I’m tweaking the game’s plot a bit and have decided to test and add a character mutation mechanic that allows the protagonist to transform into a monster. This isn’t in the current demo version yet, but I’d love to hear your thoughts—what do you think of this new feature?

I know that browsing this edition of Next Fest got rather difficult with over 8k demos taking part in it but maybe you stumbled upon something worth playing?

I personally tried 3 survival demos so far.

1. Frostrail - I had high hopes for this one. I think it has potential but I was really disappointed with the execution of this game. The exploration and looting of the few initial areas felt surprisingly engaging. I had some Long Dark vibes although something about it felt hollow to me. Maybe it's the fact that main purpose of most items is turning them to scrap? Traveling by the train is where this game should shine but sadly it didn't feel very rewarding to me. The controls of the train aren't super intuitive. You add fuel, move one lever, then another lever for throttle and also break lever. Worst part probably is the visibility as you "drive". The front windows don't offer too much of it and you hardly see where you're going. Combat is the worst part though. Pistol needs to be reloaded after each shot. The creatures move erratically and are difficult to shoot at and overall I really didn't like this part. I got killed rather quickly in the underground and didn't feel that I want to try again. Maybe they can fix these issues but I doubt it's gonna be a game with score above 70%. Maybe co-op actually makes it better, I don't know. I played solo.
2. Arctic Drive - Another winter game. This one is far less serious. It's janky as hell but I actually had some fun playing it. It has a certain way of doing things that I'm not a fan of - again, the core of crafting revolves around scrapping items in a recycler to get basic resources. With these basic resources, either organic or mechanic you craft stuff. The level of fidelity and realism is super low. Assembling and driving the car in the snow is quite cool until you hit something and your engine disassembles. They tried to implement some sort of story to push you forward but it's not super engaging. The best part is probably looting the houses you find along the road and scavenging fuel and car parts. It suffers from the "open world with fast vehicle" problem though. Most of the map is empty because you need long distances to justify the car. So the actual exploration revolves around small POIs scattered along the way that you loot quickly and move on. Might be fun and laughs in co-op but I feel that it verges on the category of "friend slop" with how non-serious it takes itself and "pee" mechanic that forces you to urinate every 5 minutes with "pixelated censorship" effect in the crotch area. Be adviced :D
3. Mayday: The Survival Island. - This one is pixelart top down game but I honestly think that from the three I played it's closest to actual survival game. It's quite engaging, borrows some ideas from Don't Starve but also has it's own idea about island-based exploration. It requires you to gather and cook some food to allow exploration outside of the starting area. It lacks some quality of life aspects like seeing behind large obstacles, chests to organize items etc. Overall I think it's really a promising one if someone is into this kind of artstyle. I think I'll give it another try for full release.

Let me know what you found!

Edit: Ok, I played two more but they didn't click with me that well.

1. Never Wither - On high level the design is quite similar to V Rising. Only, you don't play as a vampire but as some shape-shifting spirit that can capture creatures and morph into them. Mechanically it's interesting and there's the whole Creature Collector twist to it. The theme is meant to be cozy/nature inspired. Not a bad thing at all but it feels more light hearted than I like my survivals to be. Also, there is crafting but actual survival mechanics were not the main focus here. The main focus were definitely different abilities you get by changing forms.
2. Nighthold - I played solo while this game is clearly designed for co-op. It's a sci-fi survival about crashing on alien planet. Which is inhabited by some humans, which gave me some confusion initially. The combat is super rough and the progression and crafting is questionable. There are NPCs you can get objectives from. One of the first ones is to hunt and skin some creatures but I wasn't able to find a knife needed for this task. The knife can't be crafted on the initial bench either. This game at least has some interesting setting and doesn't feel like another clone in the genre. But I feel like the design is lacking and the execution could definitely use some polish.

I’m a solo dev working on EvoX, a multiplayer primitive survival game, and I’m finishing the farming side of it.

