Best Survival Games on Steam
Steam currently has 10,707 Survival games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Survival game rankings were last updated on 3/20/2026.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Free survival games on Steam
- Best survival Steam Deck games
- Best survival Linux games on Steam
- Best survival Steam games for Mac OS
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. Left 4 Dead 2
Set in the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 is a co-operative action horror FPS takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.
Left 4 Dead 2 holds the #1 spot for "best Survival game on Steam" with a Player Score of 97. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,021,887 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 996,674 positive reviews and 25,213 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $1.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
2. Terraria
Dig, fight, explore, build! Nothing is impossible in this action-packed adventure game. Four Pack also available!
Terraria has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,508,573 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,469,392 positive reviews and 39,181 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
3. RimWorld
A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Generates stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.
RimWorld has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 235,681 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 230,728 positive reviews and 4,953 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $27.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $27.99 |
| Release Date | 10/17/2018 |
| Developer | Ludeon Studios |
| Publisher | Ludeon Studios |
| Steam App Id | 294100 |
4. Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition
Zombies are invading your home, and the only defense is your arsenal of plants! Armed with an alien nursery-worth of zombie-zapping plants like peashooters and cherry bombs, you'll need to think fast and plant faster to stop dozens of types of zombies dead in their tracks.
Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 150,229 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 146,753 positive reviews and 3,476 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $4.99 |
| Release Date | 5/5/2009 |
| Franchise | PopCap EA |
| Developer | PopCap Games, Inc. |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 3590 |
5. Factorio
Factorio is a game about building and creating automated factories to produce items of increasing complexity, within an infinite 2D world. Use your imagination to design your factory, combine simple elements into ingenious structures, and finally protect it from the creatures who don't really like you.
Factorio has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 226,561 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 220,858 positive reviews and 5,703 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $35.00 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $35.00 |
| Release Date | 8/14/2020 |
| Developer | Wube Software LTD. |
| Publisher | Wube Software LTD. |
| Steam App Id | 427520 |
6. Counter-Strike
Play the world's number 1 online action game. Engage in an incredibly realistic brand of terrorist warfare in this wildly popular team-based game. Ally with teammates to complete strategic missions. Take out enemy sites. Rescue hostages. Your role affects your team's success. Your team's success affects your role.
Counter-Strike has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 258,253 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 251,590 positive reviews and 6,663 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $1.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Counter-Strike on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
7. Bloons TD 6
The Bloons are back and better than ever! Get ready for a massive 3D tower defense game designed to give you hours and hours of the best strategy gaming available.
Bloons TD 6 has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 381,719 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 371,087 positive reviews and 10,632 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $5.59 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Bloons TD 6 on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $5.59 |
| Release Date | 12/18/2018 |
| Franchise | Ninja Kiwi Games |
| Developer | Ninja Kiwi |
| Publisher | Ninja Kiwi |
| Steam App Id | 960090 |
8. Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a 1-4 player co-op FPS featuring dwarven space miners, procedurally-generated destructible environments, and endless hordes of alien monsters. Explore cave systems, mine for minerals, and work together to survive!
Deep Rock Galactic has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 372,122 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 361,666 positive reviews and 10,456 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $8.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Deep Rock Galactic on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $8.99 |
| Release Date | 5/13/2020 |
| Franchise | Coffee Stain |
| Developer | Ghost Ship Games |
| Publisher | Coffee Stain Publishing |
| Steam App Id | 548430 |
9. Satisfactory
Satisfactory is a first-person open-world factory building game with a dash of exploration and combat. Play alone or with friends, explore an alien planet, create multi-story factories, and enter conveyor belt heaven!
Satisfactory has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 264,130 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 256,851 positive reviews and 7,279 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $27.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $27.99 |
| Release Date | 9/10/2024 |
| Franchise | Coffee Stain |
| Developer | Coffee Stain Studios |
| Publisher | Coffee Stain Publishing |
| Steam App Id | 526870 |
10. tModLoader
Dig, Fight, and Build your way through the world of player-created mods on Terraria with tModLoader - this DLC makes modding Terraria a reality!
tModLoader has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Survival games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 361,032 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 350,659 positive reviews and 10,373 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play tModLoader on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
More Survival Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Survival games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38,910 | 11/16/2009 | 97 | $1.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 46,434 | 5/16/2011 | 97 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 28,931 | 10/17/2018 | 97 | $27.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 2,714 | 5/5/2009 | 96 | $4.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 14,661 | 8/14/2020 | 96 | $35.00 | Steam Charts | |
| 5,855 | 11/1/2000 | 96 | $1.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 9,333 | 12/18/2018 | 96 | $5.59 | Steam Charts | |
| 8,170 | 5/13/2020 | 96 | $8.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 21,572 | 9/10/2024 | 96 | $27.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 33,153 | 5/16/2020 | 96 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 20,879 | 3/24/2023 | 96 | $39.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 5,785 | 1/24/2018 | 96 | $9.89 | Steam Charts | |
 | 15,428 | 1/24/2019 | 96 | $13.79 | Steam Charts | |
 | 26 | 8/7/2025 | 96 | $7.49 | Steam Charts | |
 | 367 | 4/24/2012 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 10,103 | 7/30/2019 | 95 | $7.49 | Steam Charts | |
 | 10 | 4/11/2022 | 95 | $9.09 | Steam Charts | |
 | 31,071 | 2/26/2025 | 95 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 10 | 1/27/2016 | 95 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 5,764 | 6/23/2023 | 95 | $3.49 | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 13). Terraria on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). RimWorld on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 11). Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 19). Factorio on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). Counter-Strike on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 20). Bloons TD 6 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 19). Deep Rock Galactic on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 21). Satisfactory on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, March 19). tModLoader on Steam. Steam Store.