DayZ has become popular among gamers who enjoy survival games with high levels of challenge and complexity. This is why we will explore other games similar to DayZ in terms of gameplay mechanics, themes, and atmosphere.
Whether you are a seasoned player of survival games or a newcomer looking to try out this genre, this discussion will provide insights into some of the most exciting games that offer the same level of intensity and immersion as DayZ.
So, let’s dive in and explore the world of survival games together!
1. Dead Frontier
Dead Frontier is a popular online survival game in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. Players take on the role of survivors trying to survive against hordes of the undead while scavenging for supplies and building their shelter.
The game features an open-world environment where players can explore various locations, encounter other survivors, and battle zombies in real-time.
Dead Frontier is known for its intense gameplay and realistic survival mechanics, including hunger, thirst, and fatigue systems that add to the challenge of staying alive in a world full of danger.
2. State of Decay
This is a popular survival game that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. Players take on the role of survivors who must work together to build a community, gather resources, and defend themselves against hordes of the undead.
The game features an open-world environment where players can explore various locations, find new survivors to join their group, and scavenge for supplies to help their community thrive.
3. Dead Island
This action role-playing game takes place on a tropical island resort that zombies have overrun. Players take on the role of one of four survivors, each with unique skills and abilities, as they fight to survive against hordes of the undead.
4. H1Z1
H1Z1 is an online multiplayer battle royale game that was first released in 2018. In the game, players are dropped into an open map, similar to PUBG, and must fight against other players to be the last one standing.
The game features a variety of weapons, vehicles, and equipment that players can use to gain an advantage over their opponents.
As the game progresses, the map’s playable area decreases, forcing players to move closer together and increasing the intensity of the gameplay.
5. Dead Rising 3
One of the standout features of Dead Rising 3 is the sheer number of zombies that can appear on the screen at once. The game’s hardware is capable of rendering thousands of zombies at once, creating an immersive and terrifying experience.
The game also offers various weapons and vehicles to help players survive, including everything from chainsaws and flamethrowers to bulldozers and steamrollers.
6. Scum
This game is known for its highly realistic setting, with features such as metabolism, hunger, thirst, and even bodily waste management that require players to pay close attention to their character’s needs to survive.
The game’s environment is also very immersive, with realistic day and night cycles, weather conditions, and terrain variations that add to the overall experience.
7. Project Zomboid
In Project Zomboid, players take on the role of survivors of a zombie apocalypse. The game features an isometric perspective and retro-style graphics that give it a unique look and feel.
The gameplay focuses on survival, with players needing to scavenge for food, water, and supplies while defending themselves against the zombie hordes. One of the standout features of Project Zomboid is its deep and complex gameplay mechanics.
The game offers a high level of customization and control, allowing players to tweak everything from character traits and skills to the rules of the game world itself.
The game also features a detailed health and injury system, which can affect a player’s ability to move, fight, or perform other actions.
8. Days Gone
The player takes on the character of Deacon St. John, a biker and former outlaw who is struggling to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by zombie-like creatures known as “Freakers.”
The game has a big open world that is quite immersive, with several different landscapes to discover and a dynamic weather system that can affect how the game is played.
The story in “Days Gone” is one of the game’s strongest selling points because of how beautifully it’s written and how emotionally gripping it is.
The game delves into topics such as bereavement, perseverance, and faithfulness. It features a cast of well-developed characters who the players will grow to care for throughout the experience.
9. Fallout 76
The online multiplayer role-playing game Fallout 76 features an expansive open environment that players can explore while completing quests, constructing bases, and engaging in combat with monsters and other people.
The user experiences the game from a first-person perspective, and they can form groups with other people to collaborate on completing challenges and discovering new areas of the universe.
The narrative of Fallout 76 takes place in the post-apocalyptic wasteland that follows a nuclear conflict. Players assume the character of a survivor who is entrusted with reconstructing society.
The tale is told to the player through a series of quests and interactions with many different characters in the game. The choices the player makes will affect how the story develops.
For additional idea, Fallout 76 is also a game similar to Escape From Tarkov.
10. Miscreated
The setting of the game is a post-apocalyptic world, and for players to survive, they will need to scavenge for resources, create weapons and gear, and defend themselves against both other players and hazardous creatures.
The crafting system in Miscreated is one of the game’s features. It enables players to combine materials to construct various objects, ranging from simple tools and weapons to more complex equipment such as body armor and vehicles.
The game also has a comprehensive base-building system, which allows players to construct their bases and strengthen them to withstand assaults from other players.
11. Hurtworld
Bankroll Studios is responsible for developing and publishing the first-person, multiplayer survival game Hurtworld. The initial version of the game was launched in December 2015, and since then, it has gotten several upgrades and patches.
In the video game Hurtworld, players find themselves marooned on a hazardous planet teeming with dangerous creatures and harsh environmental conditions.
To stay alive, they must collect materials, make their tools and weapons, construct shelters, and defend themselves from other players.
12. Rust
The gameplay takes place in an open-world setting, and the objective of the game is for players to gather resources, construct a haven for themselves, and defend themselves from other players and adversaries controlled by the game’s artificial intelligence.
Rust’s intense gameplay, intricate crafting system, and unpredictable nature have all contributed to the game’s popularity among gamers.
Rust’s focus on cooperative play between players is one of the game’s defining characteristics. The game invites users to engage in player-on-player conflict, as well as form alliances and build communities.
This, however, also means that players risk becoming the targets of raids and theft, which brings an additional dimension of tension to the game.
13. Valheim
Since its first release in February 2021, the popularity of the survival and adventure video game known as Valheim has steadily increased. The game takes place in a world that is produced procedurally and inspired by Norse mythology.
