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Best survival games

The 250 best survival games, ranked from 32,265 critic and player ratings.

The best survival game right now is The Last Of Us Remastered, with a critic score of 97/100. Updated November 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 50 games are listed on this page, carrying 32,265 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 50

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 The Last Of Us Remastered A The Last Of Us Remastered 2014 · 1,701 ratings · 5 Tier votes · finished by 32% The Last of Us Remastered is an updated release of the PS3 game The Last of Us. It is identical to the PS3 version but runs at a 1080p resolution and incorporates character models with a higher resolution. There are also improved shadows and lighting, upgraded textures, 60 frames per second and other types of improvements. In addition to the base game, two map packs and the expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind are included. 97 /100
02 The Last of Us Part II A The Last of Us Part II 2020 · 1,830 ratings · 12 Tier votes · finished by 37% The Last of Us Part II is an action-adventure game set five years after the events of The Last of Us. The player traverses post-apocalyptic environments such as buildings and forests to advance the story. They can use firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus. The game intermittently switches control between Ellie and Abby, and also briefly Joel in the opening sequence. The nimble nature of the player character introduces platforming elements, allowing the player to jump and climb to traverse environments and gain advantages during combat. 95 /100
03 Metal Gear Solid A Metal Gear Solid 1998 · 1,729 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 61% Metal Gear Solid is a stealth game created by Hideo Kojima which follows the MSX2 video games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Despite a transition to 3D, Metal Gear Solid's gameplay remains similar to his predecessors. The game utilizes a traditional top-down view and the player must navigate the protagonist Solid Snake through the game's areas without being detected. Detection will set off an alarm which draws armed enemies to his location. Conversations with Snake's allies and cutscenes are used extensively to advance the plot and gain more insight into it. Metal Gear Solid is regarded as one of the greatest and most important video games of all time, and helped popularize the stealth genre and in-engine cinematic cutscenes. 94 /100
04 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence 2005 · 352 ratings Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence continues the Metal Gear Solid series tradition of follow-up enhanced, international version releases. Subsistence's online multiplayer component, titled Metal Gear Online, consists of five tournament-style game modes, each with a capacity of up to eight players. This mode pits players, each playing as a generic soldier against each other in deathmatch battles and variations of capture the flag, using stages, items, maneuvers, and units (such as the KGB, GRU or Ocelot Unit) from the main game. 94 /100
05 Resident Evil 2 A Resident Evil 2 2019 · 1,448 ratings · 15 Tier votes · finished by 58% Resident Evil 2 is a remake of 1998's Resident Evil 2. The game was not developed with the intent of improving the original, but rather a reimagining of the original story with redesigned maps, characters and story elements. Gameplay mechanics are more similar to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard though with the use of an over-the-shoulder camera. 93 /100
06 Alan Wake 2 S Alan Wake 2 2023 · 339 ratings · 1 Tier vote Alan Wake 2 marks Remedy Entertainment’s first foray into the survival horror genre. Ritualistic murders in a small town. A writer trapped in a nightmare. An FBI agent looking for answers. Two realities. Two hero characters. One horror story that wants them dead. 93 /100
07 System Shock 2 System Shock 2 1999 · 392 ratings · finished by 6% A first-person cyberpunk exploratory horror RPG and sequel to System Shock (1994) in which a soldier wakes up in the starship Von Braun in the aftermath of a disaster and finds himself in the midst of a conflict between SHODAN, the artificial intelligence antagonist of System Shock seeking mastery over humanity, and The Many, a flesh-based psychic hive mind led by the ship's corrupted AI. 92 /100
08 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem 2002 · 98 ratings Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a psychological horror action adventure, released in 2002 by Nintendo for the Gamecube. It tells the stories of twelve characters that span across the world and two millennia who have to deal with ancient forces of evil which have been trying to manifest themselves in our world. Chapters take place in Ancient Rome, Persia, the Middle East, and modern-day Rhode Island. Throughout the game, the protagonists will have access to several weapons appropriate for their era, from bastard sword & gladius to flintlock pistol and shotgun. The game features an involved Magic system, which allows different spells to be created through the combination of runes. These spells can attack enemies, dispel illusions, and heal both the body and items. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem also has a unique feature called Sanity. If an enemy sees a character, their Sanity meter drops. When Sanity gets low, hallucinations begin to plague the character. Walls bleed, voices whisper from nowhere, the camera gets disoriented. Sanity can be restored by dealing a finishing move on a dying enemy, or with spells or some items. 92 /100
