The 24 Best Survival Games On Nintendo Switch, Ranked
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Games|Video Games

The 24 Best Survival Games On Nintendo Switch, Ranked

Kyle Townsend
Updated March 15, 2025 24 items

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597 votes
97 voters
Voting Rules

Vote on the best survival games released for Nintendo Switch.

Since there are so many survival games on Switch and the Nintendo store is notorious for having a copious amount of shovelware titles that are dreadful to sift through, let's rank the very best Switch survival games that are truly worth your time. Of course these games were chosen for the list based on tangible metrics like sales or review grades, but what determines the order of the rankings are the votes cast on each game by aficionados of the genre.

While certain games seem to be extremely evergreen in the survival space (Terraria, Subnautica, etc…), there are still some great newer survival games on Switch that are building a name for themselves. Core Keeper is one of the newest - it released in 2024 and already has a bustling subreddit. How does it and all the other survival games on Nintendo Switch rank against the long established games? 

  • Minecraft
    1

    Minecraft

    2011
    106 votes
    • Developer: 4J Studios, Mojang
    • Genres (Video game): Open world, Action game, Sandbox
    • Designers: Jens Bergensten, Markus Persson
    • Publisher: Microsoft Studios, Mojang
    • Platform: GNU/Linux, Xbox 360, Web browser, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh
    • Subjects: Mining
  • Subnautica
    2

    Subnautica

    2018
    64 votes
    • Developer: Unknown Worlds
    • Genres (Video game): Adventure, Indie
    • Publisher: Gearbox Publishing
    • Platform: PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
  • Terraria
    3

    Terraria

    2011
    78 votes
    • Developer: Re-Logic
    • Genres (Video game): Platform, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy, Adventure
    • Publisher: Headup Games
    • Platform: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac
  • No Man's Sky
    4

    No Man's Sky

    2016
    69 votes
    • Developer: Hello Games
    • Genres (Video game): Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Adventure, Indie
    • Publisher: 505 Games
    • Platform: PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, SteamVR
  • Astroneer
    5

    Astroneer

    2019
    56 votes
    • Developer: System Era Softworks
    • Genres (Video game): Simulator, Adventure, Indie
    • Publisher: System Era Softworks
    • Platform: PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
  • Don't Starve
    6

    Don't Starve

    2013
    48 votes
    • Developer: Klei Entertainment
    • Genres (Video game): Simulator, Adventure, Indie
    • Publisher: Klei Entertainment
    • Platform: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One