Survivalist
Survivalist
Game
Game2025
Survivalist: Invisible Strain
Developer Bob
It's ten years since the infection started. Long-established settlements are collapsing, one by one, for unknown reasons. Survivors are running to the hills to escape, hoping for safety in remote places. As another refugee, you're here to carve out a new life for yourself - by any means necessary. From the Steam store page
270 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
81
LovedLoved
178 positive · 43 negative
95% range 75–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 178 | 43 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 17 | 1 | 27 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,693 of 1,954 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
82% recommend · 172 yes, 39 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 211 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (3,975 of 4,587 positive).
Players praise the game's unique blend of colony sim, zombie survival, and RPG elements. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize balancing issues, lack of tutorials, and frustrating AI. [4][5][6] Many highlight the engaging NPC relationships and emergent storytelling. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
The game is a ton of fun as you learn it and get your base going and stuff. However, as soon the raider gangs come asking for tribute it's just goes downhill, constant attacks from raiders and unlimited off map mercenaries that they can hire out of thin air at the map border and they dont care if you just annihilated hundreds of them before. they all have unlimited explosives/ammo, seemingly never ending resources …
- [7]
Built myself a nice little compound with room enough for two, invited a refugee to live with me. We hit it off, were doing well, went on a date and everything. She told me her ex died and she wanted to go pay respects. I thought, ah closure and then she's mine. Nope. We got there and there were a group of people and her ex gets out of an excavator and walks over, happy reunion and then she says sorry but she's …
- [3]
One of my favourite zombie games by far. Not only is it a good mix of State of Decay, Project Zomboid, and Kenshi, I find it very unique and the lore around the different strains (especially Invisible Strain) and Fema and everything tbh is SO INTERESTING TO ME!!! The memory system, factions, relationships, etc. are very well implemented that rival (dare I say surpass) AAA games. I absolutely recommend this game - …
- [8]
I really enjoy Survivalist Invisible Strain! I`ve played it several times, both solo and with friends in multiplayer. It`s a unique game that doesn`t feel like any other zombie survival (and believe me, I`ve played a lot). It did take me a while to get used to the controls, though haha The real cherry on top for me is how the characters feel real, and their stories make every playthrough unique. Here comes the …
- [1]
I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into every zombie survival game under the sun, from AAA to the janky. Survivalist Invisible Strain is one of the rare ones that gets things right. It’s super indie, has a ton of heart. The art style looks like someone ripped pages straight out of a gritty graphic novel and turned them into a game, no flashy effects, just clean, atmospheric comic-bookish vibes that fit the tone perfectly. …
Summarised from 34 of the 252 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Survivalist: Invisible Strain sits at 81% positive across 221 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 270 · most liked firstThe Survivalist from Fallout New Vegas, a game I can’t help but revisit often. Someone should give me an excuse to draw more Fallout stuff
neutral · AI labelView post →Pro-Death Game Survivalist Thriller "Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table" TV ANIME OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED! Based on the LN by Yuushi Ukai & Necometal about a badass girl participating in death games because she lives off the prize money. (Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu)
neutral · AI labelView post →I've gotten embarassingly addicted to Survivalist: Invisible Strain this stupid zombie game is hitting all my buttons too well.
positive · AI labelView post →Oh boy, what fun 3 weeks! What I did: - Started from nothing and found a nice hill to build my shack and campfire. - Recruited passing refugees, sending them off to the unexplored, dangerous wasteland if they sucked at their job or if they looked at me funny. - Interrogating my crew and executing them under suspicion of having the invisible strain just because they gave me the side eye (and they sucked at their jobs). - Fighting off raiders, dragging them unconscious into my camp when they…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Built myself a nice little compound with room enough for two, invited a refugee to live with me. We hit it off, were doing well, went on a date and everything. She told me her ex died and she wanted to go pay respects. I thought, ah closure and then she's mine. Nope. We got there and there were a group of people and her ex gets out of an excavator and walks over, happy reunion and then she says sorry but she's dumping me for her ex. I slit the exes throat as she was walking away and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →36. Splatoon Raiders Knee deep into the post-game. Fantastic experience. Played the entire thing in multiplayer on Survivalist and am loving the pushback.
