Are you looking for games like 7 Days to Die that offer a blend of survival, tower defense, and open-world gameplay? This list compiles ten games that offer similar gameplay mechanics. While no game replicates the unique and intense experience that 7 Days to Die offers, you can find similar elements in the games on this list.
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Ark: Survival Evolved
Ark: Survival Evolved is an action-adventure, open-world, survival game that puts a heavy emphasis on survival and base building like what can be found in 7 Days to Die. You will find yourself stranded in a wild land that is inhabited by dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Your goal will be to gather resources, craft tools and weapons, build a base, and thrive in the hostile new environment. Rather than facing zombies, you will be under a constant threat from aggressive dinosaurs.
Similarly to 7 Days to Die, this game can also be played with friends in either PvE or PvP multiplayer modes. In the servers, you will be facing the threat from other players, as well as the dangerous creatures of the prehistoric world. Both games revolve around survival in hostile and dangerous environments, which has dynamic weather and day and night systems. Another similarity that they share is offering an extensive open world that is filled with danger, new locations, and plenty to explore. Like 7 Days to Die, Ark features the constant need to manage hunger, thirst, and health, as well as skill-leveling character progression. Base building to aid in your survival and item crafting is also a core mechanic to both games. Ark: Survival Evolved comes in as one of our favorite games like 7 Days to Die.
Metacritic Score:70/100
Check out Ark: Survival Evolved on Steam!
The Forest
The Forest is a survival horror game that is played in an open-world environment. In this game, you will play as Eric LeBlanc and be the only survivor of a plane crash in an unknown forest. You immediately realize that your son Timmy is missing and you set out on a mission to find him. To do this, you must keep yourself alive by finding food, water, and shelter. Soon after crashing, you realize that the forest you’re stranded in is inhabited by mutant cannibals that will stop at nothing to kill you.
If you are looking for games like 7 Days to Die, The Forest is something you should give a try. They both share many core gameplay elements and, if you like one, odds are you will like the other. Both focus on surviving in an open world environment and can be played cooperatively with friends. The Forest even has some base defense mechanics where as you continue to harass the mutants, they will return in greater force to attack you again. Like 7 Days to Die, the amount of enemies and their strength will increase as the days go by. If you like The Forest, you will also enjoy the sequel to this game called Sons of the Forest!
Metacritic Score: 83/100
Check out The Forest on Steam!
Grounded
A game to consider when looking for games like 7 Days to Die is Grounded. A “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” like action-adventure survival game that is set in an open world. You will play as either Max, Willow, Pete, or Hoops, as they survive in a world after they have been shrunk to the size of an ant. These four teenagers are the most recent of those who have gone missing in the area. They must stay alive by managing food, water, and health. The tiny bugs and insects that normally live in the yard now pose a very large threat to your shrunken character. You must discover what happened to you and how to return to your normal life and size.
Grounded is similar to 7 Days to Die because both are PvE-centric survival games that are set in an open world. Grounded features crafting of items, weapons, and bases. Both games make you deal with dangerous creatures in an environment that is quite hostile. While Grounded and 7 Days to Die share some similarities in terms of survival, base building, and cooperative gameplay, they both have very distinct features that set them apart from each other.
Metacritic Score: 83/100
Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid is a captivating and unique open-world video game that is set in a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies. The primary objective of the game is to survive the hostile environment, while avoiding your inevitable death for as long as possible. Before you spawn into the game, you will be able to select your specific character’s occupation and traits, allowing you to cater to your own unique playstyle. The player will need to manage hunger, fatigue, stress, and boredom, which all contribute to your well-being and survival.
Project Zomboid is similar to 7 Days to Die because both games are set in a post-apocalyptic world where you must face endless numbers of infected zombies. Both games will make you manage your hunger, thirst, and health while roaming the world looking for resources. Project Zomboid and 7 Days to Die both offer crafting systems that allow the player to make a variety of items and weapons, as well as the ability to make bases to keep you safe. The bases you make or find in both games are critical to staying alive and withstanding zombie hordes.
Steam Rating: 9/10
Check out Project Zomboid on Steam!
Valheim
Valheim is an open-world survival game that takes place in a world called Valheim, where dead Vikings go before entering Valhalla. Here you must prove yourself worthy and face off against creatures and foes banished there by Odin. You will need to survive in this realm and defeat the evil creatures and bosses that inhabit the land with you. The world is procedurally generated, with multiple types of biomes, making every play through unique. Each biome will contain its own enemies and bosses. Gather resources, build shelter, craft weapons and tools, and gain skills on your path to defeat all six bosses.
