In June 2022, Sony debuted the new version of PlayStation Plus. Combining the previous iteration with PS Now, the tier-based subscription service comes with an extensive library of games, permitting a user opts for either PS Plus Extra or Premium. While both of these tiers have PS5 and PS4 games, the latter also has a curated catalog of PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP classics. Overall, PS Plus has hundreds of PlayStation games covering almost every genre imaginable.
Survival games have grown in popularity in recent years, and they often overlap with other genres like open-world and horror. Even though these titles occasionally incorporate storylines, they are typically at their best when players are left to their own devices as they try to persevere in harsh climates. What are the best PS Plus survival games?
If a game has a physical version, an Amazon link will be provided in case someone prefers to buy a copy.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
May 8, 2018
Developer
Funcom
Other Genres
Action-Adventure
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
36 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Conan Exiles somewhat stumbled out of the gate when it debuted in 2018, but Funcom's survival game is nowadays well-established as a prominent minor player in the online scene. Obviously, it is never going to reach Overwatch 2 or Fortnite levels of exposure, and nor should it try to appeal to such a wide and casual audience. Conan Exiles stands out because it is fairly challenging and mature, even going as far as to incorporate a few mechanics and ideas that have attracted criticism over the years
In terms of survival mechanics, Conan Exiles has many of the genre's fundamentals, including resource and meter management, deep crafting, and combat. Although primarily designed with community and online play in mind, Funcom's title does contain a story in an attempt to satisfy people looking for something closer to a single-player campaign.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
April 21, 2020
Developer
Beam Team
Other Genres
First-Person Adventure
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
16 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Taking a page from Cast Away, Stranded Deep abandons players in the Pacific Ocean following a plane crash. After making their way to one of the map's islands, survivors must quickly start searching for resources to put off things like hunger and thirst.
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As with most survival games, Stranded Deep is very much focused on its minute-to-minute action, and the early hours are spent exploring the terrain in search of necessities. Eventually, players will be able to craft more complicated items and build bases, which is when the game truly hits its stride. Mechanically, Stranded Deep is a relatively prototypical entry in the genre, however, the aquatic setting helps set it apart.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
October 29, 2015
Developer
EKO Software
Other Genres
Third-Person Action-Adventure
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
30 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
How to Survive 2 is a pure survival experience, in the sense that the only goal is to exist within a zombie apocalypse. There is no chopper waiting on top of a building or a complex narrative that ponders if humans are the real monsters. Whether solo or with a few friends, players will spend their time exploring the map in search of resources, crafting items, and fortifying their base of operations to withstand the undead hordes.
Basic as all this might sound, How to Survive 2 succeeds since it is built on a strong gameplay loop. How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition is also on PS Plus Extra and Premium.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
July 07, 2014
Developer
Nelson Sexton
Other Genres
Sandbox
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
50 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Unturned has enjoyed a surprisingly long shelf life, with the game still averaging a player count of over 20,000 on Steam. While not necessarily bringing a lot of innovation to the zombie sandbox genre, Unturned's appeal lies in the freedom its gameplay provides. After spawning into a map, players have to fend for themselves, which means managing their food supply, finding and upgrading weapons, and avoiding radiation.
Now, Unturned is at its best on PC due to its robust modding scene. However, the PS4 version is more than decent, especially for solo play sessions. While dated in some ways, Unturned is still one of the best survival games on PS Plus Extra.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
October 11, 2019
Developer
11 bit studios
Other Genres
City-Building
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
11 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Amazon Listing Page
Frostpunk: Console Edition
In most survival games on PS Plus Extra, players only have to protect themselves. However, Frostpunk goes a hundred steps further by putting players in charge of an entire group and, before long, a city. Set in a grueling winter, The Captain has to manage productivity and morale while making tough decisions such as which buildings should be kept closest to the steam engine and, by extension, the heat.
RELATED: Best Sci-Fi City Builders
Frostpunk is unforgiving, particularly during its opening few hours. Mistakes will be made and as things start to circle the drain, players will have to decide what lengths they are willing to go to in order to survive.
Platform
PS3
Release Date
October 19, 2010
Developer
Obsidian Entertainment
Other Genres
Open-World RPG
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
30 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
No
Amazon Listing Page
Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition
On normal difficulty, Fallout: New Vegas is a story-driven action RPG with almost no survival elements except for the typical challenges found in most sandbox projects. However, Obsidian included a Hardcore mode that pushes the gameplay toward the survival genre, even incorporating mechanics like Dehydration and Starvation that are absent in a standard run. Meter monitoring is one of the central components of survival games, and Hardcore brings this element to Fallout: New Vegas.
This option also changes the way a few items work; for instance, Stimpaks heal the Courier over a short period rather than instantly. While Hardcore does not impact the story, the mode greatly alters the flow of gameplay as players are given a lot more to think about than just outlasting enemies. Prepping becomes crucial to surviving the Wasteland.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
April 7, 2020
Developer
Granzella
Other Genres
Action-Adventure
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
10 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Amazon Listing Page
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories
Debuting in 2002 on the PS2, Disaster Report is a unique survival franchise since the games revolve around (mostly) natural disasters. In each entry, players must work their way through a crumbling city as they try to make it out alive. Along the way, they meet a bunch of other people who are just trying to live to see the next day. This straightforward premise lends itself well to telling self-contained stories that are loosely connected through a shared tragedy, all the while leaving plenty of room for bombastic and jaw-dropping set pieces.