neutral · AI labelView post →The game is a ton of fun as you learn it and get your base going and stuff. However, as soon the raider gangs come asking for tribute it's just goes downhill, constant attacks from raiders and unlimited off map mercenaries that they can hire out of thin air at the map border and they dont care if you just annihilated hundreds of them before. they all have unlimited explosives/ammo, seemingly never ending resources because they can just keep hiring them, they get a lot bigger as you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve added the Survivalist perk to my dark fantasy game, Crimson Rest. It makes survival easier by improving health regeneration. What other mechanics should I add? ➡️ Wishlist 'Crimson Rest' on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3993140 #darkfantasy #indiedev #gamedev #psx #godot
neutral · AI labelView post →The problem with Survivalist Invisible strain is that the dev doesn't understand algebra. We can solve an algebra problem because even though the equation is missing pieces, we are given the tools we need to figure out what those missing pieces are. (The solution to the equation) If someone asked you to solve 3(X)-5=Z, you couldn't. That problem is not solvable, you weren't given all the tools you needed. That is exactly what this game does. I made three story mode attempts before I'm…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game, unfortunately it's just too user-unfriendly. Most of my frustration in this game comes from having to carefully move things and micromanaging -- once I had ten armed survivors and when I wasn't in the base, four looters came and shook down my base and they paid out all of the gold I had built up instead of defending themselves. My survivor starts fights with other survivors in random bases and then die. There's also no way to know how to acquire certain items…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into every zombie survival game under the sun, from AAA to the janky. Survivalist Invisible Strain is one of the rare ones that gets things right. It’s super indie, has a ton of heart. The art style looks like someone ripped pages straight out of a gritty graphic novel and turned them into a game, no flashy effects, just clean, atmospheric comic-bookish vibes that fit the tone perfectly. The core loop is barebones in the best way, simple crafting, base building,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →‘The Dog Stars’ Review: Jacob Elordi’s Sensitive Survivalist Can’t Sustain a Dreary Dystopian Adventure.
neutral · AI labelView post →The sale may be over, but The Final Queers is still available for purchase! Play as some of your favorite horror tropes: - The Artist - The Beauty - The Gaymer - The Survivalist - The Jock - The Witchy Queer - The Lover - The Wallflower - The Survivalist - The Circuit Queen
neutral · AI labelView post →This game looks boring with trashy graphics and a weird UI, right? Let me ask you a question: Are you a fan of the "The Walking Dead"-series? If so, have you ever wanted to experience a visit from someone like the Governor or Negan? They arrive (somewhat) peacefully at your home to extort money or supplies—resources you actually need for your own community to survive. If you don't comply, they kill everyone. But once you’ve paid them, be warned: they will come back regularly. Alternatively,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bob has got to be an alien. How did you do this Bob? Great game. Fun alone. Fun with friends. Impressed by everything, especially the AI.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great survival / comunity builder. Survivalist I.S has manage to escape the tedious skill grind without loosing skill progression or the challenge / reward of skill progression. A fresh take on the zombie genra. Build your ultimate base with the best gear and the strongest defences then never be sure if one of your fellow community members arnt secretly infected slowly spreading the virus through your stronghold. Corrupting it from within. Or exeute someone who you suspected was infected and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hidden gem between a colony sim, kenshi like stuff, and a good ol zombie apocalypse, lots of mods available. Good stuff
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →tl;dr my review is mixed this game deserves more love from its developer. In its current state, it is playable and even interesting for a single playthrough, but I highly doubt that anyone will ever be interested in completing it 100%. I will probably be the only one. ---------- Long version I found this game by chance while reading a post on Reddit. It is a product developed by a single person, and this is evident in some of its shortcomings. The game is a hybrid between a zombie…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Imagine Project Zomboid and State of Decay had a baby. The combat mechanics could be better
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →4 video game ideas I want to eventually make that include VR modes: 1. Post apocalyptic cyberpunk shooter 2. Survivalist hunting and fishing on an alien planet 3. Silent Hill clone about an anthro rabbit girl with daddy issues 4. Dead Island clone
