A survival game is a subgenre of action games that might be set in intense, hostile, and open-world environments. In such games, the player will begin their adventures with minimal equipment and will be required to stay alive by collecting precious resources. The player then might be required to craft weapons, tools, and shelter to survive.
The design of a survival game is mostly set in either a random or procedurally generated environment. Game development elements of recent survival games allow players to play online with other gamers in a single persistent world. Such open-world games often do not have set goals for the player to complete. They are usually closely related to the survival horror genre of video games. In such a horror survival, the player must work together with other players to fight against hostile creatures. There are even games that make the player battle both monsters and other players to survive, like a zombie apocalypse.
Crafting is an essential part of any survival game. This is the reason why it is a commonly found feature in many survival type games. A player will be forced to combine two or more resources to create a new tool. This tool can then be used for either a single purpose, or further crafting. Most video game development teams use crafting opportunities in survival games to allow players to access better resources throughout the game. Access to such resources may allow players to create weapons and other high-end tools.
Crafting has been a staple of any survival game since its initial creation. Besides the standard tools players can create, gamers have a chance to sell their creations in exchange for other necessities they need to stay alive in the game.