Many players enjoy pixel art graphics in their games. The style is aesthetically pleasing, has a comfy retro vibe, and tricks us into thinking we don’t need to upgrade our ancient GPUs.
Pixel-Art Survival games are hard to come by, and finding good ones is even more challenging.
Fear not, gamer, as I’ve got some top-tier recommendations for you, including a couple I’ve spent well over 100 hours on.
8Space Haven
Life Is Tough In Space
Key Information
Bugbyte LTD
PC, including GeForce Now
Release Date
April 2020
Space Havenoffers a brilliant take on thecolony simulator genre, where you assemble your city among the stars brick by brick.
The shipbuilding alone will be a massive selling point for many players, and no two ships will be alike as you add new facilities to suit your colony’s needs.
There’s ahealthy serving of resource management, and every colonist requires something a little different if your team is to survive the unforgiving boundaries of space.
The universe feels alive, and you’ll encounter many other spacecraft on your journey. It’s one thing to survive, but it’s quite another to thrive, andSpace Havendoes a great job of makingyou care about your crew.
Space Havenkicks off our list as, while it’s a fantastic game with unique ideas, it’s been in early access since 2020. There’s more than enough content to warrant a recommendation, but updates come at a glacial pace.
7Zero Sievert
A Pixel Art Extraction Shooter
ZERO Sievert
Zero Sievertoffers an ambitious attempt at bringingelements of extraction shootersinto a top-down pixel-art survival setting.
I’m pleased to say they succeeded, and while there are some questionable balancing choices, the game is an absolute blast to play. Extraction shooters are nerve-wracking because youput your own gear on the lineevery time you leave the safety of your base.
That feeling is perfectly replicated in the PvEprocedurally generatedworld ofZero Sievert. Combat feels punchy, and you alwaysstruggle with your own greed.
If your raid goes horribly wrong because you just “had” to loot that high-value target, don’t come crying to me!
Old-School Style With A Twist
April 2016
Many games in the survival genre follow the same tropes, which can make them feel quite similar. It’s rare to find a titlefull of new ideasand for them to actually work.
Waywardmay look dated, but don’t let the visuals fool you. The title is approachable if you don’t mind looking at a guide occasionally and isdeep enough to satisfy survival veterans.
Crafting is addictive as the system is complex, and there can be a fair amount of variance between two items of the same name.
One feature inWaywardI don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else is how the world responds to your actions. Yourreputation takes a hitas you ravage the place for resources, and this can affect hostile mobs that appear.
Fortunately, this is reversible by restoring the land with actions like planting trees. The mechanic works well and adds somegravity to tasksthat would be menial in other games.
5Starbound
Sci-Fi Survival Done Right
Starboundis a beautiful 2D survival crafting adventure thattrades fantasy tropes for sci-fi.
The universe is ripe for exploring as you teleport from your ship onto alien worlds. Each planet provides a new challenge, andscripted boss battlesact as crafting and DPS checks.
Your search for new materials will take you above and below ground, and there’s a surprising level of variance in the environments.
I often seeStarboundcompared toTerraria, and while the games are similar, the space aesthetic and vibrant worlds make the titles feel pretty different.
Games don’t need constant content injections to make this list, but I should mention thatStarboundhasn’t been updated since 2019. There’s more than enough content to enjoy, but what you see is what you get outside of mods.
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Surviving is fun if you pick the right games to do it with.
Your Decisions Have Consequences
Every game on this list is about survival, butRimworldis the only one whereyour choices affect the lives of an entire communitytrying to survive on a hostile planet.
Rimworldis an unforgiving colony simulator where every day is a battle against the odds. You mustmanage everything from food and resourcesto colonist health and ailments.
There’s a lot to think about, and things can always go south, even when you think you’re untouchable.
I can’t sugarcoat it:Rimworldis a tough game, but theemergent storytellingmakes it unique and addictive. No two games will ever be the same, and there’s near-infinite replayability if you get hooked.
Rimworldis so stacked full of content that you won’t need mods anytime soon,but there’s plentyif you do get to that point.
3Project Zomboid
You Think You’ll Survive? That’s Cute
Project Zomboid
Project Zomboidseems to feature inmany of our lists, but it does so for good reasons.
The Indie Zone’sProject Zomboidis easilythe most challenging game on this list, set during a zombie apocalypse. Everything in the game is out to kill you, and part of the game’s charm is all the creative ways you’re able to die.
On that note,expect to die. A LOT. It may seem odd to say that about a “survival” game, but you assume the role of a new survivor whenever you die. You can even retrieve your old gear from your zombified former self if you can find them!
Project Zomboidisfeature-rich and unforgiving. You’ll find much to enjoy if you can overcome the difficulty curve, and the experience can even be enjoyed with friends.
A Juggernaut In The Genre
Terrariais aclassic pixel art survival crafting game, and while I don’t think it will ever shrug off its reputation of being “2DMinecraft,” it’s so much more than that.
InTerraria, you must carefullybalance exploration with survivaland protecting your village. NPCs can move into your base, and you’ll rely on their services as there’s plenty of combat to get stuck into.
There’s anoverwhelming amount of contentin the game, from unique armor sets to challenging bosses. Boss battles require planning if you want to survive, and you’re able to track your progress based on how many you’ve defeated.
Terrariacan be enjoyed alone, but it also hasrobust co-op features, and it’s great to explore with a friend.
1Core Keeper
A Stellar Subterranean Adventure
Core Keeper
Core Keeperis a phenomenal pixel-art survival game. The title enjoyed a smooth early access period, andits 1.0 releaseintroduced the game to theconsole audience.
Core Keeperis a sandbox survival game complete withbase building, crafting, and exploration. The underground setting may sound limiting, but biomes are beautiful, distinct, and diverse.
There’sa robust cooking systemfor buffs and hunger management, and acreative selection of bossesserves as a DPS check as you venture further into the unknown.
Much likeTerraria, I love how the boss’s fights give you an objective, but it’s one you can tackle at your own pace.Core Keeperhas everything, frommelee and magic weapons to pets and a transmog system.
I may rateCore Keepera little highly, but I’m not exaggerating when I say it’sone of my favorite gamesof the last few years.
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