Summary
- Games with first-person exploration offer immersive adventures with many hidden secrets.
- Survival games blend exploration with resource-finding and danger, creating engaging experiences.
- Games like The Long Dark, Chernobylite, and Green Hell showcase the trials and tribulations of dangerous locations and hostile threats.
One of the most satisfying experiences in a video game can be exploring its setting, especially when in first-person, allowing for a more immersive adventure. Many developers are fully aware that players love to examine every corner and crevice of their game worlds, so they leave many secrets and surprises for players to discover during their investigations.
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While the main goal of a survival game is to stay alive, oftentimes they require a certain level of exploration, whether that is to find better resources, new locations, rescue a friend or eliminate a source of danger. Here are some of the best survival games for those who enjoy first-person exploration, ranked based on a combination of the game’s overall quality, popularity, and how fun it is to explore.
8 The Planet Crafter
Terraform A Planet
The Planet Crafter
- Released
- April 10, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Miju Games
- Publisher(s)
- Miju Games
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Enjoyable as a solo player or with multiple friends, The Planet Crafter is often compared to Subnautica but set in space. Starting with very little on a hostile planet, players are tasked with terraforming this inhospitable lump of rock into a viable new location for life, all while building their own bases and outposts, and remaining alive.
There are multiple difficulty levels and sliders to create the desired experience, but that still doesn’t change that exploration is a crucial factor when looking for resources and finding new areas to terraform. Even returning to areas that have already been transformed is very satisfying, seeing the blue sky, flora, and fauna for the first time. In terms of survival, players only need to worry about oxygen and food supplies, as there are no enemies to defeat.
7 Chernobylite
Investigating A Mystery In The Exclusion Zone
Chernobylite
- Released
- July 28, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- The Farm 51
- Publisher(s)
- All In! Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Taking place thirty years after the infamous nuclear disaster, Chernobylite is a mixture of many different genres, including first-person shooter, survival horror, and science fiction. Controlling a Ukrainian physicist who previously worked at the Chernobyl Power Plant, the goal is to find out what happened to his fiancé, who disappeared prior to the disaster.
The Exclusion Zone has been painstakingly recreated using 3D-scanning, and it is a fascinating place to investigate, though a hostile military force and otherworldly beings known as Stalkers impede exploration somewhat. Crafting is an important component and companions can be recruited, but supplies are scarce, assigned tasks can fail, and death is almost an inevitability for some.
6 Atomfall
Explore A Post-Apocalyptic Version Of The Lake District
Atomfall
- Released
- March 27, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rebellion Developments
- Publisher(s)
- Rebellion Developments
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
Taking inspiration from the real-life Windscale fire, Atomfall is an alternate version of the subsequent events, set in a post-apocalyptic version of the Lake District in northern England. The lush green hills and picturesque villages have been lovingly recreated, but with dystopian characteristics owing to the society that has formed within the quarantine zone.
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Many players may doubt Atomfall’s survival credentials, but the inclusion of heart rate makes for an interesting mechanic, causing problems with vision and hearing if it is too high, which could mean certain death when in combat. There are plenty of NPCs scattered around the area to converse and barter with, or even potentially kill. Players have the freedom to enjoy the game as they see fit.
5 Raft
Sail The Open Seas And Improve The Raft
Raft
- Released
- June 20, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
As a result of climate change and the polar ice caps melting, the world has become completely flooded in Raft. The game has Received multiple updates to improve the game over the years, helping players embark upon a journey on their eponymous raft in the hope of finding Utopia, gradually building their vessel up from a small wooden craft into a juggernaut of the sea.
Resources can be gathered by reeling in barrels with a hook or diving into the depths of the ocean, as well as venturing onto small islands in the hope of finding useful items. Hunger and thirst must be satiated, seagulls will try to steal food supplies, and there is also the threat of a very aggressive shark who is intent on devouring the crew.
4 Green Hell
Harsh Survival In The Uncharted Amazon Jungle
Green Hell
- Released
- September 5, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Creepy Jar
- Publisher(s)
- Creepy Jar
- Genre(s)
- Survival
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Often praised as one of the most realistic survival games on the market, Green Hell is not for the faint of heart. The Amazon rainforest is an unforgiving location, filled with dangerous wildlife and even human foes, but the player’s own mental and physical state can have deadly ramifications.
Nourishment is an important aspect of the game, with a smartwatch alerting the main character about any nutrients they require to maintain a balanced diet, thus making exploration vital for finding a wide variety of foodstuffs. Scavenging for resources is also necessary for those who wish to build a secure base where they can grow crops, domesticate animals, and defend against the many hostiles.
3 Sons Of The Forest
Endure Many Dangers And Explore A Hostile Island
Sons of the Forest
- Released
- February 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Endnight Games
- Publisher(s)
- Newnight
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Open-World, Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
For an island filled with cannibals and monsters, the setting of Sons of the Forest is an exciting place to look around. Referred to only as Site 2, the island is where Jack Holt conducts his search for a missing billionaire and his family, encountering all kinds of dangers in this militant and deeply immersive paradise.
From golden beaches to flowing rivers teeming with life, the island is diverse and filled with secrets. Changing seasons mean that players must venture further from safety in the harsh winter months in search of resources, but the hungry enemies present a threat regardless of the current time of year or weather conditions.
2 The Long Dark
A Large And Harsh Frozen Land
The Long Dark
- Released
- August 1, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Hinterland Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Hinterland Studio
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
After crash-landing his plane, a pilot must endure a bleak winter in the Canadian wilderness in The Long Dark. Survival is brutal on the rugged stretch of land covering over 50 square kilometers and divided into twelve main regions.
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Not only is the cold a threat, potentially causing frostbite and hypothermia if not maintained properly, but hunger, fatigue, illness and a wide variety of unsympathetic wildlife can all be sources of death. The different regions must be explored if players have any hope of staying alive, as they scavenge for supplies and hunt for different food sources. Optional permadeath makes things even more interesting and keeps players on edge for the entire playthrough.
1 Subnautica
Unique Underwater Environment
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Gearbox Publishing
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Subnautica places protagonist Ryley Robinson on an enigmatic oceanic planet as his spaceship crashes there. The underwater setting is filled with belligerent sea monsters that are all keen to kill the player if they venture into the creatures’ dwellings. The sea is unforgiving, and these behemoths of the sea become even more vicious at nighttime, so it’s best to find safety during the dark hours.
Apart from that, an underwater base must be constructed so that Ryley can maintain his oxygen levels. There are some islands above the surface that can be explored, but the majority of the time will be spent in claustrophobic caves and out in the seemingly endless deep blue ocean.
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