The 10 Best Multiplayer Survival Games

10. Minecraft

Minecraft in hardcore mode takes the familiar, blocky sandbox and turns it into a relentless survival challenge. Here, death is permanent, making every creech hiss and zombie moan a real threat to your pixelated life. With friends, you dive into a world where you must mine, craft, and build to secure your survival against a landscape that's out to get you. Whether it's securing enough food to survive the night or building a fortress to protect against the explosive Creeper, every decision matters when there's no respawn.

In multiplayer hardcore, the stakes are even higher, as you and your team must work together seamlessly or risk losing everything to a simple mistake. The game tests not just your survival skills but your ability to cooperate under pressure. One player's misstep can spell doom for the group, leading to some tense, sometimes frantic discussions over resource management and exploration strategy. In this high-stakes version of Minecraft, building a sustainable life is as much about trust and teamwork as it is about slaying dragons and digging for diamonds. | © Microsoft

9. Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles drops you into a barbaric world where you start with nothing but your wits and the loincloth on your back. It's multiplayer survival at its most raw. You and your friends—or enemies, because let’s face it, betrayal is just another strategy here—scavenge, build, and fight to dominate a landscape filled with other players and hostile environments.

Teaming up means you can build bigger and better strongholds, but it also means managing more personalities, which can be as tricky as surviving the harsh deserts and frozen wastelands of the Exiled Lands. Whether you're raiding enemy bases, taming wild beasts, or just trying to figure out how to not die of thirst, teamwork is key. But trust? Optional. Expect alliances as fragile as your first twig hut and as much drama as a season of reality TV. It’s all about climbing to the top in the brutal world of Conan, where only the toughest and smartest—or the most treacherous—can thrive. | © Funcom

8. SCUM

SCUM throws you into a brutal survival reality show, where it's not just about fighting to stay alive, but also keeping an eye on your body's complex needs, like vitamin levels and calorie intake. Starting with nothing, you and your teammates must navigate an island filled with both natural beauty and deadly threats. Each player's character comes with a hyper-detailed metabolic system, making eating, drinking, and even bathroom breaks strategic decisions.

Playing SCUM in multiplayer adds an extra layer of challenge as you coordinate with your team not just to outfight, but outsmart other players and the environment. You'll spend half your time arguing over whether you can afford to sprint to the next cover or if your character needs a quick snack first. It’s a game where micromanagement meets mayhem, and your survival odds can be as unpredictable as your next meal. | © Devolver Digital

7. Raft

In Raft, you start stranded in the middle of the ocean, standing on a tiny raft with nothing but a plastic hook. From here, you and your friends have to turn this pitiful float into a sea-worthy home. You'll spend your time scooping up floating debris, fending off hungry sharks, and figuring out why you thought playing a game about endless water was a good idea.

Multiplayer in Raft is all about cooperation—or trying to, as you argue over who gets the last potato or whose turn it is to poke the shark with a stick. As you expand your raft and explore underwater secrets together, you'll find that keeping your floating haven afloat is as much about managing personalities as it is about managing resources. | © Axolot Games

6. Green Hell

Green Hell drops you and your squad into the thick of the Amazon rainforest, where survival is a brutal affair. You start with minimal gear, facing a dense world full of dangers from jaguars to infectious diseases. Together, you'll need to manage resources, craft tools, and build shelters to stay alive, all while keeping an eye on each other's physical and mental health.

Cooperating in multiplayer adds layers of complexity as you navigate the challenges of the jungle. Even simple tasks like choosing safe plants to eat or finding clean water can lead to intense moments of teamwork or miscommunication. Surviving here means more than just battling the elements; it's about mastering the delicate dance of human relationships under pressure. | © Creepy Jar

5. 7 Days to Die

7 Days to Die throws you and your buddies into the thick of the zombie apocalypse, where every seven days you're treated to a horde night that tests all your survival plans. Starting with practically nothing, you scramble to gather resources, build defenses, and set traps.

