Co-op survival: 12 online survival games to play with friends
Surviving together is its own scenario: you scavenge in hostile territory, but the real fun starts when friends are alongside you. These are online and co-op projects, and they share one quirk — to play together, each participant needs their own copy; a single listing does not unlock access for the whole group. Below are twelve such games from marketplace sellers, grouped by sub-genre. Each has its own delivery format: some are licensed Steam keys, some are Steam gifts; the difference is covered in detail in our guide on software from Steam and how to accept a gift. Regions and editions below follow exactly what the seller states on the listing. Calmer solo survival and crafting are in the companion guide on survival and crafting games.
Hardcore survival
The most demanding sub-genre: you track hunger, thirst and dozens of stats, while the threat comes from other players and the environment.
7 Days to Die is an atmospheric survival sim in the post-apocalyptic world of Navezgane: build fortifications that respect physics, explore a destructible open world and fend off waves of mutants, solo or together. Per the listing it is a licensed Steam key in the Region Free edition — activation in any country, a Russian interface, and the key delivered automatically after payment.
SCUM is an open-world multiplayer survival sim on a vast prison island, where metabolism, hunger, thirst and dozens of inner character stats are all tracked. Per the listing it is a Steam gift (not a key): a bot adds you as a friend and sends the game automatically, only to accounts with the store region set to Russia.
Deadside is an open-world multiplayer survival shooter blending PvP and PvE: scavenge gear, stash valuables and build bases. Per the listing it is a Steam gift with automatic bot delivery, only for accounts with the store region set to Russia.
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition is zombie-apocalypse survival blending action, strategy and simulation: gather survivors, scavenge resources and build a base. Per the listing it is a Steam gift; the account region is chosen in the options (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, CIS).
Co-op survival
Here the focus is on playing through together: exploring the world, building a base and facing threats as a group.
Don’t Starve Together has two offers with different delivery mechanics on the marketplace — pick the one that matches your account. Don’t Starve Together (Russia and CIS, gift link), per the listing, is a Steam gift activating in Russia and CIS countries: after payment you receive a gift link, open it and accept the game. Don’t Starve Together (Russia, bot delivery), per the listing, is a Steam gift for Russia-region accounts only: a bot adds you as a friend and sends the game within a minute. The gameplay is the same — co-op survival in the Klei universe; what differs is the delivery method and the region list.
The Forest is a first-person survival horror: as the lone survivor of a plane crash you build, explore and fight cannibalistic mutants, solo or with friends. Per the listing it is a Steam gift with automatic bot delivery, only for accounts with the store region set to Russia.
Sons of the Forest is the sequel: open-world survival horror on a cannibal island, with co-op play. Per the listing the game is sent to your account as a gift (a Steam gift) by a bot; the account region is Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan or Ukraine.
Valheim is co-op Viking survival in a procedural world of Norse mythology: exploration, fortress building and boss battles. Per the listing it is a Steam gift activating in Russia, delivered manually within 24 hours (after payment you send the seller a 16-digit code). This is another Valheim offer on the storefront — other listings are covered in our guide on survival and crafting games.
Monsters and creatures
Survival where the core mechanic is taming or catching creatures and exploring a huge world together.
ARK: Survival Evolved is survival in an open world of dinosaurs: gather resources, build, tame creatures and explore the island solo or with other players. Per the listing it is a Steam gift with automatic bot delivery; the account region is chosen in the options (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, CIS).
Palworld has two offers with different activation regions on the marketplace — a neutral restriction of the item, so pick the one matching your account’s store region. Palworld (Russia region), per the listing, is a Steam gift with automatic bot delivery 24/7, only for Russia-region accounts. Palworld (choose your region), per the listing, is a Steam gift with a choice of account region in the options (South Asia, Russia, Ukraine and CIS, Kazakhstan, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, European Union, United States); the region sets the price. The gameplay is the same — an open world of catching Pal creatures, crafting, building and farming.
Format and region per the listings
| Game | Format | Activation region |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Days to Die | Steam key | Region Free (any country) |
| SCUM | Steam gift | Russia |
| Deadside | Steam gift | Russia |
| State of Decay 2 | Steam gift | Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, CIS (option) |
| Don’t Starve Together (link) | Steam gift | Russia and CIS |
| Don’t Starve Together (bot) | Steam gift | Russia |
| The Forest | Steam gift | Russia |
| Sons of the Forest | Steam gift | Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine |
| Valheim | Steam gift | Russia (manual delivery) |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | Steam gift | Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, CIS (option) |
| Palworld (Russia) | Steam gift | Russia |
| Palworld (choose region) | Steam gift | South Asia, Russia, Ukraine and CIS, KZ, MENA, LatAm, EU, USA (option) |
What to check before paying
- Activation region. Each offer targets its own country list — a neutral restriction of the item. Match your Steam account’s store region (in the settings) with the region in the listing or option; for Palworld and Don’t Starve Together, choose the right one of the two offers.
- Format: key or gift. You redeem a key yourself; a gift arrives on your account — for some listings from a bot after you accept the friend request, for others via a gift link or after a code check. Details are in our guide on software from Steam.
- A copy each for co-op. Co-op survival (ARK, Palworld, Don’t Starve Together, Valheim, The Forest, Sons of the Forest) needs a separate copy for every participant — factor that in when buying for a group; how to split a purchase is in our guide on co-op games and keys for a group.
- Edition and status. 7 Days to Die is the Region Free edition per its listing; State of Decay 2 is the Juggernaut Edition; for titles in active development it is worth checking the current status and system requirements on the game’s Steam page.
- Seller’s terms. Delivery and refund rules differ per offer and are described on the listing and by the seller (for example, Valheim is delivered manually within 24 hours). How a storefront differs from buying directly is in our guide on marketplace versus the developer’s store; what to do with the account after a purchase is in our guide on account security after purchase.
Bazelio is a storefront: payment is taken by the seller on the payment platform, and the seller handles delivery of the key or gift and support. Other games are in the PC Games section.
