These subgenres (both in name and application) aren’t “official”. You won’t find them on platforms like Steam or other gaming-focused websites. They’re the end result of many hours of debate and discussion among Hashtag staff and community members about how to better describe and categorize the different titles that fall under the umbrella term of “survival”.
Narrative Survival
These titles often tie progression with story. New crafting recipes & tools may be rewarded by following the narrative, and other times the narrative is central to the gameplay.
Lifestyle Survival
These titles typically focus on the simulation of life in a specific time period or place, or as a specific person. They may have mechanics that feature in traditional survival games, but are typically more about the general management of day-to-day life. While similar to Society Survival games, a key difference is the player remains a first hand & key component of the gameplay as opposed to an external outside force.
Society Survival
These titles typically involve the management of a group – varied in size- as they survive & rebuild a life of normalcy after a traumatic or post apocalyptic event. Frequently involves societal aspects (religion, trade, morale) along with foundational survival elements like food, water, supplies, etc.
Survival Horror
These titles primarily involve the player’s struggle to survive against an external threat that is either hunting them or a direct danger to them. They may include tasks for the player to complete while trying to avoid death, but do not require your typical survival game upkeep.
Nominal Survival
Nominal- Existing in name only; not real. We jokingly label these as ‘survival in the eye of the beholder’. They are often referred to as mini MMO’s or psuedo RPG’s by many in our community. Survival elements have a token appearance at best (often to little impact) and there’s often a very relaxed, “I’ll just respawn if I die” kind of feel.