Summary
Nothing quite beats the adrenaline rush of narrowly escaping defeat in a video game.Overcoming a tough foe after a grueling battlegives such a sense of relief and accomplishment, causing most players to need a moment of respite to regroup and recover for the next challenge.
Not all games allow for that kind of reprieve, throwing more hostiles at players around every corner, with some spending the entire time actively pursuing the protagonist. Sometimes, even the weather conditions or the main character’s ailing body can be life-threatening. Many players love such a challenge, so here are some of the best open-world games where everything is trying to kill you, ranked based on a combination of the game’s overall quality and popularity.
Following on from the survival horror gameThe Forest,Sons of the Forestputs players on the enigmatic island known as Site 2 in search of a missing CEO and his family. The player-character, Jack, becomes stranded as his helicopter is shot down, forcing him to try and survive in this hostile environment while still carrying out the intended mission.
While there are a few friendly NPCs, plus the option of assistancefrom friends in multiplayer gameplay, it’s ultimately very difficult to survive on this island. The large map is filled with cannibalistic tribes, mutant creatures, and other sinister figures, plus players must maintain their thirst and hunger levels, as well as get plenty of rest.
One of the most popular open-world zombie apocalypse games on the market,7 Days to Dietakes place in the dangerous land of Navezgane. Player safety is already under threat from the very beginning, when players must scavenge for food and shelter while avoiding the undead. Finding or crafting weapons is crucial to survival, especially when the large hordes of zombies arrive every seventh night.
The world can be a danger even without hostile enemies,with destructible buildings, illness, dehydration, and starvation all posing a threat. Players may encounter friendly traders around Navezgane who can buy and sell goods and offer quests. Plus, multiplayer is an option, but ultimately, the mortal dangers vastly outnumber any potential reprieve granted by allies.
Death is inevitable inProject Zomboid, but it’s up to the player to prolong their life for as long as possible in a fictionalized version of Kentucky plagued by swarms of the undead. The narrative is largely player-driven, as they are dropped into one of the four towns, with different traits and the character’s occupation having some impact on spawn location.
Apart from the regular human needs like hunger and thirst, players must also contend with fatigue and boredom, all of which can add extra layers of difficulty when in combat. Fortunately, the zombies are slow moving, but those seeking a challenge can set the zombie movement speed higher and increase the transmissibility of the virus, among other difficulty tweaks.
Thefast-paced and frantic roguelikeNoitastars a witch in a potentially infinite procedurally generated world. Every pixel is destructible, and enemies await around every corner and in every crevice, so learning new spells to tackle the many dangers is critical.
The various monsters, creatures, and characters are inspired by Finnish mythology, many of which are taken directly from the national epic,Kalevala. Many different biomes present their unique challenges and contain many secrets to uncover. Not only are the enemies themselves dangerous, but environmental threats lurk in the shadows, like drowning, burning, and suffocation, plus some deadly traps can catch careless and unobservant players.
InMiasmata, Robert Hughes is afflicted by a life-threatening illness and hopes to find his colleagues at a scientific outpost on a seemingly uninhabited island, but things are not quite as he expected. A real test of the player’s patience,Miasmatarequires that the protagonist reduces the effects of his disease while ultimately trying to find a cure.
Each day is a struggle, and the plague causesdehydration to be a constant issue. Not only that, but a strange and highly aggressive creature is constantly lurking in vegetation and behind corners, so Robert must employ stealth as he scavenges to avoid confrontation. Navigation is not so simple, requiring manual triangulation from the player as they fill in the map, and even the slightest fall can cause severe disorientation.
Stranded deep in the Amazon Rainforest, anthropologist Jake Higgins must do what he can to stay alive as he attempts to rescue his wife inGreen Hell. Not only are there venomous and hostile animals waiting to strike, but Jake must also contend with a belligerent tribe that seems to be holding his wife captive.
Building a shelter or base is vital if anyone wishes to survive in this tropical deathtrap, and weapons need to be crafted, too. Hunger is an issue once again, but there is a particular importance placed on nutrition, with a smartwatch giving an alert about which nutrients Jake is lacking, potentially leading to side effects like hallucinations and illness. At least it’s possible to farm and even pet some animals to add some brevity to proceedings.
After surviving a spaceship crash on an alien planet known as 4546B, Ryley Robinson is stranded and must explore, doing whatever is necessary to survive and escape. This isSubnautica, which is certainly not a game for players with fears of open water, large sea creatures, and darkness, among many others.
There are many monsters in the briny deep stalking their prey, and the usualsurvival needs like growing foodand finding drinkable water must be managed, but oxygen also plays a part here. Pressure can also be a concern, requiring that players build resistant suits if they wish to explore deeper and further from the safety of their constructed bases. Gluttons for punishment even play in hardcore mode, which gives no warning of low oxygen levels and features a permadeath mechanic.
The Lands Between offer little comfort to the Tarnished as theybattle through swathes of enemies, bosses, and even NPCs in their quest to repair theElden Ringand become the Elden Lord. Each of the game’s six fully explorable areas is littered with combative monsters and gargantuan bosses waiting to slaughter the player.
Some NPCs are not immediately hostile, but they can be battled to win their weapons, armor, and other assorted prizes. Even when being peaceful with them, some will battle players as part of a final gauntlet in theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC, and others will fight players for various reasons, such as betrayal or challenging to a duel, in the case of Iron Fist Alexander.
