It looks like we are getting a lot of survival games lately that allow players to freely roam in an open world and simply survive. Though the premise of the concept might seem simplistic, there are a lot of in-depth mechanics involved. In ‘H1Z1’, you are required to survive in an open environment amidst other players, all striving to be the last one standing. It seamlessly blends the battle royale format with survival mechanics, making it an extremely addictive title.
To be honest, all battle royale games have some sort of survival mechanics woven into them, but it seems like ‘H1Z1’ stresses a bit more on this aspect. So, we got around thinking and compiled a list of games that have similar survival tactics in a shared environment. These games all have survival mechanics built into the mix but also introduce new features of their own, making them unique in some way or the other. With that said, here is the list of video games similar to H1Z1 that are our recommendations. You can play these games like H1Z1 on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, iPhone, Android, mac or even online.
6. 7 Days to Die (2013)
We are at it again, boys! Zombies! It’s like a fun party game at this point — everytime you see the word ‘zombie’ on our website, you know what to do! ‘7 Days to Die’ is a survival horror video game set in a dystopian future where The Third World War has wiped out most of the population. If that wasn’t enough, nuclear fallout from the war has resulted in the creation of mindless zombies that attacked anyone in sight. This wiped out the remaining population, save a few brave souls like you! The main aim of the game is exactly what the title says it is. You have 7 days to make your last stand against the zombies, or else you die. When you start the game, you are provided with basically nothing except a wide open world to explore. Though the game can be played solo, we highly recommend that you get some friends along if you want to survive for long. This way more ground can be covered and the chances of survival are increased.
Anyway, as soon as you begin, you need to hunt for resources while keeping out of sight of zombies. There’s loot scattered all over the world so make sure you have space in your backpack and manage it optimally. Prioritize food above anything else, ‘cz it seems you run out of it pretty soon, followed closely by arms and ammo. As you gear up, you need to find a place to put up camp for the night. This is important as you want to build on this site for the remainder of the 7 days in order to make the last stand against the horde. This is one game we highly recommend if you like playing stuff like ‘H1Z1’, mainly due to the survival mechanics and the end timer that resolves the session.
5. Killing Floor 2 (2016)
‘Killing Floor 2’ is the direct sequel to the 2009 first person survival horror video game ‘Killing Floor’. Developed and published by Tripwire Interactive in the year 2016 for Microsoft Windows and PS4 with a port following shortly in the following year, the game was extremely well received by critics and players alike. It builds and develops on the elements that made the original ‘Killing Floor’ popular in the first place, while keeping in mind the feedback from the community. The result is an extremely polished experience that brings to life the intensity of a wave based survival horror game.
The gameplay starts with you choosing a character with unique abilities and then teaming up with friends or AI bots in order to take down hordes of zombies. You are awarded coins for each kill and action you perform within the game, which you can spend at the end of every round to upgrade your gear. The enemies also start getting harder as the game progresses, requiring extreme coordination between the players in order to survive. A random boss appears at the end of each stage, whom you must take out in order to progress to the next stage. If you happen to die during the course of one wave, you stay dead for the remainder of the stage and resurrect again at the beginning of the following wave. If all the members of the team die before a wave has been dealt with, the game ends and the final score is displayed on the screen. Though the gameplay is not exactly similar to ‘H1Z1’, it still manages to cater to a lot of such survival horror games and hence is highly recommended.
4. DayZ (2013)
‘DayZ’ started out as a popular mod for ‘Arma 2’, and has now received its own standalone release, thanks to the guys at Bohemia Interactive. It is set in a fictional Russian setting that slightly resembles Chernobyl, called Chernarus. There has been a recent zombie outbreak and it has ravaged the entire city, either killing off the population or turning them into zombies. The player starts off equipped with only a pair of simple clothes that does nothing for the cold; a road flare that manages to attract only more zombies and a rag that turns out to be the only handy item.
Similar to ‘H1Z1’, there are supplies scattered all over the game world that are either essential for survival or are required for crafting various equipments. With the main goal being to stay alive and healthy during the outbreak, one must quickly gather the essentials like food, clean water and bandages. Weapons should also be quickly crafted if one doesn’t come across a gun since they are extremely essential if you happen to accidentally come across one lonely zed. In addition, it seems the game focuses a bit more on melee weapons as guns are extremely rare as compared to close ranged ones.
