Unveiling the Next Frontier: Are You Ready for 2020’s Most Intriguing New Survival Games?
As the video above brilliantly showcases, the year 2020 has been an exceptional period for the video game industry, particularly within the dynamic survival genre. While many titles vie for player attention, it is important to distinguish between pure survival experiences and the broader “survival horror” category. This crucial distinction ensures a focus on games where resource management, base construction, exploration, and sustained self-sufficiency are paramount. The following analysis expands upon these exciting releases, providing deeper insights into their innovative mechanics and potential impact on the gaming landscape.
Understanding the Core Mechanics of Modern Survival Games
A successful survival game effectively challenges players to overcome environmental threats while managing fundamental needs. These challenges often encompass intricate resource gathering systems, demanding players to constantly forage for materials, food, and water. Base-building, a cornerstone of many titles, allows for the creation of safe havens and operational hubs, which are critical for long-term endurance. Furthermore, crafting mechanics are typically interwoven into the gameplay loop, enabling the construction of essential tools, weapons, and protective gear from collected resources. These foundational elements are often expanded upon with unique twists, as observed in the best new survival games of 2020.
One notable trend involves the blending of genres; survival is frequently augmented by action RPG, rogue-lite, or even bullet hell components. This integration is designed to enhance player engagement and add layers of complexity, moving beyond simple endurance tests. The following games exemplify these innovative approaches, promising fresh and compelling experiences for enthusiasts of the genre.
Exploring Groundbreaking New Survival Games and Their Unique Offerings
1. Windbound: A Nautical & Resourceful Odyssey
Inspired by iconic adventure games, Windbound sets players adrift in a vibrant, procedurally generated archipelago. This title, which launched on August 28th for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, presents a compelling blend of exploration and primal survival. The visual aesthetics, widely recognized for their similarity to a beloved Nintendo series, are beautifully complemented by a robust crafting system focused on boat construction and island traversal. Players are continuously tasked with gathering essential resources to maintain their vessel and ensure their character’s well-being. The emphasis here is squarely placed on the journey itself, where adaptation to changing environments is consistently required.
2. The Riftbreaker: A High-Stakes Base-Building Thriller
Positioned as a survival game with substantial action RPG and tower defense elements, The Riftbreaker offers an urgent, fast-paced experience. While its full release date remains “sometime in 2020,” a playable demo has already captivated a significant audience. Players are plunged into a hostile alien world, where the primary objective is establishing and defending a fortified base against relentless waves of creatures. The game’s innovative structure demands quick strategic thinking and efficient resource allocation, as every decision directly impacts the survival of the outpost. The demo itself, acclaimed for its exciting gameplay, has been downloaded by many, indicating strong player interest in its high-octane blend of genres.
3. Occupy Mars: The Game – Colonizing the Red Planet
The ambitious premise of Occupy Mars: The Game is clearly articulated within its title: humanity’s survival hinges on colonizing the Martian surface. This open-world sandbox experience, which recently saw the release of a prologue, challenges players to overcome extreme environmental hazards to establish a sustainable habitat. Critical activities often revolve around securing a consistent water supply, managing oxygen levels, and cultivating food sources within the unforgiving Martian environment. The development team has been highly responsive to community feedback, actively integrating player suggestions from the early stages, thereby fostering a collaborative development process that is appreciated by many early adopters.
4. The Eternal Cylinder: A Surreal & Evolutionary Challenge
This truly unique survival adventure game introduces a colossal, world-destroying cylinder that perpetually rolls across the landscape, forcing creatures known as Trebhum to adapt and evolve. The game is expected to launch in 2020, offering a distinctly surreal and beautiful aesthetic. Players control a herd of these unusual beings, utilizing genetic mutations to acquire new abilities and forms, which are essential for navigating the bizarre terrain and escaping the encroaching cylinder. This innovative mechanic elevates traditional survival tropes by integrating elements of biological evolution and environmental storytelling, presenting a truly different kind of survival narrative.