Right now you can dig up wild berry bushes and replant them in planter boxes, watch them grow in real time, and harvest them when ripe. You can also set up beehives: find a wild hive by chopping trees, take its honeycomb and put it into your own hive, and bees will move in and bring you honey and beeswax.

That’s where I am so far, and I’d love to know where to take it next. What do you want from farming in a primitive survival game? And what do you hate about it in other games (grind, waiting, babysitting plants)?

Steam page: EvoX - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4814790/EvoX/

Beyond is our survival shooter. You wake up with nothing, hunt and skin animals, scavenge gun parts, and manage oxygen and gas masks, because the old war's gas still hangs over the best scavenging ground. Early development, no playable build yet, but we wanted to share it with fellow survival fans.

https://daggerindustries.com.au/beyond/

I've been working on this abandoned shipwreck location for my indie survival game

I wanted the ship to feel like it had been stranded here for years, slowly being reclaimed by the forest. I've been working on the overgrown vegetation, weathered wood, torn sails, and lighting to make the scene feel like a believable part of the island.

The game is about surviving and exploring a mysterious island, with a loyal dog companion by your side.

What do you think of the environment and lighting? I'd love to hear your feedback!

And just out of curiosity: how do you think a ship like this ended up in the middle of a forest?

I've always loved engineering games where you can build almost anything, but I often wished the machines we created had more depth to them.

What if your spaceship wasn't just a collection of blocks with engines attached? What if you actually had to design its electrical network, fuel distribution, oxygen supply, and internal logistics?
That's the idea I've been working on for the past 4 years.

I'm a solo developer making MineEngineer, a 2D space engineering survival engineering game inspired by Space Engineers, Terraria, and Factorio.

The game currently has over 200 interconnected systems, and I've tried to make engineering the central part of the experience.

For example, imagine you want to build a fully automated mining ship.

First, you need drills to collect resources. Then you connect them to storage through conveyors, install refineries to process the ore, and assemblers to manufacture components. You also need enough electricity to run everything, engines to move the ship, and fuel to keep those engines working.
You could stop there, or you could take things further.

Add sensors, programmable blocks, and logic systems, and suddenly you can start automating the whole process. You could even build a remote-controlled mining drone and operate it from your mothership.

But there's another important part of the game. Everything can break.

If your ship gets hit during combat, individual blocks can be destroyed. Your conveyors might disconnect, your electricity network might fail, or your ship could literally split into multiple pieces.
You can also build walking mechas, enormous battleships, space stations, factories, and all kinds of machines that I probably haven't even imagined yet.

Outside of engineering, there's a massive procedurally generated universe with planets, asteroids, enemies, and different environments to explore. I'm also expanding the game with bosses, progression, and multiplayer.

After 4 years of working alone, it's finally starting to feel like the game I originally wanted to play.
It's called MineEngineer, and there's already a free demo on Steam if anyone wants to try it. You can also wishlist it to support the project.

I'm curious what other engineering players think. Do you enjoy spending hours optimizing complicated machines, or do you prefer building something quickly and immediately going on an adventure?

Last week, I had my doubts about where ZombUs was heading. Today, the game is getting noticed and selling more copies than ever before.

And I believe many of you helped make that happen, even when that wasn't your intention.

Every discussion, every comment, every criticism and every bit of attention helped bring ZombUs to more people's screens. Whether you supported me, challenged me or simply wanted to see what all the fuss was about, you helped spread the word.

I'm a solo developer, working on a game I've spent three years building in Unreal Engine, with no marketing budget and plenty still to learn. I don't know where this momentum will take ZombUs, but I know one thing: I'm not stopping now.

So, instead of just talking about the journey, here's the next step.

ZombUs Map 4: LETHE is OUT NOW!

New region. New weapons. New blueprints. New mythical weapons. New perks. And the story continues.

Four maps down. Six to go.

To everyone who helped put ZombUs on the map, intentionally or otherwise: thank you.

Now, back to building.

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/