Survival Simulation Games

August 11, 2009 8:13 PM

Survival simulation video games (not horror)...help me find some. Looking for recommendations on survival games (like Lost in Blue, Sims Castaways, etc.) for the PC.

I am really big into survival stuff (Man Vs. Wild/Survivorman type stuff) and love to play computer games based around that--preferably on a deserted island.

I played Lost in Blue which was ok, but to be honest I didn't really like the whole plot and having a girl you needed to look after was really annoying. But I LOVED how things like fishing, building a fire, etc. were all twitch based minigames that actually had you spinning a stick or throwing a spear instead of a stupid puzzle or something like that.

I played Sims 3 but it got boring REALLY quickly because you basically just gather and build stuff, there's no challenge to any of it.

I also tried the Virtual Villagers and My Tribe games, but those are all puzzle and time based. The real thrill for me is in the actual act of doing the survival stuff, like gathering wood and then building the fire and trying to get it lit, or gradually improving your survival situation by creating tools, etc.

Really not interested in any of the horror based survival games or anything like that. And I prefer good graphics but its not a deal breaker.

I know this is really specific, but hey, if anybody can come up with suggestions its the Hive Mind.

posted by Elminster24 to computers & internet (7 answers total)

Oregon Trail is seeing a resurgence of late, because it's out on mobile apps and such.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:27 PM on August 11, 2009

I remember playing Wilderness: A Survival Adventure on my neighbor's Tandy a while back.. More recently there's also Everest which was wildly acclaimed... And of course, there was Cliffhanger, based on the works of the great thespian Sly Stalone. And to round up what I can think of there is Survival: The Ultimate Challenge.

From what I can tell, its not a popular genre...
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:47 PM on August 11, 2009

Reasons why Ask MeFi rocks: I was going to suggest Wilderness and someone already beat me to the punch. Mobygames has a comprehensive list of "wilderness survival games", which may be of help here, as well.

Lost in Blue has a couple of sequels, which are better; you might try to track down the rest of the "Survival Kids" series for similar gameplay.
posted by ellF at 9:00 PM on August 11, 2009

Elminster24: "I am really big into survival stuff (Man Vs. Wild/Survivorman type stuff) and love to play computer games based around that--preferably on a deserted island.

I played Lost in Blue which was ok, but to be honest I didn't really like the whole plot and having a girl you needed to look after was really annoying. But I LOVED how things like fishing, building a fire, etc. were all twitch based minigames that actually had you spinning a stick or throwing a spear instead of a stupid puzzle or something like that.

I also tried the Virtual Villagers and My Tribe games, but those are all puzzle and time based. The real thrill for me is in the actual act of doing the survival stuff, like gathering wood and then building the fire and trying to get it lit, or gradually improving your survival situation by creating tools, etc."

Holy crap. You would love Stranded II (screenshots). I got obsessed with it for awhile a year or two ago precisely because its survival simulation is so pure.

You start out with a brief cutscene, then wake up floating in the water off the coast of a small jungle island, with the wreckage of your ship washing to shore around you. You have to break open the crates and gather whatever random materials survived, then do what you can to make it through the day. There are abundant resources on the island -- small animals, trees, mineral ores and springs -- but you've got to learn to tap them.

At the beginning its a lovely grueling task to scrounge together whatever raw materials you can find to build an adequate shelter before sunset (there's a day/night cycle). From there on out you have to balance your daily survival needs (thirst/hunger/fatigue/health meters) with an ongoing strategy for leaving the island... however that might be done.

That's all in the main preset "storyline" -- a big 3D sandbox world for you to try to claw your way through survival on to victory. But it's got a lot of other fun extras, too -- map editors, in-engine minigames (think very basic Garry's Mod stuff), etc. And it's all rendered from a first-person perspective in pleasant, cartoonish simplicity. It's one of the most immersive games I've ever played, very entertaining while it lasts, and best of all, it's free.

I've been inspired in the course of writing this comment to make an FPP out of this -- plz don't steal it.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:16 PM on August 11, 2009 [3 favorites]

Stranded is totally perfect

It's a freeware game where you're stuck on an island and have to make a shelter, fire, etc.
posted by Betty_effn_White at 10:17 PM on August 11, 2009

Unreal World is a very fun wilderness survival rogue-like. The graphics aren't exactly great, but it's a great game and well worth the meager $3 cost.
posted by skintension at 11:39 PM on August 11, 2009

Stranded 2 is the definitive one, especially with the massive mod. I can put it up somewhere if you can't find a download.

Robinson's Requiem and Deus (more Deus) if you want a completely over the top version. Spaceship crash lands, disease, hunger, broken bones, gangrene, the whole kit and kaboodle..


I fucking HATE lost in blue, and I'm a tremendous fan of the survival genre. I think they're shit approximations and the inclusion of the npc just destroys the survival aspect.
posted by Lord_Pall at 7:49 AM on August 12, 2009