If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the hunt for the next great survival game. The problem is, it’s not always easy to tell which upcoming titles are actually worth your attention. That said, there are a few on the horizon that look promising enough to keep an eye on.
Here are 10 upcoming survival games that stand out to me the most.
10. Tree of Life: Oddria
The first game I wanted to highlight is Tree of Life: Oddria, which serves as a follow-up to the original Tree of Life.
In this game, you’re placed on an island where you gradually build up your very own village. Alongside village-building, you’ll also be able to interact with other players, forming alliances or making enemies depending on how you want to play.
What stands out most to me is the pirate-like atmosphere. You can explore caves and ruins in search of treasure, gold, and other valuable loot, which gives the game a fun sense of adventure.
It was planned for release in late 2020, and it definitely feels like a strong start to this list.
9. Smalland
If you’ve ever seen footage of Grounded, then Smalland will probably look very familiar.
The core idea is similar: you begin the game shrunk down to a tiny size, and your goal is to survive while figuring out what happened and why you ended up that way.
One of the biggest differences, though, is the setting. Instead of a backyard-style environment, this game appears to place you in a much more natural forest world, where you’ll encounter larger wildlife like squirrels and birds.
I really like the concept behind games like this, and if Smalland can pull it off well, it could be interesting to see that survival formula explored in a different environment.
8. Red Frost
While researching Red Frost, I couldn’t help but think of The Forest.
That comparison mainly comes from the fact that it seems to blend survival gameplay with a deeper underlying story. Red Frost is a first-person, story-driven survival game with horror elements, set in a brutal winter landscape in post-apocalyptic Russia.
You’ll be dealing with crafting and exploration, but there’s clearly a darker side to the game as well. From what I could gather, there are mutant or zombie-like creatures roaming the world, which adds a constant sense of danger.
If the game can balance its survival mechanics and horror atmosphere well, it could end up being a really memorable experience.
7. Wild Planet
Wild Planet caught my attention because it seems to be aiming for a more relaxing kind of survival game.
The overall vibe reminds me a lot of Astroneer, which is a good thing. I’m always up for a survival game that doesn’t feel overwhelmingly stressful and instead gives you room to explore and enjoy the world.
The premise is that your spaceship crashes on a mysterious planet, and as you explore, you slowly uncover the lore behind it. One of the most interesting features is the game’s 90-day cycle. During that cycle, the planet gradually decays and transforms, and when the cycle ends, the world changes in major ways.
That means new dungeons can appear, landscapes can shift, and the environment can evolve over time. Even without a firm release date, this is definitely one I’ll be watching closely.
6. Endling
This next game feels very different from the others on the list, and that’s a big part of why it stands out.
In Endling, you play as a mother fox trying to protect her cubs in a ruined, post-apocalyptic world. It’s a unique premise, and it already feels more emotional and story-focused than a lot of survival games.
The visual design is especially striking, and the concept itself is something you don’t see very often. As you explore, you hunt animals to bring food back to your cubs, and from what I’ve read, your broader goal is to guide them toward the only safe place left in the world.
It looks creative, atmospheric, and very much worth keeping tabs on.
5. The Wild at Heart
The Wild at Heart has a really interesting style.
To me, it looks like a mix between the art direction and movement style of Don’t Starve and the gameplay ideas of classic Pikmin games. From what I’ve seen, it seems like you’ll be controlling small creatures similar to Pikmin, using them to interact with the world and progress through the game.
That combination alone makes it stand out. If it can capture the charm of those inspirations while still feeling original, it could end up being something really special.
It’s one of the more unique-looking entries on this list, and definitely a game to watch.
4. Moon Village
Moon Village is a space simulation game, and while not much is known about it yet, the early concept sounds very promising.
According to the developers, players will be able to build launch rockets, create land-based and orbital stations, and construct all kinds of vehicles for traversing the moon’s surface.
Even though details are still limited and there’s no confirmed release date, the idea of building out your own lunar infrastructure sounds incredibly cool. If the game delivers on that concept, it could offer a very different kind of survival experience compared to the rest of the genre.
For now, it’s still very much a wait-and-see title, but it has a lot of potential.
3. Frozen Flame
Frozen Flame looks awesome.
It’s a multiplayer RPG with survival elements, where you can craft equipment, fight monsters, explore dungeons, and build your own base. From the gameplay I’ve seen, the larger boss creatures in particular look very impressive, and it seems like each one requires a different strategy to defeat.
Another interesting feature is the progression system, which revolves around something called Flame. You gain Flame by defeating monsters and completing quests, and from what I understand, there may even be a risk of losing it, similar to the soul system in Dark Souls.
That kind of mechanic could make progression feel more meaningful and tense. Overall, this is easily one of the most exciting games on the list for me.
2. Tinkertown
I’m really excited about Tinkertown.
It’s a multiplayer sandbox survival game that includes crafting, building, dungeon exploration, and plenty of lore to uncover. One of the coolest features is its underworld area, where you can take on a variety of bosses and push deeper into the game’s challenges.
Visually and structurally, it looks a bit like Terraria, but with its own style and mechanics. That alone makes it worth checking out, especially if you enjoy survival games with exploration and progression layered into them.
There’s also a free demo available, which is a nice bonus and makes it easier to see whether the game clicks with you. This is definitely one I’ll be following closely.
1. Icarus
The final game on the list is Icarus, and it’s the one I’m most interested in.
In Icarus, you’re dropped onto an alien planet where you’ll need to gather resources, build a base, craft gear, and survive in a dangerous environment. The crafting system looks especially deep, with a strong focus on building technology and progressing over time.
From everything I’ve seen, the larger goal seems to involve surviving long enough and advancing far enough to eventually escape the planet.
What makes the game even more interesting is how ambitious it looks overall. There may not be a set-in-stone release date in the original write-up, but it definitely came across as one of the most promising survival games on the horizon.
This is absolutely a game I’d keep at the top of the watchlist.
