Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like How to Survive 2 (2026)
Every game below overlaps with How to Survive 2 on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: State of Decay: YOSE, which both zombie, open world and survival.
- How to Survive 2 is tagged Survival, Zombies, Multiplayer, Open World Survival Craft, Open World, Co-op, Crafting, Action by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 5 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
State of Decay: YOSE
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 7 player tags including Zombies, Survival and Base-Building; released around the same time (2015).
Make your stand against the collapse of society in the ultimate zombie survival-fantasy game. Explore an open world full of dangers and opportunities that respond to your every decision. Recruit a community of playable survivors, each with their own unique skills and talents.
State of Decay: YOSE at a glance Released 2015 Studio Undead Labs Player sentiment 82% positive of 13,145 Price $19.99 ZombiesSurvivalBase-BuildingRPGThird PersonCraftingGore
- 2
SCUM
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 8 player tags including Survival, Open World Survival Craft and Zombies.
Welcome to SCUM, a ruthless open-world survival game where deep character customization defines the prisoner you become. Loot, craft, hunt, build, and fight to outlast a hostile island where every choice can change your fate. Stay alive. Stay dangerous. Become harder to kill.
SCUM at a glance Released 2025 Studio Gamepires Player sentiment 74% positive of 126,526 Price $44.99 SurvivalOpen World Survival CraftZombiesCraftingEarly AccessGoreThird PersonRPG
- 3
Project Zomboid
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Survival, Zombies and Open World Survival Craft; released around the same time (2013).
Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in MP: you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, massively customisable sandbox and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary. So how will you die? All it takes is a bite..
Project Zomboid at a glance Released 2013 Studio The Indie Stone Player sentiment 94% positive of 476,732 Price $24.99 SurvivalZombiesOpen World Survival CraftCraftingRPGEarly Access
- 4
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Survival, Zombies and Base-Building; released around the same time (2020).
The dead have risen and civilization has fallen. Now it's up to you to gather survivors, scavenge for resources and build a community in a post-apocalyptic world – a world where you define what it means to survive in this ultimate zombie survival simulation.
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition at a glance Released 2020 Studio Undead Labs Player sentiment 83% positive of 69,755 Price $29.99 SurvivalZombiesBase-BuildingRPGThird PersonGore
- 5
Survarium
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Survival, Shooter and Early Access; released around the same time (2015).
Survarium is a post-apocalyptic online FPS game. If you are looking for a shooter where skills matter, look no further! The opposing players and deadly anomalies will never stop you on the way to victory, right? Then start playing now for free!
Survarium at a glance Released 2015 Studio Vostok Games Player sentiment 55% positive of 25,266 Price Not listed SurvivalShooterEarly AccessZombiesCraftingRPG
- 6
The Forest
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Crafting; released around the same time (2018).
As the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest battling to stay alive against a society of cannibalistic mutants. Build, explore, survive in this terrifying first person survival horror simulator.
The Forest at a glance Released 2018 Studio Endnight Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 680,814 Price $19.99 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalCraftingGoreZombiesEarly Access
- 7
Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Zombies, Gore and Survival; released around the same time (2016).
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse experience of a lifetime – more beautiful than ever. Caught in an epic zombie outbreak on the tropical island of Banoi, your only thought is: Survive!
Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2016 Studio Techland Player sentiment 71% positive of 13,002 Price $19.99 ZombiesGoreSurvivalOpen World Survival CraftCraftingRPG
- 8
Will To Live Online
Why it matched: both open world and survival; shares 7 player tags including Survival, Open World Survival Craft and Shooter; released around the same time (2018).
Will To Live is a MMORPG-shooter whose action takes place in a severe post-apocalyptic world. Explore the world, engage in fights with mutants and other survivors, join the clans in the struggle for existence and prove your right to Live.
Will To Live Online at a glance Released 2018 Studio AlphaSoft LLC Player sentiment 69% positive of 18,389 Price Free SurvivalOpen World Survival CraftShooterCraftingRPGEarly AccessGore
- 9
WARMODE
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Shooter, Early Access and Zombies; released around the same time (2019).
