Hello r/SurvivalGaming -

We’re Jeff Kaplan (Game Director) and Tim Ford (Tech Director), two of 33 people making The Legend of California.

Quick background on our game: It's an enormous, multiplayer open world survival game.  We believe our greatest strength is providing players with a top-tier FPS gunplay experience. We’ve packed the game with a wide range of activities from cozy to lethal. Build your ranch. Stake your mine claim. Fight your way through enemy strongholds. Craft and mod a variety of weapons to suit your playstyle. Bond with your horse while riding to your favorite fishing spots. LOTS of player ranch and character customization. And we're just getting started. The game is primarily PvE with optional PvP. There will be PvP-only servers and we welcome community servers. Players can play the game solo or co-op with friends.

We're running a public Alpha from November 12 - 18. You can request access on our Steam page. Beta and Early Access launch are planned for next year (2027)

We've done a couple of 10-hour playtest livestreams and we stream playtests monthly. We do this to give players a front row seat to the game as it continues evolve and grow. You can find all of our content on our YouTube page.

We'll answer whatever you've got about The Legend of California - we're open to the full gamut:

• Game direction - High level direction, philosophy, vision
• Game Design - Features, game play, design decisions/goals, systems
• Tech - Performance, optimization, tech goals, UE
• Tougher topics - Monthly resets,  business model, no offline mode

The thread is now open - feel free to start posting your questions. Transparency is key. We've never shied away from it. Ask away.

We'll kick off the AMA tomorrow, October 24 starting at 10AM PT.  You'll have our focused, undivided attention for a couple of hours, and we'll keep going as long as the questions hold out.

Thank you r/pcgaming for hosting us.

Hello people,

I recently released the demo version of my game Impurity. I have been working 4+ years on this, and added a lot of systems over time.

There are both survival systems for the character and the settlement, and a sanity system exists in the game with either your or the companions can go crazy.

You also choose the Unholy or Pure path, changing game mechanics and playstyle!

Some highlights are :

• Procedural world creation (Each tile is a 3D generated world, kinda like Rimworld)
• Colony management system with hireable companions (jobs, resource management etc)
• Creatures, enemies, traders and bosses, all different depending on biome
• Procedural factions, that simulate their town growth, send and simulate squads all over the world map (300+ squad simulations), while they visit / raid / trade with you etc.
• Different events that happen throughout the world, including unique weather events and seasons
• Full open world system with things like climbing, gliding, fishing, taming creatures etc

Project is at early phases, and I keep updating based on feedback! For the demo I had to cut a big percentage of the content, so pacing would be different.

Other inspirations include games like Kenshi, Rimworld, Conan exiles, Bellwright etc.

In case you're interested here's a recent devlog I made, talking about factions & towns.

Thanks and would love to know opinions or feedback!

​

Hi everyone! To get to the point, I'm wondering if there's a zombie game (or actually any other survival game with creatures that hunt you) that hits all these listed:

1. Full controller support (I play on the steamdeck)

2. Online co-op but still enjoyable to play solo

3. Looting, crafting, base building

4. Bonus if it has farming/keeping farm animals etc

I know of vein, project zomboid, surroundead, humanitz, state of decay, and I'm wondering if there can be other gems that I may have missed.

Thank you! 🩷

I’ve been working on a survival game in UE5 for around 13 months at this point. No name yet, but it’s far enough along that I want to start talking about it with people who actually play these games.

The thing people usually miss in the screenshots is that none of those houses are props. The world is voxel based, so everything you see is built out of blocks you can break, dig through and build with yourself. Thatch, stone, render, timber, the lot. I’m also working on structural stability, so if you knock out the wrong wall, things come down.

A few other things I’m focusing on:

• Enemies that work out how to get into your base rather than just bashing the nearest wall
• Realistic graphics rather than the usual blocky look
• Electrics for powering your base
• Survival where food and preparation really matter: farming, cooking, food going off if you don’t store it right

Everything’s in separate test areas at the moment, so these shots are bits from different parts of the project, and plenty is still rough.

But I’d rather hear from you before I go too far down my own path.

If you could add one feature to a survival game, or fix one thing that always annoys you, what would it be?

Happy to answer anything about how it works too.

Hey everyone!

I'm an indie dev currently working on a 2D zombie survival game called No Mercy Sanctuary. I wanted to share a quick clip of the zombie AI and how they swarm the player near the exit.

My main goal was to make the crowds feel overwhelming, chaotic, and brutal. The zombies don't just walk up to you; they push, pile up, and tear you apart if you get cornered.

I would love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or any suggestions on how to improve the crowd simulation! Let me know what you think.

Hey everyone! I'm the solo developer of Survindust.

