In recent years, open-world survival crafting games have seen a big surge. Overall, a lot of titles across multiple genres seem to be mixing elements from other types of games in an effort to reinvent the wheel. One area in which this has been fairly successful is the survival genre. We’ve seen enormous games like Minecraft dominate for years, but what happens if we throw in RPG elements as well? Well, there are a few titles that qualify.
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The games I’ve included here need to fulfill a few criteria. First, they have to be open-world, no buts and ifs. Second, they need to have survival gameplay, which includes managing needs like hunger and thirst or building shelters and bases. Second, they should have some degree of RPG elements implemented in them, and at a minimum, that means stats and skill progression. Of course, having all of these three perfectly filled isn’t going to be always possible, so for the sake of argument, we’ll allow a bit of flexibility in the RPG department. I’ll rank these games by their overall reception on Steam.
Early Access games are included.
Outward
Remember To Stay Hydrated In Aurai
Outward is a really interesting combination of something akin to a Soulslike RPG like Elden Ring, a survival game as grueling as Kenshi, with a hefty dose of magic and myth. It’s a dream come true for fantasy fans who want more challenge out of their traditional fantasy RPG experience, where drinking water and sleeping aren’t typically a major concern. Here, they exist in impressive harmony.
No playthrough looks the same, and if you’re jumping in with your friends, you’d better be ready for some shenanigans if you venture out unprepared or take fights that you’re not capable of handling too early on. This gets bonus points for having a pretty interesting magic system as well, and the lack of fast travel options certainly immerses you, for better or for worse.
Conan Exiles
Learn To Thrive In A Savage World
Fan of brutal settings? Conan Exiles is a master of this. Enter the world of Hyboria, where you start off with nothing but your birthday suit and grow to become a force to be reckoned with. From building up your base to crafting weapons and gear, and even enslaving thralls to do your bidding, it’s a pretty extreme survival experience with a flair for the brutal and a robust building system. And of course, the RPG elements are there, too, as you get to pick your race and progress through leveling.
The world itself is also an impressive size, and some of the best gameplay comes from joining up with other players to explore it together. You’ll find plenty of variety in it, from different biomes to dungeons to conquer to help you level up. Better yet, get on some of the multiplayer servers, and you can get up to some pretty intense roleplaying.
Dune: Awakening
Arrakis Gives You Freedom, But Not Without A Cost
The lore of Dune was one that felt ripe for something like an open-world RPG, and I’m glad to see Dune: Awakening managed to nail that for the most part. While there have been some complaints about the endgame being incredibly difficult and multiplayer gameplay being quite tough due to griefers and the Taxation system, there’s a lot that this game still managed to get right.
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You get to build the kind of survivor you want. Is the way of the blade your jam? Go for it. Are you more fascinated by the Bene Gesserit and their mysterious abilities? You can access those, too. Not just that, you’ll have to find the perfect spot for your desert safehouse while avoiding the destructive sandworms made famous by the books and the movies. With all the exploring and questing you can do as well, I’m hoping the game turns things around and makes it friendlier for casual solo players.
Enshrouded
Step Into The Shroud, If You Dare
While Enshrouded is still in Early Access, I feel like not including any EA games would have erased a lot of amazing picks that manage to nail the trifecta of open-world, survival, and RPG. Enshrouded is a masterclass in this, and though it’s still a bit rough around the edges, it really has the potential to become something special.
It shares some similarities with Outward, and where it shines over some of the more sandbox-y games on the list is the fact that it has some questing, too. You can build beautiful homes, encounter NPCs, and find your unique specialty in the diverse skill tree that features a lot of familiar RPG archetypes, and of course, since it’s a survival game, you’ll have to do all this while gathering all the needed resources and keeping your hunger and thirst in check.
Grounded
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
Obsidian Entertainment is known for its awesome RPGs, and there’s a good splash of that in Grounded as well, which puts you in the shoes of minuscule survivors trying to figure out how they ended up the way they are in the first place.
In a massive open-world, which is essentially a backyard, you’ll need to specialize and build up your skills, get good gear, and build up a safehouse and some proper defenses against the wildlife and insects that have taken a keen interest in you. Best way to experience this? In a group, without a doubt. The sequel improves a lot on the first game, though I recommend waiting a bit until some performance fixes are implemented.
Kenshi
You Will Die, And You Will Enjoy It
No game on this list is quite as unique as Kenshi. Although its playerbase is nowhere near as big as the other games’ seen here, it has more than deserved its spot for entertaining a large niche group of players who are not afraid of grueling games. You see, in Kenshi, you’re not a badass half-god hero who saves the world, because the world doesn’t care about you.
You might spawn in and instantly get obliterated or enslaved, and that’s the beginning of your story. From there on, it’s a hard road to survival, rather than godhood. You’ll be able to build bases, yes, and maybe hold on your own in a fight, but don’t expect to be doing any of that at the start, as you’re just trying to build up your skills and scavenge for items to simply stay alive and fed. This might sound like a nightmare to many, but no other game does sandbox and simulation as well as Kenshi. Here’s to hoping we get Kenshi 2 in the next five years.
7 Days To Die
An Incredibly Deep Zombie Survival Experience
The zombie survival genre is a huge thing of its own, but one that combines open-world, survival, and RPG? 7 Days To Die is, without a doubt, the way to go, as it comes with some RPG-style customization and questing. The game has a ton of moving parts, from customizable vehicles to a wide variety of weapons that you can loot, craft, and modify, as well as a massive open world to scavenge for resources.
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Somewhat similar to the skill systems in Project Zomboid, you can acquire skills by reading books, and that way define the kind of apocalypse survivor you are. Make sure you’re prepared (and staying well-fed and hydrated), because in seven days, the horde is coming to your doorstep whether you want it or not.
Project Zomboid
The Sims Meets Zombie Apocalypse
Another excellent zombie-themed survival game is the story of how you died, otherwise known as Project Zomboid. You get to choose between five different starting areas in the open-world map (which is huge, by the way), as of Build 42, and with character creation, you can pick some positive and negative perks to customize your experience to be easier or more challenging. It also brings in a bit of RPG flavor to know you’re playing a Veteran or a Police Officer, and then watching TV and reading books to develop those skills. It’s worth noting that NPCs are reportedly coming to the game at some point, so that might mean some questing is on the horizon.
Something that unexpectedly The Sims fans might enjoy about this game is its isometric style, and the moodles that pop up every once in a while. You’ll have to manage your thirst, hunger, and even boredom, because if you don’t, you’ll become depressed. There are houses and buildings to loot, animals to farm, and forests to forage, and since it’s a very sandbox-y game, you get to decide how you prepare for the eventual shutting off of water and electricity in town. The degree of realism and detail in this game, as well as the huge sandbox customization options, are without a doubt what have made it so popular.
Ark: Survival Evolved
Naked And Afraid Among Dinos
Top of the list and without a doubt the most popular survival, open-world game with RPG elements on Steam is Ark: Survival Evolved. This game offers something a little different: no zombies, no magic—dinosaurs. And yes, you can tame them. Yes, you can fly on the ones that have wings. That said, there are some pretty hardcore survival elements that go beyond just drinking water and eating food: your items are not fully safe, not even when you log off, and there’s wear and tear to everything you use and craft, as expected.
So where does the RPG element come in? Well, there’s a whole level-up process that you partake in, along with any dinos that you’ve managed to tame. Performing any of the game’s tasks, like crafting or hunting, will give you some XP and let you spend the rewarded points on your attributes. The game also has a bit of lore peppered in its massive open world, so go out there and explore, and become the dino-whisperer.
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