8 Best Pixel-Art Survival Games

Many players enjoy pixel art graphics in their games. The style is aesthetically pleasing, has a comfy retro vibe, and tricks us into thinking we don’t need to upgrade our ancient GPUs.

Pixel-Art Survival games are hard to come by, and finding good ones is even more challenging.

Fear not, gamer, as I’ve got some top-tier recommendations for you, including a couple I’ve spent well over 100 hours on.

8 Space Haven

Life Is Tough In Space

Space Haven offers a brilliant take on the colony simulator genre, where you assemble your city among the stars brick by brick.

The shipbuilding alone will be a massive selling point for many players, and no two ships will be alike as you add new facilities to suit your colony’s needs.

There’s a healthy serving of resource management, and every colonist requires something a little different if your team is to survive the unforgiving boundaries of space.

The universe feels alive, and you’ll encounter many other spacecraft on your journey. It’s one thing to survive, but it’s quite another to thrive, and Space Haven does a great job of making you care about your crew.

Space Haven kicks off our list as, while it’s a fantastic game with unique ideas, it’s been in early access since 2020. There’s more than enough content to warrant a recommendation, but updates come at a glacial pace.

7 Zero Sievert

Zero Sievert offers an ambitious attempt at bringing elements of extraction shooters into a top-down pixel-art survival setting.

I’m pleased to say they succeeded, and while there are some questionable balancing choices, the game is an absolute blast to play. Extraction shooters are nerve-wracking because you put your own gear on the line every time you leave the safety of your base.

That feeling is perfectly replicated in the PvE procedurally generated world of Zero Sievert. Combat feels punchy, and you always struggle with your own greed.

If your raid goes horribly wrong because you just “had” to loot that high-value target, don’t come crying to me!

6 Wayward

Old-School Style With A Twist

Many games in the survival genre follow the same tropes, which can make them feel quite similar. It’s rare to find a title full of new ideas and for them to actually work.

Wayward may look dated, but don’t let the visuals fool you. The title is approachable if you don’t mind looking at a guide occasionally and is deep enough to satisfy survival veterans.

Crafting is addictive as the system is complex, and there can be a fair amount of variance between two items of the same name.

One feature in Wayward I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else is how the world responds to your actions. Your reputation takes a hit as you ravage the place for resources, and this can affect hostile mobs that appear.

Fortunately, this is reversible by restoring the land with actions like planting trees. The mechanic works well and adds some gravity to tasks that would be menial in other games.

5 Starbound

Sci-Fi Survival Done Right

Starbound is a beautiful 2D survival crafting adventure that trades fantasy tropes for sci-fi.

The universe is ripe for exploring as you teleport from your ship onto alien worlds. Each planet provides a new challenge, and scripted boss battles act as crafting and DPS checks.

Your search for new materials will take you above and below ground, and there’s a surprising level of variance in the environments.

I often see Starbound compared to Terraria, and while the games are similar, the space aesthetic and vibrant worlds make the titles feel pretty different.

Games don’t need constant content injections to make this list, but I should mention that Starbound hasn’t been updated since 2019. There’s more than enough content to enjoy, but what you see is what you get outside of mods.

4 Rimworld

Your Decisions Have Consequences

Every game on this list is about survival, but Rimworld is the only one where your choices affect the lives of an entire community trying to survive on a hostile planet.

Rimworld is an unforgiving colony simulator where every day is a battle against the odds. You must manage everything from food and resources to colonist health and ailments.

There’s a lot to think about, and things can always go south, even when you think you’re untouchable.

I can’t sugarcoat it: Rimworld is a tough game, but the emergent storytelling makes it unique and addictive. No two games will ever be the same, and there’s near-infinite replayability if you get hooked.

Rimworld is so stacked full of content that you won’t need mods anytime soon, but there’s plenty if you do get to that point.

3 Project Zomboid

You Think You’ll Survive? That’s Cute

Project Zomboid seems to feature in many of our lists, but it does so for good reasons.

The Indie Zone’s Project Zomboid is easily the most challenging game on this list, set during a zombie apocalypse. Everything in the game is out to kill you, and part of the game’s charm is all the creative ways you can die.

On that note, expect to die. A LOT. It may seem odd to say that about a “survival” game, but you assume the role of a new survivor whenever you die. You can even retrieve your old gear from your zombified former self if you can find them!

Project Zomboid is feature-rich and unforgiving. You’ll find much to enjoy if you can overcome the difficulty curve, and the experience can even be enjoyed with friends.

2 Terraria

A Juggernaut In The Genre

Terraria is a classic pixel art survival crafting game, and while I don’t think it will ever shrug off its reputation of being “2D Minecraft,” it’s so much more than that.

In Terraria, you must carefully balance exploration with survival and protecting your village. NPCs can move into your base, and you’ll rely on their services as there’s plenty of combat to get stuck into.

There’s an overwhelming amount of content in the game, from unique armor sets to challenging bosses. Boss battles require planning if you want to survive, and you can track your progress based on how many you’ve defeated.

Terraria can be enjoyed alone, but it also has robust co-op features, and it’s great to explore with a friend.

1 Core Keeper

A Stellar Subterranean Adventure

Core Keeper is a phenomenal pixel-art survival game. The title enjoyed a smooth early access period, and its 1.0 release introduced the game to the console audience.

Core Keeper is a sandbox survival game complete with base building, crafting, and exploration. The underground setting may sound limiting, but biomes are beautiful, distinct, and diverse.

There’s a robust cooking system for buffs and hunger management, and a creative selection of bosses serves as a DPS check as you venture further into the unknown.

Much like Terraria, I love how the boss’s fights give you an objective, but it’s one you can tackle at your own pace. Core Keeper has everything, from melee and magic weapons to pets and a transmog system.

I may rate Core Keeper a little highly, but I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s one of my favorite games of the last few years.