The best games like Rust will keep you on the brink of your seat as you never know what, or who may be lurking around the next bend.
Other than demanding survival games like Rust, this level of tension can be found in both multiplayer shooters and PvP games in general.
In this list, we’ll highlight the premier games like Rust on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.
Make sure to check back in the future for more suggestions for games similar to Rust!
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Valheim
Platforms: Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Linux
Our initial recommendation for games akin to Rust is the Norse-themed survival game Valheim, which was originally launched for PC in 2021.
In it, you assume control of one of Odin’s perished warriors who drops into a Norse world and must survive by gathering resources, building shelter, and exploring biomes.
The game features RPG progression as well as unique building mechanics that let you build your own Viking longhouses, furniture, and defenses.
While it places a greater emphasis on co-op and PvE than Rust, both games offer a steep difficulty curve to overcome, especially in the early game.
Grounded
Platforms: Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Next up on our list of the best survival games like Rust is Grounded, which comes courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment and Xbox.
In it, you play as a kid who ends up shrunk down to the size of an ant after science-experiment-gone-wrong.
Forced to survive in your own backyard, you’ll have to navigate challenging environments and keep a vigilant eye for aggressive bugs such as spiders and ants.
Like Rust, one of your principal objectives when getting started in Grounded is to find a secure place to sleep, which is much easier said than done.
Subnautica: Below Zero
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Speaking of dangerous settings, Subnautica: Below Zero is a follow-up to the hit open-world survival game and sees you returning to an alien world covered in water.
After stumbling upon a glacial new biome, you’ll set out to unravel its countless mysteries while crafting and expanding your vast arsenal of tools, bases, and submersibles.
Like Rust, the game is extremely open-ended when it comes to progression, allowing you to focus on the areas you enjoy most.
The only caveat is it doesn’t support multiplayer, though that shouldn’t be an issue considering Below Zero’s waters are already swarming with dangerous enemies.
7 Days to Die
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Mac, Linux
7 Days to Die is a zombie survival horror game that was initially released on Steam in 2013 and has been worked on ever since by developer The Fun Pimps.
Though some fans might be eager for updates to accelerate, anyone coming from Rust will have a mountain of pleasurable and novel content to explore in 7 Days’ current state.
Gameplay combines elements of tower defense, RPG, and sandbox survival games with a focus on crafting tools and constructing shelters.
There’s a PvP component but the primary source of combat comes from fighting zombies that become progressively difficult the further you progress.
The Long Dark
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Linux, Mac
If you’re looking for a solitary-player survival game that will take as much time to master as Rust, then The Long Dark is a suitable alternative.
Set during a harsh Canadian winter, it casts you as a bush pilot whose plane crashes on a vast yet isolated island.
To survive, you’ll have to venture out and find the rest of your group while braving a bitter wilderness designed to annihilate you.
Like Rust, the game focuses on managing various systems such as exhaustion, hunger, and thirst along with combating hostile wildlife, namely wolves.
Stranded Deep
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Linux, Mac
Next up is Stranded Deep, an open-world survival game that has your character surviving a fatal plane crash in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean.
Fighting for survival, you’ll have to scavenge any resources you can find on tiny islands and abandoned shipwrecks while making sure to avoid sea monsters.
Similar to Rust, you’re tasked with maintaining your character’s hunger and thirst as you gather materials and craft various rafts, bases, tools, and more.
Each world is procedurally generated, meaning no two are identical while still featuring an abundance of unique reefs, islands, and trenches to investigate.
Mist Survival
Platform: Windows
Mist is another lone-player sandbox survival game in which players attempt to endure in a world plagued by zombies.
It features a robust building/crafting system that allows you to fortify bases to prevent enemies from getting inside as well as expansive environments to explore.
There are also unique in-game events such as dense mist shrouding the entire map and making the infected more aggressive, forcing you to adapt to survive.
And just like in Rust, you can harness power from generators and other electrical appliances to energize your own machines.
DayZ
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
Anyone who’s played Rust will likely be familiar with DayZ, yet another survival game that incorporates zombies as well as PvP combat.
