10 Games Like Permafrost to Play While You Wait
If you are waiting for Permafrost, these cold-weather and open-world survival games scratch the same itch: The Long Dark, Frostpunk, Green Hell, Rust, Sons of the Forest and more.
Permafrost does not launch into Early Access until August 21, 2026, which leaves plenty of time to get into the right mindset. These survival games share its DNA: brutal cold, open-world scavenging, crafting and the constant pressure of an environment that wants you dead. Here is what to play while you wait.
For the cold-survival feeling
The Long Dark is the obvious first stop. Its hand-painted Canadian wilderness, its focus on warmth, hunger and exhaustion, and its quiet, lonely tone are the closest tonal match to Permafrost’s frozen world. If you want pure cold-weather survival with no zombies or monsters, start here.
Frostpunk comes at the same apocalypse from a different angle. Instead of one survivor, you manage a whole city around a heat-generating generator in a world frozen by an unending winter. It shares Permafrost’s premise that warmth is civilization’s most precious resource.
For open-world scavenging and building
Rust and DayZ deliver the harsh, scavenge-everything multiplayer survival that Permafrost’s co-op evokes, where other players and the environment are equal threats.
Sons of the Forest and Green Hell focus on solo and small-group survival with deep crafting and base building. Green Hell in particular nails the “every system can kill you” intensity, just swap the jungle for ice.
For story-driven survival
Stranded: Alien Dawn and This War of Mine lean into the narrative and consequence side that Permafrost promises, where survival decisions carry emotional weight rather than just stat management.
For the companion bond
If it is the dog that sells you on Permafrost, Fallout 4 with Dogmeat and The Forest scratch the loyal-companion itch, while Endling: Extinction is Forever explores an animal bond in a dying world.
Why Permafrost still stands apart
None of these is a one-to-one match. Permafrost’s specific blend, a story-driven sandbox built around a single defining mechanic (the living, ever-present cold), a genuine canine companion, four-player co-op and the eerie image of a shattered Moon, is its own thing. These games are the appetizer. For what to expect from the main course, see everything we know.