Are there other games like Rust? The Facepunch Studios1 survival shooter is engaging, complex, and addictive. However, you may be searching for alternatives with…a friendlier community. There might be further causes, though. In the end, survival fans are akin to those who play sandbox, survival, or realistic shooters. So then, let’s examine the 12+ best games like Rust that we identified.
Choosing Games Like Rust
Rust is a multiplayer-only survival game. You dive into a big open-world map with up to 20 other online players. Here, your only objective is survival, and you may do so by crafting gear, equipment, and structures. The setting provides the following elements for a memorable game:
Crafting – The crafting system is vast and comprehensive. You can create anything, including helicopters, power grids, ammunition, medical supplies, and weapons.
Base Building – Naturally, you may build bases using your resources. Here is where you store your loot, making defenses crucial.
Blueprints – Blueprints are required to craft items. You receive a Blueprint by placing an item you cannot find and a specified amount of scrap on the Research Table.
Online Looting – You may collect natural resources from the world, ammunition, equipment, and supplies from hostile NPCs and other players.
Offline Raids – Other players can raid your loot at any time, regardless of whether you are online or offline.
Safe Zones – In the world, there are safe zones, such as the Outpost. Here, characters can freely interact with crafting benches and converse.
Punishing PvP – The entire map is prepared for PvP. If you are murdered, you may lose all your value. It is one of the most punishing PvP shooters since it is impossible to differentiate friend from foe.
Clans – You can join clans to boost your survival. Clans will defend your bases from raids.
Combat – Rust enables FPS combat with firearms, bows, and similar weapons. However, several bullet types (such as explosive and high-velocity) offer variety.
Thirst And Hunger – Well, these are core systems in Rust. Bars on the UI display Hunger and Hydration levels. When the bars reach a specific level, health is lost. Players must consume prepared meals and drink water to survive.
Damage – Rust has several types of damage. Each damage’s effectiveness depends on the enemy’s armor. Bite, blunt, bullet, explosive, fall, cold, electric, heat, radiation, and stab are the types of damage (bleeding).
Mods – Finally, Rust’s developers permit mods to create custom servers to customize the experience.
Overall, we’re searching for games that Rust fans would enjoy, if not adore. This means selecting titles with elements similar to those listed above. Also, keep in mind that we provide offline and online options.
12+ Best Games Like Rust 2022 To Play
Games Like Rust 2022 to play.
1. Valheim
The developers of Valheim sought to create a game like Rust but set in a mythical Viking universe. Thus, Viking blends FPS elements with their own story to create a casual MMO experience. You play the role of a Valhalla Guardian, a warrior in the world of Nordic purgatory. Your mission is to destroy the old enemies of Odin so that order reigns in the otherworld. As the warrior, you use a dodge-parry-block-attack system similar to that in Dark Souls.
The setting begins as an online cooperative survival RPG. The focus is on PvE, combat, loot, and character progression. The game encourages players to battle bosses as a team to progress to higher-level sections. Loot and resources are superior in these higher-level regions. Your journey starts unarmed and alone. From that point on, you play in a persistent world with a persistent character through dangerous adventures. You may explore, gather resources, craft, and engage in PvE and PvP. Everything occurs in a vast, procedurally-generated open world.
2. Escape From Tarkov
Escape From Tarkov is the most difficult multiplayer survival PvP game ever created. It offers a plethora of realistic and complex gameplay elements that will test your patience. Tarkov is primarily about 30-minute raids. You create an avatar and participate in 30-minute Tarkov raids. You collect as much loot as possible before returning to your offline lair, where you may safely store your loot. There are several maps, and each supports around seven players in addition to many hostile NPCs; anybody might kill you and steal your equipment.
As you progress through the dangerous quest, your characters gain localized talents. Using an SMG improves your SMG skill by three, or crafting items enhances your craft skill. It is a vast character progression system that is difficult to grow. And unfortunately, your character’s “memory” is an additional talent that determines how slowly or quickly he forgets his skills. Back at the offline hideout, you can craft gear, water, and medkits for your next adventure. Consider the game’s localized damage, which necessitates specific medical items for each sort of damage. Well, if none of this appeals to you, you can play the NPC faction and oppose enemy players on the maps.
3. The Forest
The Forest is a realistic survival game that emphasizes cooperative PvE over PvP. The setting is lush rainforest. You are the only survivor of an aircraft disaster. You begin with nothing but your bare hands, and the objective is to survive on the land and learn to control the environment. This means cutting wood, lighting fires, creating shelters, building camps, and crafting gear, among other tasks.
