How To Survive: Third Person Standalone

About

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing shooter game with horror, post-apocalyptic and violence themes. It was developed by Eko Software and was released on July 1, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

Driven by community suggestion, 505 Games and EKO Software introduce you to a new single player 3rd person view experience that allows you to re-play the zombie crafting adventure "How to Survive" from a deeply immersive point of view.

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone screenshot

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53%

Audience ScoreBased on 425 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The third-person perspective offers a fresh and more immersive experience compared to the original top-down view.
Crafting and survival mechanics remain deep, engaging, and fun, providing meaningful decision-making and strategy.
The game includes several DLCs and different difficulty modes, extending replayability and challenge for players.

Controls and combat are clunky and awkward, particularly with imprecise aiming and slow or unresponsive mechanics.
Lack of multiplayer/co-op mode, which was a core aspect of the original game, disappoints many players.
The game shows technical issues such as bugs, frustrating enemy spawns, poor optimization, and dated graphics especially exposed by the new close-up camera.

graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
Users generally find the game's graphics dated, low-quality, and poorly optimized, especially with the new third-person perspective that exposes flaws and reduces visual appeal. Many mention limited or non-functional graphics settings resulting in lag and frustration, though a few acknowledge the graphics as adequate or decent for a lightweight, fun gameplay experience. Overall, the visuals receive mixed to negative feedback, with criticism focused on animation, texture quality, and lack of customization options.
- “The graphics and quality is amazing as well, plus the controls are easy to master.”
- “Great game, I recommend this game if you have a laptop or PC, you don't even need a good PC to actually run this game, you can change the graphic settings if you have lag of any sort and you can play this game at high graphics if you have a good operating system.”
- “A really fair price for a zombie apocalypse game with nice graphics and decent gameplay.”
- “The visuals, which looked adequate from an isometric view, appear dated and low-quality up close.”
- “No graphics settings other than some low/normal and resolution; not even worth the dollar on sale.”
- “There is no way to adjust graphics settings, which makes this game lag like mad.”
gameplay
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
66%
15%
The gameplay retains the core survival mechanics of scavenging, crafting, and managing needs, but the shift to a third-person perspective exposes mechanical clunkiness, awkward controls, and technical issues that hinder immersion. While some players find the crafting and survival elements engaging, many criticize the floaty movement, poor aiming, and frustrating bugs that make combat and interaction feel disconnected. Overall, the gameplay struggles to transition smoothly from the original top-down format, resulting in a less polished and less enjoyable experience.
- “Developed by eko software and published by 505 games, this standalone release attempts to offer a more immersive take on the series’ zombie-infested island setting, while retaining the core mechanics of scavenging, crafting, and managing basic survival needs.”
- “It transports players back to the zombie-infested tropical archipelago, maintaining the core mechanics of resource gathering, crafting over a hundred survival tools, and battling hordes of the undead.”
- “It has a lot to it for the price and the gameplay is smooth and fun.”
- “The shift to third person highlights mechanical and technical shortcomings that prevent the game from fully realizing its potential.”
- “The close-up, over-the-shoulder perspective fundamentally undermines the experience, exposing technical and mechanical issues that were hidden in the original top-down view.”
- “Most of the time, you will be battling the game's mechanics more than battling the undead.”
story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
65%
9%
The story is generally considered generic and largely unchanged from the original, with a loose survival-focused narrative that lacks depth and immersion. While some players find it fun and addictive for passing time, many criticize repetitive quests, limited player agency, and frustrating controls that detract from storytelling. Overall, the story is serviceable but uninspired, scoring low in originality and engagement.
- “The story mode guides players through a loose narrative framed around survival tips and escape attempts, while additional modes such as challenge scenarios and permadeath variations offer alternative ways to experience the islands.”
- “The story, setting, crafting and missions are all solid and entertaining.”
- “Light weighted third person game with fairly decent graphics and interesting story lines and voice actors for all the NPCs; it is really fun to play.”
- “The original game’s issue with repetitive quest design is amplified by poor traversal and combat.”
- “The story doesn’t really matter.”
- “It is exactly the same game story and all as "How to Survive" but only in 3rd person.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is mixed, with frequent bugs, crashes, and visual glitches reported by many users, sometimes preventing gameplay entirely. Despite these issues, some players find the bugs part of its charm and still enjoy the experience, though the overall stability remains a significant concern.