Some would argue it’s actually a lot more challenging than Rust due to the addition of undead enemies who are prone to attack when they hear noise.
This can add an extra layer of tension to shootouts with other players as you constantly have to scavenge for any supplies you can get your hands on.
Lastly, there are some excellent mods out there for DayZ that can help keep the game feeling fresh and bring the experience a lot closer to a game like Rust.
Green Hell
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Next is Green Hell, a first-person survival crafting game that sees you navigating a treacherous Amazonian rainforest teeming with danger and terror.
Instead of competing with other players for drops like in Rust, you’ll have to deal with the rainforest’s native tribes who aren’t too welcoming of outsiders.
The only way to survive is to craft weapons and construct a shelter from the surrounding resources while foraging for your next meal.
Comparable to Rust, Green Hell promotes curiosity and boldness by rewarding you with additional resources, enhancements, and lore for venturing into uncharted territories.
Minecraft
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android
Despite having drastically different visuals, Minecraft is a superb alternative to Rust which has benefited from years of updates and enhancements.
What’s more, it’s highly flexible in terms of gameplay, allowing you to focus on building, exploring, PvP combat, and more by playing on modded servers.
Some servers take things even further by having full-fledged factions that will wage war with each other, not unlike Rust’s intense clan battles.
However, by default, your goal is to simply survive the game’s dangerous world while exploring various villages, temples, and mines in search of natural resources.
The Forest
Platforms: Windows, PS4
The Forest is another famous open-world survival game that takes place on a remote island filled with an array of terrors, namely grotesque cannibalistic mutants.
You play as a father whose son is abducted after their plane crashlands and must overcome every obstacle or hurdle the island throws his way.
This includes building shelter, crafting improvised tools, and arming yourself with weapons to ward off potential threats as you search for your son.
Similar to games like Rust, The Forest features a versatile crafting system that lets you construct bases wherever and however you want.
ARK: Survival Evolved
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android
Another sandbox survival game that needs no introduction is ARK: Survival Evolved, which reflects many of the similar gameplay elements as Rust.
In it, you explore a vast map littered with futuristic technology and dinosaurs that can be hunted as well as trained to provide transportation and protection.
There are also various resources to gather, such as wood and stone, that let you build basic huts before moving on to more sophisticated materials.
Like Rust, ARK’s world is filled with numerous hazards such as giant megalodon sharks, anglerfish, manta rays, and of course, other players.
Raft
Platform: Windows
Raft is another cooperative-driven survival game that takes place in an immense ocean where you and your friends will have to work together to stay alive.
You start with a tiny raft that’s effectively a few planks of wood and a metal hook attached to a rope that can be used to reel in junk and other items in the water.
Similar to Rust, the game allows you to set your own goals and combine crafting materials gathered to create new furniture, tools, weapons, and power sources.
The difficulty lies in keeping your mobile foundation intact and growing while being pursued by a hungry shark that often tears pieces from your floating platform.
No Man’s Sky
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac
Going from never-ending oceans to literal galaxies, No Man’s Sky is a space-faring exploration game that drops you in a colossal sandbox infinitely larger than any Rust map.
Gameplay mainly focuses on exploring different planets with unique ecosystems and resources that can aid you in your mission to get to the center of the galaxy.
Much like Rust, the game features a base-building component as well as several vehicles to make navigating vast planets a lot simpler.
Lastly, it’s a lot less structured and more open-ended, allowing you to focus on the activities you enjoy most, whether that’s exploration, base-building, trading, etc.
Escape from Tarkov
Platform: Windows
If you truly enjoy the PvP survival aspects of Rust, then Escape from Tarkov might just be the ideal game for you.
In it, players engage in map-wide raids that see them battling over precious items that can be used to enhance characters’ stats and equipment.
Like Rust, the game includes several different maps as well as a satisfying blend of PvP and PvE survival that encourages different playstyles and approaches.
There are periodic resets and updates to help keep the game feeling fresh and exciting, as well as a thriving community always coming up with new tactics and challenges.