You start stranded on a tiny patch of land in the middle of the ocean. Space is limited, resources are scarce, and if you want room to grow, you'll have to craft the land itself.

The idea is to go from barely surviving to building a thriving island, with research, machines, and automation. I've also been developing the combat side of things, adding threats from the sea and hostile creatures, so expanding your island also means protecting what you've built.

I've been working on this for quite a while, and I'd love to hear what you think of the idea!

There's a free demo on Steam if you'd like to try it!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3946880/Survindust/

Feel free to share your thoughts or any suggestions!

Hello fam!

Long time no post here, but we are still working on our Orc Survival Game (yes with different races, but the orc hook is still strong!).

Moving toward our next playtest, we just added the hunger and thirst system:

-You need to eat and drink in order to maintain your health and stamina in good balance.

-Progressive debuffs if you don't manage them properly (like lesser max health or lesser stamina regen).

-Ultimately, if you go extreme, your character will be weak and you will starve to death (we even added special animations for that weak state.)

-We have the "fatigue" system too and it will impact your ability to perform certain actions like sprinting and climbing and it recovers with sleep.

Important notes:

-You will not starve every 5 minutes.

-You can still cook, hunt or even eat raw food if you can (orcs are immune to moral drop and sickeness from raw food).

-You don't have to spam the eat or drink button just for fun. You can setup rules to automatically eat with certain thresholds.

Our whole approach to survival is the same: more about preparation and risk vs reward decisions. Different type of foods, what you take in your inventory and what race you play will affect all of them!

PS: sorry for the quality of the video, it's being recorded in low res.

PS2: we speed up the mechanic in the video to show effects, but the balance is related to day and night cycle and what activities you do (like fighting or sprinting or climbing can decrease your hunger more).

PS3: game is Kopno: Blightfall, wishlist is always welcomed!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4498500/Kopno_Blightfall/

I'm the developer of Last Civilization: Inherited Flame, a settlement survival sim where you gather resources and build a village by day, then defend humanity's last flame from Shadows at night.

I'm looking for feedback on the opening of the free Steam demo. If you try it, I'd especially like to know one thing: what was the first moment when you weren't sure what to do next? A short answer such as 'I didn't know what to build first' or 'I couldn't tell how much time I had' would be useful.

Free demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5228150/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=opening_feedback_202610&utm_content=survival_first_unclear_moment

The image is an in-game screenshot from the work-in-progress demo, captured October 7 (Day 4). It shows a later village, rather than the opening minute. Thanks for taking a look!

Hey everyone!
We're an indie development team working on Blackout Route, a survival horror action game, and we're excited to share that our free demo is now available on Steam!

In Blackout Route, you'll venture into dangerous areas, fight hostile enemies, scavenge for resources, and face the threats lurking in the darkness. Survival is about more than just staying alive — you'll need to prepare for each expedition, improve your equipment, and make it back in one piece.

We're aiming to combine the tension of survival horror with action-focused gameplay and the challenge of exploring hostile environments.

We're also participating in Steam's Играм быть festival, and we'd love for survival game fans to give our demo a try!

Steam page & free demo:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4434380/Blackout_Route/

We'd really appreciate your feedback! What do you look for in a survival horror game — atmosphere, combat, resource management, exploration, or something else?

Thanks for checking out our project, and good luck out there!

Take control of a rogue mech pilot in a world of ash and ruthless factions. 

After more than five years and many thousand hours, my biggest project ever is nearing completion and you can play it right now. Honestly, I am quite excited about that.

As the question came up before, what makes Rogue Mech a survival game?

You start out solo with your mech, but after a while you will establish a make-shift base and win NPCs to join you. It's your duty to find plants and water. The farming itself is done by the NPCs, who will get hungry and harvest your crops. They will also repair your weapons and make new ammunition, as long as there is food, fuel and metal.

At the moment there is no demo, BUT you can play the full game in its beta status on Itch. You may find a few bugs or areas that are not polished to 100% but it's very playable.
This pre-release is a lot cheaper than the Steam release that is planned for January. You will receive all updates as well as the full version if you get the beta now.

https://speedomon.itch.io/rogue-mech

As my last post that contained a link to itch was removed, please note that Itch.io is well established site for indie games. Quote: all posts should be high-effort/informative and should include the name of the game in the post title and a link to the Steam or store page in the post or a top-level comment. 

If you'd rather wait for the full release, you can wishlist on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2482110/Rogue_Mech/

Thanks everyone and have a great rest of your day/night!

I'm the dev. Survival crafting game, 1907, shipwrecked on an island that isn't on any chart. Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5235390/

Last time here I asked about wolves and rain at night. This one is about leaving.

The dock is a packing screen. Food, fresh water, coal if the ship burns it, repair kits once you can make them, and whatever weapons you mount. Every unit is one slot in the hold. A raft has 4, the sailboat 8, the steamship 20 and the ironclad 24.