- “Sadly, the game outright doesn't work on my end, and no amount of troubleshooting could fix it.”
- “The game freezes and keeps rapidly alternating between the last two frames every single time after just a few seconds of gameplay, whilst dxvk makes it crash at the very moment the gameplay starts.”
- “Game is simply just too buggy.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by quirky, morbid, and off-beat jokes mainly delivered through the Kovolsky handbook and Kovac’s rules, adding personality and laughter to survival instructions and gameplay. Players appreciate these humorous touches as they help the game stand out among similar titles while maintaining an engaging and fun experience.
- “The game keeps the best parts of the original design, including the essential resource management (food, water, sleep) and the engaging Kovolsky handbook, which provides survival tips with a morbid, quirky humor.”
- “There are moments that are hilarious and great during the instructions of how to do things.”
- “It's recognizable among the endless hordes of similar titles thanks to some off-beat humor and despite being mindless fun, has quite a bit of content and challenge if you are up for the harder modes.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Optimization is generally criticized for being poor, with limited graphics settings available—only low quality and resolution adjustments—though some users on lower-end hardware still experience smooth performance without crashes. Additional optimization options are desired to improve the overall experience.
- “I have had no problems at the moment with performance and have not had a single game crash yet.”
- “I can't review the graphics or performance of the game simply because I'm running it on a low-end laptop on the lowest resolution and quality, but it runs smoothly based on that.”
- “It's a great game, but it needs more options and better optimization. Currently, all you can do is set the graphics to low and change the resolution.”
- “Horrible optimization”
- “It's a great game, but it needs to have more options and optimization. Currently, all you can do is set the graphics to low and change the resolution.”
- “I can't review the graphics or performance of the game because I'm running it on a low-end laptop at the lowest resolution and quality, but it runs smooth based on that.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is a necessary but tedious process, especially when upgrading high-tier weapons and skills, and is made more frustrating by awkward third-person movement. While crafting better gear is essential for survival, the repetitive nature of grinding can feel dull and slows down the overall experience.
- “The necessary grind to upgrade high-tier weapons and skills—a common element in survival RPGs—feels significantly more tedious and dull when paired with the awkward third-person movement.”
- “Played on Linux using Proton 7.0-4, got this game for 0.62 GBP, runs okay, does have some lighting/shadow issues at night but does not break the game, played a fair few hours and it's an okay game, a bit of grinding and crafting of better weapons/armor is a must to survive later in the game.”
- “A small gripe, but it's tedious.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers high replayability through multiple modes that introduce tougher resource limits and challenges, catering to players seeking intense survival experiences. Additionally, the diverse characters further enhance the variety and enjoyment across multiple playthroughs.
- “These modes extend replayability by placing harsher restrictions on resources or removing safety nets, appealing to players who enjoy testing their survival instincts under pressure.”
- “Overall, the game is very enjoyable. I've played through with all 4 characters, and the replayability is surprisingly high.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere is effectively enhanced by strong sound design, which plays a key role in building and maintaining tension throughout the game.
- “New atmosphere.”
- “Sound design and atmosphere do some heavy lifting in reinforcing tension.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is generally understated and supports the survival atmosphere without being intrusive, though some users find it unimpressive or lacking impact.
- “While the soundtrack is understated, it supports the survival tone without overpowering the experience.”
- “Nice gameplay, nice graphics, nice story, bad music.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users overwhelmingly view the game's monetization as a blatant cash grab, expressing strong dissatisfaction and advising others against purchasing it.
- “This game was just a cash grab. Don't ever buy it!”
- “And naturally, the small ones are always in for an easy cash grab.”

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22h Median play time

22h Average play time

22-22h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone is a open world role playing shooter game with horror, post-apocalyptic and violence themes.

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 22 hours playing How To Survive: Third Person Standalone.

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone was released on July 1, 2015.

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone was developed by Eko Software.

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone has received neutral reviews from players. Most players liked How To Survive: Third Person Standalone for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

How To Survive: Third Person Standalone is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Dead Island Steam Key GLOBAL, How to Survive 2, How to Survive, HumanitZ, Dinosaur Hunt and others.

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