The best PS5 survival games August 2023

If you love open world crafting our best PS5 survival games list has everything from light-hearted block action to spooky woodland cannibals.

Best PS5 survival games: Rust hero image from Rust key art in front of a green background

What are the best PS5 survival games? Survival games provide players with a great way to test their endurance online. While many will use the experience to get creative with their environment or test their fight or flight instinct, survival games really test your patience in new and unique settings. The PS5 has a lot to offer when it comes to this addicting genre and so, we’ve put together this ultimate list of the best PS5 survival games for you to choose from.

Our best survival games list and some of these might have just missed out on a slot on our best games and best PS5 games list, but they’re still great games that need a slot on your hard drive. We’re also keeping an eye on some upcoming PS5 games from the survival genre, so expect this list to change soon.

The best PS5 survival games are:

  • Minecraft
  • The Forest
  • Conan Exiles
  • Vigor
  • Rust
  • Ark Survival Evolved
  • This War of Mine

Best PS5 survival games: a man stands in a Minecraft blocky world

1. Minecraft

Can we honestly make a PS5 survival games list and not put Minecraft on it? This decade-strong game still holds its own against the hordes of survival games that have risen through the ranks since its release. There are lots of ways to play this colorful, quirky sandbox but one such way is the Survival Mode, a game in and of itself.

While there isn’t an official PS5 version of the game, which means it hasn’t been optimized to take advantage of the PS5’s capabilities, the PS4 version is compatible with the new console and will play in a similar way to all other platforms playing Minecraft.

You can find the best Minecraft survival servers right here.

Best PS5 survival games: Two creatures from The Forest run towards a player wielding a bat

2. The Forest

This open world survival horror is set in a vast expanse where you’ll need to build, scavenge, and fight for your life. You’re the lone survivor of a plane crash that leaves you in a wilderness teeming with mutants that have a taste for humans like yourself. Much like the other games on the list, you’re thrown far away from civilization.

Although you can play this one on PS5, some of the features from PS4 may be unavailable. Unfortunately, the sequel, the Sons of the Forest release date, is here, but it’s not yet available on PS5.

Best PS5 survival games: A player points a spear at a woolly mammoth in Conan Exiles

3. Conan Exiles

Originally released in 2018, Conan Exiles is one of the top sandbox survival games out there. Thankfully, developers Funcom listened to players and gave the game the dedicated new-gen optimization treatment and alongside it a huge expansion, Isle of Siptah.

This means it’s improved resolutions and frame rates, more textures, and an all-around higher quality of play. You can build settlements, grow crops, and ultimately fight your way out of sticky situations in this wonderfully barbaric game optimized for PS5.

Best PS5 survival games: A Cowboy with an AK47 leans his foot on three dead bodies in Vigor

4. Vigor

When a nuclear war devastates Europe, leaving only a slither of Norway left standing, you have to fight to survive. And that’s exactly what Vigor is about; Outlanders fighting over resources in an Escape From Tarkov-like raid experience.

During raids, you’ll be going toe to toe with other players online in an attempt to snaffle valuable resources from under their noses. You take in the gear you want to but be warned – a single shot could have you limping home sooner than you hoped.

Best PS5 survival games: A man in a hazmat suit wielding an axe runs away in Rust

5. Rust

How long do you think you’d survive if you washed up naked on a beach, with nothing but a rock and a torch to your name? Well, Rust will help you put that to the test.

In this giant sandbox adventure, you’ll have to think on your feet, gather resources to build a shelter, and fend yourself off from not only the beasts that roam the servers but other players too.

Best PS5 survival games: Two warriors ride into battle on dinosaurs in Ark Survival Evolved

6. Ark Survival Evolved

If you’re a big dinosaur fan, you’ll love Ark Survival Evolved. The game is similar to Rust in that you have to gather, craft, and build to survive, except in Ark, you’ll have to contend with dinosaurs as well.

While these big beasts can pose a threat to your and your friends, you can also befriend them and ride them into battle. What’s better than that?

Best PS5 survival games: A woman holds a dying man as another man looks forlorn in the corner in This War of Mine

7. This War of Mine

If you’re looking for something a bit different to play, look no further than This War of Mine. This war survival game puts you in the shoes of civilians trying to survive a besieged city, where food, medicine, and basic resources are scarce.

It’s an incredibly poignant game and will have you questioning your own decisions – especially with The Little Ones DLC – as you fight to survive.

There we go, our best PS5 survival games list. Hopefully, you’ve found something you like, but if you’re still in the market for a new game to play and want some more variety, check out our lists of the best PS5 horror games or the best PS5 open world games – there’s plenty to choose from.