Survival games have cemented themselves as one of gaming‘s most addictive genres. The core premise is simple – players are thrust into hostile environments and must gather resources, craft tools, build shelters, and generally struggle to avoid death and progress for as long as possible.
A Brief History of Survival Games
While early arcade titles like Scramble (1981) incorporated minor elements now associated with survival games, most credit 1996‘s Resident Evil franchise from Capcom for pioneering survival horror as a mainstream gaming genre. Emphasis shifted from direct combat toward emphasizing scarce resources like weapons and ammo while evading deadly enemies.
PC gaming pushed survival concepts further with iconic titles like 1998‘s Half-Life requiring players manage health and radiation levels throughout the game world. Breakout hits like sci-fi shooter System Shock 2 (1999) and post-apocalyptic STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl further popularized survival elements blended into first-person action and RPG genres during the 2000‘s.
The launch of Mojang‘s sandbox building game Minecraft in 2009 provided a new formula fusing survival mechanics of hunger, crafting, and shelter onto entirely player-driven emergent gameplay. Rust (2013) from Facepunch Studios expanded on Minecraft‘s successes by focusing exclusively on surviving other players versus computer AI enemies.
The combination of sandbox survival against others players alongside deep crafting systems were a watershed moment that kicked off a Cambrian explosion of indie survival games trying to replicate Rust‘s mechanical depth and financially lucrative model during the mid 2010‘s. The genre penetrated mainstream success with hits like DayZ, The Forest, 7 Days to Die, Ark: Survival Evolved and many more on platforms like Steam Early Access.
Console and mobile releases soon brought sandbox survival games everywhere gamers craved them. Let‘s explore the burgeoning world of survival games now on Android phones and tablets.
Why Android is Ideal for Survival Games
Modern mobile hardware has cross a performance threshold allowing for surprisingly advanced 3D graphics alongside snappy processors to prevent immersion breaking slowdowns during tense survival situations. Flagship devices are easily handling ports of classic PC and console titles while enterprising indie developers build survival experiences tailored specifically for Android.
The platform‘s instantly resumeable short gameplay sessions are perfectly suited for the "one more try" compulsion loop of constantly starting anew in procedural survival runs. Whether you only have 5 minutes to spare or prefer going all-night binge gaming until 2am, Android enables instant access to survival challenges. The Google Play Store and third party Android app stores offer a treasure trove of free and premium options across art styles, settings, and complexity levels. Many also now sync progress via cloud saves.
Let‘s showcase some of the best defining examples of survival games pushing Android gaming forward one hastily built shelter at a time.
π This War of Mine (2014)
Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Type: Narrative driven survival simulator
Setting: Fictional city under military siege
Graphics: Gritty 2D ascii
Rating: 4.6 β (52K+ ratings)
Price: $$7.99 premium
This War of Mine popularized survival from the perspective of civilians trapped in war-torn cities rather than playing as soldiers on combat missions. You control a group of survivors holed up in a shelled house, striving to maintain health, resources, and mental resolve from one day to the next.
Gameplay involves balancing survival needs like crafting weapons/tools foraged from surroundings against ever-present dangers both inside and outside your refuge. Moods of individual characters influence effectiveness – a depressed character may refuse to guard or scavenge. To progress, manage scarce parts for building essentials like workshops, rainwater collectors, small gardens and more.
Days gather materials by venturing into the ruined city, avoiding snipers and hostile scavengers. Nights are spent crafting, guarding and resting. The game pushes ethical pressures like stealing from others to survive versus showing mercy at great personal risk. With randomized events/endings, This War of Mine leverages mobile gameplay in short impactful narrative bursts around struggling civilian survivors.
Additional Features
- +10 hours of main story content
- Randomly generated survivor characters each playthrough
- 5+ endings depending on survivor actions
- "Endless" mode for endless survival challenge
- Additional DLC episodes
Accolades
- 80% Metacritic Score
- 2014 Game Of The Year β Polygon
- 2014 Game Of The Year Nominee β The Game Awards
πͺ Don‘t Starve: Pocket Edition (2013)
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Type: Top-down 2D Survival
Setting: Tim Burton-esque supernatural wilderness
Graphics: Beautiful hand-drawn 2D art
Rating: 4.6 β (186K+ ratings)
Price: $$4.99 premium
Don‘t Starve‘s quirky personality earned a cult following across platforms thanks to its challenging survival formula married with gorgeous gothic inspired art style. You play as Victorian gentleman scientist Wilson who becomes magically entrapped in purgatory by demonic entities as an experiment.
