Games like DayZ that you can play solo: 8 survival picks
DayZ has no single-player mode on Steam, so you always share the world with other players. If you want the same loot, sickness, and tension, but alone, this list is for you. Each of the 8 games below has a solo mode, and we explain how solo play works in each one.
What DayZ does, and what to look for
DayZ is from Bohemia Interactive, and it came out in 2018. It started as a mod for Arma 2. You search large maps, such as Chernarus, for every tool and ration. You treat diseases, and you manage hunger and body temperature. The infected attack on sight, and up to 60 players share each server.
A good solo alternative keeps most of these parts:
- Scarce loot that you must search for by hand.
- Health problems that you must treat, not only a health bar.
- A big map that you cross on foot or by vehicle.
- A threat that is dangerous without other players.
Solo options at a glance
| Game | Solo mode | Multiplayer | Main threat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 48 | Single-player only | No | Infected, armed survivors |
| SCUM | Solo sandbox | Online servers | Puppets, other prisoners |
| Project Zomboid | Yes | Co-op, split-screen | Zombie hordes |
| Unturned | Yes | Co-op, PvP | Zombies |
| 7 Days to Die | Yes | Co-op, PvP | Blood Moon hordes |
| State of Decay 2 | Yes | Co-op for up to 4 | Zombies, plague hearts |
| The Long Dark | Single-player only | No | Cold, wildlife |
| Green Hell | Yes, with a story mode | Co-op | Jungle, injuries |
| Sons of the Forest | Yes, with companions | Co-op for up to 8 | Cannibals, mutants |
Route 48 (our game)
Full disclosure: we made Route 48, so we put it first.
Developer: HOLY STUDIOS. Released: 2026, Early Access. Players: Single-player.
Route 48 is single-player only, so there are no other players on your road. You search abandoned buildings for food, weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, and fuel, and you fight the infected and armed survivors in first person. The car is at the center of the game: you repair it and fuel it to reach new places. Each new game generates a new world, and the game is in Early Access on Steam.
SCUM
Developer: Gamepires. Released: 2025 (Early Access from 2018). Players: Single-player or online multiplayer.
SCUM is close to DayZ in tone and in scale. You are a prisoner on a large island, and you scavenge, craft, hunt, and fight to survive. Your metabolism, fatigue, and skills all affect how long your character lasts. Former contestants, now reanimated as "Puppets", roam the land.
Solo play: SCUM has a solo sandbox mode next to its multiplayer servers. Much of the game is about life on a shared server, so the solo mode is a good place to learn the systems.
Best for: DayZ players who want a similar island survival game that they can also play alone.
Project Zomboid
Developer: The Indie Stone. Released: 2013, Early Access. Players: Single-player, online co-op, or split-screen.
Project Zomboid is an isometric survival game in Knox Country, a fictional quarantine zone in Kentucky. You loot houses, build defenses, and manage hunger, boredom, illness, and stress. Zombies follow sight and sound, and a horde can have hundreds of zombies.
Solo play: single-player is a full mode. Sandbox settings let you change the zombies and the world to suit your play style.
Best for: players who liked the slow, careful side of DayZ. See our list of games like Project Zomboid.
Unturned
Developer: Smartly Dressed Games. Released: 2017. Players: Single-player, online co-op, or PvP.
Unturned is a zombie survival sandbox with large maps. You scavenge supplies, hunt for food, fight the undead, and build a shelter. You can travel by land, air, and sea. The community makes new maps in the Steam Workshop.
Solo play: single-player is a standard option. You can also meet NPCs to trade with or help, which gives a solo game more structure.
Best for: players who want many maps and both solo and server play.
7 Days to Die
Developer: The Fun Pimps. Released: 2024 (version 1.0). Players: Single-player, online co-op, or PvP.
7 Days to Die is a first-person survival game with crafting, base building, and zombies. You can play the Navezgane map or a randomly generated world with towns, caves, and lakes. By default, a Blood Moon horde attacks every seventh night.
Solo play: the full game works alone. The size of the Blood Moon horde changes with your game stage, which comes from your level, your days alive, and your kills.
Best for: players who want to build a fort, not only to scavenge. See games like 7 Days to Die.
State of Decay 2
Developer: Undead Labs. Released: 2018 (Juggernaut Edition on Steam in 2020). Players: Single-player or online co-op for up to 4 players.
In State of Decay 2, you lead a community, not one survivor. You recruit people, choose a base, and send survivors out for food and ammunition. Each survivor has skills and traits. Plague hearts spread the infection over parts of the map, and you must destroy them to take those areas back.
Solo play: you can play the full game alone. In co-op, friends can visit your community and help.
Best for: DayZ players who liked the group side of survival.
The Long Dark
Developer: Hinterland Studio. Released: 2017. Players: Single-player.
The Long Dark is a first-person survival game in the Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies. The cold, hunger, thirst, and fatigue are the threats, together with wolves and bears.
Solo play: the game is single-player only. By default, death in Survival mode deletes your save. The story mode, WINTERMUTE, has no permadeath.
Best for: players who liked the fight against cold and hunger in DayZ more than the gunfights.
Green Hell
Developer: Creepy Jar. Released: 2019. Players: Single-player or online co-op.
Green Hell is a first-person survival game in the Amazon jungle. You inspect your body for wounds, treat infections, and watch your nutrition and your mind. Bad food or a venomous animal can make you ill. You can even use maggots to clean an infected wound.
Solo play: you can play a story mode about a man who searches for his lost wife, or a survival mode without the story.
Best for: players who liked the health systems of DayZ, such as diseases and their treatment.
Sons of the Forest
Developer: Endnight Games. Released: 2024 (Early Access from 2023). Players: Single-player or online co-op for up to 8 players.
Sons of the Forest sends you to an island to find a lost billionaire. Cannibals and mutants live there. You build anything from a small cabin to a large compound, and the seasons change how much food you can find.
Solo play: you can recruit two companions. Kelvin follows written orders, such as to gather resources, and Virginia can fight next to you.
Best for: players who want to build a base and explore caves without a team.
How we picked these games
Every game here lists a single-player mode on its Steam store page. We checked how solo play works in a second source when the store page did not say enough. We also looked for scarce loot, health problems, and a world that is dangerous without other players.
Which one should you play first?
- For a feel close to DayZ, start with SCUM.
- For detailed zombie survival alone, try Project Zomboid.
- For survival without zombies, try The Long Dark or Green Hell.
- For a group of survivors to manage, try State of Decay 2.
- For a car, guns, and a new world each time, try Route 48.
For more games without other players, see the best single-player survival games. If you are new to the genre, read our survival game tips for beginners.