Thanks to a certain pandemic, 2021 wasn’t the best year for games, let alone survival games, but that’s all set to change in 2022, with some of the most impressive and highly anticipated games due to release this year.
Thanks to the uncertainty that has been caused by Covid, the release dates to any of these games could change at any given moment, but hopefully not outside of 2022.
Best Survival Games of 2022
Ark 2
If you’re a fan of survival games, then the chances are you’ve at least heard of Ark: Survival Evolved, which is set to receive its sequel, Ark 2 in 2022.
We haven’t been given a definitive release date for Ark 2 yet, other than it will be released in 2022, although Studio Wildcard does have a tendency to delay releases, so there is a slight chance this could be delayed beyond 2022.
You might have noticed Vin Diesel in the video above, who is now heavily involved in the Ark franchise, not only in-game, as Santiago, but is also the president of creative convergence for Wildcard too.
Ark has received a lot of criticism over the years, with many players feeling that not enough has been done to fix bugs and issues with the game, yet it still remains one of the most popular recent survival games, alongside The Forest, which also has a sequel coming out this year.
Release Date: TBC
Nightingale
Nightingale has come out of nowhere and become one of the most anticipated survival games of the year.
While the trailer doesn’t show us too much, it gives us a glimpse of what to expect, as well as includes some in-game footage, which really was an exciting treat.
Much like Ark 2, Nightingale seems set to be a story-driven survival game, with the end goal seemingly being to repair and pass through broken portals in order to return to your homeworld, which you are currently locked out of.
From the trailers and newsletters, I have seen an amazing assortment of creatures, ranging from towering giants to mutated humanoids.
It would seem that base building is a giant part of Nightingale, with the ever-looming threat of giant creatures smashing your base down in one fell swoop.
We’re still waiting on a release date for Nightingale, but the publishers have stated it will be this year, expect Unboxed Reviews to be covering this game in much more detail closer to release.
Release Date: TBC
Sons of The Forest
Sons of the Forest is the sequel to the popular survival game, The Forest, and looks set to expand on the ground-breaking mechanics from the original games.
The trailer shows off some fantastic new features, such as using beheaded cannibals to scare off attackers, as well as some cool new building features.
Much like The Forest, expect Sons of The Forest to not only be extremely creepy but also contain some of the most adrenaline-filled, edge of your seat combat seen in a survival game to date.
While The Forest is one of my all-time favorite games, it does have its flaws, most of which seem to have been resolved in Sons of The Forest, with the game introducing some incredible new gameplay mechanics to the game, alongside stunning graphical improvements.
2022 has some incredible survival games lined up, but Sons of The Forest is certainly one of the most promising in my eyes and one that the others will need to create something truly unique to beat.
Release Date: May 2022
Smalland
Much like Obsidian Entertainments Grounded, Smalland is a survival game where players are tiny and must face the everyday challenges of being the size of a small insect.
Players must survive at the bottom of the food chain, building settlements to survive in, and crafting weapons and items to help keep them alive, against a wilderness filled with bigger creatures desperate to eat you.
Smalland has been delayed a few times now, in fact, it was meant to be released late last year but again was delayed until 2022, let’s hope we get to see the 2022 release date happen.
Release Date: TBC
The Day Before
Fans of zombie survival games have been looking forwards to The Day Before for some time now, thankfully, that wait draws closer to an end.
As a huge fan of the Arma 2 mod DayZ, I personally cannot wait to see what The Day Before has to offer, watching the trailer above it reminds me of a cleaner, higher-budget DayZ with vastly improved graphics.
Play alone, or with friends, and explore massive skyscrapers, take on hordes of infected and fight to help restore some resemblance of society.
Release Date: June 21st 2022
Frostpunk 2
You’ve not truly survived until you’ve battled the elements of Frostpunk, one of the most difficult strategy survival games I have ever played, excluding They Are Billions.
In Frostpunk, players must try to build one of the last surviving colonies in a frozen wasteland, searching for both resources and survivors, while trying to keep the power going and the heat flowing.
Players are forced to make tough choices, which can cause hardships, and even eventually lead to you being overthrown as a leader.
There isn’t too much information out about what to expect from Frostpunk 2, but considering how successful the first game was, we have high hopes for Frostpunk 2.
If you’ve not played the first Frostpunk game, you can grab it for free, on the Xbox Game Pass, and is definitely worth playing, before the sequel comes out.
Release Date: TBC
