Third-person shooter games have become incredibly popular with the release of games such as Helldivers 2. While a typical third-person shooter is great to enjoy alone or with friends, some players are after a challenge, and this is perfectly given to them through the combination of a shooter with survival.

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These games may either allow players to freely explore an open world in the third person or have players defending a point over a certain amount of time before they are finally able to extract from the location. With this in mind, these are by far the best third-person shooter survival games that players are likely to waste away their hours while enjoying. It should be noted that this article shall only focus on survival shooters and not survival horror shooter games.

7 Lost Light

Steam User Rating: 55%

Lost Light offers an experience similar to Escape From Tarkov but a lot simpler to understand. Although the game has received some mixed reviews, players are tasked with adventuring into the brutal domain to either scavenge for supplies and get out with their body still intact or an adventure across the wilderness, guns blazing, to be the only soldier standing.

In Lost Light, players can choose between either third or first-person, depending on what they are comfortable using when trying to survive as part of the Firefly Task Force, with the game claiming to have realistic warfare survival within.

6 Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Metascore: 69

As mentioned, some of the best third-person survival shooter games are those that can be enjoyed cooperatively. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a perfect choice for any player who is looking for a third-person shooter that is set within the Alien franchise while also allowing them to mindlessly survive against the alien threat with a range of incredible weaponry.

While the game may have overall alright reviews, players on Steam have had a mostly positive reaction to Aliens: Fireteam Elite since it was released in 2021 with those same players working together to level up, kill Xenomorphs, and contain the growing threat of these aliens.

5 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Metascore: 70

Tom Clancy is a popular shooter franchise that has created multiple third-person survival shooter experiences that players have loved playing throughout the years. In Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, the game plays exactly as its name suggests, with players taking to the wilderness to survive.

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Due to the sheer size of the world, players are able to explore entirely in third person, there is always something new to find or a mission to get involved in for players to pass the time either by themselves or with up to three friends. If players aren't interested in this open-world survival gameplay, there is always the PvP to enjoy, too.

4 Palworld

Metascore: TBD

Palworld combines several genres and mechanics to make one of the best games to be released at the start of 2024. Capturing little pocket monsters known as Pals, surviving in an open world, and defeating other Pals through the power of guns makes Palworld a phenomenal title for any player to enjoy.

Its highly addictive gameplay is only made better through leveling up a player's pals as well as crafting better guns for themselves to be the very best on their server. Players are free to survive in Palworld, however they see fit, though crafting large structures and capturing every Pal is likely a player's primary goal.

3 Tom Clancy's The Division 2

Metascore: 82

Besides Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is another incredible survival shooter created by Ubisoft. While Wildlands had players exploring the wilderness, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 instead has players walking through an urban environment in a post-pandemic Washington, DC.

Once again, this third-person shooter is a far more enjoyable experience when players join up with friends or other like-minded players who are attempting to explore and complete objectives within Washington as they hope to bring the state back from the brink of collapse, with many missions bordering on surviving the hostile environment.

2 Risk Of Rain 2

Metascore: 85

Risk of Rain 2 is a game that is like no other for its incredible art style and third-person shooter mechanics that fit brilliantly with the roguelike genre it uses. Players are tasked with escaping off various alien planets by first fighting their way through hordes of aliens.

While it may not be a player's usual shooter title, with the lack of AK-47s or other weaponry, it is still an unbelievable third-person shooter that focuses on creating an enjoyable experience to either play solo or with friends, as they combine different items and character abilities to make the best build.

1 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Metascore: 86

Out of all the available third-person shooter games, it's of no surprise to see that one of the greatest of all time has to be the free-to-play title best known as PUBG: Battlegrounds. This game is a battle royale that tests the player's strategy and survivability as they drop at various locations and must collect weaponry and supplies if they hope to be the last person – or team – standing.

As the original for creating the battle royale genre, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is perfect for any player looking for a realistic-looking shooter to survive in, with plenty of players still playing it since its release in 2017.

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