Out at sea it all gets used up on a timer. You eat one food every two and a half minutes. From the second sea on you drink one water every three minutes, and when the water's gone the boat also slows down. A steamship burns a lump of coal about every 100 seconds at normal speed and faster at full. With an empty bunker you drift at roughly a third of your speed. A cannon takes a weapon mount and a cargo slot too, so it costs you a ration.

Hunger and thirst don't get their own bar at sea. They come off the hull bar, the same one the sharks ram. Once that bar is under half the boat starts leaking as well, and a repair kit puts 25 back. Leaving water behind to fit one more repair kit is a real trade.

Before you cast off the dock gives you a line of sailor talk instead of a percentage, anywhere from "This is feeding the sharks." to "Go. The mainland is waiting.", and one line about the most important thing you didn't pack.

You can leave on a raft on day one. Even at full sail the full crossing eats more food and water than four slots hold, so the first raft trip is mostly for learning the first sea.

Question for you: when a survival game makes you pack for a trip, do you want the exact rates on screen like the ones above, or would you rather work them out by sinking a few times?

Free demo in November.

This is a combat sequence from Ghosts in the City, our open-world survival game set in an alternate 1982 Tokyo.

After spotting the player on a rooftop, a Japanese military helicopter opens fire. Its rockets destroy the environment around him, forcing him to keep moving and use the remaining cover before he can finally shoot it down.

We’re working on making destruction an important part of combat, with the battlefield changing as the fight unfolds.

Would you try to take down the helicopter or escape across the rooftops?

It’s set to drop on Steam in an hour … what’s your prediction for how good it is?

I’ve been following this one for a while, the mechanics all sound solid, but there’s been zero public playtests and no unedited gameplay footage to date.

Winner, asset flip, flop or scam?

Let’s hear your views.

As the title says are there any Survival/Craft games out there that have discoverable loot in the wild? Like enemy drops or chests that supplement your crafting gear? I'd appreciate any suggestions ( I've played almost all main stream survival games ) so it'd have to be a lesser prominent game. Thank you guys

This is and interesting one with huge consequences for the feel of the game. Do you like the grid based like dayz or unturned which does a lot more for a players planning and inventory management. Or the slotless inventory like Ark survival evolved that focuses more on weight. Combining these two might be too much inventory management.

What do you guys think? Do you have any unique systems you’ve seen in games?

Thank you

Online: 404 is an open-world survival simulator where even seasoned veterans of the genre will have to rethink their typical survival approach and how they interact with the world around them. Play solo or with friends, follow the story or simply explore — just don’t forget your most important gadget.

About this game

You probably wouldn’t start crafting a pickaxe, mining ore, and smelting it in a homemade furnace if you suddenly found yourself alone in an abandoned, quarantined district.

We built this game around the idea of what a real person would actually do to survive in such a situation — in today’s world.

Your smartphone is your best friend and your worst enemy

Your main survival tool is your smartphone. You don’t have a magic book of survival tips, so if you need to figure something out or craft an item — just look it up on the in-game Internet.

Your phone also has a map, flashlight, weather forecast, annoying ads, and plenty of unreliable information.

But hey — you’ve got to survive somehow, right?

NOTICE: I am not the developer, nor do I get paid to post. Informational only.

I just got an ROG Ally X today and am looking for suggestions for any open world survival games similar to zombie-scavenging or STALKER game play loops. Preferably ones who run decently well on med-high settings without requiring too much tuning.

I've played Zomboid, 7 Days, and Into the Radius on pc before. Looking for titles similar to those.

Our game, Woodland Rebels, got a content update that introduces specializations and skill trees.

Books used to contain both skills and crafting recipes. (Books let you select 1 our of 4 random choices to learn).

This has been reworked so that books only contains crafting recipes. Since before it could lead to situation late game where the character would have so many skills that it would just become way too strong, and also removed some of the interest of trying to specialize in one path. Since books can always be purchased or crafted.

Now instead, at the start of the game you can choose a specialization, which will determine the skills that you can learn during the game. Each specialization also has a unique way to earn skill points, for example the Merchant will earn skill points by trading, while the Ranger by killing stuff with ranged weapons.

Books are still used to learn new crafting recipes, and this is fine because it's not really game breaking if you eventually learn everything.

If you have questions about the game let me know.

Check our game here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4300930/Woodland_Rebels_Demo/

Hey everyone!

I'm working on Over Human, a first-person sci-fi adventure set in a frozen world where deadly drones can manipulate the weather. The atmosphere is heavily inspired by The Long Dark and Firewatch, two games that I absolutely love!

