Comparisons
Minecraft vs Rust vs Valheim vs Ark: Which Survival Game Should You Play?
Difficulty, PvP vs co-op, building, progression, platforms and time commitment compared across Minecraft, Rust, Valheim and ARK, with picks by player type.
survival games
Mechanics Explained
What Is a Survival Crafting Game? The Genre Explained
Gather, craft, build, survive: how survival crafting games work, and how Minecraft, Rust, Valheim and ARK differ on PvP, progression and early access.
Survival Guides
ARK: Survival Ascended for Beginners: Your First Tames and Base
ARK: Survival Ascended for new survivors: picking a start, stats and engrams, early crafting, your first knockout tame and a thatch-to-wood starter base.
Survival Guides
Valheim for Beginners: Your First Days in the Tenth World
Start Valheim right: the Meadows, food and stamina, your first workbench and base, the Rested bonus, beating Eikthyr and why biome order matters.
Survival Guides
Rust for Beginners: How to Survive Your First Hours
Waking up with a rock and a torch in Rust: gathering, first tools, sleeping bags, a starter base with a tool cupboard, other players, and choosing a server.