The Best Open-World Games If You Want To Live Off The Land
Open-world games strive to make their vast environs feel real, to draw players in and convince them that they’re actually living in a fantastical realm, unlike anything the real world can offer. Some games choose to do this in a particularly demanding way by introducing survival mechanics, forcing players to engage with the world on a deeper level as they struggle for what they need to survive.
Longest Open-World Games
Even the most sophisticated gamer will be bewildered by the sheer scale of these games. These are the open-world games that take the longest to beat.
Open-world games that make players live off the land typically have a much higher degree of player interaction, as fans struggle not only to complete story and gameplay goals but to gather the resources they need to stay alive. Here are ten open-world games with survival elements to up the challenge and engagement.
10
Red Dead Redemption 2
Life On The Frontier
Red Dead Redemption 2‘s survival mechanics are rather light compared to some other games in the genre, but the title’s well-known emphasis on detail and realism still makes these features worth paying attention to. Fans who want to keep Arthur’s performance as strong as possible should play close attention to his hunger levels. They should also monitor the temperature and make sure he’s dressed appropriately for his environment.
Neglecting these survival elements won’t have severe repercussions, especially when compared to more intense survival games, but the gameplay benefits fans will get from keeping Arthur comfortable and well-fed are enough to incentivize keeping track of them. This in turn keeps players immersed in Rockstar’s incredibly detailed open-world.
9
Fallout: New Vegas
The Long Road To Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas presents a rich and immersive post-apocalyptic desert realm, and fans who invest in the Survival skill can gather ingredients from every corner of this bleak wasteland and create beneficial and nourishing healing items. Fans who really want to put their survival skills to the test can turn on the optional Hardcore mode, which makes the Mojave Wasteland much more punishing.
Hardcore mode introduces several gameplay challenges to up the ante, such as making healing and support items less immediately effective and making it possible for companions to permanently die. The most noticeable changes, however, come from the introduction of mechanics measuring food, drink, and sleep. If players don’t stay nourished, hydrated, and well-rested, they risk immediate death. This mode is the ultimate survival challenge for Fallout fans who want to live off the land.
8
Palworld
Building A Life For Your Pals
Much has been made of Palworld‘s remarkable similarity to the Pokemon franchise, but in terms of gameplay, the title does stand on its own. This open-world game tasks fans with building a base and taming various creatures to aid in their survival.
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As they work on taming their creatures, fans must also manage their own hunger levels, ensuring that they’re well-equipped and well-prepared to survive in this hostile open world. Players who are interested in a survival experience might enjoy keeping both themselves and their Pals alive in this extensive game.
7
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Not About Surviving, But About Making The Most Of Limited Resources
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was one of the standout open-world games of the 2010s, and recommending it is almost cliché by this point. Nevertheless, Nintendo’s masterpiece advises you to live off the land, albeit not in the traditional survival way. Technically, Link does not need to pick up food, cook, find different types of clothing, amass an arsenal of weapons, or explore every nook and cranny of Hyrule; however, if he wants to get far, he will need to dedicate time to all of those.
Unlike open-world games that use food to maintain basic needs, BOTW‘s recipes provide boosts that aid in combat or exploration, providing things like more stamina and health, or protection against the cold. Link will not only need to acquire the required ingredients, but he also needs to prepare meals that he can keep in his back pocket for when he needs them. The same goes for weapons, as you will be constantly picking up new clubs and swords to ensure you are never caught empty-handed.
6
Subnautica
Under The Sea
Subnautica stands out from the crowd of survival crafting games on the back of its unique setting. The game strands players on an alien world almost entirely covered in ocean, tasking them with survival in a realm without dry land.
Players of Subnautica will have to make use of whatever they can find under the waves in order to stay alive in this beautiful and terrifying alien sea. In addition to food and shelter, fans will need to contend with the menacing leviathans that prowl the depths as they struggle to stay alive.
5
Minecraft
The World Is Yours
Minecraft needs no introduction. This titanic game gives fans a world the size of a planet to explore, and gives them the freedom to travel and build wherever and whatever their hearts desire. In terms of raw, unrestricted freedom, there are almost no games that can hold a candle to Minecraft.
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In order to last in survival mode, fans will have to gather the resources to become self-sufficient. High-level players can use Redstone to build automated farms, ensuring a constant stream of nutrients and resources, and underground dungeons can yield valuable finds like melon seeds to further increase survivability against the countless threats prowling the night in Minecraft.
Shout out to Vintage Story, which is hardcore Minecraft.
4
Conan Exiles
Heroes Of The Hyborian Age
This multiplayer survival game brings players to the legendary realm of Conan the Barbarian, tasking them with survival in the inhospitable wastes. Fans will have to go to extreme lengths to stay alive, fending off mythical beasts, hostile players, and the ever-present threat of starvation.
If players can keep themselves alive long enough, they can grow to prosper in this cruel world, building elaborate settlements and establishing factions to rule over the wastes. A successful Conan Exiles player can become a mythological figure on par with the legendary barbarian himself.
3
Project Zomboid
Life Among The Dead
Project Zomboid takes the well-tread zombie apocalypse premise and gives it an in-depth survival angle. Fans need to not only resist the endless hordes of the undead, but must gather resources and build up a base for themselves, all the while managing their food levels and even finding ways to stave off boredom and stress.
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Fans of Project Zomboid should enjoy these other similar games about surviving the apocalypse.
Death is an inevitability in Project Zomboid. Players aren’t expected to survive and thrive in this post-apocalyptic world so much as they’re tasked with keeping themselves going as long as they can manage. With robust multiplayer offerings and a variety of custom settings to play with in sandbox mode, fans have a lot of options for trying to survive the apocalypse.
2
Valheim
A Viking’s Quest
The titular realm of Valheim is a sort of purgatory for Viking souls to prove themselves worthy of Odin’s court. Fans of the video game must demonstrate their valor by hunting down the mythical beasts that haunt the realm, all while keeping themselves nourished and sheltered against the threats of the world.
Players must fish, farm, and forage to stay alive, while also arming themselves against threats like the game’s infamous giant trolls. Valheim is an unforgiving realm, but one where true Vikings can thrive.
1
Green Hell
Hard-As-Nails Survival Game With Constant Environmental Threats
While almost all survival games boil down to “living off the land,” they differ in their depth, tone, and difficulty. If you want a truly hardcore experience, Green Hell is probably the best option on the market, so much so that I would not recommend the game to genre beginners who are looking to attempt their first survival campaign. Stranded in an Amazonian jungle, you will need to put in the sweat and tears to make it out in one piece, and nothing comes easy. Green Hell aims for realism, requiring players to naturally collect raw materials rather than just discovering loot.
Balance is a big part of Green Hell‘s design philosophy, as you are held to tougher standards in order to meet your needs. For instance, food is broken down into things like hydration and proteins, so you cannot just eat whatever you find without consequences. Crafting is also complex and experience-based, opting against the traditional menu system found in most games.
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These excellent survival games offer the most depth and complexity to satisfy the most extreme survival enthusiasts.