Best Survival Games on Android

Games in the survival genre fall into a variety of categories, but all have one thing in common. Their ability to keep players engaged as they struggle to survive. Some do this better than others, which brings us to the best survival games on Android.

A general search will pull up hundreds of results for this genre, although most treat the survival aspect loosely.  You won’t find any of those games on our list, and there are no “clones” or copycats titles. Instead, we found 10 of the top survival games for Android, which will keep you on the edge of your seat for as long as you can survive.

This War of Mine

Some survival games drop players in a post-apocalyptic setting while others take a more realistic approach. You’ll get the latter in This War of Mine, an award-winning title from 11-bit studios. It’s a game about struggling to survive, and one that can stick with you long after your gaming session ends.

This War of Mine follows a small band of survivors that have taken shelter in a home while war rages outside. You’ll need to spend time fixing up your shelter to keep it safe while managing food and resources on a daily basis. That’s challenging enough as it is, but made more difficult when you have to send party members out to scavenge.

Will you protect your fortified home with your best fighter or send them out for supplies? That’s a regular decision you’ll have to make, but you’ll also need to keep your survivors’ spirits up. Health and depression are challenging to manage. Supplies are varied and scattered throughout the world where one wrong turn means a member of your household may not come back.

This War of Mine has a day/night cycle that kicks things up a notch, and DLC that adds children to the game. It’s an interesting twist, especially when you have to split time between making toys, scavenging, and building. There’s enough content to keep you busy for ages in the standalone game, and a Father’s Promise takes things a step further. 

It’s hard to call This War of Mine a “fun” game given the content and how depressing it can become until you get a handle on managing your survivors. The game could be a little too hardcore for some, but it’s a 5-star game for a reason and one of the top survival games on the platform. This War of Mine is a premium game although it’s often on sale or free with Play Pass.

Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition

Don’t Starve is a popular survival game that takes a lighthearted approach to scavenging, crafting, and combat. Klei Entertainment’s cartoonish game is available on a variety of platforms, and we’re pleased to say Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition is just as fun on a mobile as it is on consoles or PCs.

Don’t Starve follows the tale of Wilson, a scientist that finds himself trapped in a strange world. You’ll step into our hero’s shoes and onto the landscape where you’ll need to immediately begin scavenging. Health and hunger are keys to survival, but so is learning your surroundings and keeping your sanity intact when night rolls around.

The world of Don’t Starve changes during the night cycle, which puts Wilson in a pitch-black environment where shadows have a life of their own. You can’t really rest, although you can build a home and fortify it against spiders, tentacles, and clockwork knights. There is no shortage of hazards in this wacky world, and plenty of unlockable content as well.

While you start the game out as Wilson, different characters become available as you meet requirements within the game. You can adjust the game world as well, and the Reign of Giants expansion kicks things up a notch. It adds new biomes, creatures, and characters to the game, which makes it even more unforgiving than before.

Don’t Starve Pocket Edition is a premium game priced at $4.99 on Google Play. The quirky graphics have inspired countless copycats, and if you like what you see, you can take things further with Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked. It has the same charm but gives Winston a boat and a chain of islands to explore.

Out There: Omega Edition

This is another award-winning game that’s found its way to multiple platforms, but began life on mobile phones and slates. It’s a tough game where scavenging is key to survival, along with oxygen considering it takes place in outer space.

In Out There, you strap on a space suit in an attempt to save humanity. The only problem is, you become lost, so your only goal now is to survive. That’s challenging with dwindling resources and a small ship, especially when you’re in a galaxy full of aliens. You’ll meet them as you visit planets for resources, but that’s not the only type of being in the galaxy.

Mystery runs deep in Out There as you never know what lies beyond the next planet. It could be a system where you can use your ship’s drill or you could strike out. If that happens you could be left with a short supply of oxygen. That’s one of your biggest enemies in the game, although spacefaring is made easier once you’re able to upgrade your ship.

Out There isn’t quite as deep as some of the other titles on our list, but the randomness of each adventure takes care of that. It plays like a “choose your own adventure” game, although there’s a crafting system and upgrades. There are also multiple ships to go along with some of the toughest achievements you can add to your Google Games profile.

Mi-Clos Studios had an instant hit on their hands when Out There arrived on mobiles almost a decade ago. It’s just as fun now as it was back then, and the company has done an excellent job of keeping the game updated over the years. The graphics and storyline are part of the charm, but the gameplay is also solid and highly addicting. Out There: Omega Edition is available for $4.99 through the Play Store.

Survive – Wilderness Survival

There are dozens of survival games for Android that drop your character into exotic settings with monsters or zombies. Jusso Hietalahti took a different approach with Survive — Wilderness Survival for Android. It’s a stripped-down survival game that keeps things simple but incredibly tough as you struggle against Mother Nature.

From caloric intake and hydration to warmth, there are a lot of things to keep track of in Survive. The day and night cycle limits what you can accomplish during certain times. That said, your body heat and general condition are something you’ll need to keep an eye on at all times. Want to explore an area? That will cost you time, and you’ll need to gather tinder before you can build a fire for warmth.

Balance is part of life in this game. There’s only so much space in your pack, so many hours of daylight, and the elements are a constant threat to your survival. Crafting a simple sling can take an hour, and you’ll also need to kill a rabbit for hare skin. That’s easier said than done, but the right trap can help as long as you have enough materials to build one and don’t starve to death first.

There are no cutting-edge graphics in Survive — Wilderness Survival as the developer took a minimalistic approach with the menus and vibe of the game. We’re glad and we love the way rain falls across the menus while you craft and build. It’s the perfect game to zone out to with a pair of headphones, and there’s plenty of content to sink your teeth into.

