't want to gather resources. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Survival, Open world, Exploration

Controller Support:Full

The Long Dark

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Top Pro

Four difficulty levels to suit all skill levels

Regardless of your skill level, you will be able to find a difficulty level that suits you and satisfies your craving for a good challenge. This game features four different difficulty levels, making it accessible to a broad range of players. The easiest mode is Pilgrim and it offers a gaming experience suitable to all players where dying is a rare occurrence. For beginning players, Voyager is recommended as it gives you a forgivable way to learn the basics. After that, the difficulty takes a strong curve upwards into the remaining two modes: Stalker, and Interloper - with the latter being considered a very challenging gaming experience only recommended for expert gamers and those who desire a true video game survival challenge. See More

Top Con

No tutorial

There is no tutorial or learning mode. When you start the game, you have to figure out how to survive in this harsh world on your own. Some say this adds to the experience, but for many, this can be overwhelming especially in a survival game where everything can -- and will -- kill you. See More

Top Pro

Realistic survival elements make you feel a part of the world

You'll feel like you're living in true survival situation, and the game does an excellent job of placing the player in the role. This game features elements of survival that are very close to the real world, creating an enriching gaming experience for those who want a realistic survival challenge. You will have to keep an eye on your calorie intake, monitor your body temperature, and even craft and wear clothing appropriate to the harsh arctic environment. Staying outside too long after dark can kill you via hypothermia. The wildlife is dangerous and can injure or kill you - as the animals are starving too. You can starve to death if you forget to eat, or run out of food. Death in this game is permanent, and will require you to start the game over. See More

Top Con

No multitasking

Most actions in the game have a small wait time, and you can only perform one action at time. For example, if you search an item, boil water, repair your clothes, or salvage anything, you will have to stop and wait until the action completes. See More

Top Pro

Complete freedom to explore the open-world

The game features a massive, open-world sandbox mode in which there are no quests to gate your progress, or artificial boundaries to exploration. The only goal is to survive as long as possible, and to do it by whatever means possible. This free-exploration, open-world design offers plenty of space to roam for those who want to enjoy a more open playstyle without the hindrances of time gates or quest mechanics. Whether you choose to salvage for supplies, hunt the local wildlife, start cooking fires, or simply just take in the view - the freedom to explore and interact with the world in your own way is endless. See More

Top Con

No jumping or climbing

You cannot jump or climb over fences, rocks, or other obstacles meaning sometimes you will have to take the longest route possible to reach your destination. See More

Top Pro

Good balance between surviving and exploring

There is a delicate balance between exploring and surviving, and every aspect of gameplay is closely related. The amount of activity the player performs and the distance they can travel and explore, are balanced around certain metrics such as time, warmth, and calories - and all of these game systems are closely related resulting in a finely tuned experience. For example, eating food replenishes calories, but in order to find food, you have to explore and salvage which causes you to burn calories in the first place. The player must watch how many calories they burn, even when sleeping, and make sure they find or hunt enough food to keep themselves going. On top of this, the player needs to seek shelter from the cold, make sure they are wearing the appropriate clothing, and build fires to stay warm and cook food. During your explorations to salvage supplies and look for food items, you will need to explore carefully as to not get stuck without a place to sleep for the night. See More

Top Pro

Story mode adds a new way to play

For those who desire a story to go with their survival gaming, The Long Dark offers a fully voiced-acted, five chapter story mode called "Wintermute" complete with cutscenes. It features all the survival gameplay aspects of the sandbox version, as well as story quests and character development, making it an engaging, new way to experience all the game has to offer. In the story, you'll assume the role of a man trying to survive in the harsh Canadian wilderness after crashing his plane during a geomagnetic disaster. Rather than just a no-bones survival situation, you'll be working through an actual storyline as you head for safety. As you progress the story, you'll have the opportunity to do quests, watch voice-acted cutscenes, and interact with other characters who are fighting for their lives as well. This pulls you even deeper into the game world since you now have a real goal to work for - escaping the harsh wilderness alive. Story mode adds a deeper layer of immersion via storytelling than the sandbox mode, which is only about surviving as long as you can. Though currently not all of the chapters are available as they are released episodically over time. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:First-Person Survival, Sandbox

See All Specs >

The Forest

Top Pro

Great graphics

The graphics really stand out in The Forest, from the realistic looking foliage to the terrifying creatures in the forest. Remarkably the graphics are on par with any AAA game, which is quite a feat for an indie game. See More

Top Con

Still early alpha - very glitchy

As the game is still in early alpha, it still contains many glitches, some of which are game-breaking, such as the infinite ammo glitch. See More

Top Pro

Awesome AI

The AI is really cool and will hunt around for the player. Also if the player kills or injures one of the tribesmen many times they will try to drag the body away or even cry over it. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Survival / Open World / Horror

Controller Support:No

See All Specs >

The Solus Project

Top Pro

Great VR support for the Vive

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

10 Community Recommendations

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MeticulousPrometheus

Contributor for 2 months

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Recommended 2 months ago

Great theme and looks

Interesting creature design

The sound effects really set up the overall atmosphere

Incredibly satisfying tool-building mechanics

SmartProvidentia

Contributor for 3 months

1

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Recommended 3 months ago

SmartProvidentia hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for a year

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Recommended 4 months ago

No jumping or climbing

No multitasking

Good balance between surviving and exploring

Complete freedom to explore the open-world

Realistic survival elements make you feel a part of the world

Story mode adds a new way to play

Four difficulty levels to suit all skill levels

Contributor for 10 months

994

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193K

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Recommended 4 months ago

Incredibly satisfying tool-building mechanics

Has a mode for people who just want to explore

UnderstandingUkur

Contributor for 8 months

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The Solus Project

8 months ago

UnderstandingUkur hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

MotivatedMamaQuilla

Contributor for 10 months

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Recommended 10 months ago

MotivatedMamaQuilla hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for 6 years

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The Solus Project

Recommended a year ago

Great VR support for the Vive

Contributor for 4 years

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92K

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Recommended a year ago

Harvey hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

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Recommended a year ago

Great theme and looks

Contributor for 4 years

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Recommended a year ago

Still early alpha - very glitchy

No highlighted recommendations.

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