To see the full and up-to-date list, visit our ranking of the best survival games on the PS4.
10. Don't Starve: Mega Pack
We're starting this on light yet silent note with the definitive package of Klei Entertainment's gothic open-world survival. Even before the added DLCs and multiplayer capabilities, there was already a lot to love about this game.
First and foremost, the atmosphere provided by their instrument-based sounds and German Expressionism inspired aesthetic. But it doesn't just look good. It plays well too.
Spazio I-talia may have just given it a decent score of 7.5, it was mostly because of what they felt was an overload of content and more importantly, a bad Italian localization. On the other hand, still in Italy, IGN's Franceso Destri gave it an 8.70, pointing out just how addictive the survival elements are together with the suspense that their roguelike format offers.
Don't Starve has proved itself as a worthy survival title and with this definitive package, it provides the ultimate experience with a playscore of 8.49.
9. Darkwood
Believe it or not, this is developer Acid Wizard Studio's first videogame. Their five years of hard work has clearly paid off. Step into mid 80s Poland and make it through the nights in a top-down perspective.
As a survival horror title, Darkwood's primary sell has always been its total lack of jumpscares. That might sound boring, but that's what makes the game so special: it delivers spine-tingling terrors even without it. But that's not to say there weren't any criticisms either. Game Rant gave the game a 7.00. While they admit that its weird characters and unnerving moments add up to a twisted experience, they also say that "ultra-tough gameplay is likely to turn quite a few people off and it can be tedious."
However, We Got This Covered also points out its appeal, "[turning] night into your greatest enemy and makes players question what could be lurking in the dark." If continuous tension is what you're into, Darkwood is a special fit with a playscore of 8.5.
8. Outlast
First released in 2014, Outlast was a sensation at the outset. It has a premise anchored on seeing through the halls of a psychiatric hospital using nothing but a camcorder's night vision. And, with that, it has seeped into the world of streamers and gifted the world with secondhand frights.
Just like Darkwood, this is also one of developer Red Barrel's first titles and its debut has granted us more terrors than expected. Outlast, as it forces you to manage batteries amidst the presence of unseen psychopaths, stays true to the heart of survival horror.
It's not quite a winner among critics with a score of 7.87. It garnered a decent 7 from Arcade Sushi who found that the game "relies too heavily on Hollywood tactics."
PS Lifestyle counters this with their rating of 9. The game, for them, doesn't rely on jump scares and is "truly shaped by the ambiance that it creates." While critics have differing opinions, Outlast has won over the other side with its gamer score of 9.23. All in all, it's a Top 10 winner with a playscore of 8.53.
7. Terraria
Engine Software's open world adventure gives us respite from the darkness. The first thing you notice about Terraria is graphics-wise, it's a little simple. It's a far cry from the full 3D world we've come to experience. But make no mistake, Terraria's 2D pixel art world is ripe for exploration. It has the same focus on crafting and building as Mojang's Minecraft.
However, it has plenty of quirks that readily sets it apart. In their review, GameSpew gave the game a score of 8/10.
They describe the game as essentially a survival, where you gather materials, find chests, make yourself stronger. But it has quirks like having to craft items to summon bosses, without any guidance whatsoever.
GameSpew ends their review citing "the very thing that makes the game awesome is also what makes it quite often frustrating. It’s a hard balance to strike, and Terraria almost nails it." As most of the games on the list, Terraria has more clearly won over Gamers. It has a total playscore of 8.57.
6. Until Dawn
If you've ever seen a horror movie, then you're definitely familiar with the frustration of watching characters make all the stupid decisions. Supermassive Games offers a solution to that with this survival horror.
Play as eight adults in Blackwood Mountain and make your choices for them in order to determine who lives or dies.
Over the years there's been a whole lot of debate about whether or not it's worthy of being called a game. Whatever it is, the users who rated it on the different stores seem to agree that it's quite an interactive experience. As of right now, its total gamer rating is 9.22.
The critics are a whole ‘nother story. On one hand, there's COGConnected who gave it a 9.10. They admit that while Until Dawn doesn't have complex gameplay, it counters it with compelling characters, visuals, and thought-provoking storylines.
Destructoid, giving it a decent 7.00, says that it "allows for some predictable plotlines, hammy acting, and lack of meaningful choices" but is "glad that it exists." Game or not, if it's a harrowing horror experience you want, Until Dawn provides with a total playscore of 8.59.
