Best Survival Games to Host on a Dedicated Server
Survival games have exploded in popularity, and there is no better way to enjoy them than on your own dedicated server. Running a private server gives you full control over settings, mods, and who joins your world. Whether you are building, exploring, or fighting for your life, a dedicated server keeps the experience smooth and persistent for your entire community.
Here are the best survival games to host on a dedicated server.
Open-World Survival Crafting
Minecraft
Minecraft remains the undisputed king of sandbox survival. With both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition available for dedicated hosting, you can run modded servers with thousands of plugins, custom game modes, and massive builds. The modding community is unmatched, and a dedicated server ensures your world is always online for friends to join.
Valheim
Valheim combines Norse mythology with brutal survival mechanics. Exploring procedurally generated worlds, defeating bosses, and building Viking longhouses is best experienced on a dedicated server where your world persists and friends can drop in at any time. The game continues to receive major updates that keep the community thriving.
Palworld
Palworld took the gaming world by storm. Capture creatures, build bases, and survive in a vibrant open world. A dedicated server lets you customize spawn rates, difficulty, and play with a larger group than peer-to-peer connections allow.
Enshrouded
Enshrouded blends survival crafting with action RPG combat in a voxel-based world. Explore the mysterious Shroud, build elaborate bases, and fight through dungeons with your party. Dedicated hosting ensures stable sessions and persistent world progress.
Hardcore Survival
Rust
Rust is the gold standard for hardcore PvP survival. Base building, raiding, and resource gathering on your own server means you set the rules. Control decay rates, team sizes, gather rates, and whether your server is PvP or PvE. A powerful dedicated server is essential for Rust's demanding performance requirements.
DayZ
DayZ delivers one of the most intense survival experiences available. Scavenging through a post-apocalyptic landscape while avoiding zombies and other players creates unforgettable moments. A dedicated server lets you add custom maps, loot tables, and mods that transform the base game entirely.
SCUM
SCUM pushes survival realism to new levels with detailed metabolism, skill progression, and crafting systems. Hosting your own server lets you fine-tune every survival parameter and build a community around your preferred playstyle.
7 Days to Die
7 Days to Die combines survival horror with tower defense. Build fortifications, scavenge resources, and prepare for the devastating horde night every seven days. Private servers let you adjust zombie difficulty, loot abundance, and blood moon frequency.
Co-op Survival Adventures
Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest is a terrifying co-op survival horror experience. Build shelters, craft weapons, and survive against mutant threats on a mysterious island. A dedicated server keeps your progress saved and your base intact between sessions.
Icarus
Icarus brings session-based survival to an alien planet. Drop onto the surface, complete missions, gather exotic resources, and return to orbit. Dedicated hosting ensures smooth performance for the game's demanding Unreal Engine environments.
Don't Starve Together
Don't Starve Together offers a unique gothic survival experience with charming art and punishing difficulty. Hosting a dedicated server lets you run caves alongside the overworld and keep your community playing around the clock.
Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid is the ultimate zombie survival simulation. This deeply detailed game features realistic mechanics for everything from cooking to carpentry. A dedicated server supports large groups of survivors trying to last as long as possible in the zombie apocalypse.
Unturned
Unturned is a free-to-play zombie survival game with a massive modding scene. Running a dedicated server lets you install custom maps, vehicles, and gameplay mods that keep players coming back.
Colony and Base Builders
Factorio
Factorio challenges you to build and optimize massive automated factories. Multiplayer on a dedicated server lets your team tackle megabase projects together, dividing responsibilities across logistics, defense, and production.
Satisfactory
Satisfactory takes factory building into a gorgeous 3D open world. Hosting a dedicated server means your factory runs continuously, and multiple players can contribute to building the ultimate production line.
Core Keeper
Core Keeper is a charming underground survival game where you mine resources, fight bosses, and build a base in a procedurally generated cavern. A dedicated server lets your group explore at their own pace without needing the host to be online.