11 Upcoming Survival Video Games to be Excited About in 2020

Survival games will dominate 2020. This list counts down the best the year will have to offer from both acclaimed developers and ambitious newcomers.
Survival games will dominate 2020. This list counts down the best the year will have to offer from both acclaimed developers and ambitious newcomers.

Survival video games continue to grow in popularity. And it makes sense. From the beginning of time, fighting for survival has been foundational to the human experience.

The survival genre often puts players in harsh situations, pushing them to look for the most creative solutions to complex problems. With the success of survival games such as Ark: Survival Evolved, Don't Starve, Subnautica, DayZ, and Oxygen Not Included, more and more developers are venturing out into the wild unknown. 

This selection of upcoming survival video games includes a variety of titles, from sequels to well-established survival games to brand new games supported through Kickstarter campaigns. These are the games to watch in 2020. 

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Dying Light 2

  • Developer: Techland
  • Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
  • Release date: Q1/Q2 2020

Dying Light 2 is the sequel to a sensational Dying Light. From what we've seen, the sequel will still employ the series' parkour elements, advanced artificial intelligence, and, of course, the adrenaline pumping gameplay that made the first game such a success. 

The events of Dying Light 2 take place 15 years after Dying Light. This time, however, players control a new protagonist. Dying Light 2 is set in a massive open-world called The City, which is four times bigger than the map of the original game.

Also, Techland promises an advanced ecosystem and improved interaction with the world. Though we don't yet know exactly what that means, it sounds great, and we can't wait to learn more. 

In the meantime, be sure to check out 26 minutes of Dying Light 2 gameplay from E3 2019. 


The Last of Us Part 2

  • Developer: Naughty Dog
  • Platforms: PS4
  • Release date: May 29, 2020

The sequel to The Last of Us, one of the best survival games ever created, The Last of Us Part 2 is set in a similar post-apocalyptic setting and looks to use similar gameplay elements as TLoU. This time, a grown-up Ellie seems to be the primary focus, though Joel is said to be more than just a passing influence.

Naughty Dog promises an advanced graphics engine will power The Last of Us Part 2, and that there are a number of new enemies to fight. From what we know so far, parts of the game will take place in Seattle, Washington, and that the story is being worked on by Halley Gross, co-writer of Westworld.

With that knowledge, expect another solid single-player experience in The Last of Us Part 2. According to reports, the sequel will not have a multiplayer component, unlike the first game.


Last Oasis

  • Developer: Donkey Crew
  • Platforms: PC
  • Release date: TBA

Last Oasis is a multiplayer survival game about nomads surviving in a sun-scorched world. After the Earth mysteriously stopped rotating, these nomads hide from the light by traveling in huge wooden machines that act as roving bases. 

The cataclysm destroyed many living beings, turning once-prosperous territories into giant deserts and ice mines. Only a narrow strip of space between them, consisting of oases, can support life.

Either playing solo or with a group, players must survive and fight against warring factions of nomads, waging an eternal struggle for resources and territory. Players will also be able to build bases and craft equipment, protecting themselves from invaders or taking the fight to enemy bases. 


AWAY: The Survival Series

  • Developer: Breaking Walls
  • Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
  • Release date: TBA

This is not the first time players have had the chance to see the world through an eyes of an animal. However, it is definitely the very first time players will be able to control so many animals. 

Players will primarily control a sugar glider. They will take this little, curious creature on a journey through the Canadian wilderness and explore all of its amazingly diverse flora and fauna. You will be able to change perspectives and play AWAY: The Survival Series as other animals as well.

For now, the following species are confirmed as playable: lizards, deer, crabs, foxes, and praying mantis.


The Eternal Cylinder

  • Developer: Ace Team
  • Platforms: PC
  • Release date: TBA

The Eternal Cylinder is an ambitious open-world survival adventure game that will take you on a journey through fantastic worlds full of amazing mutations.

In The Eternal Cylinder, players control a herd of alien creatures called Trebhums that must explore a strange and exotic world. The life of the planet is under the constant threat of the Cylinder, a massive rolling structure that crushes everything in its path.