Players must gather materials, construct a shelter, and craft weapons and tools to survive. The game features a cooperative mode that allows up to 10 players to work together to explore the planet. This mode is considered to be one of the game’s strengths.
The aesthetics of Valheim are also very spectacular, including settings that are rich in depth and an original art style that combines Norse mythology with a cartoony appearance.
14. 7 Days To Die
Exploration, foraging for supplies, constructing structures, and fending off zombie assaults are the primary focuses of gameplay in 7 Days to Die.
In order to survive, players need to keep a close eye on their hunger, thirst, and overall health levels, while keeping track of their inventory and ability to make items.
The game also includes a day and night cycle, with nights being significantly more hazardous than days because zombies become more hostile and populous at night.
The game has a steep learning curve and can be very difficult for those just starting out. However, those who like the genre will find that the game’s intricate crafting system and focus on staying alive make it an extremely engaging experience.
In addition, the game may either be played solo or in tandem with friends, which adds an element of both pleasure and difficulty to the experience.
15. Stranded 2
The players in this game are cast away on an uninhabited island and must search for food, drink, and shelter to stay alive. The game takes place in an open-world environment, allowing players to go around the island at their own speed and collect various materials.
The graphics may be basic, but they serve their purpose well, and the sound design contributes to the atmosphere of the game as a whole.
The crafting system in Stranded 2 is one of the game’s most significant features because it enables players to combine resources to make tools, weapons, and structures that benefit their survival.
This feature adds an element of difficulty to the gameplay and challenges players to think imaginatively while attempting to stay alive in the game.
16. Contagion
The game is set in a zombie-infested world, where players must fight off hordes of undead creatures to survive. The game has a single-player campaign mode, where players take on the role of different survivors trying to make their way through the city.
The campaign is divided into different levels, and players must complete objectives to progress through each level.
In addition to the campaign mode, the game has a multiplayer mode, where players can team up to fight off the zombie horde. The multiplayer mode offers a variety of game modes, including co-op, PvP, and survival.
17. Fallen Earth
2009 witnessed the introduction of the post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online role-playing game known as Fallen Earth.
The gameplay combines aspects of role-playing games [1] and first-person shooting games and includes crafting, a wide range of factions, and exploration. Although the graphics aren’t very modern, the feeling that the game produces is very compelling.
The community is quite close-knit despite its size. Fans of games set in post-apocalyptic environments and those who take pleasure in making and adventuring through the world should give Fallen Earth a try.
18. Infestation: The New Z
The New Z is an online multiplayer survival game developed by Fredaikis AB. It is a free-to-play game that can be played on a PC. In the game, players must fight for survival against hordes of zombies and other players who may become hostile.
The game has a large open-world map that players can explore, scavenging for resources, weapons, and ammunition to aid their survival. The game also features a crafting system where players can craft their weapons and gear.
19. CastleMiner Z
An open-world survival game made available for the Xbox 360 and the PC in 2011. The gameplay occurs in a blocky, voxel-based world that is randomly generated and contains various settings to explore, such as woods, mountains, caves, and deserts. The setting of the game is based on a voxel grid.
To survive in CastleMiner Z, players must collect materials such as wood, stone, and minerals to construct weapons, tools, and shelter.
The game also has a day-night cycle, and monsters such as zombies and skeletons will appear during the night, adding an additional degree of risk and thrill to the gameplay.
20. PUBG
100-player parachute onto an island to collect guns, armor, and supplies while trying to kill each other. The island’s playable area steadily diminishes, bringing players into closer and more violent confrontations until only one person or team remains.
Realistic graphics and engrossing gameplay are PUBG’s assets. Detailed terrains, weather, and sound effects make the game more immersive. Players can traverse the large map and gather weapons and vehicles to survive.
21. Sir, You Are Being Hunted
A first-person survival game set in the desolate British countryside with a procedurally generated world and a creepy ambiance.
The game includes engaging survival mechanics and challenging mechanical foes, but its combat can be cumbersome, and its graphics are outdated. Overall, it is a unique and memorable game that fans of the genre should try.
22. Unturned
The blocky visual style of Minecraft is carried over into the sandbox survival game Unturned, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic universe. Players must scavenge for supplies, construct a safe haven, and protect themselves from zombies and other players.
The game features a variety of game modes, a crafting system, exploration, missions, and challenges, all of which contribute to the game’s high replayability and make it a pleasant and addicting experience.
23. Dead Island
Dead Island is a first-person survival horror action-adventure game set on a made-up island infested by zombies. The game’s open world, leveling system, and many melee weapons with upgradeable stats are all highlights.
The game can be enjoyed solo or with a maximum of three friends. The game’s narrative unfolds through these missions of rescue and supply gathering.
The game’s technical flaws and inconsistent voice acting and language are outweighed by the unique and intense zombie survival experience it provides.
24. Dead Island Riptide
A survival horror action role-playing game that is a direct sequel to the original Dead Island game.
The game retains the core gameplay mechanics of the original game, including a focus on melee combat and crafting weapons, as well as the ability to level up and customize the player’s character.
It features a new storyline, an immersive atmosphere, and impressive graphics and sound design. However, it suffers from a weak story, forgettable characters, and occasional technical issues.
Wrapping Up
Moreover, survival games are fun and subjective, which depends on personal preference. Some people find these games exciting and engaging, requiring players to think creatively and make strategic decisions to stay alive.
Others may find them too stressful or difficult to enjoy. Thus, if you’re one of those gamers that love this genre, use the list above as your reference for different game options.