Multiplayer adds a whole new layer of chaos. It's all hands on deck, but sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth—or accidentally blow up the kitchen. You'll spend days crafting the perfect zombie-proof fort only to have it tested by both the relentless undead and the unpredictable elements of working with others.

It's a cycle of build, defend, and repair, often with your friends making as much mess as the zombies. Managing resources and tempers can be just as challenging as managing the undead. But when you survive another blood moon night together, the sense of achievement is unmatched. Just remember, in 7 Days to Die, the real test might just be putting up with your teammates. | © The Fun Pimps

4. The Forest

Welcome to The Forest, where your vacation starts with a plane crash on a seemingly deserted island. As the lone survivor, your first task is simple: survive. Quickly, you realize the island is far from deserted, inhabited by a tribe of cannibalistic mutants hidden in the lush, deceptive greenery.

The Forest excels in creating a tense atmosphere where the feeling of isolation is palpable. Every friend you bring along on multiplayer adds a layer of strategy and reassurance, but it also increases the stakes. Your makeshift home can be a sanctuary one moment and a siege the next as you fend off nightmarish attacks. Here, the challenge is not only to survive the island’s horrors but also to solve the mystery of your son's disappearance after the crash. This game is about staying alive long enough to uncover the dark secrets hidden beneath the canopy. | © The Fun Pimps

3. DayZ

Imagine waking up on the beach of a post-apocalyptic world, armed with nothing more than a can of beans and some ragged clothes. Welcome to DayZ, where your main goal is simply to survive as long as you possibly can against the odds, which aren’t ever in your favor.

This isn’t just any survival game; it’s a full-on survival horror scenario where zombies are the least of your worries. You're wandering through abandoned towns, scavenging for food, weapons, and anything to keep you one step ahead of death. But the real threat? Other survivors. Trust is a luxury you might not be able to afford when a can of beans can mean the difference between life and death. Players can be friendly, or they can ambush you just to claim your backpack.

Then there's the environment itself—disease, hunger, and exposure can take you down before a zombie even smells you. Setting up a camp or finding a vehicle feels like a major win, but it can all be wiped out with one wrong move or misplaced trust. DayZ is a brutal test of endurance and cunning, where every friend could be a foe and every encounter could be your last. It’s not just about surviving the zombies; it’s about surviving humanity. | © Endnight Games Limited

2. Ark: Survival Evolved

You drop into a world swarming with dinosaurs, where your only initial tools are your wits and whatever you can grab fast—that's "Ark: Survival Evolved" for you. Starting out, you're pretty much naked, freezing, and starving on the shores of a mysterious island called the Ark. Your job? To survive and thrive alongside creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago.

But here's where it gets wild: not only do you have to deal with your basic survival needs like hunger and shelter, but there's also a T-Rex that might fancy you for lunch! The real draw of Ark is the ability to tame these prehistoric beasts, turning them into your own pets or mounts, which is as cool as it sounds. But, don’t get too comfortable; other players can swoop in on their Pterodactyls, raid your base, and leave you with nothing but memories of your once awesome dinosaur fleet. Building alliances is as critical as building fortresses if you want to avoid being dinosaur dinner or a raid target. So saddle up your Stegosaurus and get ready—Ark is a wild ride through prehistory, with a hefty side of player-vs-player chaos! | © Studio Wildcard

1. Rust

Let me give you a rundown of Rust—imagine waking up on a deserted island with nothing but a rock and a torch to your name. That's your grand entrance into Rust, a multiplayer survival game where your first order of business is to scavenize for resources, craft some semblance of shelter, and figure out how to not die. Sounds simple, right? Not so fast.

The real kicker is the other players who can make your survival journey a living nightmare. You might spend days building a cozy little base, only to have it ransacked by a marauding gang of 20, all decked out in gear that looks like they raided a military base. It’s hilariously frustrating and part of the charm—or torture, depending on your point of view. Rust isn’t just about surviving the elements; it’s about surviving each other, which is the tricky part when everyone else is out to hoard, plunder, and backstab their way to victory. Good luck, because in Rust, you’re going to need every bit of it! | © Facepunch Studios