Survival video games are a subgenre of action video games, but they are in a league of their own. They provide gamers with action and adventure similar to what you see in the movies and television shows like The Walking Dead, but they also encourage strategic thinking and planning. Some games even replicate and teach important survival techniques that can be used in real life-threatening situations. Of course, that does not mean these games are easy to play, and because of this, we have compiled a list of some top tips for playing survival video games.
Top Tips For Surviving Survival Games
#1: Focus On Finding Armor
Survival games are not just about avoiding danger at all times but also using different pieces of equipment and armor to your advantage to thrive at all levels of a game. Without collecting or crafting armor and other pieces of equipment, your likelihood of surviving and reaching new milestones in a game decreases considerably. You should always try to build from whatever basic clothing and equipment you were given at the start of the game, and there are many different ways to do this, including stealing items from your competitors.
#2: Consider The Elements
Again, the importance of considering the elements in a game goes back to searching for clothes, armor, and equipment and using them to your advantage. For example, Rust (2018) is a popular survival game developed by Facepunch Studios that requires players to survive in the wilderness by collecting materials that allow them to manage their health, hunger, and thirst, reducing their chances of dying.
In games like this, you do not need to find shirts and jackets so you look good, but because they are absolutely necessary if players do not want to freeze to death overnight, ending their time in the game. This is similar to packing an emergency bag in a crisis full of food, water, sheltering equipment, and tech accessories like satellite phones, charging cables, and universal adapters. You need to collect and pack these items to survive natural disasters and to cope with the surrounding environment. These items don’t have to be top of the range, but they do need to do their job of protecting you, just as a jacket does in Rust.
#3: Don’t Just Hunt, Gather Too
Likewise, if you want to be a good survival game strategist, you have to be both a hunter and a gatherer. For example, going back to Rust, players can cultivate hemp and use it to make clothes and other valuable tools. Hemp is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, and it can be refined into various commercial products, including textiles, rope, biofuel, insulation, and paper. While it is easy to assume that you should spend most of your time trying to find animals to hunt for survival, plants have just as much importance in survival video games.
#4: Find and Utilize Maps
In addition to collecting clothing and equipment, you also want to try to acquire an in-game map as soon as possible if it is not already given to you. Maps are important resources because you can see where other players have settled. Areas that are compact with a lot of players building there mean there will be fewer resources available, so you want to try to scope out an area on the map that is more remote.
You can also look for drop locations on a map. Drop locations provide players with free and valuable resources that they can use to their advantage. In games like Ark: Survival Evolved, drops are referred to as beacons, which are light beams that mark the location of a supply crate. It is important to keep in mind that you have to be at a certain level in the game to access the contents of the supply crate, and the color of the beacon will indicate the level required.
Survival video games may have similarities to other types of action video games, but they also have many elements that make them stand out from their counterparts. However, just because they are different does not mean they are easy. That’s why you want to try to follow our tips to make the most of the game, including focusing on finding equipment, understanding the elements in a game, and utilizing maps and drop locations.
