Top Games Like Conan Exiles to Play Next

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Emily Medlock

Emily has thousands of hours clocked in survival games, from ARK: Survival Evolved to 7 Days to Die; she loves the diversity of the genre. Initially skeptical about the theme of Conan Exiles, she quickly became addicted to the game and now recommends it to every survival fanatic she meets. Right now, she's probably in the Tundra on a seemingly endless quest to find a Baby Sabertooth.

Latest posts by Emily Medlock (see all)

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So you want to find the top games like Conan Exiles to play next? There are plenty of ways to go about this. You can find games set in the same era, games of the same genre, or games that just vibe the same.

Because I am typically interested in all of the above, I’ve included all of the above. My criterion involves picking games I think Conan Exiles players will like based on these three aspects and reviews.

My Top Picks at a Glance

Games That Play Like Conan Exiles (expected picks)

I honestly would hardly mention these games, but I’ve played with multiple first-time gamers, and they always ask for the popular games first. These games are top-tier survival craft games, just like Conan Exiles.

Ark: Survival Evolved – All-Around Best Survival Game

• Steam Rating – 9/10
• Metacritic Rating – 7/10
• Developer – Wildcard
• Release Date – 2017
• Cost – 3/5

ARK: Survival Evolved is my favorite survival game, so I may be biased. But according to ratings, I doubt that’s the case. I love Conan Exiles, but I feel ARK does some things better.

ARK is the perfect survival game for those who want to hyper-focus on tames. The amount of detail in the game is incredible, even in vanilla ARK. But the Workshop mod support and availability make it feel like you’re playing a new (well-made) game every time you choose a mod setup. But even then, the mods aren’t necessary.

In the base game, the variety of pets and immersion of the survival aspect set it above the rest. If you enjoy Conan Exiles, I can’t imagine you not enjoying ARK, though PvP is brutal. But I’d say the biggest difference is the reliance on animals/dinos in ARK vs. Conan’s Thralls.

No Man’s Sky – If You Want to Explore

• Steam Rating – 7/10
• Metacritic Rating – 6/10
• Developer – Hello Games
• Release Date – 2018
• Cost – 5/5

No Man’s Sky is a game in which you can sink thousands of hours. Developers have transformed the game over the last few years, making it an immersive survival craft that goes light on survival and heavy on immersion. There’s so much to keep you interested—the biome diversity, the alien culture, and the variety of ship upgrades.

I played No Man’s Sky for a while but never sunk many hours into it. Even then, I noticed the greatness of its space exploration as the game with the largest (procedurally-generated) universe. This is a good choice if you want to chill, explore, and avoid PvP.

In terms of community, I did have great luck with the No Man’s Sky peeps. The first time I visited Space Anomaly, my friend and I were given a decent number of units just because we were noobs.

Rust – For Angry Survivalists

• Steam Rating – 9/10
• Metacritic Rating – 7/10
• Developer – Facepunch
• Release Date – 2013
• Cost – 4/5

The intense focus that many Rust players have on PvP made me turn to other games. That said, the fact that your character is randomized and they really zone in on the survival aspects makes Rust unique.

But I understand people who are into the PvP of survival games. What makes Rust shine is that it’s not pushing you towards an end goal, giving you complete freedom and focusing on the sole survival aspect, fitting to the post-apocalyptic world. Rust lets you choose your path; it’s not about preparing for the next boss fight or dungeon.

If being dropped in the desert alone appeals to you in Conan, you will probably love Rust. At any time, your progress can be wiped clean because someone was bored, but then again, you can also take your aggression out on others. It’s safe to say that the majority of bad reviews for Rust are from people that couldn’t take the heat of PvP, which they should have known before downloading the game.

Valheim – A Good Amount of Chill and Hostility

• Steam Rating – 10/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer – Iron Gate
• Release Date – 2021
• Cost – 3/5

Valheim was a hit the second it hit early access. I’ve never heard a harsh word about the game, even after the Mistlands update, which could have been frustrating to solo players due to the new dangerous and limited vision. Unlike Rust, Valheim heavily focuses on the main goal of upgrading your base and defeating the bosses. But somehow does so in the most laidback way possible.

Valheim is an amazing game that feels most similar to Conan era-wise. The primal vibes are present in both, but Valheim is a much chiller atmosphere. Valheim has such a great core without mods, making it the perfect first survival game.

But you can also transform the game with mods like Valheim Legends or Epic Loot. This is similar to the Age of Calamitous mod, which adds a new storyline and a ton of magic to Conan Exiles.

The Forest – If You Want to Add a Thrill

• Steam Rating – 10/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer – Endnight Games
• Release Date – 2014
• Cost – 3/5

The Forest jumped out of nowhere in 2014 and easily bumped up to the top of the charts. There’s a reason for that. What makes the Forest so freaky is that it feels real. You crash on an island of cannibals in a modern era.