5. Wild: Prehistoric Primal Instincts
Set in a beautifully rendered prehistoric world, Wild offers a unique perspective on survival by allowing players to possess various animals. Although details regarding its release date are scarce and its exclusivity to PS4 (and potentially PS5) is pending, the concept is undeniably compelling. This ability to embody different creatures, from stealthy crows to formidable bears, opens up diverse tactical options for hunting, exploration, and combat against rival tribes. The potential for emergent gameplay, where strategic animal possession can turn the tide of an encounter, has been highlighted as a particularly exciting feature. The lavish, open-world environment is designed to immerse players in an ancient, untamed wilderness, pushing the boundaries of what is expected from the genre.
6. The Survivalists: Pixelated Adventure & Co-op Fun
Developed within The Escapists universe, The Survivalists combines a charming pixel-art aesthetic with robust adventure sandbox survival mechanics. A demo is currently available, and the full game is slated for release in Quarter 4 of 2020. This title focuses heavily on crafting, resource management, and base building within procedurally generated wilderness. Critically, it emphasizes cooperative multiplayer, allowing friends to team up for dungeon crawling and collective survival efforts. The familiar yet fresh art style, coupled with engaging co-op dynamics, positions The Survivalists as an excellent choice for players seeking a shared survival experience.
7. Grounded: A Miniature World, Monumental Challenges
Grounded ingeniously shrinks players down to insect size, transforming a suburban backyard into a vast, perilous open-world survival arena. Currently accessible via Early Access, this game has been widely praised for executing its “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”-inspired concept flawlessly. Players must contend with enormous insects, craft makeshift shelters from everyday objects, and scavenge for minuscule resources to endure. The sheer scale of the environment and the constant threat posed by seemingly innocuous creatures create a unique sense of vulnerability and wonder, providing a fresh perspective on the challenges inherent in survival games.
8. Survivalist: Invisible Strain: Zombie Hordes and Wilderness Woes
Offering a comic book art style and a blend of zombie combat with wilderness survival, Survivalist: Invisible Strain provides a streamlined yet expansive experience. This Early Access title, affordably priced at $6.99, challenges players to navigate a post-apocalyptic world where both the undead and environmental dangers pose significant threats. The game emphasizes resourcefulness and strategic decision-making in a world where every encounter can be a matter of life or death. Its ongoing development suggests a commitment to refining gameplay mechanics and expanding content, making it a promising option for budget-conscious survivalists.
9. Away: The Survival Series: A Documentary Brought to Life
Away: The Survival Series takes an incredibly novel approach, drawing inspiration directly from nature documentaries to craft a playable wildlife experience. While no demo or firm release date has been provided, the visual footage has generated considerable intrigue. Players control a sugar glider, navigating lush environments, engaging in aerial maneuvers, and interacting with a richly detailed ecosystem. The game aims to capture the essence of observing nature in its rawest form, allowing players to experience the struggles and triumphs of a small creature within a vast, interconnected world. This innovative perspective on survival focuses on ecological balance and predatory dynamics, standing out as a unique entry in the genre.
10. Deadside: A Refined Post-Apocalyptic Shooter
Having entered Early Access in April, Deadside has quickly established itself as a formidable contender in the open-world survival shooter subgenre. It is frequently lauded as a significant improvement over some of its predecessors, particularly in terms of graphics and AI performance. While the game’s content continues to expand, its foundation of polished gunplay and robust survival mechanics has garnered a strong reputation. The aim is to deliver a realistic and immersive post-apocalyptic experience, where players must contend with both environmental threats and hostile factions in a sprawling, dangerous landscape. As development progresses, Deadside is expected to become an even more dominant force among the new survival games 2020 has to offer.
Survival Briefing: Your Questions on 2020’s Newest Threats Answered
What is a survival game?
A survival game challenges players to manage resources, build bases, explore environments, and maintain self-sufficiency to overcome threats.
What are the main activities in survival games?
Players often gather resources like food and water, construct safe havens through base-building, and craft essential tools and gear from collected materials.
Are all survival games scary like horror games?
No, the article differentiates pure survival experiences, which focus on managing needs, from the broader ‘survival horror’ category that aims to be scary.
Can survival games be combined with other game styles?
Yes, many survival games blend with other genres like action RPGs, rogue-lites, or tower defense to add complexity and enhance player engagement.
