In recent years, survival games have surged in popularity, offering players the chance to navigate harsh environments, gather resources, and survive against all odds. While these games are a lot of fun, they also offer unique learning opportunities, especially for kids. By playing survival games, children (and adults!) can develop problem-solving skills, learn to manage limited resources, and even get a feel for leadership and teamwork.

From the zombie apocalypse of Project Zomboid to the open-world base building in Conan Exiles, these games simulate real-world survival situations where quick thinking and adaptability are essential.
The survival genre fosters resilience, creativity, and critical thinking, and it’s not just about having a good time — it’s about preparing for the unexpected, whether in a digital or real-life scenario. With the right games, kids can sharpen their survival instincts and have a blast while doing it.
Why Play Survival Games?
The best survival games for PS4 can be more than just entertainment. They offer valuable lessons in resource management, critical thinking, and adaptability—skills that can prepare kids for real-world challenges. Learning to manage limited resources, strategize in hostile environments, and solve problems on the fly are all key aspects of survival games.
These games often require players to craft items, gather resources, and use tactical thinking to overcome challenges, making them a great way to develop problem-solving skills in a fun, interactive way.
In addition to mental benefits, survival games promote teamwork, especially in multiplayer scenarios. Kids can work together in games like State of Decay 2 or ARK: Survival Evolved, learning the importance of communication and collaboration. These skills can translate into real-world preparedness, encouraging kids to think ahead and work together in stressful situations.
Best Survival Games for PS4
Let’s dive into some of the best survival games on PS4, each offering a unique take on the genre and valuable lessons for players of all ages. Whether you’re crafting items to survive a harsh post-apocalyptic world or battling prehistoric creatures on a mysterious island, these games offer endless possibilities for adventure, learning, and fun.
1. The Long Dark
The Long Dark is a survival game that places players in a post-apocalyptic, frozen wilderness. With limited resources and no immediate danger from zombies or wild animals, the real challenge is the environment itself. Players must manage their hunger, fatigue, and exposure to the cold while exploring the vast, open-world map.
This game emphasizes survival mechanics in a harsh environment where Mother Nature is the biggest threat. It’s a fantastic option for players looking to hone their resource management skills in a slow-paced, immersive experience.
In addition to its survival elements, The Long Dark features an episodic story mode that adds narrative depth. Players need to craft items, build shelters, and use survival skills to make it through the dark days of winter. The game teaches the importance of preparation and careful planning, with every decision having long-term consequences.
2. Conan Exiles
Conan Exiles is set in the brutal world of Conan the Barbarian, where players must survive against wild animals, hostile factions, and environmental hazards. The game offers a vast open world where players can build bases, gather resources, and explore dangerous areas.

Conan Exiles is known for its deep survival mechanics, including managing food, water, and shelter while defending against both human and primeval creatures.
The base-building aspect of Conan Exiles allows players to create strongholds to withstand the dangers of this harsh world, offering endless possibilities for customization.
Whether playing solo or with a large group, the game requires teamwork, strategy, and a strong understanding of survival tactics, making it one of the best survival games for PS4.
3. No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky offers a unique take on survival gaming, blending survival mechanics with space exploration. Players must gather resources to survive in a procedurally generated universe, hopping from planet to planet, each with its own set of environmental hazards and local wildlife.
Managing limited resources like food, oxygen, and materials for spacecraft repair is crucial as players explore mysterious islands and harsh, uninhabitable planets.
What sets No Man’s Sky apart is its sheer scale and the freedom it offers players. The game’s open world is infinite, allowing for endless exploration, making it one of the best survival titles for players who love adventure and discovery.
4. Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid immerses players in a zombie apocalypse where survival mechanics take center stage. Players must gather resources, craft items, and fend off hordes of zombies in a top-down perspective. The game emphasizes survival skills such as securing food supply, managing health, and building barricades to keep out the undead.
Project Zomboid also offers a multiplayer component, where players can join forces or compete for survival in a dangerous world. Its unique art style and focus on crafting and base-building make it an excellent survival experience for those who enjoy a mix of strategy and action.
5. Green Hell
Set in the Amazon rainforest, Green Hell presents players with a dangerous world filled with wild animals, limited resources, and environmental hazards. Players must gather food, purify water, and fend off attacks from predators while crafting tools and shelter to survive.
The game’s emphasis on realism, including a detailed crafting system and complex survival mechanics, makes it a challenging and rewarding experience.
Green Hell has a steep learning curve, but it offers an in-depth survival experience, perfect for those who want to push their limits and truly test their survival instincts.
6. Rust Console Edition
Rust is a survival sandbox game that focuses on player-versus-player combat in a brutal, post-apocalyptic world. Players start with nothing and must gather resources, craft weapons, and build shelters while avoiding other players who may be looking to raid or attack.