neutral · AI labelView post →One of my favourite zombie games by far. Not only is it a good mix of State of Decay, Project Zomboid, and Kenshi, I find it very unique and the lore around the different strains (especially Invisible Strain) and Fema and everything tbh is SO INTERESTING TO ME!!! The memory system, factions, relationships, etc. are very well implemented that rival (dare I say surpass) AAA games. I absolutely recommend this game - support Indie devs because you get gems like this!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Games outside of politics.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Initially it is a fun game, but it's too painful to enjoy: - There are some major balancing issues and no real tutorial on base management. I died 6 times before I figured out how to run a base properly. Food in particularly seems to be one that needs to be reworked. My people kept dying of starvation or robbed neighbors and were shot dead when they tried. No fishing in base vanilla version and hunting is clunky. - Recruiting seems to need reworking. Social system is cool but should be…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Only people who genuinely suck this game are the same ones who can't appreciate that this game is both 12$ (worth so, so much more) and requires time to input brain cells to overcome the learning curve and plethora of buttons to utilize/rebind (They suck at this game and cannot be bothered to spend the time to get gud, chumps). There is no other game I have struggled so much to learn, closest would probably be Kenshi. This game has no forgiveness or hand-holding to the unknowing or the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got introduced to this game by a random youtube video on someones sandbox playthrough and i can say i really like this game. pushing aside any bugs and issues because every game is going to have one regardless of there age and size but this game runs really stable and i've seen little to no bugs during the 200 hours i've played. The built-in editor is a big plus since i don't have to go into my game files manually instead go to the editor select my mods i want to modify and can go stright…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is actually AWESOME, theres so much character customization. I absolutely ADORE project zomboid and this game feels like a mix of PZ and humanitZ in a way and its VERY well done. Things I REALLY enjoy Customization (like i mentioned) Story and sandbox mode Dialogue that ACTUALLY matters and things you do change the world MULTIPLE factions Farming base building animal care BUT my favorite of all is the stealth aspect its done SO WELL Things im not to fond of: You cant open gates…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, I played the first game when I was a kid on the 360 Indie store, and it was honestly one of the best you could find on there. I 100%'d this on console, but I just can't appreciate it when I know the first game is better in almost every way. The story and sandbox are so void of anything to even do, and the story barely even functions anyway. I did the quest where you have to assassinate the guy at FEMA for the brain scanner, and someone at FEMA just accused Emma of doing it and killed…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its like kenshi and state of decay had a baby
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I never write reviews for anything so any game that gets me to do this must be worth buying off rip. I really feel like I should review this game as it seems to be criminally under the radar. I’ll start by saying I played the original survivalist on the 360 12 years ago or so and thought it was great. I personally think Invisible strain is an improvement in every way. The npc system I think is really solid, the way the factions interact with each other and the npcs reacting to actions…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoy Survivalist Invisible Strain! I`ve played it several times, both solo and with friends in multiplayer. It`s a unique game that doesn`t feel like any other zombie survival (and believe me, I`ve played a lot). It did take me a while to get used to the controls, though haha The real cherry on top for me is how the characters feel real, and their stories make every playthrough unique. Here comes the story! At one point, I had the perfect settlement: fully fortified, everyone armored…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's pretty jank, but for what it's worth, I think it's good. I've been scouring the internet for games that do "1st/3rd person/isometric with active control over your character" and "you build a base and recruit NPCs to help you expand and maintain it". You very very rarely find games that do both of these, especially in a modern zombie apocalypse setting. Sure, I can go play rimworld or whatever but I don't get the same level of immersion that I do while controlling a character that I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the most interesting zombies games I've ever played. Scratches the itch for games like state of decay and project zomboid.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly this game IS a hidden gem, sure you've got to put a lot of time into it to learn the mechanics and there will be many deaths and restarts but hidden under the jank is a true hidden gem. I do recommend it and definitely suggest trying the demo to get a feel for it, just know you DO need to put in a lot of work to learn to love this game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4JykJQaJcs
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After basically completing #SplatoonRaiders I think I can say this was a solid 9/10 game for me. I really enjoyed this, for it's first spin off they nailed it! Experiencing it on Survivalist with two friends throughout the whole story, it was an amazing time! Also, I have adopted the Mechanic now.
