366 games
The best survival games on PlayStation
Gather, build, survive: games where you build something from nothing and have to make it through every day anew.
How to find games that really suit you: Tap “I like it” on up to 5 games. Playalike compares 20 traits such as combat, story and atmosphere and suggests games that hit exactly the same spot, even across genres.
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1 The Last of Us
Joel and Ellie cross a fungus-ravaged America in a tense survival adventure of scarce resources, brutal stealth-shooter encounters, and one of gaming's most affecting, character-driven stories.
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2 The Last of Us Part II
A brutal, emotionally harrowing revenge story in a ruined world that uses two perspectives to question the cycle of violence. Tense stealth-survival combat meets outstanding cinematic presentation and performances.
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3 The Walking Dead
An episodic narrative adventure where Lee protects young Clementine through a zombie apocalypse, forced into agonizing timed moral decisions. The bond between the two makes it one of the most emotionally powerful games of its kind.
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4 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
A punishing survival shooter set in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, where deadly anomalies, mutants and rival factions wait around every corner. You scavenge for gear, hunt rare artifacts and make decisions that shape the story, all wrapped in a thick, oppressive atmosphere.
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5 Resident Evil Requiem
The ninth mainline Resident Evil switches between vulnerable FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, whose sections lean on classic survival horror, and the more action-heavy Leon S. Kennedy. Their two storylines weave together into a grim, emotional tale.
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6 Rise of the Tomb Raider
Lara Croft braves the frozen Siberian wilds in search of the mythical city of Kitezh. The adventure blends cinematic gunfights and stealth with optional puzzle tombs, scavenging, crafting and a satisfying skill system.
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7 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Kojima's Cold War stealth masterpiece drops Naked Snake into the Soviet jungle, where camouflage, hunting for food and treating wounds matter as much as the legendary boss fights against the Cobra Unit. An emotional spy drama full of eccentric humor and one of the series' most affecting endings.
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8 Dead Space
As engineer Isaac Clarke, you fight through the derelict mining ship USG Ishimura, strategically dismembering grotesque Necromorphs limb by limb. Its diegetic HUD-free interface, scarce ammo and oppressive sound design make it a landmark of sci-fi horror.
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9 Silent Hill 2
A landmark of psychological horror where James's search for his dead wife through fog-shrouded Silent Hill becomes a harrowing confrontation with guilt and grief. Oppressive atmosphere, symbolic monsters and multiple endings make it unforgettable.
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10 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
A claustrophobic first-person reboot of the series that traps you in the rotting Baker family estate in Louisiana, scraping by on scarce ammo while stalked by relentless hosts and solving puzzles. It trades action spectacle for intimate, grimy dread.
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11 No Man's Sky
A near-infinite procedurally generated universe where you hop freely between vivid alien planets, gather resources, build bases and upgrade your ships. Years of free updates have turned it into a relaxed sci-fi sandbox with optional co-op.
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12 Dead Space 2
Isaac Clarke carves through a Necromorph-infested space station with strategic dismemberment while battling his own haunting hallucinations. It is a faster, more cinematic sequel that keeps the original's oppressive sci-fi horror intact.
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13 Dying Light
First-person parkour zombie survival where you free-run across Harran's rooftops by day, scavenging and crafting brutal weapons, then flee terrifying hunters at night. Fluid movement and gritty melee shine even more in co-op.
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14 Terraria
A 2D sandbox adventure where you dig, build and craft while ever-tougher bosses unlock new gear tiers and biomes. Its huge item pool and hidden secrets make it a near-endless experience, especially with friends.
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15 Fortnite
A free-to-play battle royale with a bright cartoon look, where fast gunfights and optional building decide who survives. Constant new seasons, live events and a huge library of player-made modes keep it fresh.
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16 Dying Light 2: Stay Human
Parkour across a zombie-infested city where daytime rooftop runs turn into tense nighttime survival against the infected. Brutal melee combat and faction choices that reshape whole districts define the experience.
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17 The Last of Us Part I
Joel and Ellie's emotional survival story in a devastated world.
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18 Resident Evil 5
An action-heavy co-op shooter where Chris and Sheva battle infected hordes across Africa, sharing ammo and reviving each other. It trades horror for bombastic set pieces, big boss fights and weapon upgrades.
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19 Dune: Awakening
A survival MMO on Arrakis where you battle thirst, sandstorms and sandworms, build bases and fight rival guilds over precious spice. Its draw is a faithful, atmospheric take on the Dune universe, including the lore's Mentat and Bene Gesserit skill paths.
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20 Metro: Last Light
A claustrophobic first-person shooter set in the post-nuclear Moscow metro, where scarce ammo, gas mask filters and stealth turn every encounter into a fight for survival. Dense atmosphere and a grim story following Artyom drive the experience.
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21 Alien: Isolation
A nerve-shredding survival horror game where, as Amanda Ripley, you are hunted through Sevastopol station by an unpredictable, unkillable Alien. Its faithful lo-fi retro-futurist look from the 1979 film and constant dread make hiding in lockers terrifying.
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22 Outlast
As a defenseless journalist armed only with a night-vision camcorder, you creep through a nightmarish asylum where hiding and running are your only options. Relentless, unfiltered terror with no way to fight back.
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23 Dead Island 2
Gory first-person melee mayhem across a sun-soaked, zombie-infested Los Angeles, built around a remarkably detailed dismemberment system and crafted weapon mods. Its tone leans toward tongue-in-cheek B-movie satire rather than true horror.
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24 Metro Exodus
Artyom and his companions ride the Aurora steam train across an irradiated Russia, travelling through every season of the year. The journey blends scarce ammo, improvised weapons and tense survival horror with wide sandbox areas to explore.
What matters with Survival games
Survival games on PlayStation cover a surprisingly wide range. Some put scarce resources and tense encounters at the center of a story, others hand you an open world and let you scavenge, craft and build at your own pace. What ties them together is the feeling that every bullet, bandage and decision counts, and that making it to the next safe spot is a small victory.
When choosing, think first about how much horror and stress you want. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is claustrophobic first-person dread with very little ammo, while No Man's Sky is a relaxed sci-fi sandbox where you gather resources, build bases and upgrade ships across endless planets. Also consider whether you want to play alone or with friends: No Man's Sky offers optional co-op, and Dying Light's rooftop parkour and gritty melee are even more fun with others. If difficulty matters, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a punishing open-world shooter full of anomalies, mutants and rival factions.
For story-first players, The Last of Us remains the benchmark, with scarce resources, brutal stealth encounters and a deeply affecting bond between Joel and Ellie; the Remastered version adds sharper visuals and the Left Behind expansion. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a great pick if you like survival mechanics woven into stealth, since hunting for food, camouflage and treating wounds are part of the jungle mission.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best survival game on PlayStation for beginners?
No Man's Sky is a gentle starting point, since it is a relaxed sandbox where you explore, gather and build without much pressure. Rise of the Tomb Raider is also approachable, blending scavenging and crafting with cinematic action and optional puzzle tombs.
Are there co-op survival games on PlayStation?
Yes, Dying Light supports co-op, and its parkour and melee combat shine with friends. No Man's Sky also offers optional co-op for exploring and building together.
Which survival horror games on PlayStation are the scariest?
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the most intimate and grimy, trapping you in the Baker estate with scarce ammo. Dead Space 2 delivers oppressive sci-fi horror on a Necromorph-infested station, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl builds a thick, threatening atmosphere in the Exclusion Zone.
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