Free to play shooter about the confrontation of two irreconcilable sides, represented by the government military housings and the armed hirelings. Try your hand at virtual battles with off-scale dynamics and hurricane gameplay in the spirit of the classical shooters.
WARMODE at a glance Released 2019 Studio Novalink Player sentiment 62% positive of 16,311 Price Free ShooterEarly AccessZombiesSurvivalGoreRPG
- 10
Just Survive
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Zombies, Survival and Crafting; released around the same time (2015).
Just Survive is a post-apocalyptic survival game that immerses you in a world where humanity is fighting to take back control from the zombie hordes.
Just Survive at a glance Released 2015 Studio Daybreak Game Company Player sentiment 59% positive of 76,763 Price Not listed ZombiesSurvivalCraftingShooterEarly AccessRPG
- 11
New Frontier
Why it matched: both open world and survival; shares 7 player tags including Survival, RPG and Base-Building; released around the same time (2019).
New Frontier is a pvp free-to-play online survival game set in an alternate reality wild west world. Work with your friends, Build your base, Fight hellish monsters and forge alliances with other players to conquer the land.
New Frontier at a glance Released 2019 Studio Free Reign Entertainment Player sentiment 49% positive of 3,699 Price Not listed SurvivalRPGBase-BuildingCraftingGoreShooterEarly Access
- 12
Undawn
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Survival, RPG and Crafting.
Explore, adapt, and survive in Undawn, a free-to-play open-world survival RPG for mobile and PC developed by LightSpeed Studios and published by Level Infinite. Embark on an adventure with other survivors four years after a worldwide disaster where hordes of infected roam a shattered world.
Undawn at a glance Released 2023 Studio Lightspeed Studios Player sentiment 54% positive of 6,602 Price Free SurvivalRPGCraftingShooterZombiesThird Person
- 13
Grounded
Why it matched: both open world and survival; shares 7 player tags including Survival, Open World Survival Craft and Base-Building; released around the same time (2020).
The world is a vast, beautiful and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunk to the size of an ant. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard?
Grounded at a glance Released 2020 Studio Obsidian Entertainment Player sentiment 90% positive of 95,557 Price $39.99 SurvivalOpen World Survival CraftBase-BuildingCraftingRPGThird PersonEarly Access
- 14
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 5 player tags including Zombies, Gore and Shooter; released around the same time (2020).
Saints & Sinners is a game unlike any other in The Walking Dead universe. Every challenge you face and decision you make is driven by YOU. Fight the undead, scavenge through the flooded ruins of New Orleans, and face gut-wrenching choices for you and the other survivors. Live The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners at a glance Released 2020 Studio Skydance Interactive Player sentiment 86% positive of 10,074 Price $9.99 ZombiesGoreShooterSurvivalRPG
- 15
State of Decay
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 5 player tags including Zombies, Survival and RPG; released around the same time (2013).
The end is here. Life as you knew it has gone to hell after the mother of all zombie outbreaks. Now you and the few scattered survivors must band together to survive and rebuild in a 3rd-person action game set in a dynamic open world.
State of Decay at a glance Released 2013 Studio Undead Labs Player sentiment 85% positive of 17,480 Price Not listed ZombiesSurvivalRPGThird PersonBase-Building
- 16
Days Gone
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Zombies, Survival and Third Person.
Ride and fight into a deadly, post pandemic America. Play as Deacon St. John, a drifter and bounty hunter who rides the broken road, fighting to survive while searching for a reason to live in this open-world action-adventure game.
Days Gone at a glance Released 2021 Studio Bend Studio Player sentiment 93% positive of 116,763 Price $39.99 ZombiesSurvivalThird PersonOpen World Survival CraftCraftingGore
- 17
Fallen Earth Free2Play
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 5 player tags including Survival, Zombies and Crafting; released around the same time (2012).
Fallen Earth Classic is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Reloaded Productions and operated by Little Orbit. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland located around the American Grand Canyon.