You can try Survive — Wilderness Survival for free through the ad-supported version of the game or pick up the full version for $4.99. That enables new gear while removing ads, and unlocks some additional starting perks for your character.

Death Road to Canada  

Roguelike games put survival at the forefront, and we’ve seen these titles take us to some interesting places over the years. Canada may not be a unique setting, but Death Road to Canada changes that. This game from Rocketcat and Madgarden puts you on a road trip from hell as you try to escape zombies by heading north.

Death Road to Canada is reminiscent of the classic Oregon Trail, but with zombies and modern supplies. You’ll need to keep your vehicle in top shape and your senses alert as you hurdle down the highway. Each stop can cost you a member of your party. It could also be the difference between life in death if you need supplies.

Characters have perks and traits that can help you on the road. You’ll need them as conditions vary with each pit stop along with the size of the zombie horde you’ll need to deal with. The graphics are retro, but don’t let them fool you. Death Road to Canada has plenty of depth, and there’s no shortage of humor throughout the game.

The game keeps track of your stats in Zombie Town, which is where you can unlock perks and traits. This can give you a starting boost on the next play-through, but you’ll want to keep an eye out for the nefarious unlock gnome. No place is safe in Death Road to Canada, and there are more than a dozen additional modes to unlock as you attempt to survive in the game.

If you like retro graphics and humor in a roguelike game, Death Road to Canada should be high on your list. It’s one of the more unique survival games on Android, and a game that can frustrate you while keeping you glued to the screen. Death Road to Canada is priced at $9.99 on Google Play and commonly part of the Play Pass program.

Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville

Northway Games has produced some of our favorite mobile games over the years like Deep Under the Sky, but Rebuilt is the team’s take on the survival genre. Gangs of Deadsville is the third game in the series, and a title that keeps you entertained as you try to thrive and survive.

As the name implies, Rebuild 3 is about rebuilding civilization. You’ll need to reclaim buildings to take the city back while keeping your small team alive and staying wary of NPCs. They can be friend or foe which keeps you on your toes just like the ability to play in real-time mode.  This strategic game gives players that option or you can attempt to take back the city with turn-based gameplay.

Rebuild is a deep game with a 35-node skill tree. That allows for a wide range of customization when coupled with five types of skills and 100 survivor perks. There are resources to scavenge as well as 30 types of missions. Other numbers to note include 70 different pieces of equipment, 50 building types, and close to a dozen resources.

Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville allows players to craft their own adventures thanks to the wealth of options and the survivors themselves. It’s considerably larger than the sequel and one of those games that will keep you glued to the screen for hours on end. There’s no free version of this game, but the full version is a steal at only $4.99.

Project EVO

Rounding out our list is Project Evo, a game that’s currently in Beta at the time of this writing. It’s the closest thing you can get to Rust for a mobile phone, and one of the most hardcore experiences we’ve encountered on a smartphone or slate.

Project EVO is a PC-style survival game shrunken down for mobile devices. You can explore the vast open world of Emberland alone or team up with other players. There is an expansive base-building system that can help keep you safe from other players, but as with Rust, you’ll need to be careful. Unless you know who you’re playing with, there’s a good chance your new friend could soon become an enemy.

All of the elements you’d expect from a top-tier survival game are present, and other players aren’t the only danger in the game. Crafting is deep and if you can manage to stay alive, you’ll be blown away by the audio-visual presentation. It’s the first mobile survival game developed with Unreal Engine 5. It certainly shows as you wander through the dangerous but gorgeous landscape.

If you’re interested in Project EVO, the full game isn’t live yet although you can get in on the beta. The player base is active along with the developers, and there’s more than enough content to keep you entertained until the game leaves Beta. You can pre-register for Project Evo through TapTap or sign up for the beta through their official site.

More Amazing Survival Games for Android

For better or worse, Android has far more survival games than you’ll find on iOS. That’s a good thing if you’re a fan of the genre, although finding great games can be challenging. While they didn’t make our main list, here are some more titles that are among the best survival games for Android.

Gamers looking for a unique and free survival game should consider ARK: Survival Evolved. It’s an older title that’s available on consoles and handhelds but works surprisingly well on mobile devices. The game takes place in a land filled with Dinosaurs and the amount of content is staggering given its age. It’s an online hybrid MMO survival game, whereas Sheltered takes a completely different approach.

Sheltered can be an acquired taste due to the retro graphics and layout, but it’s a survival simulator that puts a nuclear spin on things. You’re tasked with running a fallout shelter with your family through micromanagement. The choices you make are just as important as your dwindling resources. Day R has a similar vibe, but different graphics and takes place in 1980s Russia.

This top-down survival game gives players a map to traverse and an extensive inventory management system. It plays like an old-school board game, but one that’s incredibly challenging and typically ends in death. There’s a free version of Day R Survival: Last Survival and a paid version for $3.49. Prefer high-end graphics and terror set in space? If so, Alien Isolation is the answer.

Alien Isolation is a survival game in the truest sense of the word although there’s no base building and you won’t spend half your time crafting. Instead, you’ll need to outsmart and evade relentless aliens from the films. Thankfully you can craft an improvised arsenal. This intense game is pricey, but it is a console port and comes with all the DLC.

The Wrap-Up

Survival games are a great way to live out your post-apocalyptic fantasies without the real threat of hunger, sickness, or even zombies. There’s a theme to suit anyone’s tastes, and the best survival games for Android allow gamers to escape the real world on their mobile anytime they like. If you’re partial to surviving on larger screens, check out our list of the best of the best survival games for the PlayStation 2.

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