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Subsistence
Subsistence is a sandbox, first person, solo or co-op, PvE open-world survival game. Struggle through changing seasons to build a base, develop technology and gear-up in the hostile environment. Defend yourself from wildlife, the elements and AI hunters (who also build bases in the world).
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Data as of 2026-05-20.
What reviewers agree on
63 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“I've had this game for a long time and I love survival crafters. The changing of the seasons in this game is really pretty and I really, really want to like the game. I install it maybe once a year and try to play for a…”
“Survival Gameplay 10/10 Shooter gameplay 8/10 Base Building 8/10 Ive been keeping an eye on this game and finally decided to get it and 100% would get it again the survival part really can be hard at the start but thats…”
“Single developer, regular updates for years, great base building, cooking, fishing, hunting, PVE”
24 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“Survival Gameplay 10/10 Shooter gameplay 8/10 Base Building 8/10 Ive been keeping an eye on this game and finally decided to get it and 100% would get it again the survival part really can be hard at the start but thats…”
“Started playing this game a few weeks ago ( 1-2026 ). Playing on easy mode to get the hang of it and its still a challenge with the gathering of food and carbs. Love this game in so many ways.....NO F-N ZOMBIES for…”
11 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“Single developer, regular updates for years, great base building, cooking, fishing, hunting, PVE”
“This is one of the most fun survival games i have played. It is very very grindy however it just scratches an itch that most new games don't. It is a one man developer so that's pretty awesome as well. I just wish you…”
6 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“I've had this game for a long time and I love survival crafters. The changing of the seasons in this game is really pretty and I really, really want to like the game. I install it maybe once a year and try to play for a…”
“This game is beautiful and deadly! Challenging game, and also very rewarding. The building capabilities get really fun as time passes in the game. Elevators, vehicle, create a cableway across the map if ya like! Fly…”
“Love this game. It is tough, yes. But stunning graphics and can be peaceful at times. I like the grind, I love the buiding aspect, we are enjoying it so far!”
6 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“This game is beautiful and deadly! Challenging game, and also very rewarding. The building capabilities get really fun as time passes in the game. Elevators, vehicle, create a cableway across the map if ya like! Fly…”
“Love this game. It is tough, yes. But stunning graphics and can be peaceful at times. I like the grind, I love the buiding aspect, we are enjoying it so far!”
“I saw some videos of gameplay before buying the game so I had a good idea what I was getting into. I've completely enjoyed all of the time I've played and would recommend the game. I would encourage any potential buyers…”
28 of the 104 reviews raise this · 12 of them still recommend the game.
“I've had this game for a long time and I love survival crafters. The changing of the seasons in this game is really pretty and I really, really want to like the game. I install it maybe once a year and try to play for a…”
“Game is really leaning into the grind your way up mechanics too hard, and actively gatekeeps anyone who finds alternate ways to squeeze enjoyment out of it. The dev will give you cool toys to play with, then put up…”
“This is not a good game at all, constantly have hostile wolves or bears around that snipe you out of nowhere. Can't even build anything because resources are so limited, and you have to have so many of those resources…”
18 of the 104 reviews raise this · 6 of them still recommend the game.
“This is not a good game at all, constantly have hostile wolves or bears around that snipe you out of nowhere. Can't even build anything because resources are so limited, and you have to have so many of those resources…”
“Honestly, the game looks like it has potential BUT it plays terribly. You and your friends will spawn in completely different locations from each other and despite having it set to give you tips on how the game plays,…”
“Im a person who enjoys challenges and if a game is easy I get bored quick but the beginning of this game is really bad. So much so that I wasnt willing to lose my refund opportunity to continue. You have to find bags…”
18 of the 104 reviews raise this · 3 of them still recommend the game.
“Game is really leaning into the grind your way up mechanics too hard, and actively gatekeeps anyone who finds alternate ways to squeeze enjoyment out of it. The dev will give you cool toys to play with, then put up…”
“This is not a good game at all, constantly have hostile wolves or bears around that snipe you out of nowhere. Can't even build anything because resources are so limited, and you have to have so many of those resources…”
“♥♥♥♥ the balance is so dumb. There is a predator animal evry 20 meter and the rss collection so bad you have to buy respawn to what a stupid system.”