Fallen Earth Free2Play at a glance Released 2012 Studio Little Orbit Player sentiment 60% positive of 7,569 Price Free SurvivalZombiesCraftingRPGShooter
- 18
The Evil Within 2
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 5 player tags including Gore, Third Person and Zombies; released around the same time (2017).
Detective Sebastian Castellanos has lost everything, including his daughter, Lily. To save her, he must descend into the nightmarish world of STEM. Horrifying threats emerge from every corner, and he must rely on his wits to survive. For his one chance at redemption, the only way out is in.
The Evil Within 2 at a glance Released 2017 Studio Tango Gameworks Player sentiment 92% positive of 30,959 Price $39.99 GoreThird PersonZombiesSurvivalShooter
- 19
Zombie Army Trilogy
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 5 player tags including Zombies, Gore and Survival; released around the same time (2015).
The cult horror shooter series comes to an apocalyptic conclusion with an epic new third chapter, a heart-pumping new horde mode, and remastered editions of the best-selling Nazi Zombie Army 1 & 2.
Zombie Army Trilogy at a glance Released 2015 Studio Rebellion Player sentiment 86% positive of 18,739 Price $44.99 ZombiesGoreSurvivalShooterThird Person
- 20
SAS: Zombie Assault 4
Why it matched: both zombie and survival; shares 6 player tags including Zombies, Top-Down Shooter and Shooter; released around the same time (2017).
Purge the undead! Intense action-shooter with deep rpg elements, including upgradeable guns and armor, unique class skills, and class special abilities. Entire game can be played single player or as a 4-player online co-op game, including PvP events like Last Man Standing.
SAS: Zombie Assault 4 at a glance Released 2017 Studio Ninja Kiwi Player sentiment 86% positive of 9,668 Price Free ZombiesTop-Down ShooterShooterRPGSurvivalGore
- 21
The Evil Within
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 5 player tags including Gore, Third Person and Survival; released around the same time (2014).
Developed by Shinji Mikami -- creator of the seminal Resident Evil series -- and the talented team at Tango Gameworks, The Evil Within embodies the meaning of pure survival horror. Highly-crafted environments, horrifying anxiety, and an intricate story are combined to create an immersive world that will bring you to the height of tension.
The Evil Within at a glance Released 2014 Studio Tango Gameworks Player sentiment 85% positive of 33,579 Price $19.99 GoreThird PersonSurvivalZombiesShooter
- 22
ARK: Survival Evolved
Why it matched: both open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Open World Survival Craft, Survival and Crafting; released around the same time (2017).
Stranded on the shores of a mysterious island, you must learn to survive. Use your cunning to kill or tame the primeval creatures roaming the land, and encounter other players to survive, dominate... and escape!
ARK: Survival Evolved at a glance Released 2017 Studio Studio Wildcard Player sentiment 83% positive of 776,582 Price $9.89 Open World Survival CraftSurvivalCraftingBase-BuildingEarly AccessRPG
- 23
Dead Island Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both zombie, open world and survival; shares 5 player tags including Zombies, Survival and Gore; released around the same time (2016).
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse experience of a lifetime – and now more beautiful than ever. Caught in the midst of an epic zombie outbreak on the tropical island of Banoi, your only thought is: Survive!
Dead Island Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2016 Studio Techland Player sentiment 82% positive of 28,183 Price $19.99 ZombiesSurvivalGoreCraftingRPG
- 24
Craftopia
Why it matched: both open world and survival; shares 6 player tags including Crafting, Survival and Open World Survival Craft; released around the same time (2020).
Craftopia is the brand new multiplayer survival action game made in Japan. We combined many features we find enjoyable, such as hunting, farming, hack-and-slash, building, automation to develop this game.
Craftopia at a glance Released 2020 Studio Pocketpair Player sentiment 76% positive of 20,221 Price $14.99 CraftingSurvivalOpen World Survival CraftRPGEarly AccessThird Person
Common questions
What game is most like How to Survive 2?
State of Decay: YOSE, on the evidence we have. It both zombie, open world and survival. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to How to Survive 2" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with How to Survive 2. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.