However, the game’s open world incorporates horror, crafting, and combat. Mutants and cannibals inhabit the unknown island. You may get more powerful as the game advances by acquiring better gear. They are difficult to deal with. However, The Forest is an online-only game; thus, it does not store data offline. Lastly, the title has an unexpectedly engaging story. It is a unique trait for the genre and was sufficient to attract many devoted fans.
4. Ark: Survival Evolved
Ark: Survival Evolved is about power struggles, whereas Rust is a fight-or-flight scenario. It is also a survival shooter with similar gameplay principles. You build a character and enter a map of your choosing in Ark. As usual, you start the game naked, and what you do from there is up to you. You will eventually be able to pilot a helicopter while firing crude rockets. And by overtime, I mean months of arduous labor.
The island is home to dinosaurs, other species, and natural resources. You may gather resources from both to craft shelters, bases, supplies, and gear. Gear ranges from spears and other prehistoric weapons to contemporary firearms. In addition, you may tame dinosaurs so that they work for you. A further resemblance to Rust is offline raiding. You build a base, erect defenses, and store your loot. Nevertheless, other players can raid you (joining clans can help you). Despite this, your characters level up in Ark, allowing you to raid other players on your own ultimately.
5. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Series
Well, The S.T.A.L.K.E.R series almost developed the survival shooter formula. So if you’re searching for an offline, stress-free choice, the franchise’s third installment is your best chance. The setting of the game is the area surrounding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. According to the game’s storyline, a second explosion followed the original nuclear explosion. You play as a Stalker, a scavenger in “The Zone,” searching for relics with supernatural psychic abilities.
The FPS combat is difficult, and the maps are frightening. Its story requires you to balance radiation, hunger, thirst, sleep, radiation damage, dwindling ammo and supplies, mutants, and opposing groups to survive Zone invasions. Call of Pripyat is their best work to enter. You play the role of Major Alexander Degtyarev. He is a former Stalker-turned-government official trying to find missing military agents in the zone. During his travels, he discovers that psychic “emissions” are wreaking havoc in the area.
6. Minecraft
Minecraft isn’t a punishing PvP game, but we believe the block-building game impacted FacePunch’s smash success. On Minecraft, you play in two unique game modes on a vast open world. In “Creative Mode,” players have a limitless supply of health points and resources. The objective is to put your imagination to the test by constructing as many structures as possible. Well, the other game mode is survival. You start with a rudimentary instrument that can be used to gather simple resources.
In addition to having limited HP, dangerous creatures such as zombies and huge spiders may attack you at night. The objective is to build a shelter to survive in the world, and you must use your rudimentary tool to develop your crafting and resource-gathering abilities from the beginning. Over time, Minecraft transforms into a true sandbox game. You can craft anything, from sky-high roller coasters to bows and arrows, using the resources you gather. Other players may join your server locally or online. Collectively, you may build better items or explore an infinite open world, dungeons, and portals to another dimension in search of loot and combat.
7. Mist Survival
Mist is a sandbox survival game for a single player. Similarly to the original DayZ, the player must survive in a world overrun by zombies. It contains robust building mechanics, excellent survival features, and an expansive world to explore that has been abandoned. It is the optimal option for individuals who enjoy the survival component of Rust. Comprehensive survival mechanics are implemented. It has robust crafting, base building, an expansive open world, dynamic weather, a day-and-night cycle, animal husbandry, illness, wounds, stealth, driving, and traps. You may also explore a vast world with villages, woods, a small town, a military base, and several mysteries.
In terms of lore, players are immune to the epidemic. Then, they must find food and shelter to survive the disaster. The enemies are bandits, diseased NPCs, and wildlife. Lastly, a thick mist may at any time blanket the map. The smoke introduces dynamic occurrences, such as swarms of zombies. Keeping in mind that this is an Early Access Game, there are still bugs and missing features. Especially early purchasers are requesting a multiplayer component.
8. Metro: Exodus
Like STALKER, the Metro series is a top in single-player survival campaigns. Metro: Exodus, their most recent entry, is a must-play for fans of similar genres. It is a perfect example of how FPS games should be immersive. Metro: Exodus is a survival sandbox shooter. The story chronicles the journey of the hero, Artyom, above the surface. He must find a safe location in a post-apocalyptic world. All of the game’s functions, from seeing the map to crafting, occur in real-time for seamless immersion devoid of user interfaces. There are no map markings.
However, there is an additional amazing element, enemy AI. Enemies are intelligent, tough, and strategic. They respond to the acts, weapons, and behaviors you employ. A dynamic system alters enemy spawning based on your actions, where you sleep, what you purchase, and similar factors. All of this compels the player to cautiously and quietly explore the world. The crafting system is key but restricted. Components of weapons, chemicals, and metals are resources. You can also create ammo, health packs, weapon mods, and mask filters for your gas mask. Keep in mind, though, that resources are scarce, and the world is hostile.