Gameplay involves gathering flora/fauna during day cycles while avoiding deadly creatures like hounds, spiders, tentacles and mermen. Use science machines to prototype gadgets, crop farms, structures, traps and more to progress. Manage meters for hunger, health and sanity while unraveling secrets of the underworld for escape.
The pocket edition skillfully adapts mouse controls into streamlined touchscreen interfaces. Nine unique characters like pyro Wendy each offer gameplay perks and expanded story challenges. Regular content updates add game modes, biomes items, mounts, pet companions and holiday events. Don‘t Starve refuses to let players rest easy with random world generation and permadeath keeping tension high.
Additional Features
- Four Seasons with unique twists
- Distributed mega save syncs progress across devices
- Resource rich caves add subterranean game zone
- Reign of Giants DLC expands world + new characters
- Shipwrecked DLC adds new islands.
- Hamlet DLC with swamp biome
Accolades
- 83% Metacritic score
- 2013 Best Indie Game Winner β GamersPack
- Positive review ratios on Google Play and iOS
π½ Out There: Ξ© Edition (2014)
Developer: Mi-Clos Studio
Type: Space Survival / Resource Management
Setting: Procedurally generated galaxies
Graphics: Retro pixel art
Rating: 4.4 β (36K+ ratings)
Price: $$3.49 premium
For interstellar survival, Out There dominated early 2010 mobile gaming with its procedural space adventures. You play an astronaut stranded after slingshotting around a black hole, damaged ship drifting in unknown space. Scour neighboring solar systems gathering elements to upgrade modules while decoding alien languages to uncover galactic history.
Gameplay mixes Choose Your Own Adventure style narrative decisions during planetary encounters alongside managing resources like fuel, oxygen, health levels. Each desperate launch seeking resources risks being stranded sans fuel if not balancing needs. Alien lifeforms can attack, trade or share wisdom. Dead crew clones offer guidance from failed runs.
Success unlocks added story context across 5 chapters for a true sense of progression. Simple graphics hide surprising depth around complex internal ship systems and exploration mysteries that compel playing "one more time" in endless worlds. Out There remains best-in-class for mobile sci-fi survival decades later.
Additional Features
- 15+ hour main story playtime
- 300,000+ words of contextual dialogue
- Permanent death ends runs
- Adapted UI from PC to touchscreen
- Includes original DLC content
Accolades
- 80% Metacritic score
- 2015 Best Upcoming Game β Pocket Gamer
- 4M+ copies sold as of 2020
πͺ΅ Survive β Wilderness Survival (2016)
Developer:BOSSA
Type: Realistic Solo Survival Sim
Setting: Beautiful boreal forest
Graphics: Minimalist low poly 3D
Rating: 4.3 β (18K+ ratings)
Price: $$4.99 premium / ads
For authentic back-to-basics wilderness survival free of zombies or aliens, Survive is a minimalist marvel. Dropped alone in a mountain forest with only clothes on your back and basic survival kit, challenge is to simply stay alive as long as possible. Expertly modeled survival systems create true challenge.
Gameplay involves balancing vitals – temperature, hydration, calories, rest, infection levels. Activities like firebuilding, hunting small game or foraging burn energy while exposing you to risk if engaging unprepared. 24 hour cycles of weather and animal behaviors keep you adapting approaches. Permadeath removes gear unlocks requiring starting over.
Beautiful low-fi nature visuals enhanced with atmospheric sound effects put you in the scene while UI prevents distraction. Difficulty options allow customizing for both casual nature lovers or extremes survivalists. Surviveβs brilliant focus on authentic survival systems versus action or building mechanics make this a standout nature simulator for Outdoors enthusiasts.
Additional Features
- Beautiful Boreal forest environment
- Ultra realism mode ratchets up challenge
- Supports Google Play saved game sync
- Integrated Wiki survival handbook
- Developer committed long-term support
Accolades
- 4.3 β rating after 18K+ reviews
- Featured by Google Play
- Positive user reviews praise realism
π§ Death Road to Canada (2016)
Developer: Rocketcat LLC
Type: Retro-style survival action
Setting: USA & Canada after zombie apocalypse
Graphics: Pixel art 2D
Rating: 4.5 β (127K+ ratings)
Price: $$9.99 premium / free demo
Rocketcat Games fuses Oregon Trail nostalgia with zombie horror and their signature quirky humor into the breakout hit Death Road to Canada. The game challenges players to lead groups of random survivors on dangerous continental road trips facing morally challenging situations.