Clothing should not be underestimated as it can provide the player with additional baggage space and warmth. Just make sure you have the basics covered and you are good to go! The gameplay format is very similar to that of ‘H1Z1’ and fans of either game should try out the other. It is presently available only on Microsoft Windows PC and Xbox One devices with a port to PS4 scheduled for sometime in Q2 of 2019.
3. Dead Island 2 (TBA)
‘Dead Island 2’ is the long awaited sequel to the popular 2011 survival horror role play game ‘Dead Island’. Though the development cycle of the game was plagued with issues, it seems the game is back on track with Sumo Digital taking over the duties from Yager Development. Now the development is on schedule and the game is all set to release sometime later in 2019. Though an official release date has not been confirmed, we have reasons to believe that the game is in its final development cycle with the team removing bugs and adding extra content.
The game is set a few months after the events of the original ‘Dead Island’ when the government has ordered a full shutdown and quarantine in California due to a zombie outbreak. While the base game was set in the islands of Banoi in Papua New Guinea, this one will take place over three different locations, so expect a lot of content on release. These three locations are San Francisco, Los Angeles and a third undisclosed location in California. It introduces a lot of new gameplay elements with new crafting mechanics. The user interface is also more polished and intuitive, leading to less downtime. Some old mechanics also make a comeback like the rage bar which allows you to perform unique stunts. We are waiting with bated breath for any news on the release of this title and as soon as we get any, we will make sure to update it here. If you like playing games like ‘H1Z1’ but are looking for a more story-driven experience, then we highly recommend the ‘Dead Island’ series.
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2. Scum (2018)
‘Scum’ is a realistic survival horror video game that is presently in Early Access on Steam and is scheduled for release sometime in 2019. Developed by CroTeam in collaboration with Gamepires, it takes an extremely realistic, unforgiving approach to survival horror games. To start things off, you are presented with character customization screen. This is where you can set the various attributes of your character, specify the gender and the name. In addition, you are also able to set the age and the weight of the character and this affects the gameplay in more ways than you think. If you set a young age, then you have the fitness but lack the intelligence and the experience of an adult and vice versa. So you want to set these stats according to your play-style and not your actual age in real life.
Once you are done with the basic character creation screen, you are dropped off in the open world with the motive to survive for as long as possible. The realistic approach of the game does not end here; in fact it is the very beginning. There are several meters within the UI that will give you an in-depth analysis of your bodily functions. If you are missing any important vitamins or nutrients, the game will notify you on this. Now don’t ask me where the players get access to such a technologically advanced device when they don’t even have access to a water bottle at the start of the game, ‘cz that’s a question that has plagued me for quite some time.
Anyway, as you can tell, you need to maintain your nutrition very precisely since the game is able to tell instantly if you are missing even one. To make things worse, food is extremely hard to come by and weapons are simply non-existent if you don’t have the luck of an Irish-man. This makes for an extremely hardcore experience where you actually get the feel of a survival horror title. You definitely should be playing through this one if you liked ‘H1Z1’ cz if you are not playing a survival horror video game based on zombies that lets you poop out golden guns, what are you even doing?
1. The Forest (2014)
The gameplay of ‘The Forest’ is not exactly similar to that of ‘H1Z1’ but it has some recurring mechanics that slightly resemble ‘H1Z1’. However, we really want to bring this game to your notice and that is the reason we are placing this one at the top of the list. First of all, the reason behind us recommending this one over and over again is because of the moralistic issues that it introduces. It is one of those primal feelings that really question the position of human beings, not only as a race that’s surviving against other species but also one that’s competing against each other for domination.
You have managed to survive a plane crash in the middle of a forest with just a terrible shock and nothing else. However, as you wake up, you find your son being dragged off by cannibals. Now your mission becomes not only to survive the perilous situation but also to find out the fate of your son. The cannibals are mostly hostile during the night and will attack fiercely on sight, so make sure to keep your distance.
However, once you creep closer to the cannibals’ settlement, you find out more about their rituals and practices. At this point, one might think that the cannibals are the ones committing the heinous act of taking a life but I would urge those people to really ponder over their thoughts. Who invaded the sacred lands and brought upon a mechanical monstrosity? Who really has invaded the privacy? Who really demands justice here? These are all questions that will circle your mind as you gather and craft the items required for your survival. This is one game that is highly recommend to fans of ‘H1Z1’, mainly because of its unique setting and in-depth gameplay mechanics.
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