Rust
Rust initially launched into Steam Early Access on PC four years ago in 2014 before taking off the tag for a 1.0 release earlier this year. The multiplayer survival game was a bit different back then, such as having zombies for a few months before being removed permanently, but the core concept remains the same: try to survive.
The game is plagued with a whole host of dangers: bears, wolves, hunger, cold, radiation, falling from a height, and other players who want to take your stuff. Although, you and other players can help each other out by sharing resources and building giant forts for shelter and storage. It might be a good idea at the beginning since all players start with nothing, not even clothes.
Rust is still continually updated with new content almost monthly. The most recent update added a bandit town complete with shops and a casino cause there has to be one in every post-apocalypse.
Into the Breach
Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy game only on PC from developer Subset Games, the makers of FTL: Faster Than Light. Instead of controlling sections of a spaceship, the game gives you control over a squad of mechs against an alien threat on an eight by eight grid.
Like the previous game, Into the Breach can be a punishingly brutal game where every move must be scrutinized for maximum effect. One turn you could be fine with a full squad, then have them wiped out in the next turn because they were in the wrong positions. Every challenge is randomly generated, so it is a new fight every time even though you will be visiting the same places since wiping sends you back to the beginning.
It is great roguelike for $15 that can be played for 20 minutes or more at a time thanks to the variety of enemies, weapons, and tactics that can be used.
The Forest
The Forest is another open world survival game that has also spent four years in Steam Early Access on PC. Officially released in April, The Forest follows the only survivor of a plane crash and must survive in an unknown forest by gathering food, water, and tools to build shelter. There are also cannibals to deal with while the player must look for their son, so there is a lot to deal with all at once.
Unlike Rust, this game is mostly a single-player affair but can be played in co-op with three other friends. It can be pretty scary to be playing a horror game alone, but playing with friends could maybe alleviate that as long as they are not screamers as well. If you want to mess around in the sandbox, there are some mods that could make the survival elements easier or just zip-line across the entire map.
Battletech
Battletech is a turn-based strategy game developed by Harebrained Schemes, which is led by Jordan Weisman and Mitch Gitelman. Weisman created the Battletech franchise with the board game Classic Battletech, while Gitelman was a producer for MechCommander and MechAssault. Needless to say, the studio has a lot of history with mechs.
The PC-only game has you control a group of four mechs as you fight an interstellar civil war. There is a deep system of customization by changing up each mech’s armor and weapons down to smaller parts that can adjust the turning radius of the hulking machines. The game might be a slow start with brutal pacing and obtuse mechanics, according to our review, but offers rewarding combat and a compelling story for those who stick with it.
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