positive · AI labelView post →No. It has a good concept but by the time you come across your first inevitable combat situation, you'll realize the controls are abysmal. The NPC can target in a millisecond and attack. Meanwhile, you can't just swing in front of you. You have to aim and hope the auto-target doesn't aim at someone else because when you swing, you will absolutely miss. You have to aim, target the person in front of you, target the body part, then finally swing/fire. By then you are already shot in the face 4…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I... didn't really care for this game honestly. Didn't click with me. Some of the reviews favorably compare it to Kenshi and as someone with hundreds of hours in Kenshi... no. It's a giant sandbox game with factions where you control a group of people, so I guess that's where people get that from. But nothing else really feels very similar. The UI and QoL as far as usability and controls go is... atrocious. Just downright terrible. Sound balancing is also terrible. There's a lot of game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just love people who do things with passion, especially if it's a hobby and you make some money out of it. This guy made the first one and it was pretty good, the second one is even better. Keep up the good work!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am only giving this game a bad review because raiders have infinite ammo and grenades while your guys are stuck using arrows and picking them up, why they didnt go state of decay route is beyond me, like yeah i could have my guys with white strain arrows but theres not much fun in that tbh.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →--Review of Survivalist: Invisible Strain I honestly never expected this game to hook me the way it did. Back when I bought it during Early Access for around one euro, my first reaction was basically: “Yeah… this probably isn’t for me.” Now? Completely different story. And the crazy part is that this is essentially a one-man project, yet in some areas it does things better than larger survival games backed by full studios and publishers. Especially compared to State of Decay 2, this game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am a 55 year old biker and trucker father, and probably one of the oldest people playing this game. I am a single father to my Son, who is 16 now. My son got this game for from his uncle, so we installed it on his computer and he started playing. By the end of the week he had 12 hours on this game. This was horrible for me, as it was already hard for me to find ways to spend time with my son, as he is always out with his friends or just watching YouTube. So i decided to make a Steam account…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →YES! Smaller map Kenshi but with way deeper intercharacter relations system. Amazing sandbox!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the best games I've ever played. I LOVE the gameplay and it having a sandbox mode with soo much replayability and freedom. I haven't even started playing the story mode yet and yet I am extremely addicted. It's kinda crazy how it's such a hidden game among all those triple A "games". I was looking for a game to scratch the itch to play something like Kenshi but this game is more than that. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game deserves its flowers for giving State of Decay fans an outlet until State of Decay 3 releases (if it does). This game does everything right. Areas of improvement: Fully rendered interiors in buildings, and being able to Go inside them. More selection to the ability to customize, more weapons, more clothes. Be able to build more types of buildings for your community. Also we need Much bigger wandering zombie hordes.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, wish there are people to play it with but overall it's a fun game with endless content and replayability.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This should be a real interesting game, but realization is sooooo bad. They took mechanisms from Project Zomboid, but they didn't do them properly. You never understand how much food needed to your workers, you don't understand how to manage them properly, because there is no tutorial/hints or any explanation. You can put person to scavenge around, but only items that you find in first car/house, how to scavenge all other resources around - no understanding. People have unlimited ammo around…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Survivalist: Invisible Strain - A Deep Indie Survival Gem with World-Class Storytelling Survivalist: Invisible Strain is a remarkably deep, complex, and highly ambitious indie survival RPG that punches way above its weight class. Developed almost entirely by a single creator, this title offers an incredible mix of colony management, action combat, and social simulation. Whether you are diving into the world-class story mode or forging your own path in the unpredictable sandbox, it delivers a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game (outside my account) nonstop during fall of 2025, and it became one of my top 10 favorite indie games ever (I didn't expect to have such a blast with a game again after Rimworld). Now somebody wanted to buy me a game so I took the chance to own it here. I'm gonna focus on the negatives, though, cause they're frustrating in a game with this much potential, while the positives are already obvious: if you like colony builders where NPCs matter and feel alive and different from…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its kind of having a little bit of everything from Project Zomboid, State of Decay, and Vein. It's both easy (-er than other 3 that i've mentioned) and also hard in some aspects for example, NPC of non-community member have unlimited ammo, have almost perfect shooting accuracy and stocked with a lot of food so they are always on their best performance. Dominating other communities is definitely hard IMO. Relationship building is also hard to do.