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The 10 Best Survivor-Like Games Of All Time

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Ignacio Weil

Gaming - July 13th 2024, 16:00 GMT+2

Vampire Survivors

Of course, let's start with the king that started it all. While it can be argued that it wasn't the first of the genre, it popularized it in such a way that this type of game now bears its name. Part of its charm lies in its inspiration from the old Castlevania games, mixed with its own Italian mythology. But the best part has to be the many secrets in the game, especially the hidden ways to unlock some of the rarest characters you'll ever see! | © poncle

Brotato

Brotato is the perfection of the survivor-like genre, and a candidate for being the best of its kind. With a flash animation aesthetic that reminds us of The Binding of Isaac, Brotato will not only have you combining your weapons and upgrades with your stats but also actively dodging and collecting crates to become more powerful. And the combinations you can make with some characters create a very unique dynamism! We can't wait for the future DLC... | © Blobfish

20 Minutes Till Dawn

If a game takes a note of being a "monster hunter" from Vampire Survivors, it has to be 20 Minutes Till Dawn. And you'll immediately notice that the most striking thing about it is its unique visual aspect, using no more than two or three colors. While it may feel a bit short on content, what it does have is done with such mastery that it's worth trying, and we cross our fingers for more characters, maps, and upgrade combinations to be added in the future. | © flanne

Boneraiser Minions

I have to admit that Boneraiser Minions is one of the most fun for me, as it gives a twist to the genre by turning you into a necromancer. In this way, the large number of shots and powers you'll use to fight off the hordes of living, breathing humans don't come from you (in most of the characters you use) but from the zombies, skeletons, and all kinds of undead creatures that you raise from graves and your enemies. Plus, it also features a great roguelike element where you upgrade your castle and classes! | © caiys

Soulstone Survivors

One of the best clones of Vampire Survivors, and it's actually unfair to call it a "clone," is Soulstone Survivors, since it has taken the well-known formula but aimed to change the classes into something unique, creating a meta-progression that turns the term "bullet hell" into "bullet heaven," with you being the one who wipes out waves of poor victims. | © Game Smithing Limited

Halls of Torment

Since you are sent to the underworld, Halls of Torment emphasizes the word "survivor," where you will have to survive by any means possible against thousands of the dead, creatures, and the occasional infernal being. Despite being very recent, it takes on an aesthetic very similar to the early Diablo games, making it a love letter to retro gaming. | © Chasing Carrots

Holo Cure Save the Fans — HoloCure - Save the Fans!

A free survivor game? Then you have no reason not to try HoloCure - Save the Fans! If the visual aspect and character design, so clearly inspired by anime and J-pop, make you hesitant to try it as a serious veteran purist of the genre, I beg you to at least play it a couple of times. Don’t let its adorable appearance make you miss out on a hidden gem in terms of technical gameplay. | © KayAnimate

Rogue Genesia — Rogue: Genesia

Rogue: Genesia is one of those small indie titles created by a tiny team that is very passionate about what they do and competent in their mechanics. The most impressive thing is the large number of passive upgrades, weapons, and artifacts for such a small team! It reminds me a bit of Berserk but with pixel art, featuring boss fights taken straight from hell. | © Ouadi Huard

Nova Drift

Nothing compares to experiencing that kind of space combat where a single pilot can fight and destroy thousands of enemy ships thanks to the talent inside the cockpit. Nova Drift manages to bring us that same desire, showing us that the survivor-like genre blends with the theme of space dogfights so naturally that it's surprising there aren't thousands like it. | © Chimeric

Disfigure

Let’s finish with another free game, so you have no excuses. And if you think that because it’s free it must be bad, just take a look at the reviews for Disfigure. While I wouldn’t call it a horror game, this survivor-like is capable of giving us a creepy feeling with its design of strange creatures, nothing more than silhouettes, but still unsettling. You know it’s a masterpiece when all the comments are about how this game shouldn’t be free... | © Cold Brew Entertainment

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Since the arrival of the huge hit that was Vampire Survivors, a new genre has emerged in recent years, very recent for the video game industry, known as "survivor-like." In this genre, all you do is move your character against waves of enemies and let the auto-attack handle everything. If you're not actively killing them, where's the gameplay? Well, it lies in the strategy of choosing the right upgrades that fit your character or situation, and we must say these titles give us a lot of dopamine.

If you want more action of this kind after a hard day at work, where you can mix tactics and real-time movement, then check out our list of the 10 best survivor-likes of all time.

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If you want more action of this kind after a hard day at work, where you can mix tactics and real-time movement, then check out our list of the 10 best survivor-likes of all time.