14 indie games in this list, released 2013–2026, from developers such as Robot Gentleman, Madruga Works, Klei Entertainment. Pick one to read our editorial note and jump to its store page.
These are editorial pages. The developers and publishers are not affiliated with The Gaming Nest unless explicitly stated.
60 Seconds! opens with a nuclear bomb about to strike a suburban town and gives a family of four one frantic minute to grab whatever supplies they can. The rest of the game is about surviving on that haul and, eventually, escaping to somewhere safer. Polish studio Robot Gentleman developed and self-published it in May 2015; the project began as an experiment to test whether Unity suited the team, and a remastered edition arrived in 2019.
Dawn of Man is a survival city-builder from Madruga Works, a UK developer, released in March 2019 after a closed beta that began in October 2018. It blends settlement building with survival play, and its genre listings also point to business simulation and a historical setting. On Steam it is available for Windows and macOS under the simulation and strategy categories.
Don't Starve is a survival game from Canadian studio Klei Entertainment, first released on PC in 2013. The player must keep the scientist Wilson alive, fed and sane in a gloomy parallel world called the Constant while fending off strange and supernatural creatures. An Adventure mode pits him against Maxwell, and the game is known for its distinctive art style as well as its difficulty and permanent death.
Niche is a simulation game about genetics in which players breed a pack of canine or feline creatures, steering which traits and genes pass to the next generation so the group becomes ideally suited to its environment. Steam lists it under both simulation and strategy. Swiss independent studio Stray Fawn Studio funded it through Kickstarter, ran an early access period from 2016 and released the full game in September 2017.
Out of Space is a cooperative multiplayer game that combines survival with strategy, and it is also classed as a party game with real-time strategy elements. It comes from Brazilian team Behold Studios, the developers behind Chroma Squad. The game launched on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux in February 2020, and a Couch Edition later came to Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2020.
Oxygen Not Included is a survival simulation game developed and self-published by Canadian studio Klei Entertainment. It blends the survival and simulation genres, and Steam files it as an indie simulation title. The game spent a long stretch in Steam early access starting in February 2017 before reaching its full launch in July 2019, and it holds a Metacritic score of 85 on the platforms it covers.
Rust is a multiplayer survival game from UK studio Facepunch Studios, fully released in February 2018 after an early access run that started in 2013. Players scavenge or steal materials, manage hunger, thirst and health, craft gear and fortify bases, while the biggest danger comes from other players rather than wildlife. Clans, raiding and firearms drive much of the conflict, and scheduled server wipes regularly reset progress so each cycle starts fresh.
Subnautica is a survival adventure set on an ocean world, where the player, Ryley Robinson, is stranded after a spaceship crash. Exploring beneath the waves, you collect resources, cope with the local wildlife and work toward a way off the planet. Unknown Worlds Entertainment, an American studio, developed and published it, leaving early access in January 2018; it sold more than 5 million copies by January 2020.
The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores is a city-building strategy game with survival elements. Players design a settlement, organise workers and resource chains, dispatch ships on expeditions, trade with other cities, and explore mysterious dungeons that hide secrets left by the ancients. It was developed and published by Xigma Games, a studio from India, and released for Windows and Mac in August 2020.
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands is a settlement-building survival strategy game set in a snowy encampment. Players gather and manage resources, craft, and expand their camp while fending off monster attacks and working to uncover secrets of an ancient past. It was created and self-published by Indian studio Xigma Games and released for Windows and Mac in March 2018, with Steam also tagging it as an RPG and simulation.
The Long Dark is a survival game from Canadian studio Hinterland, fully released in 2017 after an early access period that began in 2014. Players take on the roles of bush pilot Will Mackenzie and doctor Astrid Greenwood, stranded in the freezing Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic storm. Development was backed by seed money from the Canada Media Fund and by a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013.
Undying is a 2023 survival game developed by Chinese studio Vanimals, with Skystone Games publishing. Set during a zombie apocalypse, it follows a mother who has been bitten and must pass on survival skills to her child before she loses her humanity. Its central tension is that race against time. Steam lists it as an indie adventure, and it holds a Metacritic score of 74 from critics.
Forgebound is a medieval survival game about leading a people through a war-torn land. Players gather resources, craft, build settlements and defend them against enemy forces while expanding their power. It is being developed by Amilcar Technologies, the Tunisian studio behind Heistfest, and is listed on Steam for Windows and macOS with no release date yet.
Valheim is a cooperative survival game from the Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio, set in a procedurally generated afterlife inspired by Viking culture. Alone or with friends you explore, gather resources, build and fight your way toward stronger foes. After a long early access period, its full version launched in September 2026.