The main goal of the forest is to survive long enough to get your son back, who has been kidnapped by these cannibals and hopefully not already eaten. The new sequel, Sons of the Forest, has the potential to be every bit as good.

The original game, The Forest, doesn’t feel like Conan, even though it has all the same features. If you love jump scares in solo play and want to be kept guessing, the Forest is great. But if what you love about Conan is the vastness of what is available, you’ll get bored quick with this game.

7 Days to Die – For Those Who Wish Conan Had Zombies

• Steam Rating – 9/10
• Metacritic Rating – 4/10
• Developer – The Fun Pimps
• Release Date – 2013
• Cost – 3/5

The game 7 Days to Die feels a lot like the Forest in a different setting. It had bad reviews for a while because those reviews were based on the console versions. So unless you are playing PC, you may not get the most out of this game.

The game has been around for a decade now; honestly, they haven’t done as much with it as they should. This makes it even more incredible because it’s still a great game, especially if you add a few mods.

Again, this game doesn’t feel like Conan, but it is a survival game in an open world. If all that’s missing from Conan is an FPS-like zombie shooting aspect, the Forest will keep your attention.

Craftopia – For Those Who Need a Little Sunshine

• Steam Rating – 9/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer – Pocket Pair
• Release Date – 2020
• Cost – 3/5

Nice day for fishin’, isn’t it? Craftopia is the happiest survival game I’ve ever seen. You still have the survival features, but they don’t feel as dangerous or imminent as in other games. It’s one of the only survival games without PvP.

In Craftopia, you can enjoy farming, force-breeding animals, and building up your base inhumanely with an adolescent smile on your face. It can continue to do well if the devs keep up with this game and do not fall off as they’ve begun to.

So if you ever get frustrated at Conan Exiles, you might need a break via Craftopia. It’s also the perfect survival game to break out if you’re playing with your kids or younger siblings, whereas Conan is not.

Games like Conan Exiles That You Didn’t Expect

These games are riskier plays, but I consider hidden gems. Now, the likelihood of you sinking Conan-level hours into these is low. But as much as I love 10-plus season anime, I never shy away from one season to watch in a weekend either.

Atlas – ARK with Pirates

• Steam Rating – 6/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer – Grapeshot
• Release Date – 2018
• Cost – 3/5

Atlas feels very similar to ARK and kind of similar to Conan. I recommend it because I find people who like barbarian-themed games tend to enjoy pirate games or anything that strays from the standard.

When Atlas was released, it was lacking. The developers didn’t want to mess with it, so they dropped it. When new developers picked it up, they gave it their best, and I truly believe it was going well. Right now, it’s kind of in limbo, with fans wondering if it will ever settle down and become the game we all want it to be.

Atlas feels like an MMO like Conan does, which is great. But I would not trust reviews. Atlas has gone through a lot and is still in early access. Some reviews are from old developers who didn’t do the game justice. The game is still in early access, which gives developers an excuse for any bugs or other issues, and I’ll allow that because I still enjoy Atlas.

You might also be interested in: Conan Exiles DLC Guide

Out of Reach – A Risky Atlas

• Steam Rating – 6/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer – Space Boat
• Release Date – 2015
• Cost – 2/5

Another pirate game that is worth a quick playthrough is Out of Reach. It never made it big because there were other games that did so much better at the time. But I think it deserves the praise that Raft got.

Out of Reach lets you do a lot of the stuff that you can do in other survival games, like build bases, gather materials, and craft. However, because there are other great games out there, I recommend waiting for a sale.

The only thing Out of Reach did wrong was stop giving it attention. If devs get back to it, I believe it can go places. They moved on to the sequel (and a strange “angry cows” game). That said, I still think it’s worth the initial playthrough.

Wild Terra 2: New Lands – Fun for the Weekend

• Steam Rating – 6/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer – Juvty Worlds
• Release Date – 2021
• Cost – 4/5

I don’t know why more people don’t know about Wild Terra 2: New Lands. The first game didn’t do great, but the second improved. The overhead camera view isn’t my favorite compared to the first or third-person classic view, but it’s still worth it, though only if you catch it on sale.

What I think Wild Terra 2 does well is bring that RPG feel to the sandbox game. It really makes you feel like you’re creating a world. But immersion is what is lacking in this supposed survival game. It feels more like you’re creating a world for someone else to live in.

In this world, you can breed unique animals in a Monster Rancher way. You can choose to stay in a safe zone and do nothing but take care of your animals and build your base. I think this is something more survival games should add. Safe zones. Even if they have to make up an excuse for how it makes sense for there to be safe zones in a survival world.