Gameplay mixes strategic party management, resource conservation and turn-based action. Fine tune vehicle upgrades, ration food/ammo, loot gear, while balancing survivor morale, health needs and individual skills. Stop-offs bring randomized story encounters and zombie combat requiring complex risk reward trade-offs. Permadeath heightens tension – lose too many characters and it‘s game over.
Approachable 2D graphics, contextual gameplay variety and unlockables like new modes and characters provide tremendous replay value. Local multiplayer support allows enjoying the road trip chaos with friends. With infinite outcomes from its mix of procedural generation and nonlinearity, Death Road to Canada remains a gold standard for mobile survival games years after launch for good reason.
Additional Features
- 100+ random character traits
- 1500+ line recorded voice dialog
- 150+ random weapons like polearms, smgs, grenades
- 100+ special non player characters
- Regular free game updates
Accolades
- 80% Metacritic critic score
- Google Play 2017 Game of the Year
- 4.5 β rating after 127K+ reviews
π’ Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadville (2018)
Developer: Northway Games
Type: Strategy/Resource Management Sim
Setting: Town builder in post-apocalyptic wasteland
Graphics: Retro 2D + 2.5D iso variants
Rating: 4.5 β (21K+ ratings)
Price: $$4.99 premium
Rebuild 3 innovates the overcrowded zombie subgenre by fusing city building strategy with tactical survival scenarios while focusing on balancing competing human factions over direct action. Players assume control of settlement areas to manage food supplies, recruit survivors, research tech and defend against gang raids.
Gameplay alternates between zoomed out regional strategy planning new structures capturing territory and managing personnel against ground-level side view scavenging missions gathering resources from ghoul infested terrain. Balancing soldier risk against runner rewards provides consistent challenge over long-form campaigns.
A sci-fi story tries piecing together coded radio chatter amidst conspiracy theories on the actual cause of The Collapse ranging from bioterrorism, greed run amok or supernatural origins. Streamlined mechanics, charming characters and polish really make Rebuild 3 standout as a mobile-native franchise perfect for Android.
Additional Features
- 150+ technologies altering play
- 40+ playable hero characters
- 80+ weapons variants
- 60+ base facilities
- New Game+/Hard modes after beating main campaign
Accolades
- 83% MetaCritic critic average
- 4.5 β Google Play rating after 21K+ reviews
πΆ Project EVO (2022)
Developer: Ozhek Studios
Type: Open-World Survival MMO
Setting: Post-apocalyptic planet Emberland
Graphics: Cutting edge 3D Unreal Engine 5
Rating: 4.0 β (3K+ ratings)
Price: Free playable beta
Bangladesh startup Ozhek Studios aims to push Android gaming into AAA territory with their visually stunning online survival game. Running on Unreal Engine 5, environments and textures set new quality bars for mobile through scale, fluid animations and dynamic lighting only possible on recent hardware.
Gameplay remains familiar multiplayer survival trappings – gather resources, craft weapons/buildings, fight AI creatures and other players, trade goods in settlement hubs. Hunger, thirst, oxygen tanks add difficulty over the sprawling map offering forests, deserts and futuristic bunkers to explore. Play solo or form bands with added base permissions.
Still in Beta, optimization and stability issues need polish before going 1.0 primetime, but the technical potential flashes brilliance for those with phones/tablets capable of max graphics configs. Coupled with its free in-development pricing, Project EVO showcases the future of immersive persistent online worlds available anywhere on capable Android devices.
Additional Features
- Massive 25 square km open world
- Dynamic weather alters environments
- Customize character looks, attributes
- Raid enemy strongholds with siege vehicles
- Developer roadmap includes base defense RTS modes
Accolades
- 4 β rating during beta testing
- Google Play featured launch spotlight
The Future of Android Survival Gaming
From indie passion projects to big studio ports, survival fans enjoy an embarrassment of options on the Google Play store tuned for gaming on the go. The genre has expanded from niche beginnings into blockbuster profitability.
Hardware continues rapidly advancing allowing next-gen experiences like Project EVO to approach living room quality graphics untethered. Cloud compute soon offers backend assistance on even budget phones allowing features impossible on local device limits alone.
Established PC/console franchises entering mobile grows libraries while hungry indie creatives iterate into creative new themes, mechanics and monetization models. Serious simulation fans find rewards in grounded experiences like Survive while recreational players soak up the charming lifestyle appeal of sandbox builders like Don‘t Starve.
In many ways the future is already here. Roll the clock back only 6-7 years to relive low texture, sluggish klassics on Android mediocrity to appreciate just how far survival games have propelled the platform into a golden age. The stage is set for a Cambrian explosion over the next decade as developers doubling down on mobile game design first philosophies births the next generation of survival experiences.