Rust’s open-world environment and emphasis on player choice make it one of the most unpredictable and thrilling survival games on the PS4.
With endless possibilities for base-building and resource-gathering, Rust challenges players to adapt to a constantly changing world where survival depends on strategy and quick decision-making.
7. Sons of the Forest
In this survival adventure, players find themselves on a mysterious island filled with dangerous wildlife, cannibals, and environmental hazards. Sons of the Forest is a sequel to The Forest, with improved graphics, survival mechanics, and open-world exploration.
Players must gather resources, craft weapons, and build shelter to survive the deadly challenges the island presents.
The game’s atmospheric tension and terrifying encounters with hostile creatures make it a must-play for fans of survival horror. Players can expect new challenges and a deeper survival experience than ever before.
8. State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 is a zombie survival game that emphasizes teamwork and base-building. Players must gather resources, manage a community of survivors, and fend off zombies in an open-world environment. The game offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, allowing players to work together to survive the apocalypse.
The game’s focus on survival mechanics, such as managing food, medical supplies, and morale, provides a more realistic take on the zombie apocalypse genre. It’s a great time for those who love strategic planning and teamwork.
9. The Forest
The Forest drops players into a dense forest after a plane crash, where they must survive against cannibalistic tribes, wild animals, and harsh environmental conditions. With limited resources and a complex crafting system, players must explore the island, gather materials, and build shelters to protect themselves from nightly raids.
The game’s survival mechanics are balanced with a mysterious storyline, adding depth to the survival experience. It’s a fantastic option for players looking for a mix of horror and survival gameplay.
10. ARK: Survival Evolved
In ARK: Survival Evolved, players find themselves on a desert island filled with prehistoric creatures. The game’s core mechanics revolve around gathering resources, taming dinosaurs, and building massive bases to protect against both the environment and rival players.
ARK’s open world offers endless possibilities, from exploring dangerous terrain to battling primeval creatures in epic encounters.

With its multiplayer component and unique take on the survival genre, ARK: Survival Evolved is one of the best survival games for PS4, providing hours of engaging content for players of all ages.
Upcoming Survival Games for PS4
The PlayStation 4 continues to be a thriving platform for gamers with a penchant for survival, challenging your strategy and will to persevere. Here’s a look at some promising upcoming survival games for your console:
- Beyond Contact: Set on a perilous alien planet, you can choose to play solo or team up in co-op mode. Here, quick reflexes and tactical planning are essential for survival.
- Wild West Dynasty: This game offers you the opportunity to build and manage a ranch in the treacherous Old West. Inspired by the dynamics of Red Dead Redemption 2, it combines town-building with an extensive storyline featuring hundreds of missions.
Upcoming titles offer a rich variety of settings and mechanics:
Game Title | Setting | Gameplay Feature |
---|---|---|
Beyond Contact | Alien Planet | Co-op mode, shooter combat |
Wild West Dynasty | Old West | Town-building, story missions |
With each game offering a unique take on survival, you have the chance to test your skills in various unforgiving environments. Your strategic decisions will determine your fate as you manage resources, battle against the elements, and encounter the unknown challenges that await.
Keep your wits about you, and prepare for an immersive gaming experience that will push your limits and reward your survival instincts.
Gameplay Mechanics in Survival Games
Survival games on the PS4 test your resourcefulness and adaptability, challenging you to manage resources, and craft tools, engage in combat, and explore vast worlds.
Resource Management
In survival games, you’re often tasked with managing a variety of resources such as food, water, and materials. Games like The Forest require you to keep an eye on your hunger and thirst levels to stay alive. Effective management is critical as it affects your ability to explore, build, and fight.
Crafting Systems
Crafting is a core mechanic where you use collected resources to create tools and shelter. In Subnautica, you combine materials found in the ocean depths to create life-support equipment and construct your underwater base, directly impacting your survival capabilities.
Combat and Survival
Your survival often depends on your ability to defend yourself against threats. In Ark: Survival Evolved, not only do you fight to protect yourself from aggressive creatures, but you also need to understand the attack patterns of different dinosaurs to effectively survive in a prehistoric environment.
Exploration
Exploring is essential to gain access to resources and discover new areas. Open-world survival games like 7 Days To Die encourage you to explore a post-apocalyptic world, where the layout of the land can mean the difference between life and death. Accurate mapping and orientation are your trusty companions.
Final Thoughts on Best Survival Games for PS4
The survival genre has grown rapidly in recent years, offering a wide range of experiences for gamers of all ages. Whether you’re exploring the open world of No Man’s Sky, fending off zombies in Project Zomboid, or surviving the wilderness in The Long Dark, there’s a survival game on PS4 for every player.
These games not only provide entertainment but also foster important survival skills like resource management, problem-solving, and teamwork.
With endless possibilities for exploration, crafting, and survival, the PS4 offers some of the best survival titles in recent memory. Whether you’re a seasoned survivalist or new to the genre, these games provide unique and thrilling challenges that will keep you engaged for hours.
FAQs
What are survival games, and why are they beneficial for kids?
Survival games are a specific genre of video games that challenge players to survive in harsh environments by gathering resources, crafting tools, and managing limited supplies. They teach problem-solving, resource management, and adaptability — all valuable skills for real life.
Can survival games on PS4 be played with friends?
Many survival games, such as Rust and Sons of the Forest, offer multiplayer components where you can collaborate or compete with friends in a survival setting. This adds an extra layer of strategy and fun to the experience.
Are there any PS4 survival games with educational value?
Yes! Games like The Long Dark and Green Hell focus on realistic survival mechanics, teaching players about resource management, wildlife, and the dangers of harsh environments, making them both educational and fun.
Which survival game has the most expansive open world?
No Man’s Sky offers one of the largest open-world environments in any survival game, with procedurally generated planets that provide virtually endless exploration and survival challenges.
What is the difference between single-player and multiplayer survival games?
Single-player survival games focus on solo experiences, where players rely on their own resourcefulness to survive. Multiplayer games introduce collaboration or competition with other players, adding more complexity to survival strategies.