Valheim is an excellent choice for games like 7 Days to Die because of its survival and base building mechanics. The game can also be played cooperatively so you can grab your 7 Days to Die group and take on the challenge together. The base-building options are extensive in Valheim and your base will be attacked by many creatures. While there might not be any zombies, the crafting, building, base defense and survival offer many parallels to 7 Days to Die.
IGN Rating: 9/10
DayZ
Day Z is an open-world survival game that is played on multiplayer servers. The game immerses you into a world that is full of constant challenges and threats such as other players, zombies, and general survival. The goal of the game is to navigate the wasteland to survive, stay healthy, and scavenge. You will need to build a base and establish a place to thrive in the zombie filled wasteland. This game can be challenging, even when other players are not out to get you.
DayZ is another great option for games like 7 Days to Die because it features similar survival mechanics, such as managing health, hunger, thirst, and injuries. If you play on 7 Days to Die PvP servers, then this style of game is quite similar, since players can become allies or a threat. Both of these games feature large open worlds that you are meant to explore and interact with. DayZ and 7 Days to Die share many similarities in terms of surviving in a zombie-filled world, open-world exploration, and potential multiplayer interactions. However, they both have their differences as well. DayZ focuses more on survival and player interactions, while 7 Days to die heavily incorporates crafting, building, and base defending.
Steam Rating: 7/10
Survive the Nights
Survive the Nights is an open world survival game that is set in a post apocalyptic world overrun by the infected. Set out to explore the zombie-filled world during the day. Hide in your base during the night while being as quiet as possible to avoid detection from zombies. This unique take on zombie survival aims to give large gameplay differences between day and night. Making surviving the nights your biggest challenge and giving you sweet respite during the day light hours.
Shared themes and gameplay mechanics make Survive the Nights similar to 7 Days to Die. Both games have an open world in which you are free to roam through towns and other locations. You must do this while managing your health stats, such as hunger, thirst, and fatigue. This game features similar zombie mechanics. The zombies will be slower during the day but a lot faster and more aggressive at night. This game does not utilize base building but you can strategically fortify existing locations to create a base for yourself to be safe within. These fortified locations will be key to your survival at night, just as they are during blood moons in 7 Days to Die.
Steam Rating: 6/10
Check out Survive the Nights on Steam!
Empyrion
Empyrion is a sandbox-style open-world survival game that focuses on space exploration. In this game, you find yourself crashed on a strange alien planet where you need to survive. You need to be resourceful and build ships and space stations to thrive. Fight humans and aliens as you play within a procedurally generated galaxy full of hostility and danger.
Empyrion features solo gameplay or online multiplayer, similar to 7 days to die. This game features a large crafting system that allows you to build many kinds of ships, weapons, and tools to aid in your survival. Like 7 Days to Die, constructing a secure base is vital to your survival. Hostile enemies will periodically assault you and you must fend them off. While Empyrion is a space survival game and does not contain zombies, the underlying base defense and survival mechanics offer a comparative experience to 7 Days to Die.
Steam Rating: 9/10
The Infected
The Infected is an open-world survival game that is full of danger. Following an outbreak of a virus, a new drug is made to combat the infections. However, the new drug came with strange side effects, causing vambies. Vambies are a cross between vampires and zombies. You must now fight to stay alive in this brutal and dangerous world.
The Infected is a highly recommended game on our list of games like 7 Days to Die. It features the management of hunger, thirst, and other survival mechanics. You can build and craft bases, as well as items to aid in your quest to stay alive. Both games feature the ability to hunt, farm, and cook, as well as the ability to mine and gather resources from the environment. Similar to 7 Days to Die, there are undead enemies the player must contend with as they aim to thrive in this unique apocalyptical world.
Steam Rating: 9/10
Check out The Infected on Steam!
Night of the Dead
Night of the Dead is an open-world survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world. In this game, you play as Lucy, who has recently woken up from an experiment and is stuck in a city that is overrun with zombies. You must survive waves of zombies each and every night, as you attempt to survive in this unforgiving world.
Night of the Dead is one of our favorite games like 7 Days to Die because of the hostile environment that both games make you survive in. The games both focus on building unique bases by cutting trees and mining. Both games feature hordes of zombies that attack your defenses. As a result, you have to build strong and durable defenses to repel the relentless attacks. Comparable to 7 Days to Die, you will need to survive by finding food from hunting and farming. You can find loot inside of locations or craft your own weapons and tools. If you like 7 Days to Die, there is a good chance you will enjoy Night of the Dead.
Steam Rating: 9/10