Disaster Report 4 is as good of an entry point into the series as any other title. Although it came out in 2019, the survival game is not exactly a looker, so newcomers should go in expecting a b-movie-type experience. While far from flawless, this release has its charm, and there is no other game quite like it on PS Plus.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
November 10, 2015
Developer
Bethesda Game Studios
Other Genres
Open-World RPG
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
30 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Amazon Listing Page
Fallout 4 Game of the Year Edition
Fallout 4's Survival mode comes across as an expansion of New Vegas's Hardcore, albeit with even harsher alterations to the standard game. Along with introducing things like Hunger, Exhaustion, and Fatigue, Survival disables Fast Travel, weighted ammo, and restrictions on things such as workshop inventory.
Considering vanilla Fallout 4 is not particularly challenging, Survival is a significantly different experience from the base game. If someone has only ever played the standard mode of Fallout 4, they should give this option a try as it turns Bethesda's title into one of the best survival games on PS Plus.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
November 11, 2014
Developer
Re-Logic
Other Genres
Adventure Sandbox
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
100 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Amazon Listing Page
Terraria
In truth, Terraria is a bit of a stretch to describe as a survival title; however, as PlayStation classifies the game as such, it deserves a mention. Regardless of genre, Terraria is among the best games on PS Plus Extra, and the sandbox project has so much content and depth that it is likely to hit the mark with most people.
RELATED: Every Event In Terraria (& How To Start Them)
In terms of actual survival mechanics, Terraria tasks players with building shelter and weapons, so the game is not completely devoid of genre staples. After a few hours, the campaign's main focus starts to revolve around exploration, resource gathering, and boss fights, all of which are engaging.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
December 14, 2017
Developer
Black Forest Games
Other Genres
Open-World
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
36 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
In 2019, Fade to Silence came and went, making very little of an impression on the gaming landscape as it garnered a collective shrug from critics. Although rough around the edges and far from the best PS Plus survival game, Black Forest's project merits a mention just in case a subscriber has exhausted most of the genre's obvious representatives on Sony's service. Simply put, there are not many survival games that do not also come with a side of horror, and for all its flaws, Fade to Silence does at least provide a reasonably prototypical experience for its genre.
As Ash, players explore a decently sized open-world while at the mercy of an aggressive weather system. Naturally, Ash needs to constantly monitor his vitals to ensure that he does not starve or freeze to death. To make matters a bit more interesting, the map is home to some rather creative monsters. Fade to Silence has a real-time combat system that is slightly more robust than some other survival games, although it is a bit clunky.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
April 26, 2019
Developer
SIE Bend Studio
Other Genres
Open-World, Third-Person Shooter
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
36 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
Amazon Listing Page
Days Gone
Bend Studio's open-world game takes elements from the survival genre. Set in a zombie-infest Oregon, Days Gone casts players as Deacon St. John, a biker who learns that his supposedly deceased wife might still be alive. This discovery starts a long journey that takes the protagonist across the state, and he will have to face many human and undead enemies along the way.
One of the game's main selling points is its huge zombie hordes, and players will need to carefully plan their travels to avoid these threats at night. While Days Gone is not bursting with survival mechanics, Deacon needs to maintain his motorcycle by ensuring it is in good condition and has fuel.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
March 15, 2018
Developer
Haemimont Games, Abstraction Games
Other Genres
City-Building
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
20 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
PS Plus Extra's best city-builder survival game is Frostpunk, but Surviving Mars is a respectable entry in the niche genre in its own right. As the title suggests, the game puts players in charge of establishing a colony on the Red Planet. Naturally, such a hostile environment comes with its share of dangers, and mistakes will be made that lead to disastrous conclusions. Surviving Mars has a couple of modes that tweak the difficulty; for instance, Creative emphasizes the city-building aspect, making it a great pick for anyone who is not really looking for a survival game.
RELATED: Best Games Set On Mars
Conversely, Survival Mode is the direct opposite, although it does not ramp up the difficulty to absurd levels either. Basically, players are left to make their own decisions (and missteps) as they try to keep their colonists alive, which means monitoring standard survival genre resources like oxygen and food. Someone's first few runs are likely to result in failure, but they should be treated as educational experiences that will eventually allow a colony to survive and maybe even thrive.
Platform
PS3
Release Date
September 25, 2012
Developer
Crispy's!
Other Genres
Action
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
18 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
No
Tokyo Jungle is odd. The game was difficult to decipher when it dropped in 2012, and time has done little to change that. While rough around the edges, Tokyo Jungle is still a fairly impressive project, particularly if someone goes into the game with little to no expectations. It is quirky, sporadically dark, and bizarrely charming. With humanity nothing but a memory, the titular city has transformed into a literal urban jungle, which means animals of all sorts roam the streets.
Alongside a story mode that runs through a few of the playable animals, Tokyo Jungle also has a survival option that allows players to pick a beast and try to make a living. Over the course of years, the animal will hunt as they seek to survive the dangers brought on by the city's other inhabitants along with things like the weather.
Platform
PS4
Release Date
August 1, 2017
Developer
Hinterland Studio
Other Genres
First-Person Open-World
Approximate Game Length (Main Story)
22 Hours
Available With PS Plus Extra
Yes
The world's electronics have gone offline, leaving players to survive in the freezing Canadian wilderness. The Long Dark has two modes: Survival and Wintermute. While the gameplay loop is largely consistent between the two, the latter follows a story that is split into episodes. The plot is nothing to write home about, but it provides a sense of structure for players who prefer some direction.
Survival mode is The Long Dark's bread and butter, and it is fantastic. After spawning in one of the map's many regions, players have to try and survive for as long as possible. Wildlife and frostbite are just a few things that can lead to a quick death.
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