Games like 7 Days to Die

Night of the Dead scratches the same itch as 7 Days to Die when you’re scrambling to fortify a base before the horde hits, then testing whether your planning actually holds under pressure. That loop of scavenging by day, building at dusk, and surviving a brutal night creates the same tense “one more trip for supplies” rhythm.

The overlap goes beyond zombies and crafting: both games lean on base building, tower defense, co-op, and open-world scavenging. What makes that feel familiar is the way every resource decision matters twice—first for immediate survival, then for whether your defenses can withstand the next attack.

Night of the Dead adds a fresh angle with its heavier tower-defense focus and a more deliberate third-person option, so defense layout and battlefield control matter a little more than in 7 Days to Die. It also gives fans a worthwhile tradeoff by leaning into a wider resource hunt and stronger base-crafting emphasis, which can feel more structured than 7DTD’s looser sandbox chaos.

Best for players who enjoy planning defenses, co-op survival, and night-by-night escalation.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Night of the Dead.

Scouring abandoned houses for scrap to fortify a crumbling shelter against a relentless undead threat captures the exact survival loop 7 Days to Die veterans crave. This shared focus on tactical scavenging and resource-heavy base building creates a familiar sense of desperation and progression.

The intricate crafting systems in VEIN echo the structural freedom of voxel-based defense, allowing you to manipulate the environment to suit your survival strategy. This creates a high-stakes tension where your architectural choices directly determine whether you survive the night or lose everything to a breach.

VEIN trades total world destruction for a first-person simulation depth reminiscent of Project Zomboid, offering more granular control over your character's physical state and world interactions. While the game remains in an unpolished state, its committed indie development offers a refreshing alternative to the aggressive monetization and bloat found in older genre giants.

Best for players who prioritize mechanical density and evolving systems over polished, cinematic presentation.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to VEIN.

The shared backbone of these titles is fortification-based survival, where your primary loop involves gathering resources by day to engineer a defensible base against incoming waves.

This matters because the stress-to-reward ratio of building against a ticking clock remains identical, forcing you to constantly optimize your perimeter for incoming threats.

The primary departure is scale and tone: you trade the gritty, post-apocalyptic zombie apocalypse of 7 Days to Die for a stylized, insect-infested backyard that emphasizes verticality and intricate creature AI over gunplay.

Pick this up if you crave complex base-building loops but can live without the bleak, decaying atmosphere of a zombie-ravaged wasteland.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Grounded.

Both games trap players in a relentless cycle of scavenging by day and fortifying against nightfall hordes, where every plank hammered into a wall and every bullet conserved feeds directly into survival. The open-world sandbox structure means you’re never just progressing a story—you’re building a personal narrative of survival through choice and improvisation.

Where 7 Days to Die leans on voxel-based tower defense and deep crafting trees, No One Survived delivers a more atmospheric take on the same formula: co-op expeditions into hostile territory, base improvements that genuinely change how you approach threats, and that signature post-apocalyptic dread that makes stepping outside feel like a calculated risk. The shared focus on multiplayer survival transforms routine resource runs into tense social experiences where cooperation and communication determine who walks back through the gate.

No One Survived trades 7 Days to Die’s humor and base-building complexity for tighter environmental horror—fewer systems to manage, but a more immersive atmosphere that rewards careful exploration over grinding. The developers actively incorporate community feedback, addressing stability issues that plagued the source game.

Best for survival fans who want a polished, atmospheric co-op experience with 7 Days' core tension stripped down to its most visceral essence.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to No One Survived.

Conan Exiles swaps 7 Days' zombie apocalypse for a dark fantasy realm where PvP and kingdom-building dominate, ideal for players wanting MMO survival without horror. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Conan Exiles.

Scraping together a safe room before nightfall, then watching the barricades matter when the dead finally press in—that loop feels right at home here. Both games turn scavenging, crafting, and base-building into survival decisions instead of busywork, so every nail, plank, and food can is part of a bigger plan. That pressure to prepare makes the apocalypse feel earned rather than decorative.

Project Zomboid also gives you the same multiplayer survival chaos, with co-op, PvP, and open-world looting that reward teamwork and paranoia in equal measure. Because its systems lean more realistic, the tension comes from managing injuries, hunger, noise, and exhaustion, which creates the same “one mistake can unravel everything” feeling 7 Days to Die fans know well. It also answers one common complaint head-on: the grind is still there, but the deeper simulation makes each day feel more consequential.

The big tradeoff is perspective: instead of voxel shooting and horde-defense spectacle, you get a slower, harsher, isometric survival sim that foregrounds planning over firepower. Best for players who want brutal survival depth and enjoy mastering systems under pressure.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Project Zomboid.

Sunkenland replaces 7 Days' desert wasteland with flooded, underwater cities, offering early-access survival where exploration and base-building happen beneath the surface. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sunkenland.

Enshrouded blends survival crafting with RPG progression in a lush fantasy world, targeting players who want deeper character customization and quest-driven content. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Enshrouded.

Maintains the crafting loop and base defense but splits perspective between first and third person, lightening the horror for tactical exploration. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to SurrounDead.

The Front adds large-scale tower defense and tank warfare to survival crafting, appealing to players who want MMO-style battles alongside base building. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Front.