The game showcases a unique ecosystem with massive, procedurally generated areas. The world is designed in such a way that no two playthroughs are ever the same.


Digimon Survive

  • Developer: Witchcraft
  • Platforms: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
  • Release date: TBA

Digimon Survive will tell the story of a group of teenagers led by Takuma Momotsuka. They must survive in a (digital) monster world and find their way back home.

Survive will have many difficult choices. In the process of making those decisions, players may even lose some heroes by making the wrong choices. Because of that, Survive will have multiple endings and dozens of ways to digivolve Digimon. 

The game will feature about 100 playable Digimons. Turn-based battles will be similar to the combat system found in Final Fantasy Tactics.


Carrion

  • Developer: Phobia Game Studio
  • Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
  • Release date: 2020

Carrion is a very unusual survival horror game. It puts players in the claws of a monster instead of a victim. It's your job to "spread fear and panic through the [scientific] facility" in which the game takes place, all while staying alive long enough to kill your captors. 

As an alien creature that escapes from its cage, players squeeze through air-ducts and stalk narrow halls. Gradually, the creature acquires more devastating abilities, becoming more and more powerful. 

 

Carrion was originally unveiled at E3 2019, and has received rave remarks from those able to preview it. 


RAW

  • Developer: Killerwhale
  • Platforms: PC
  • Release date: TBA

RAW is an IndieGoGo-supported open-world survival RPG that blends elements of GTA Online and RUST.

RAW is basically a sandbox game with an emphasis on social structures and enhanced realism. Players will act as citizens of an island state, where they will be offered a wide range of gaming opportunities, including owning land, controlling air traffic, participating in water transportation, owning a private business, and, of course, violating the law through a life of crime. 

In short, it's an online version of real-life for those who wish to spend some time on a virtual island without leaving their cozy bedroom.


Odludzie

  • Developer: VeCube
  • Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
  • Release date: TBA

Polish developer VeCube's new survival game takes place in the Polish section of the Carpathian Mountains. Odludzie is based on Unreal Engine 4 and promises highly realistic graphics.

Involved in a plane crash, Odludzie's protagonist finds himself far from civilization. Deep in the Carpathian forest, he has to rely solely on his skills. As with other survival games like The Forest, his strength and endurance decrease, forcing him to forage and hunt for food, as well as build a suitable shelter.

As expected, players can create primitive weapons and other creative means of obtaining even more and better food. In addition to the standard set of survival elements, the game will also have a variety of puzzles to solve. 


Grounded

  • Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
  • Platforms: PC, Xbox One
  • Release date: TBA

Grounded was recently announced at Microsoft's X02019 event in London. It comes from Obsidian, the developers of The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas

Grounded features four playable characters and will focus on co-operative gameplay. For example, one player can begin an outline of a building, and other players can finish it. 

Each creature in the game, down to the last insect, has its own specific behavior, which varies depending on your actions. For example, killing all aphids in one area will cause ladybugs to migrate to other areas.

In addition, Grounded has a crafting system that is based on items that naturally generate in the world. Having collected the necessary ingredients, you can create a gas mask and visit previously inaccessible biomes with a poisonous atmosphere.

It's survival meets Metroidvania. 


Deadside

  • Developer: Bad Pixel
  • Platforms: PC
  • Release date: TBA

Set in a huge open world, Deadside is a hardcore online shooter with survival elements. In many ways, Deadside is not a typical survival game because it mainly focuses on shooting, hunting for enemies, and completing missions.

However, it will have the generally accepted traits of all survival games, such as eating food in order to survive.

The game's primary locations, such as forests, riverlands, and small cities, will be static and remain unchanged, but the inhabitants of these locations will dynamically change. Such places can be occupied by hostile NPCs, and you will have the choice to either to pass by or clear the territory and collect valuable loot. 

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That's it for the most anticipated survival games of 2020, and you can check more related lists below:


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Author
Serhii Patskan
Serhii is the Writer at GameSkinny. He's been writing for GameSkinny since 2015. Before that, he's been writing for various outlets and playing video games, which eventually turned into a passion. The video games that have contributed the most to his enthusiasm for writing about this industry are Magic: The Gathering, Dark Souls, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.