11 of the 104 reviews raise this · 3 of them still recommend the game.
“I gotta be honest this game is grindy and I dont mind. But for the love of god why is infection the most miserable ♥♥♥♥ put on top of the rest of the grind this game has. It should not persist death. Why would I want to…”
“Hardcore but them damn wolves seem to just spawn out of mid air, I can check my surroundings and poof wolf that kills me in 2 hits can't run away fast enough tried fighting one lol nope fun game just buggy and your…”
“Same jank it had 10 years ago... I like jank, within reason, this is just not fun. The exessive requirement for nails to do anything takes any steam out of this pos.”
5 of the 104 reviews raise this · 3 of them still recommend the game.
“Honestly, the game looks like it has potential BUT it plays terribly. You and your friends will spawn in completely different locations from each other and despite having it set to give you tips on how the game plays,…”
“tooo much cheaters”
Counted across 104 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 72.3% positive rating · as of 2026-05-20
“I've played a lot of this game. I mean a lot. I won't sugar coat it... this one is a hard one, and not in a good way, but hear me out. You're gonna die. It's gonna happen, either by your own hand or by the several things that'll get ya. This is where you'll learn what to do and…”
— a player, Steam review · 446 hrs played“You can’t please everyone all the time. Moving from UDK to a fully licensed engine source is not some small patch. That’s foundational work. That’s long term vision. That’s future proofing the game instead of just slapping content on top of technical limits. People forget this…”
— a player, Steam review · 146 hrs played“The game is challenging but the worst and most annoying and irritating thing is when you die, it will randomly place you somewhere on the map even if you have a home base. I have had it spawn me over 1500 meters away from where I have died. IF you make it back to your body…”
— a player, Steam review · 54 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live count fetched 2026-07-11 10:14 UTC · history via SteamCharts.
Achievement stats
Global completion rates across all Steam players — a data view of how far people actually get. Source: Steam official stats · as of 2026-07-25.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-11. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Regional prices at last sample, in local currency — Steam sets each region's price independently.
Cheapest → most expensive, converted to USD at ECB reference rates (2026-07-24). Relative comparison only.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
Alpha 67 Update
Move to Full Licensed Engine Source Code:I have finally moved to the full licensed engine source code, moving away from UDK. This is a big step, which I have been planning/preparing for a long time. T
Alpha 66 Update
New Hunter Combat AI:Hunters have had an overhaul of their combat AI. Previously they used a fairly predictable pattern of move/stop/shoot. Now they can shoot while moving, will strafe while engaging,
Alpha 65 Update
Cable Car System: A new mode of long range transport has been added to the game. Capable of traversing difficult or impassable terrain, suspended high above the many threats posed on ground level. The
Alpha 64 Update
Controller Support: As I have been promising for a long time, I've finally implemented full controller support for Subsistence. The support should cover all Xbox, PlayStation, Steam Deck, and generic
Alpha 63 Update
Base Furniture: Based on many suggestions from the community I've added a selection of home furniture. These are primarily cosmetic enhancements for builders wanting to customize and decorate their ba
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Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-20.
| Genres | Action, Early Access |
| Player tags | Open World Survival Craft · Survival · Multiplayer · Crafting · Open World · Building · Base-Building · Sandbox · Co-op · Singleplayer · Early Access · Action (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Multi-player · PvP · Online PvP · Co-op · Online Co-op · Steam Achievements · Full controller support |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Czech, Hungarian, Norwegian, Portuguese - Portugal, Portuguese - Brazil, Dutch, Russian, Turkish, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Romanian, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean… |
| Controller | Full support |
| Achievements | 47 |
| Estimated owners | 500,000 – 1,000,000 (SteamSpy) |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: OS *: Windows 7+ Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 2.4ghz or Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core 5200 Memory: 2 GB RAM Graphics: Geforce GT 460 or Radeon HD 3800 DirectX: Version 9.0 Storage: 1500 MB available space