If you’re looking for a good price on a great game, Steam events are one of the best opportunities. While the big sales events only happen a few times a year, Steam almost always has some kind of event going on. Often, the smaller Steam events and sales highlight specific, niche genres. It’s a great opportunity to stuff your wishlist and your Steam library with your favorite kinds of games. And right now, it’s all about survival gaming on PC. From August 31st to September 7th, the Steam PvE Survival Crafting Fest is shedding light on some of the best games in the genre.
Along with demos and highlights for upcoming releases, including the recently revealed Under a Rock playtest, there are a ton of great discounts. Some games are hitting new record-low prices on the platforms, while others are offering deep discounts. While everything included in the sale is a survival game, there’s a lot of breadth in the space, from survival horror to pixel classics and beyond. If you’re looking for a new, affordable survival game to add to your Steam library, these discounts can’t be missed. I’m factoring in the overall percentage off and ratings for each game to serve up some of the best deals this time around.
Price: $19.54 / $22.99 (15% off)
Witchspire is an open-world survival crafting game set in a fantasy world full of magic. Players choose their preferred school of magic, then dive into a vast world full of magical creatures. Resource gathering feels fresh thanks to the spells you’ll cast to break up rocks, chop trees, and cook up meals. Along with its survival crafting loop, Witchspire offers a side of creature-collecting via the Familiars you’ll bond with along the way. While the game offers plenty to do solo, it also supports co-op so you can explore with your friends even in Early Access. I had a lot of fun exploring the Early Access build, both alone and with a friend, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this game develops on the road to 1.0.
Witchspire is admittedly one of the smaller discounts on our list. However, Witchspire is also the newest title. So, its discount during the PvE Survival Crafting sale marks its lowest price since the launch discount expired. Witchspire released in Early Access back on June 10th and has since achieved a Very Positive rating. That’s not half bad, and it’s likely only going to get better as the developers make updates and adjustments in response to that Early Access feedback. Given that its price point will increase at full launch, the current discount is a chance to save big ahead of the game’s 1.0 release down the line.
Price: $11.99 / $29.99 (60% off)
Survival gaming meets Middle-earth lore? What’s not to love? The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria got a bit of a mixed reception at launch, in large part due to the punishing grind for solo gamers. However, a few balance patches and updates later, the game has found its audience. It now sits at a Mostly Positive review average on Steam, with a solid mix of fighting, base building, and resource gathering. It can be a bit slow, but for those who like a slightly more relaxed pace in survival games, it’s well worth checking out.
At 60% off, Return to Moria is hitting a new record-low price during Steam’s survival gaming sale. That makes the $30 Lord of the Rings spin-off game just $12, not a bad price for a chance to delve into the depths of Moria itself. The game is now better balanced for solo gamers, but still supports co-op for up to 8 players. I’ve heard co-op is still the go-to way to enjoy the game, so if you’re looking for a new survival game for your friends or family to enjoy together, Return to Moria just might be the right fit.
Price: $11.99 / $19.99 (40% off)
Of all the great survival games I’ve played in recent years, it’s Core Keeper I consistently want to get back into. The game offers a vast cavern full of surprises to uncover as you mine your way through its expanse. With cute pixel graphics and sandbox-style gameplay, Core Keeper is a survival game that’s easy to sink into. But don’t let the cute fool you, because some of those surprises lurking in the dark will very much kill you if you’re not careful. Thankfully, the 8-player co-op lets you recruit your friends to help cultivate your safe haven and uncover the mystery of the Core.
During the PvE Survival Crafting Sale, Core Keeper is 40% off for PC. That matches the game’s lowest-ever price on the platform, making it a solid deal to snap up. The game got its full 1.0 release back in 2024, following two years in Early Access. But even after its full launch, Core Keeper still gets regular patches with bug fixes, QoL improvements, and even free content updates. So that sandbox world keeps on giving more to explore. If you don’t yet have this one in your Steam library, now is a great time to grab it while it’s discounted.
Price: $18.89 / $26.99 (30% off)
After an incredibly successful run in Early Access, Palworld 1.0 has finally arrived. The open-world survival game was already massively popular in Early Access, and not just because of the “Pokemon clone” allegations. Its vast open world and in-depth survival crafting mechanics led many players to sink hours into the game even ahead of its full release. But Pocketpair didn’t play it small with the 1.0 release earlier this year. The full game offers a ton of new content for players to explore, expanding on an already massive number of Pals and islands.
The “Pokemon with guns” open-world survival game is celebrating Steam’s PvE Survival Crafting fest with a pretty solid discount. At 30% off, it’s matching its lowest recorded price on the platform. If you somehow haven’t yet experienced Palworld but want to see what all the hype is about, this discount is likely the best we’ll see ahead of the holiday season. And with an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam with over 180K reviews, it’s certainly well worth checking out if you’re even a little survival gaming curious. With all of the new content that’s been added over the years, it’s safe to say you’ll get your money’s worth with this one.
Price: $7.49 / $29.99 (75% off)
Released back in 2018, Subnautica is one of the older games on this list. As a result, many survival gaming fans likely already have it in their library. However, the game is top of mind again due to the recent Early Access launch of Subnautica 2. So I’m willing to bet there are a few newer survival gaming enthusiasts who’ve been curious to try out the original after seeing all the hype around the sequel. If so, now is a good time to dive into the depths with the underwater horror survival game on Steam. With an Overwhelmingly Positive rating, it’s clear the original still holds up even as the sequel comes in to give it a run for its money.
Subnautica has admittedly been on sale quite a few times at this point. But even so, 75% off is a pretty great deal. In fact, the current discount matches the game’s lowest recorded price on Steam. So if you’ve been curious about this one but haven’t yet jumped in, now is a great time to finally add the highly-rated survival game to your Steam library. If you want more where that came from, the companion game Subnautica: Below Zero is also deeply discounted at 75% off during the PvE Survival Crafting Fest sale. That means you could snag both games together for less than one of them normally costs at full price.
