10 Best Survival Games On Xbox One

One of the best things about great survival games is that they’re basically timeless: titles like Minecraft and Subnautica, while both pretty old by this point, can still be enjoyed on hardware like the Xbox One. However, new games, like Palworld, are still finding their way onto Microsoft’s older console.

Some games are available on Xbox One, albeit with slightly older updated versions than their newer console counterparts, or updates that might be available via PC and Steam. That being said, most of these games can be enjoyed regardless of their version, as they’re some of the great all-time survival games. We haven’t included games like Rust, because their performance on the older generation consoles isn’t worth the hassle.

10 7 Days To Die

7 Days To Die on Xbox One is still a fantastic experience, even if the version is a little outdated now and no longer receives updates alongside the PC beta version.

Available with local co-op as well, it’s a fun game to play with your friends – a zombie survival game with building mechanics, base defense, and a large open world to explore.

9 Grounded

Obsidian Entertainment’s Grounded is an Xbox classic. Inspired by the 1980s film Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, this survival game sends you into a miniature adventure in the backyard.

Tackle spiders or aggressive ants, and unravel a mystery in the garden with a survival narrative that unfurls a little like Subnautica.

8 Ark: Survival Evolved

Ark: Survival Evolved is not the best performing game on Xbox One, but if you can look past some of the bugs and jankiness, it’s a stellar survival game experience. Stranded on a beach with nothing but a loincloth, so begins your journey of dinosaur taming and base-building.

Ark gets wildly out of control in the later parts of the game, with advanced technologies that turn your character into some kind of Neanderthal spaceman.

7 Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles is a massive game that has received multiple updates and DLCs over the years. Still playable on Xbox One, there is a lot to see and discover in the game – from your classic survival crafting elements to building a sprawling Viking base.

Conan Exiles is notoriously a buggy game, but due to its sheer scale and the sort of chaos that can unfold in multiplayer sessions, you can look past this and enjoy the mess. It’s still worth checking out on Xbox One.

6 Don’t Starve

Don’t Starve is a fantastic game that isn’t hindered by being on Xbox One. Bear in mind that this survival is hardcore, though – it’s not an easy game to get started on, as you’ll probably spend the first hours dying over and over again.

Once you get over the hiccups, though, and figure out how to survive the spooky night, you’re ready to embark on a deeply atmospheric adventure.

5 Green Hell

Green Hell takes you into one of the harshest environments in the world: the deep, dark Amazonian jungle.

This acclaimed survival game is difficult but ultimately rewarding, as it really feels like you’re carving out a life for yourself in the jungle using real-life crafting techniques.

4 The Long Dark

At the other end of the spectrum is The Long Dark, a survival game set during a long night in the depths of winter, somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.

Like Green Hell, The Long Dark is unforgiving. You’ll either die of hypothermia, or be ripped apart by wolves. Slowly, though, you’ll get to grips with the map and the survival mechanics, and slowly figure out how to survive in the frigid waste.

3 Valheim

Valheim was an astronomical success when it first launched, and after a few sparse updates, has become one of the best survival games you can play on Xbox One. The game runs fine, whether you’re going solo or playing with your pals.

Try to survive in this unforgiving Viking world – sail the seas, defeat bosses, and explore new biomes on your quest to become the ultimate Viking warrior.

2 Palworld

Yes, you can play hit survival game Palworld on the Xbox One. Obviously, the game is a little too modern for the old generation console, but it still performs to an okay level – especially if you’re keen to play and see what all the hype is about.

Palworld is Pokemon, but with guns, as the saying now goes. Lead an army of Pals through either friendship or with harsh labor laws to build massive bases and defeat different bosses.

1 Minecraft

Minecraft is more than playable on the Xbox One – it’s just an older, legacy version of the game, missing some key updates. However, playing it on the older console is a bit like stepping back to a simpler time, and the basic charm of Minecraft is still right there.

It’s a massive world to explore, dungeons to pillage, homes to build – all enjoyed on your own or with your friends in local co-op. Minecraft is a timeless classic.

Survival Week at TheGamer is brought to you by Nightingale – available on PC in early access February 20.