5. Minecraft: Playstation 4 Edition
Mojang's voxel based sandbox game brings us out of the darkness of survival horror and back to the handy world of crafting and building.
Minecraft may be known for a lot of things, like their adventure mode and most especially the imagination-unlocking creative mode. But, their entry to this list is credited to their survival game mode where players are required to collect, build, and battle in order to thrive in the voxel environment.
It's often been compared to Klei Entertainment's Don't Starve. Rating the game with an 8, Push Square goes on to say its survival mechanics are casual compared to the gothic survival game, but there's plenty of depth on display and it's taught fairly well in their tutorial.
For IGN, who rated the game with a 9.70, there's a lot of work in chipping and collected everything by hand but "what initially feels like a tedious task becomes the basis for Minecraft's rewarding core."
Judging from just one of the game's many offerings, the PlayStation 4's Minecraft edition is an overall success with a playscore of 8.74.
4. Subnautica
While Minecraft gets the ticket for just one of its game modes, Unknown Worlds' Subnautica makes surviving the ruthless oceans your whole life. It's a survival game set in the breathtaking open world oceans of a whole new world.
Sure, there are untold treasures, and wonder-filled caverns but there's also catastrophes and horrific creatures. Striking that delicate balance, Subnautica received a lots of 8s and 9s from critic reviewers.
Gaming Bolt calls it "one of the better and relatively unique takes on the open world survival genre." Gaming Bolt went on to praise the game's deep mechanics as it challenged palyers to balance thirst, hunger, health, oxygen, and more, while giving you the freedom to explore the corners of its vast underseas.
PS Lifestyle may have cited a few of the game's technical limitations, but ultimately he was blown away. "What initially appeared to be a knee-high kiddie pool worth of depth, suddenly gives way to a literal ocean of gameplay opportunities." It has a playscore of 8.77.
3. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
CAPCOM's latest installment to their iconic horror series is injected with all sorts of new ideas. What with the poor reception of their 6th main installment, Biohazard starts us all off with a shift towards a whole a new perspective.
In it, you'll get to know the Baker family in first-person. That, topped with the added thrills of their virtual reality support, makes it one of the scary ride. TechRaptor was all praises about it too, even so far as calling it "the best use of VR they've seen in gaming yet."
Despite the strides it has achieved, comparisons stil play a large part in judging the game, and the series as whole. That's most evident in Gaming Bolt’s review, giving Biohazard a 9 saying "Capcom may possibly never top the experience provided by the first four games...but they have come really very close."
Resident Evil 7 shows promise for the future of the series, and it has a playscore of 8.86.
2. Resident Evil 2
From the promising present, we come right back to CAPCOM's illustrious past. This is one of the series' finest and it has crawled its way out of their old gen graveyards and out into the shiny new world of the PlayStation 4. Return to the shoes of Claire and Leon as they look polished from head to toe, and ready to take on action-packed resource management they were known for.
Unlike other remakes, though, CAPCOM goes the extra mile by adding a slew of additions to freshen up a beloved title.
Dual Shockers agree. Remakes aren't new, but CAPCOM's ability "to change so many facets of Resident Evil 2 while keeping the core of the game intact is one of the most impressive accomplishments." They're right. Not only is there new gameplay additions, it also elevates the story from the usual campiness with the new Second Scenario.
It's an essential exprience for any Resident Evil fan, and it gets a playscore of 9.28.
1. The Last Of Us Remastered
First released on the PS3 in 2013, Joel and Ellie's misadventures remains at the top of the list on the last-gen console.
With this remaster on the PlayStation 4, The Last of Us has more or less fallen off of the top ranks. But, in this list of survival games, it's no doubt a runaway winner.
There's so many things to love about the game--from its engaging storytelling, and adrenaline-packed action, to its tug-at-your-heartstrings emotionality. All this is enhanced with their move to the more powerful PlayStation 4. In fact, most critic reviews for this remastered version have focused on the improvements brought about by the move. But, as a survival horror, USGamer said it best when they said it embodied the concept of genre most effectively saying, "Nothing about the game is in any way new or surprising, but it's all executed to near perfection..."
The Last of Us Remastered isn't new, but it has remained in our hearts through the years because it delivers precisely what it set out to do. It has a playscore of 9.4.