The hardcore survival genre is tailored to the portion of gamers with nerves of steel and many hours behind the screen. In other words, this type of video game is strategically complex, has a steep learning curve—only to survive a short period of time—and, unfortunately, it's not always suitable for the novices. Therefore, it's no surprise that many casual players quit before they even learn the basics.
However, some gamers are persistent—or maybe secretly masochistic—enough to survive every wound, disease, and wild animal attack the game throws at them until they're able to finish it blindfolded. So, for every player with a Bear Grylls mindset, here's a list of the toughest survival games designed to make them struggle at every step of the way.
Green Hell
This open-world survival game might seem pretty manageable... until it's set on hard mode. Then, it really turns into "hell" in the middle of the Amazonian rainforest where everything is trying to hurt the protagonist, whose unpreparedness can easily lead to certain death.
Many players would agree that this is one of the most challenging adventures on which they've ever embarked because it takes time and many mistakes to figure out the game. On top of that, handling the nutrient micromanagement system is fairly demanding, but, once the player learns how to get their life-saving proteins and carbs, everything becomes much easier.
The Long Dark
On the surface, it's one of the most atmospheric and visually stunning survival games, but behind its breathtaking scenery lies the hostile environment of Canadian wilderness that leaves no room for mistakes. This might sound exciting to experienced players who already understand the rules and strategies of the game, but, for some beginners, even the opening mission can be quite frustrating.
That's to say nothing of the harder difficulties like the Interloper mode that threatens the player with hypothermia from the start. So, focusing on exploration as well as on keeping the vital needs under control is of crucial importance in this highly realistic survival experience. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time when the wolves will catch one of two playable characters off-guard.
The Forest
If surviving a jet crash doesn't sound impossible enough, staying alive in a forest full of hungry cannibals afterward surely seems even more insufferable. No wonder the novices frequently complain not only about the hard mode, but also about its single-player experience; there are too many hard-to-kill enemies and too little time for properly equipping the base. Besides, the game has a bit of a learning curve, which includes analyzing the surroundings, natives, and their routines along with gaining some combat skills.
On the other hand, once the player meets the game's high standards, a terrifying adventure can become boring since there's no challenge left for the veterans except going on a casual killing spree or building elaborate, redundant structures.
Ark: Survival Evolved
As in any other survival game out there, crafting, building, hunting, and exploration are also present in Ark: Survival Evolved, but there's much more excitement to it. For example, being regularly eaten by raptors is an inevitable part of the game for every new player until they learn how to tame or kill them.
With that in mind, even figuring out the basics among the petrifying dinosaurs can be pretty stressful while more experienced players are not so harmless either. That's why finding a safe area to spawn is one of the most important decisions for a newbie to patiently level up and get used to everything Ark has to offer.
Rust
Rust is probably the best choice for aggressive and competitive players who are ready to invest every second of their free time into sharpening their survival skills. However, the game also hugely encourages playing with others. To be more precise, the best chance of survival have players who create alliances to defend their belongings since the game doesn't stop after they go offline.
But, finding potential teammates on servers, which are full of toxic players, can easily be a source of novices' frustration who, therefore, will struggle to compete for supplies. So, while Rust might not seem friendly to new and casual players, it's surely a rewarding experience for the pros.
DayZ
Surviving in a post-apocalyptic DayZ universe is meant to be brutal, so thorough research of the game's fundamentals is recommended for beginners. Also, the fact that it has an insane learning curve should not be ignored if the player wants to be in control of their destiny among violent zombie hordes. After all, once the protagonist dies, the complete progress is lost because the game does not offer "save" or "checkpoint" options.
Besides, everything in DayZ is learned through trial and error, which means there's a lot of room for mistakes since it has an enormous map full of enemies—infected or otherwise. With that in mind, detailed knowledge of it can definitely pay off, especially when it comes to searching for limited supplies.
Project Zomboid
Although the game is still in development, Project Zomboid already has its own loyal fan base of hardcore players who understand its concept as well as its purpose. While newbies are deeply immersed in looting, studying combat techniques, along with killing numerous zombies, they usually miss the main point of the game, which is a kind of exploration of the inevitability of death.
Without realizing this fact, many of them sooner or later quit out of frustration because, no matter how long they manage to survive, constant dying can become boring. Therefore, instead of trying to beat the game, it's better to take a more risky approach and become engaged in living the character's frightening story.
Kenshi
The most difficult part of this sandbox game for its impatient novices is the realization of how much hard work it takes to improve their weak characters. On the bright side, players can choose to become whoever they want, such as slaves, cannibals, thieves, or warlords, along with doing whatever they feel so long as they're willing to grind a bit.
To make things worse, there's no tutorial, which means that surviving requires learning from mistakes, along with considerable time investment. Dying repeatedly is to be expected, but paying attention to surroundings can cut the chance of getting killed by stronger enemies. At the end of the day, it's all part of the game's charm.
Don't Starve (Together)
With a cartoonish artwork reminiscent of Tim Burton's work, this game seems easy and innocent enough. It's all about picking up flowers and gathering wood and berries, but, the longer things go, the more challenging it becomes to stay alive, not to mention the cold nights that can trigger nyctophobia, causing creepy monsters to play with the character's sanity.
No doubt, Don't Starve, as well as its multiplayer sequel Don't Starve Together, are fun and addictive games, especially after the player figures it out. Until then, there are plenty of helpful guides for the beginners out there or, for those who are patient enough to learn through exploration and many deadly mistakes.
This War Of Mine
War games, just like survival simulations, usually offer violent and real-life situation experiences, but This War of Mine, which is a mix of these two genres, has taken everything to another level. In other words, the game's depressive atmosphere, which focuses on civilians trapped in a besieged city, depicts horrors of war from a fresh perspective and makes surviving even more difficult for the already overwhelmed player.
To be more specific, inventory management and searching for resources aren't the only hard parts of the game; the player must frequently make some emotional life-and-death decisions such as which member of the group will risk their life scavenging at night or who's going to be sacrificed due to lack of supplies.