09 The Last of Us A The Last of Us 2013 · 3,626 ratings · 13 Tier votes · finished by 48% The Last of Us is a third-person action-adventure game featuring a mix of exploration, stealth and combat. Players face both infected creatures and hostile human enemies while progressing through varied environments. The game includes a narrative-driven single-player campaign and a competitive online multiplayer mode called Factions. Trophy support is included, and additional downloadable content was made available separately. 92 /100
10 Vampire Survivors Vampire Survivors 2022 · 394 ratings · finished by 11% Mow thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you. 91 /100
11 Death Stranding Director's Cut S Death Stranding Director's Cut 2021 · 148 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 18% 91 /100
12 Spelunky S Spelunky 2012 · 189 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 4% 91 /100
13 Dead Space (2008) B Dead Space (2008) 2023 · 240 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 26% 91 /100
14 Resident Evil Requiem A Resident Evil Requiem 2026 · 352 ratings · 6 Tier votes 90 /100
15 Dead Space 2 A Dead Space 2 2011 · 1,097 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 26% 90 /100
16 Resident Evil 2 (1998) S Resident Evil 2 (1998) 1998 · 610 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 11% 90 /100
17 Far Cry 3 A Far Cry 3 2012 · 2,243 ratings · 11 Tier votes · finished by 38% · 16 h to beat 90 /100
18 ARC Raiders C ARC Raiders 2025 · 276 ratings · 1 Tier vote 89 /100
19 Fallout 3 C Fallout 3 2008 · 1,784 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 34% 89 /100
20 Animal Well Animal Well 2024 · 125 ratings 89 /100
21 FTL: Faster Than Light FTL: Faster Than Light 2012 · 426 ratings · finished by 10% 89 /100
22 Left 4 Dead 2 S Left 4 Dead 2 2009 · 1,216 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 17% · 9 h to beat 89 /100
23 V Rising V Rising 2024 · 86 ratings · finished by 4% 89 /100
24 Monster Hunter Rise Monster Hunter Rise 2021 · 124 ratings · finished by 11% 88 /100
25 Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition C Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition 2014 · 163 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 15% 88 /100
26 Counter-Strike D Counter-Strike 2000 · 773 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 12% · 26 h to beat 88 /100
27 Apex Legends B Apex Legends 2019 · 669 ratings · 4 Tier votes · finished by 5% · 5 h to beat 88 /100
28 Counter-Strike: Source Counter-Strike: Source 2004 · 544 ratings · finished by 8% · 67 h to beat 88 /100
29 Tomb Raider (1996) Tomb Raider (1996) 1996 · 486 ratings 88 /100
30 Silent Hill 3 Silent Hill 3 2003 · 428 ratings 88 /100
31 Metro 2033 Redux Metro 2033 Redux 2014 · 380 ratings · finished by 24% 88 /100
32 Resident Evil (2002) B Resident Evil (2002) 2002 · 270 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 25% 88 /100
33 Resistance 3 Resistance 3 2011 · 97 ratings 88 /100
34 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony 2017 · 211 ratings · finished by 24% 88 /100
35 Starbound Starbound 2016 · 234 ratings · finished by 7% 87 /100
36 The Last of Us: Left Behind The Last of Us: Left Behind 2014 · 345 ratings 87 /100
37 Risk of Rain 2 B Risk of Rain 2 2020 · 272 ratings · 3 Tier votes · finished by 10% 87 /100
38 Metro 2033 D Metro 2033 2010 · 896 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 18% · 2 h to beat 87 /100
39 The Last of Us Part II Remastered The Last of Us Part II Remastered 2024 · 211 ratings 87 /100
40 Wasteland 3 Wasteland 3 2020 · 101 ratings · finished by 8% 87 /100
41 Rise of the Tomb Raider B Rise of the Tomb Raider 2015 · 1,351 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 27% · 14 h to beat 87 /100
42 Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition S Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition 2010 · 733 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 21% 87 /100
43 RimWorld RimWorld 2016 · 634 ratings · finished by 9% 87 /100
44 Resident Evil: Village B Resident Evil: Village 2021 · 613 ratings · 4 Tier votes · finished by 30% 87 /100
45 Silent Hill 2 S Silent Hill 2 2024 · 300 ratings · 3 Tier votes · finished by 62% 87 /100
46 The Alters The Alters 2025 · 86 ratings 87 /100
47 Resistance 2 Resistance 2 2008 · 110 ratings 86 /100
48 Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun 2016 · 187 ratings · finished by 6% 86 /100
49 Frostpunk Frostpunk 2018 · 434 ratings · finished by 15% 86 /100
50 Fallout 2 Fallout 2 1998 · 912 ratings 86 /100
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Frequently asked questions

What is the best survival game?

The Last Of Us Remastered currently tops the ranking with a score of 97/100 across 1,701 ratings. It holds a A grade from the Tier community — updated November 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.