9. The Long Dark
The Long Dark is a survival game like many other games like Rust. After a lengthy Early Access phase, it was released to moderate success and favorable reviews. The primary performer is Jennifer Hale, who provided the female Commander Shepard’s voice. This game has a map of a dangerous tundra. Survival shooter fans may expect a tough yet rewarding experience in this setting. Anything might go wrong in the icy wilderness. Unique exploration and survival features are implemented using the game.
The game requires players to think, explore, and discover a means of survival. Resources are scarce, the forest is hostile, and the cold is lethal to all. However, it is a single-player adventure with two modes (Story and Survival). Both modes need the management of hunger, cold, thirst, illness, frostbite, exhaustion, and resources. The story is told in five animated episodes with speech and music. However, you may also play a sandbox-like adventure in Survival Mode. There are no map marks or guidance in any mode, and survival features a permadeath mechanism. The world is the same on both, a vast 50km2 Canadian tundra. You may hunt, fish, set traps, scrounge for food, and survive the severe climate and wildlife here.
10. Raft
Raft is about building a raft, and rafts can have numerous levels. However, the crafting system is fairly similar to that of Rust. Raft is a multiplayer game in which you can work alone, with others, or against others. However, the primary activity is cooperative raft building. You are lost at sea, and the goal is to create debris to build a raft and gather supplies. You start with a lone hook that contains no land. From that point forward, you must find a means to survive.
If you play with friends, other players will join your Raft to build and survive, but you will not be able to see other rafts on the server. On the PvP servers, you and other players will board a single raft and fight to the death. Raft is mostly about building a house amid the ocean. You can fish, gather detritus, research, travel, dive, and fight against sea-based hazards. In addition, you may craft tools, farming plots, weapons, and plenty more.
11. Fortnite
Fortnite is another obvious option, but we had to add it for the sake of those who haven’t tried it. In any event, it is the most popular multiplayer shooter for a reason. The colossal success of Epic Games is an FPS that is cartoonish, humorous, and easygoing. Well, it is a battle royale in which players parachute down on an island where they gather, loot, and fight until only one player survives.
Players of Rust will find Fortnite’s combination of crafting and shooting to be familiar. Fortnite characters may spontaneously create walls, roofs, floors, and staircases. These structures shield players from enemy fire; hence combat frequently depends on building the high ground as quickly as possible. Aside from that, the game has a PvE single-player mode, vast free and paid customization possibilities, and abundant social features and events.
12. Scrap Mechanic
Scrap Mechanic opened as a 9. Though it is currently under Early Access, it continues to change and evolve. Currently, there is also a Survival mode. “Creative Mode” is another option, akin to Minecraft’s alternative. Finally, there is “Challenge Mode” for trials and competitions. In survival mode, players spawn in an unfamiliar world. You play the role of a spaceship survivor trapped in a mystery location. Here, you must gather materials, resources, and food to survive. The world is accessible and dynamically produced. It is packed with treasures, enemies, and dangerous machines.
Either mode relies on Scrap’s cartoony graphics, vibrant colors, and straightforward gameplay. As a result, it’s a pleasant diversion from the complex and unpleasant sensations offered by games like Rust. As you can see, other players are your allies; they help you build machines and bases, explore the world, and fight against bad robots. In addition, Scrap Mechanics provides an effective creation engine. Consequently, the game provides incredible prospects for adventure. It is about using your intelligence and creativity to craft your way out of problems and take advantage of the environment.
13. DayZ
In 2013, when Rust was first released, the enemy NPCs were zombies. It means that the survival mechanics centered on zombie swarms. Therefore, most fans believed it to be a duplicate of DayZ, a 2013 Arma 2 mod. Developers deleted all zombies in 2015, but DayZ was released as a full game in 2018. This might be the first open-world survival game. Survival was the only goal on maps with up to sixty players. The zombies are the common enemy, but players can work with or against you. The weather is unpredictable, the wildlife is dangerous, and the day/night cycle produces terrifyingly dark evenings.
It is also a punishing game. Well, there are no checkpoints, so if you die, you lose everything. The game has many survival mechanisms. Among these are looting, scavenging, scarce resources, crafting, base building, thirst, and hunger. Resource management is crucial, and due to the scarcity of resources, other players may betray you for a single bottle of water. On a 230km2 map, you face the same dangers as other players. We abandoned it because of its present reason. Players constantly complain about bugs, performance concerns, and hackers in DayZ. It’s unfortunate, considering DayZ is otherwise a classic survival shooter.
Conclusion: Games Like Rust
This is the list of the best games like Rust that you can play in 2022. Also, if you know of games like Rust, please let us know. And have an excellent day.