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game plays very little like State of Decay, Kenshi or Zomboid. Was excited to find this but the game is super janky (and coming from Kenshi and Zomboid that is saying a lot). The first 10 minutes of story mode explain very little of how to play (I was leaning on Zomboid skills so I at least got the general concepts), and the zombie combat is horrible, floaty and makes no sense as to how you'd fight them (and running away doesnt seem to be an option either), why they are able to fly through…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Massively underrated. This is my new favorite zombie game. Its Zomboid meets State of Decay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10/10 with some caveat that can be ignored. This is what project zomboid could have been if it has NPCs. It's a mix of Project Zomboid, SoD2 and Rimworld. Its so dang peak. I wished the storage policy system was more fleshed out like how Rimworld does it and maybe more defenses to build so NPCs can take cover that much. So far my only complain which I can also ignore is about the Storage Policy system, I hope I can select all item or copy from other storage area and paste it on another…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SIS is extraordinarily difficult. Start by lowering every setting in Sandbox to the absolute minimum before jumping into Story Mode. Take time to learn the systems there, and don’t hesitate to lean heavily on mods—nothing is more frustrating than losing an entire community you’ve invested in. Customize everything to your liking, build confidence, and gradually work your way up toward the “normal” difficulty. It’s a great game overall, and honestly, State of Decay 3 could learn a lot from…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This has proven to be a hidden gem for me, I found it by chance, on a very reasonable sale and despite it's at times questionable aesthetical choices manages to do a lot of cool things. Start your own colony, become allies with your neighbours or wage war with them, build both your settlement and traps to protect it... Or just take over someone else's. Having played this I find it hard to go back to playing State of Decay and it does enough different to justify co-existing with Project…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In terms of community and base building, this is better than State of Decay 2. I love the distinct comic-style graphics. The NPCs actually have emotions and feelings, and I don't know of any other game like that. It's an incredibly underrated zombie game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I LOVE THIS GAME! If you are reviewing this game under 40 hours of game play then you should review it. That's my thought. It took many playthroughs with errors and costly results to gain experience to know what to do and not to do. Build your early skills solo by finding skill books and learning to hunt animals or be a bandit and rob travelers. Build small camps so in case a horde tracks your one camp you can stay at another location. Pit's are your best friends!!! My first GOOD play…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is exactly the game ive been searching for. wishing there was some better hairstyles but other than that- this game is fantastic and i cant wait to play it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, needs some fine tuning but well worth giving a try IMO.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#14: Splatoon Raiders Probably my most anticipated game this year and it does not disappoint! I think this has something for series newcomers and veterans alike! I appreciate that there are difficulty options (I played the whole thing on Survivalist and it does live up to it) too! (1)
positive · AI labelView post →I was about to be like "This game is cool and all but it does feel like moseying through the lower levels of Salmon Run" but then I bumped it up to Survivalist and it's a lot more exciting now lmao
positive · AI labelView post →So this is a LOT like State of Decay 2. So if you enjoy community management, base building with incredible customizations, building multiple character's skills up, scavenging, killing zombies, running from zombies - and HUNTING wild animals for food - You mine for metals for weapons and armor, you chop down trees to building your first wall, eventually you can make CEMENT walls and you can make your base as big as you want, just remember you have to chop down all the materials or mix into…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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