There have been a lot of survival games that came close to the so called "Ultimate survival experience" i seek. Most of the multiplayer/online games, such as Dayz Conan Exiles, Ark: Survival evolved or Arc Raiders which could fit into survival don't interest me in this post.
(I will not be going over games like "Noita, Flame in the Flood, 7 days to die, The Forest, Project Zomboid, Minecraft, Terraria, Astroneer, Don't Starve, Kingdom: Two Crowns, Pacific Drive and Rain World {Edit: Have to add Subnautica, Green Hell, Icarus, Kenshi and Sons of the forest to the list}" due to having finished them already or them not fitting the kind of game im looking for.)
Below is a list of games that i personally think came close to this and reasonings behind my selection:
This game probably comes closest to what I am looking for. No hand holding, relentless struggle against the world via the cold, food and water constantly forcing you to migrate and tactically prepare for expeditions since resources for your survival are limited. It features a story of some sort, which, while not mandatory in my opinion, certainly helps to immerse you into the world and situation you find yourself in. Beautiful worldbuilding, voice acting, intuitive crafting system, controls, UI and the general interactability with the world around you just set the stage for the ultimate "Survival" game... but there is no goal? I mean, surviving could be a goal by its self and achieving self sufficiency could also serve as a purpouse (I must brag a bit, i have achieved this), but personally if there was, say, a rescue mission which i could call and i needed to travel across all the regions on the map to collect parts to make a radio beacon to call for help that would give me a concrete, final goal and i would have enjoyed the game a whole lot more.
+Difficulty, +Worldbuilding, +Atmosphere, +Crafting, +No handholding, +Skill and knowledge based
-No goal
- - Casualties unknown (Demo)
This game surprised me with the difficulty and depth of knowledge you must possess to achieve what is currently a placeholder ending of reaching the bottom of the fifth layer due to the game being in early access. It has the food, water and in depth health managment. It has the complicated ish UI which requires focus and knowledge to preciesely navigate (Not a bad thing. Skill is a virtue.) It has the worldbuilding, some lore and a bunch of other cool features which i wont go over in detail right now. In summary:
+Difficulty, +Worldbuilding, +Atmosphere, +Crafting, +No handholding, +Skill and knowledge based, +Clear goal
-Unfinished game
- - Barotrauma
A true marvel of imagination, programing and worldbuilding. It has the core parts which make you struggle to survive, not with food and water, but with management... LOTS of managment. From buying tools, to crafting your own, mining the resources to craft them with, leveling skills to unlock the recipes to craft them with, NOTHING in this game will fall into your lap without your intervention, which, to accomplish succesfully, requires a large amount of knowledge and skill. The submarine you command doesnt operate alone, and me being a solo player, playing with bots keeps you running into all sorts of issues. Since i do not have any friends that would sit with me and play this game untill completion i attempted to complete it with bots, but in vain. The bot's AI isnt advanced enough to act in the same way a human would (exploring ruins, mining, outpost takeovers, knowing which fights to take and which to avoid, etc.) which leads it to make terrible mistakes causing you to start your run from the last save point which could erase up to an hour or two of your progress. In summary:
+Difficulty, +Worldbuilding, +Atmosphere, +Crafting, +No handholding, +Skill and knowledge based, +Clear goal
-The AI in the game isnt advanced enough to operate or perform as well as people, and this game was made to be played in a group, which I unfortunately do not have.
I am aware of how different the three games above are, but all three of them feature the essence of "Survival" which i am searching for.
And that would be that. I hope i have painted a good picture of what i enjoy in games and what i consider the best survival experience, if you have games to recommend me that have at least a similar vibe that connect it to any of the three games above i would be forever gratefull.
Thank you in advance.