Voxel survival building defines both games—first-person worlds where base construction is the primary path to longevity.

They also share a multiplayer survival loop with co-op progression, trading, and shared stakes, giving friends a reason to stay invested.

PixARK trades horror zombies for dinosaurs and magic, swapping tension for spectacle in a noticeably buggier package.

Pick this up if you want the voxel-building survival formula with creature collection, but can live without zombie dread and tolerate frequent crashes.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to PixARK.

TerraTech replaces zombie threats with robot‑building and vehicular combat, appealing to players who want a physics‑driven sandbox where vehicles dominate survival. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to TerraTech.

Strips away building and focuses on intense PvP zombie survival with realistic ballistics and inventory tension across shared online worlds. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Survive the Nights.

Contagion emphasizes intense horror and competitive PvP over base building, offering local co‑op and a focus on atmospheric survival for horror fans. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Contagion.

Deadside delivers a realistic, military‑themed post‑apocalyptic world with large‑scale MMO battles, contrasting 7 Days' survival horror with third‑person combat and minimal zombies. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Deadside.

Injects classic isometric zombie survival with PvP and crafting, offering a top-down perspective and tighter multiplayer focus within a post-apocalyptic world. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to HumanitZ.

Empyrion shifts 7 Days' zombie terror to space exploration, letting players construct voxel spacecraft and bases across planets for a sci‑fi survival sandbox. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Empyrion: Galactic Survival.

Both games share an obsessive focus on base building, forcing you to constantly fortify against a hostile, unforgiving environment. You will spend hours gathering resources to craft the perfect defensive structure, which matters because survival is impossible without a fortified foothold.

The primary shift is the setting: you trade 7 Days to Die’s urban zombie hordes for Icarus’s high-stakes, session-based extraction missions on a lethal alien planet. You lose the persistent voxel world but gain significantly sharper graphics and a more tactical, science-fiction aesthetic.

Pick up Icarus if you crave the loop of frantic resource gathering and construction but prefer polished, session-driven mission structures over an endless sandbox crawl.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to ICARUS.

Swaps horror and zombies for physics-driven sandbox construction and co-op creativity, keeping the building but ditching survival tension entirely. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Scrap Mechanic.

Relocates the survival sandbox to Mars with first-person base building and scientific resource management, trading zombies for environmental hazards and extraterrestrial isolation. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to MEMORIES OF MARS.

Delivers intense atmospheric horror with a grounded jungle survival focus, contrasting the voxel world with realistic environments and deeper single-player immersion. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Green Hell.

Features a harsh, frozen atmosphere where survival centers on managing body temperature and mystery, replacing urban exploration with lonely, sci-fi arctic isolation. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Wild Eight.

Provides a low-poly, arcade-style take on the zombie horde survival loop, streamlining the base building mechanics for faster, more casual multiplayer combat. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to DeadPoly.

Condenses the survival formula into a solo-only experience with minimal multiplayer, emphasizing base construction over exploration and PvP conflict. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Mist Survival.

Simplifies the survival mechanics into a colorful, child-friendly creature-taming adventure with casual co-op rather than zombie defense pressure. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to PixARK.

Expands-base building with voxel landscapes and a relaxing exploration vibe, shifting away from horror intensity to a calm procedural world. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Rising World.

State of Decay adds co‑op building and a third‑person view to zombie survival, delivering a more community‑focused experience than 7 Days' solo sandbox. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to State of Decay.

Focuses on hyper-realistic cannibal AI and immersive forest survival while ditching the voxel-based world for a highly polished, terrifying narrative-driven experience. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sons Of The Forest.

Transplants survival crafting to a 2D pixel space exploration setting with planetary hopping and relaxation-focused progression, muting horror for cosmic wonder. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Starbound.

State of Decay: YOSE strips away multiplayer, focusing on solo community management and trading, catering to players who prefer narrative survival over co‑op building. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to State of Decay: YOSE.

Centers on free-to-play base building with extensive multiplayer and trading in a grim post-apocalyptic horror realm without voxel graphics. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Once Human.

Introduces factory-like automation and creature collecting into the sandbox, offering a significantly more colorful and lighthearted loop than the grim zombie apocalypse. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Craftopia.

Blends pirate-themed exploration with zombie survival, requiring players to manage naval travel and island defenses rather than sticking solely to a single base. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to IfSunSets.

Integrates high-fantasy magic and dragon taming into the survival formula, offering a more whimsical, spell-focused alternative to gritty, realistic zombie survival. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Dark and Light.

Swaps the post-apocalyptic zombie setting for a dark gothic vampire fantasy, emphasizing top-down base building and intense action-heavy combat instead of first-person gunplay. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to V Rising.

Leans into humorous zombie survival with agriculture and trains, presenting a quirky spin far from 7 Days to Die’s tense horror atmosphere. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Zompiercer.

Mixes creature collection with survival crafting, adding automation and trading layers that broaden gameplay beyond pure horror sandbox mechanics. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Palworld.

Moves into a futuristic, space-age frontier, prioritizing sci-fi exploration and vehicular travel over the grounded, static base defense found in the original game. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Grav.

Combines 2D physics-based destruction with tower defense, requiring players to build smarter defenses against waves while managing complex environmental hazards. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Dig or Die.