Typically, a remote tropical island is synonymous with leisure and pleasure. However, not in the case of the majority of the games on this list. Remote and abandoned islands are often used as a popular setting for many popular stories in any form of media.
From the long-running TV show Lost to adventure games like The Forest, deserted islands have been used to explore different ideas and lately have even become a genre in themselves. Islands isolated from the rest of the world provide the perfect landscape setting for adventures, as survival and abandoned island landscapes go hand-in-hand.
Updated on May 29, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: Being stranded on an island can mean many things in video games. While this setting is used in survival games more often than not, there are times when players are tasked with either forming a great habitat without any restrictions, go through a story-driven experience, or experience any number of scenarios that fit in this setting.
Regardless of which genre games aim for, there's no denying that being stranded on an island makes for a wonderful setting that can be used to great effect.
13 The Survivalists
- The Survivalists is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Mobile, Xbox One, and PC.
Players looking for a multiplayer survival experience that takes place on a deserted island will be more than happy with what The Survivalists brings to the table. It's a great game that friends can play, enjoying the experience of scavenging for resources and building habitable settlements while exploring these procedurally-generated environments and figuring out its many secrets.
However, players who want to get into this game should know it's not the most stable experience, with bugs detracting from this experience quite a bit. Thankfully, there are many times when the elements of this title and make for a great experience that many fans of such survival games will enjoy quite a bit.
12 Minecraft
- Minecraft is available on PC, Mobile, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo 3DS.
While Minecraft doesn't always start off on an abandoned island, players who know about seeds and how the world is generated can definitely create a procedurally-generated island that players can get lost in for hours on end. The inclusion of an island to this survival game adds greater depth, with players having less room to explore and having to scavenge their surroundings to great effect.
As is to be expected, Minecraft's gameplay is simple yet effective, with the game featuring a wealth of combinations to create powerful weapons and create habitable spaces for players to save themselves from the horrors of the night. There's a reason why this game continues to be one of the most popular survival games around to this day, and players who decide to jump into this rabbit hole will find themselves lost for hours on end, if not days!
11 Lost In Blue: Shipwrecked
- Lost In Blue: Shipwrecked is available on the Wii.
It's a shame that more people don't know about Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked. The game is a survival title that was released for the Wii, which is a pretty odd platform for such a game to release on. However, the cute art style helps the game stand out and feel pretty fun to play, despite the colors being pretty washed out like most games on this console.
The game may have several problems of its own, but it is a unique gem in the survival genre that fans should check out if they have the means to do so. The game focuses on a teenager and his pet monkey who fall of their boat and get swept by the current, finding themselves on an island where they have to scavenge to survive while fulfilling many goals to eventually be rescued.
10 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on Nintendo Switch.
Animal Crossing: New Horzions' basic premise is a getaway island brimming with possibilities. Players are invited onto an island by Nook Inc, owned by business tycoon Tom Nook. They begin with an empty island full of trees and rocks, tasked with cleaning it up and transforming it into a glorious dream home location.
Players get to populate the island with ten unique animal villagers, all with different personality types and quirks.
9 Fortnite
- Fortnite is available to play on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC .
This famous free-to-play battle royale takes place on the iconic island. The only other inhabitants are the 99 other players dropping from the Battle Bus at the start of the round.
Far from a relaxing game, up to 100 players compete to find and loot the best weapons, build, and survive to become the number one victor. Players can be aggressive and build their way toward their enemies, or they can be passive and hide in bushes, dumpsters, and more to sneak their way into the safe zone.
8 Oxenfree
- Oxenfree is available to play on Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
Narrative adventure game Oxenfree stars a teenager named Alex and her stepbrother Jonas. She goes to an overnight party on an old military island, Edwards Island, with her group of friends.
Unbeknownst to her, this island has a dark past as the night takes a terrifying turn. They accidentally open a supernatural rift, and they must survive the horrors that escape. Every choice matters in this game, as the player’s interactions alter the plot based on every decision, big or small.
7 Path Of Exile
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- Path of Exile is available to play on PC.
Path of Exile is a free-to-play online action RPG, similar to the Diablo franchise. Players, as Exiles, wash up on the castaway continent of Wraeclast, filled with prisoners and criminals.
Players are left to their own devices where creatures freely roam. Their end goal is to fight to become stronger and create powerful builds to exact revenge on those that have wronged them through dungeons and epic boss battles of increasing difficulty. Path of Exile has frequent updates, with rumors of a sequel coming soon.
6 Salt
- Salt is available to play on PC.
Salt is an open-world exploration game. Players begin on a deserted island with basic resources to build a raft. They are then free to journey in any direction they choose, as the world is procedurally generated.
Along the way, players may see uncharted islands, ancient ruins, and even some pirates and cultists! In Salt, players get to set the pace of their gameplay, taking it as easy as they want. There is also online co-op, so players can sail the seas with their friends and trade.
5 The Forest
- The Forest is available to play on PC and PS4.
Players crash-land on a seemingly abandoned island. As the sole survivor, they try and live to see another day. In The Forest, players can chop trees to craft themselves a shelter and a fire to keep warm and scavenge food to keep from starvation.
Everything isn't what it seems, though. By day, the island is desolate and empty. By night, cannibalistic mutated humans roam around outside, tracking the player's movements and waiting for an opportunity to raid their camp and drag them away. Players can use stealth to evade these enemies or engage them head-on with their crudely-crafted weapons.
4 Far Cry 3
- Far Cry 3 is available to play on PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, and PS4.
This game is the third installment in the Far Cry franchise and is a first-person shooter with survival and role-playing elements. The player takes on the role of the main character, Jason Brody, who was on vacation on the Rook Islands, near the Indian-Pacific Ocean.
While skydiving, they accidentally land on a pirate-infested island controlled by pirate overlord Vaas Montenegro. His friends get kidnapped, but Jason manages to escape, with his only desperate goal in mind being to rescue his friends. The player gets to explore a diverse island, from white sandy beaches to mountainous landscapes, as they seek to accomplish their rescue mission.
3 Stranded Deep
- Stranded Deep is available to play on Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
After surviving a plane crash into the ocean, players wash up on an island with no means of communication or survival. They must craft using scraps left from the plane crash, like a compass and rope, to crash valuable items.
The player can explore coral reefs and investigate the bottomless ocean to find various sea creatures. Some more threatening than others (cue Jaws music). Stranded Deep features a day-night cycle, supply management, and crafting, allowing players to build a base camp on an island.
2 Dead Island
- Dead Island is available to play on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
The sun and sea are not always a recipe for relaxation. Dead Island is set on the tropical resort island of Banoi, as holidaymakers have turned into mindless zombies. Players can smash and slice through hordes of zombies in incredibly visceral HD remastered graphics.
Dead Island has a four-player co-op available, as players need to survive and escape this paradise gone wrong. They can locate other survivors and craft weapons out of scraps they find while exploring this open-world apocalyptic landscape.
1 Ark: Survival Evolved
- Ark: Survival Evolved is available to play on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Ark: Survival Evolved, as the name suggests, is an adventure survival game set on a deserted island. Its only inhabitants are roaming gigantic dinosaurs, other primeval creatures, and the occasional hostile human player. Players must survive by building a base to withstand the elements, taming and training dinosaurs, and crafting weapons to defend against potential threats.
This game has character customization options, third-and first-person perspectives, inventory weight restrictions, a food/drink survival system, and a day-night cycle for a fully immersive player experience. Live out a Jurassic Park fantasy as gamers can ride on the back of a T. Rex or soar through the skies on a Pterodactyl.