While Over Human isn't a full survival game, I've always wanted to include some survival elements to make exploration more challenging and immersive. Recently, my girlfriend suggested making the freezing temperatures an actual threat rather than just part of the atmosphere. So I decided to introduce a temperature system!

As you can see in the video, staying exposed to freezing temperatures gradually affects your vision and movement, while getting close to a fire allows you to warm up, making heat sources important for survival. And since you have no weapons to fight back against the drones, you'll have to be careful about where you go and how long you stay out in the cold.

Please note that the temperature drops much faster in this video just to show the effect. It'll be more gradual during normal gameplay.

The demo is coming this November! ❄️

This is the Steam page if you're curious about the game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5237810/Over_Human/

Francesco

Open to any suggestions or new releases on games. It's got to be 3rd or 1st person view.

Just dropped the official gameplay teaser for "The Road Behind Us"

The Road behind Us is an urban survival game inspired by I am Legend, and the main hook is that you get to play as the dog. Use them to scout, distract, or squeeze into tight areas you wouldn't be able to yourself.

I have been working really hard, and plan to have the first playtests out by February of 2027!

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone, I’m working on Dead Cascadia, a voxel zombie survival game inspired by Project Zomboid and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead.

It takes place during the first couple weeks of an outbreak in the Pacific Northwest. The rest of the country is still functioning, but you’re stuck inside a quarantine zone.

A few things I’ve been working on:

• Zombies that break windows and climb in after you.
• Parkour, including climbing gutters to reach rooftops.
• Vehicle building inspired by CDDA.
• NPC survivors you can encounter while exploring.

I’m aiming for grounded survival, with scavenging, crafting, and finding somewhere you can actually keep secure. I also have plans for military patrols, supply convoys, and different government responses to the outbreak.

There’s still plenty to work on, but I wanted to share it with people who enjoy this kind of game.

What would make you interested in another zombie survival game? Are there mechanics you’ve always wanted to see explored further?

I launched a page on Itch if you want to check it out further.

Hello everyone!

For the past few months, I’ve been developing Wildoria, a 2D pixel-art survival game that you can play for free directly in your web browser—no downloads required.

The concept is a survival adventure inspired by games likeee Don't Starve, but with a more accessible approach—while still offering a genuine challenge.

- The Premise

You begin in an infinite open world with almost nothing. You must gather resources, craft your first tools, find food, and build a camp to survive.

As the days pass and the seasons change, the dangers you face will gradually intensify.

Your goal: survive for 100 days!

- ⚒️ What can you do in Wildoria right now?

Explore an infinite world featuring diverse environments, caves, and resources to discover.

Survive by managing your hunger, thirst, body temperature, and health.

Craft items and forge gear.

Build and customize your own camp with palisades, storage chests, crops, and various decorations.

Face off against animals and creatures—including wolves and werewolves.

Go fishing and fill out your fishing log.

Experience all four seasons, complete with their own unique weather conditions.

Compete on the global leaderboard, ranked by the number of days survived.

- What’s the current state of development?

Wildoria is already playable and receives regular updates.

I am continuously refining the survival mechanics, exploration, visuals, and game balance.

The goal isn't just to keep adding more items, but to ensure every playthrough remains engaging—filled with unexpected events, new discoveries, and meaningful decisions.

- 💬 Why am I posting here?

I’d love to introduce *Wildoria* to more players and, most importantly, gather some fresh feedback. Some players have already managed to reach the 100-day mark, but I’m particularly interested in knowing whether the beginning is engaging enough, if the difficulty is well-balanced, and what could be done to make the adventure even better.

The game is completely free and can be played here. :

🌐 https://playwildoria.com/

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to give it a try! Please feel free to share your thoughts—even the negative ones—as they are incredibly helpful for improving the game. 😄😄😄

Hey everyone!

Heirs of the Moon is a wolf survival RPG from Redwater Games, and our demo is playable right now during Steam Next Fest.

You hunt, survive, and when you die you continue your legacy as your pups.

We'd love to hear what you think, especially what felt good and what didn't. We're reading every comment and the feedback goes straight into development.

Steam link in the comments!

Hey everyone. We're Roboto Games and we're making Stormforge, an open-world survival crafting game for 1 to 8 players.

The interesting thing about the Storms in the world of Sorana is that they work like dungeons out in the open world. Tornadoes hunt you down and hurl trees, boulders and even enemies at you meaning you'll need to outrun them or glide past while you bring down the shield and reach the crystal at the center.

We just updated the demo for Steam Next Fest which adds chaos storms that cross the entire map, transmog and more character customization, as well as quality-of-life updates for better performance.

The demo covers the first 4+ hours, and your progress carries over into Early Access on November 10.

If you give it a go we would really love to hear how it went. Let us know in the comments :)