Survival is a genre where the whole point is in the name. Therefore, most of them are packed full of weapons in order to give the players a chance to survive. Those of them that don't tend to be more difficult or extremely focused on the exploration side of things.

RELATED: 10 Best Exploration-Focused Survival Games

Some survival games give out or have tools to craft, which can help with protection just a little, but others have the player rely entirely on their species as a whole to keep them alive. It is a genre that has a lot of strategy blended in and makes for a wide range of potential games.

10 Subnautica Defiantly Refuses To Put Weapons In The Game

Subnautica Viewing A Creature Outside The Window Deep Underwater

Subnautica made waves when the developers refused to give the player anything more than a small knife to defend themselves with. It's a common point of contention within the community, but it makes it unique regardless

It's a game that's heavy on the exploration side of things and really benefits from the constraints it gives itself to not have weapons. Instead, the player has to come up with more creative solutions to solve their problems.

9 No Man's Sky Gives One Laser For Everything

Key art for No Man's Sky's Frontiers update.

Despite No Man's Sky having a really rough beginning, it has shaped the survival genre into an amazing new thing. Worlds are vibrant, massive, and extremely diverse. The player has to go through so many different failures before they can even generate in a hospitable enough world to get going with the story.

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Then they are given a singular laser that is used for collecting resources, helping build, and even fending off attacks. Sometimes it's even not worth trying to fight, and instead, the player has to run, hide, and hope for the best.

8 Astroneer Is Extremely Exploration Heavy

Astroneer Viewing A Colorful World

Astroneer is a bright and colorful survival game that has an extremely high focus on the exploration side of things. The point is to go around, explore, and build with little opportunities to really get down and fight.

It has a very calm feeling behind it which is really added to by the colorful world. It's a fun little game reminiscent of others in the space survival and exploration genres.

7 There Is No Way To Fight Back In Amnesia

Inside An Old Destroyed Bus in Amnesia Rebirth

The Amnesia series is a set of psychological horror survival games that are full of jump scares, mind-bending puzzles, and top-notch sanity drain. There are very real monsters following the player, which will tank their sanity as they get closer looks at them.

Unlike most horror games, however, Amnesia does not give a way to fight back. The whole point is to survive, run, and hide while solving puzzles and trying to make it through. It makes for some extremely interesting solutions when there's nothing that can really be done.

6 Niche: A Genetics Survival Game Is More About Survival Of The Bloodline

Niche Genetic Survival Family Surviving In The Forest Together

Niche: A Genetics Survival Game is a cute turn-based survival game where the player is trying to keep their Nicheling's bloodline going long enough to get them back to their homeland.

There are predators and prey out there on top of other Nichelings trying to take over territory. The player has to keep at least one Nicheling alive to progress and has to ensure that they have the Home Gene if they want to actually complete story mode.

5 Surviving Mars Is Heavy On Exploration & Colonization Rather Than Fighting

A Colony On Mars In Surviving Mars

Surviving Mars is a survival game with a heavy focus on exploration and colonialization of the planet Mars. Not only does the player have to find suitable locations, but they also have to build suitable structures to ensure that their colony thrives.

RELATED: 10 Games That Reward Exploring The World

Since it has such a heavy focus on colonialization, there really isn't much more than the elements that need to be fought against. However, there always has to be something in the colony alive, or it's not going to continue on.

4 Rocky Planet Has Tools That Can Be Used In A Utilitarian Way

Blocky Trees In Rocky Planet

Rocky Planet is one of those games that may look simple and blocky, but it has a lot going for it. In the game, the player has to survive and build with whatever they can find. Sometimes, little creatures will come and attack too, but the best the player can do is run away or hit them with a tool.

It's both weirdly relaxing and stressful to try and stay alive on the rocky planet. It's pretty scarce and simplistic with cute music, but there are also random things that end up being an issue.

3 Animalia Survival Is About Surviving As An Animal

Animalia Survival Lion

A number of games put the player into the lives of an animal. Animalia Survival is a survival-focused animal game where the player can take control of a wide range of African animals and set forth trying to survive, reproduce, and explore the region.

As such, the player is not given any tools outside of what the animal has naturally. There is nothing beyond that, no real fantastical elements, and not much in the means of hand-holding either.

2 Nauticrawl Is Far Too Puzzle Based To Need Them

Nauticrawl 20000 atmospheres

Nauticrawl 20,000 Atmospheres is a strongly puzzle-based survival game. The player has stolen a Nauticrawl and is trying to escape, survive, and blast through puzzles from within the thing, so there's not really any opportunity for weapons to be used.

It puts a slightly different perspective on how survival games can be run. Instead of trying to just save the player character or a small group of people, they are trying to keep up with their machine and escape something far bigger than themselves.

1 WolfQuest Is About Wolves Surviving In Yellowstone

WolfQuest Two Wolves In The Snow

The best part about WolfQuest is that it takes place in real-world Yellowstone National Park and has some real science behind it. The game's developers worked with zoos and other organizations to make the game as realistic and immersive as possible.

The player has to go about life as a wolf in Yellowstone, building a pack, creating progeny, and trying to live as just an animal. There is no fantasy, no tools, and no humans coming in to save the day.

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