How to Survive similar games & best alternatives

How to Survive

PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360 • 2014

Should you play it?

“A real Gem” – Destructoid at E3 “Offers a different experience for zombie game veterans” – Co-Optimus“Has a lot more going for it than smashing brains and gory, red goo ... With a surprisingly deep crafting system” – GamesRadarYou're shipwrecked on an isolated island, a desperate castaway in a total freakshow world. How will you survive?

What works
  • Engaging crafting system
  • Fun cooperative gameplay
  • Varied weapons and enemies
  • Humorous survival guides
  • Good value on sale
Things to keep in mind
  • Short and repetitive story mode
  • Limited inventory space
  • Camera issues in co-op
  • Some bugs and crashes
  • Lack of deeper character customization

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition

  • Atlas Fallen: Reign Of Sand

  • Dead Island 2

  • Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition

  • Night of the Dead

  • Crea

  • Death Trash

  • Forge Quest

  • RuneScape: Dragonwilds
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Rum & Gun

  • Songbringer

  • The Baconing
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Autonomy

    Closers
  • Cooperation

    30XX
  • Creativity

    Sword of the Stars: The Pit

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

How to Survive: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Status.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    4

    "Players can choose from multiple characters with unique playstyles and customize skill builds, allowing personal control over gameplay."

    Capsule for Closers Closers

    "Players can choose among multiple characters with unique skills and freely craft various weapons and items from found materials, allowing personal control over playstyle."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    3

    "Game involves skillful crafting, base building, combat, and resource management with increasing challenge and progression."

    Capsule for Sunkenland Sunkenland

    "Game involves skillful combat, crafting, and resource management with increasing difficulty and challenge modes, but some repetitive quests and limited skill trees moderate the challenge."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on solo or cooperative play with friends rather than competitive ranked modes or leaderboards."

    Capsule for Dungeon Lords Steam Edition Dungeon Lords Steam Edition

    "Focus is mainly on solo or cooperative play with friends rather than competitive ranked modes or leaderboards."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    2

    "Players report engaging gameplay with some replayability via collectibles and challenge modes, though main story is short."

    Capsule for STRIDER™ / ストライダー飛竜® STRIDER™ / ストライダー飛竜®

    "Players report engaging gameplay with some replayability via challenges and DLC, though some find the story mode short and repetitive."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    4

    "Supports both local and online co-op modes, with many players enjoying cooperative play."

    Capsule for 30XX 30XX

    "Supports 2-player local and online co-op modes with cooperative gameplay emphasized, though some camera and inventory sharing issues noted."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    4

    "Extensive crafting system with many recipes to discover and use, requiring experimentation and strategic item combination."

    Capsule for Sword of the Stars: The Pit Sword of the Stars: The Pit

    "Extensive crafting system allows combining many found items into weapons, armor, and consumables, encouraging experimentation and creativity."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -4

    "Gameplay emphasizes survival and cooperation rather than dominance or power over others."

    Capsule for Dead Pixels Dead Pixels

    "Gameplay emphasizes cooperative survival and shared objectives rather than dominating or exerting power over other players."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    3

    "Players enjoy distraction and stress relief through engaging zombie defense gameplay and humorous presentation."

    Capsule for Atom Zombie Smasher Atom Zombie Smasher

    "Players enjoy escaping into a zombie survival scenario with humor and engaging mechanics, providing distraction and fun."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players buy and play voluntarily for fun; no indication of obligation or pressure to play."

    Capsule for Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West

    "Players engage voluntarily for fun and interest, often waiting for sales to purchase; no indication of obligation or pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    4

    "Game encourages experimentation with crafting, combat styles, and exploration."

    Capsule for Signs of Life Signs of Life

    "Encouraged to try different crafting recipes and weapon combinations; exploration and experimentation are core gameplay elements."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    3

    "Players explore distinct islands and secret areas, though world is somewhat linear."

    Capsule for Olija Olija

    "Players explore multiple islands with varied environments, uncovering recipes, quests, and secrets, though maps are somewhat linear."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Some character customization through skill trees and upgrades, but limited cosmetic personalization."

