Best Survival Games With Deadly Nights, Ranked

Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like great survival games. From thrilling chases to frantic looting, there’s a lot to enjoy in these games, where players are pitted as much against the perils of nature as they are against monsters. Mother Nature is as cruel as any creature. Don’t worry; there are plenty of monsters for players to contend with as well!

When the sun sets, terror descends in many a survival game. Whether it’s the emergence of deadlier enemies or the enhancement of their abilities, one wrong move could have players running for their lives through the dense wilderness. Daytime is packed with urgency as players must hunt, explore, and gather resources before night, lest they get caught out, alone in the darkness. The following games have been ranked based on nighttime’s impact on gameplay — and the terror experienced by players under the cover of darkness.

6

Minecraft

When The Sun Sets, Monsters Emerge

• Monsters spawn at night.
• Players will be attacked and chased if they get too close.
• Easy to get overwhelmed on higher difficulties.

In an otherwise peaceful world, nighttime stands out as a time for fear. As the sun disappears over the horizon, monsters begin spawning. While not dangerous at a distance, players who get too close will be attacked relentlessly, whether by arrow-slinging skeletons, flesh-eating zombies, or explosive creepers. Mobs are especially plentiful on higher difficulties, making for thrilling, if not terrifying, nighttime expeditions.

The night will see most players ducking into their bases for shelter or passing time in a bed. For new players or those caught out while exploring, however, the setting sun marks a frantic scramble to build a base or sprint back home before darkness descends. Terror can strike at any moment, even for those taking shelter, as players can never be certain when a creeper might come around a corner, taking them and a chunk of their base with them. All it takes is a missing torch or faulty wall!

5

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Dangers Lurk In The Darkness

• Vision range is significantly reduced at night.
• Monsters can attack when the player is sleeping.
• Freezing to death is a real risk.

At no time is Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead more terrifying than at night. Leaving players with limited vision, one false move could have them face to face with an otherworldly abomination. The noise of the ensuing combat will surely attract more monsters too, especially where zombies are concerned. For those looking to explore beneath moonlight, the short vision range prevents players from accurately assessing danger, as a single zombie or mi-go could turn out to be a horde of them!

Even in the relative safety of a base, nighttime finds a way to strike fear into the hearts of players. Awoken by the crashing of shattered windows and broken doors, players must creep through the terrifying darkness of their homes to escape.

As the seasons pass, a new threat will emerge: the cold. Players who don’t wrap up warm during the frigid nights will be met with disrupted sleep at best — and frostbite at worst. Beware! The cold can be as deadly as any eldritch horror.

4

Don’t Starve

Darkness Brings Death

• Darkness closes in quickly at night.
• Without a light, players will quickly die.
• Nighttime is eerily quiet.

Unlike other survival games, monsters rarely spawn or become more aggressive at night in Don’t Starve. Some even disappear or sleep when darkness falls, though many will continue to roam the wilderness. Nighttime is an altogether eerie experience. Players huddled around fading fires in a world now gone silent, barely able to see outside the walls of their bases into the darkness.

Players caught out when night falls face a far more terrifying fate. Without light, the player’s vision range will rapidly dwindle until the screen goes completely black. They can neither see where they are going nor interact with anything other than to build a fire. Without sufficient materials though, they are trapped in the abyss of nighttime, every second bringing them drastically closer to insanity. Every 5–10 seconds, the player will also be attacked by the forces of darkness, who will quickly kill any soul unfortunate enough to get lost in its depths.

3

7 Days To Die

A Terrifying Fight For Survival

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Released

December 13, 2013

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Developer(s)

The Fun Pimps

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• Zombies become terrifying sprinters at night.
• Dangerous nighttime hordes will attack bases.
• Exploration at night is not recommended.

If players thought the shambling daytime corpses of 7 Days To Die were scary, boy are they in for a treat at nighttime. Under the cover of darkness, this slow-paced survival becomes a frantic horror filled with sprinting glowing-eyed zombies that will stop at nothing to devour the player. With a sprint speed similar to that of players’ runs, those caught outside at nightfall will likely meet a horrifyingly grizzly fate.

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Players sheltering in the safety of their base shouldn’t get too comfortable though, as small hordes will periodically attack their bases. Nighttime hordes are particularly terrifying, with their higher speed, greater aggression, and frantic attacks, making them hard to kill and even harder to avoid. Getting overwhelmed is a very real prospect! In a pinch, players can use a gun to thin out the numbers for a moment, but upon hearing the gunshots, more undead will quickly appear.

2

The Forest

Explore Or Shelter, Nowhere Is Safe

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Released

April 30, 2018

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Developer(s)

Endnight Games

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OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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• Cannibals and mutants are attracted to light.
• Cannibals and mutants will aggressively attack bases at night.
• It’s possible, though foolish, to survive the night outside a base.

There’s only one thing scarier than being chased by cannibals and mutants: being chased by them at night. Under the cover of darkness, these monsters take on a genuinely terrifying form, aggressively ambushing any player foolish enough to leave their base. That’s not to say that bases are safe. Cannibals will readily launch nighttime assaults — hulking mutants often in tow — breaking down walls as if they were twigs and leaving players exposed to their wrath and that of the elements. Every night that passes is another day closer to such an inevitable assault.

For those brave or foolish enough to venture out into the darkness, untold horrors await. Using a torch is a guaranteed death sentence, but traveling without light sees players scurry near-blind through dense vegetation…right into a cannibal patrol. Or, at least, that’s usually how it goes. It’s possible to survive the night outside the safety of walls, but players do so at their own risk!

1

The Long Dark

Vicious Weather, And Even More Vicious Wildlife

• The wilderness and its wildlife are more dangerous at night.
• Desperation often forces players to explore at night.
• It’s incredibly cold at night.

There is no place for humans in this frozen wasteland during the day, let alone at nightfall. Predators that already pose a huge threat are even more aggressive under the cover of darkness and can more easily detect the player, making exploration all the more lethal. There’s the danger of the bitter cold also. Even the warmest of nights see significantly sub-zero temperatures, and should the weather turn, death is all but guaranteed. Someone would have to be truly desperate to venture out in such conditions. It’s a good thing The Long Dark makes sure players are almost always low on resources!

The night is a time best spent tucked away in the safety of a house. With the setting sun comes a deep dread for those caught without shelter and far away from home. Danger is coming, and there’s nowhere for these players to hide. At such moments of terror, an impromptu aurora is bound to come along, making for a true horror experience.

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