New Unreal Engine 5 Survival Games coming in 2023 and beyond

Over the last decade, the survival game genre has exploded, with titles like DayZ putting players in dangerous situations against other players and the environment around them. Here are some upcoming games powered by Unreal Engine 5 that will allow you to craft, hunt, loot, and survive.

Dune: Awakening

Conan Exiles developer Funcom is working on a new open-world survival MMORPG based on the Dune sci-fi franchise.

The game will take place on the desert planet Arrakis and will include many of the series' characters, locations, and other lore elements, as well as infantry and vehicular third-person combat and base building. Aside from a few short gameplay clips, not much has been revealed, but we can expect to hear more as its beta approaches.

It will be released in late 2023 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, but due to the reported size of the title, it may be delayed until early 2024. Sign-ups are currently open on the game's official website.

Frostpunk 2

11 bit studios is releasing a sequel to Frostpunk, its first "society survival game" in which the player was tasked with keeping the citizens of their city alive during a volcanic winter.

Frostpunk 2 takes place 30 years after the events of the first game, and players must balance growing the city, keeping its citizens alive and well, and ensuring that production of goods does not halt due to a variety of issues such as political turmoil, poor weather conditions, and outbreaks of illness.

The game is expected to be released on PC in 2024, but no information about other possible console versions has been revealed so far.

Ark 2

Studio Wildcard’s dinosaur-taming survival game Ark: Survival Evolved quickly became a favorite among the genre’s fans, prompting the developer to collaborate with Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel on a sequel.

Although not much is known about the game, we can expect to see the return of base building, PvPvE gameplay, standard eating, drinking, temperature management mechanics, and, of course, the ability to ride around and fight on the backs of dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, Studio Wildcard has announced that it has been delayed yet again, with a new release date of 2024 for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PlayStation 5. Until then, the studio has been working on a remaster of the original game to tide players over.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl

The cult classic Stalker franchise is returning 14 years after its last entry, despite several delays and leaks over the years.

Stalker 2 casts the player as a "Stalker," a person who roams the exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear reactor after a second disaster in search of "artifacts" with various powerful and unique abilities. Players must navigate the zone while trying to form alliances and avoid various dangers, with unique anomalies attempting to stop them in their tracks.

Despite development delays caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Stalker 2 is expected to be released in late 2023 as a timed exclusive for Xbox Series X/S and PC. A PlayStation 5 version may be released in the future, as its exclusivity period is reportedly only three months.

The Day Before

Fntastic’s now-infamous The Day Before is an upcoming MMO zombie survival game set in post-apocalyptic America.

Players will have to sneak and shoot their way through urban and rural areas to scavenge for supplies and equipment. It will also have a crafting system, customizable guns, and interactive environments, and it will be very similar to genre pioneer DayZ. The main issue with the game is that no one knows if it actually "exists" in its teased form, with some calling it a "scam" after it was delayed in January due to trademark issues related to its title as well as allegedly copying many of its trailer shots from Call of Duty.

Unless it is delayed again, a new PC release date has been set for November 10. It's also unclear whether it'll be sold on Steam or another storefront now that its store page has been removed by Valve.

Rooted

Rooted, an upcoming post-apocalyptic survival game from indie developer Headlight Studio, is set in 2100 after a war ends in global bacteriological warfare, leaving them with the task of surviving against the harsh world that remains.

All of your favorite survival game elements will be present, including an in-depth scavenging system, hostile humans, animals, and even robots, and base-building mechanics that can be enjoyed alone or with friends. Although PvP will be present, it appears that PvE versions of the map will be the primary focus.

The game’s release date has not been officially revealed just yet, but from its Kickstarter page, copies are estimated to be delivered by March 2024. No console release has been mentioned, but it will be coming to both Steam and the Epic Games Store.