    Capsule for Trine 2: Complete Story Trine 2: Complete Story

    "Character choice and some customization via skill trees exist, but limited cosmetic personalization reported."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    3

    "Zombie apocalypse setting with exaggerated weapons and quirky survivors offers imaginative fiction experience."

    Capsule for Deadly Days Deadly Days

    "Zombie apocalypse setting with exaggerated enemies and humorous elements provides imaginative fiction experience."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    3

    "Community and cooperative play foster social connection, though some players also enjoy solo play."

    Capsule for Dead Island 2 Dead Island 2

    "Community and cooperative play foster social connection, though some players prefer solo play."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    3

    "Skill trees, leveling, and crafting provide learning and character development opportunities."

    Capsule for Terminator: Resistance Terminator: Resistance

    "Character progression through experience and skill trees, plus learning crafting recipes, supports personal development."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Gameplay is sedentary with no physical activity; players manage character needs but no real physical engagement."

    Capsule for The Ship: Murder Party The Ship: Murder Party

    "Game is sedentary with no physical activity; players manage character's health but no real-world physical engagement."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires active attention for combat, crafting, and building; not designed for idle or background play."

    Capsule for Solace Crafting Solace Crafting

    "Requires active attention to combat, resource management, and crafting; not suited for background or idle play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -3

    "Social interactions are limited to cooperative gameplay; no evidence of close emotional relationships."

    Capsule for The Haunted: Hells Reach The Haunted: Hells Reach

    "Social interaction limited to cooperative gameplay; no evidence of forming close emotional relationships."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -2

    "No explicit leadership roles; cooperative play involves shared decision-making without formal authority."

    Capsule for Disc Jam Disc Jam

    "No explicit leadership roles; cooperative play involves shared decision-making without dominant authority."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Players accumulate weapons, upgrades, and crafting materials to advance through levels."

    Capsule for Teleglitch: Die More Edition Teleglitch: Die More Edition

    "Players accumulate items, weapons, and upgrades through crafting and leveling, driving forward progression."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    1

    "Some players find the game relaxing and satisfying, but combat tension and challenge create moments of stress."

    Capsule for Tyrant's Realm Tyrant's Realm

    "Some players find the game relaxing and fun, but survival pressures and combat can create tension."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    2

    "Combat effects, sounds, and animations provide sensory stimulation and excitement."

    Capsule for Jagged Alliance - Back in Action Jagged Alliance - Back in Action

    "Visual gore, sound effects, and combat animations provide sensory stimulation and excitement."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -4

    "No social recognition or ranking systems; achievements are personal and low-profile."

    Capsule for The Adventure of NAYU The Adventure of NAYU

    "No social status or ranking systems; achievements and recognition are mostly individual and low-profile."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    1

    "There is a light story and quests, but narrative is minimal and sometimes confusing or incomplete."

    Capsule for Dragon Cliff Dragon Cliff

    "Story is simple and mostly a vehicle for quests; some humorous narrative elements but limited depth."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    3

    "Players must use tactical thinking, cover, and planning to succeed, especially on higher difficulties."

    Capsule for Call of Duty® 2 Call of Duty® 2

    "Players must plan resource use, crafting, and combat tactics; higher difficulties require more strategic thinking."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    2

    "Nighttime scavenging and risk of enemy encounters create suspense and tension."

    Capsule for Siege Survival: Gloria Victis Prologue Siege Survival: Gloria Victis Prologue

    "Nighttime threats and survival mechanics add suspense and occasional tension, though some find it manageable."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Highly praised for good value, especially at discounted prices, providing hours of entertainment."

    Capsule for Cat on a Diet Cat on a Diet

    "Frequently praised for good value especially when purchased on sale; provides many hours of entertainment."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Combat against zombies and hostile enemies is a core enjoyable element."

    Capsule for 10 Miles To Safety 10 Miles To Safety

    "Enjoyable combat with various weapons and gore effects; killing zombies is a core fun element."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    3

    "Players must manage hunger and avoid death in challenging combat and dungeon environments."

    Capsule for Darkstone Darkstone

    "Players must manage hunger, thirst, fatigue, and health while combating threats, embodying survival gameplay."

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Last update: 01/06/2026