One Hour One Life – For Killing an Afternoon

• Steam Rating – 7/10
• Metacritic Rating – 8/10
• Developer – Jason Rohrer
• Release Date – 2018
• Cost – 2/5

I’ve never heard anybody say this is a bad game. The only problem is that the developer doesn’t keep up with updates. So you can play it for a while, but it gets old after a few one-hour sessions.

That said, it does have a similar caveman theme as Conan does, and since you only have an hour to play each session, it’s easy to lose yourself without the pressure of progression. In short, this game is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

In One Hour One Life, you are randomly assigned a role and must live out that life. You are born to another player in this game, and you get to live your own life yet also try to make them proud. It sounds weird, but bonding with friends is worth it.

Hurtworld – When You Want to Play an FPS

• Steam Rating – 7/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer – Bankroll
• Release Date – 2015
• Cost – 3/5

Hurtworld is not a top-of-the-charts game, but it’s worth the buy if it’s on sale. The game has a modern setting, so if historical or fantasy settings are important to you, then you should skip it.

That said, the unique map control aspect of the game sets it apart, allowing for equal PvP and PvE appeal. Aside from that, I would recommend Rust over it, as it gets more attention and has a larger player base.

Hurtworld feels more like an FPS than a survival game, but it is both. Devs are falling off in keeping it updated, which makes fans stop playing. So it would still be great with friends, but good luck finding matches alone.

Games with a Similar Theme

Now, I could easily drop many great medieval-themed games, but that’s so far from the point. That’s a different theme with a different feel. If anything, Conan Exiles is a prehistoric-themed game from 10,000 BC or before.

Even God of War and Assassin’s Creed: Odyessy takes place much later. In Conan Exiles, we’re talking about the Hyborian era, which is a fictional period, but one that is based on the Neolithic period.

This game takes place around the fall of Atlantis (thus the Sunken City) but before written history, which is why there are no records of that time. Medieval games (most non-modern games) took place thousands of years later. Conan is not high fantasy.

Age of Conan – Like a Conan Exiled Prequel

• Steam Rating – 6/10
• Metacritic Rating – 8/10
• Developer – Funcom
• Release Date – 2008
• Cost – Free

Age of Conan is where it all started for Funcom and Conan. The first Conan game was created in 1984, but the first time Funcom had a stab at it, it was an almost instant success.

Age of Conan is an MMORPG that’s fifteen years old. You know what to expect if you’ve played many of these. Only this time, you can expect it in a Hyborian setting. If you get the free version, it’s 100% worth it.

You can play the game now for free via the Age of Conan website if you don’t want to buy it on Steam. Don’t expect many players to be roaming around, but if you want to feel nostalgic comparing the Conan Funcom games, then have a stab at it.

Conan Chop Chop – Only Fun If You Have Friends

• Steam Rating – 6/10
• Metacritic Rating – 7/10
• Developer – Mighty Kingdom
• Release Date – 2022
• Cost – 2/5

Funcom didn’t develop this game, but their love for Conan the Barbarian ensured that they published it. The refreshing rogue-lite game is a fun break from the more intense survival game Conan Exiles.

All-around Conan Chop Chop is a cute, in-theme game that you can easily kill a few hours at a time playing when you’re bored. You can even get it on Switch and take it with you, which adds to the appeal.

It feels more like a mobile game than a console game, but sometimes, that’s exactly what I need to help me relax. It may not go as hard as Cult of the Lamb, but you can only play one game for so long.

Conan Unconquered – Age of Empires, But with Barbarians

• Steam Rating – 7/10
• Metacritic Rating – 6/10
• Developer – Petroglyph
• Release Date – 2019
• Cost – 3/5

Funcom’s love for Conan shows again when they publish Conan Unconquered. The game practically steals a trailer from Conan Exiles but don’t let that fool you. This is an RTS game, which you either love or hate.

The game takes you through a decent fast-paced campaign with frequent waves to keep you busy, but it doesn’t have a skirmish mode. It does need more content, but it’s still not overpriced for 2023.

All I can say is if you like RTS games, then you will enjoy this game, especially since the theme is one you already love. Just be prepared to never leave the starter desert because that’s the only biome in this game.

Far Cry Primal – Single Player Primitive

• Steam Rating – 9/10
• Metacritic Rating – 7.5/10
• Developer – Ubisoft
• Release Date – 2016
• Cost – 3/5

There are over a dozen Far Cry games, and Far Cry Primal is the only one I’d liken to Conan Exiles. It’s a single-player game, which means you can chill without worrying about a raid on your base.

It’s a good idea to remember that Ubisoft is involved with this game, so you have to use their launcher. But it’s well worth it because the game is gorgeous, engaging, and exactly what a single-player survival should be.

If you’ve only played the original Far Cry games, you probably wonder how Far Cry Primal and Conan Exiles connect. But trust me, if you want a game that feels like Conan but plays better alone, Far Cry Primal should suit your fancy.

Sapiens – Simple Game in Conan Era

• Steam Rating – 9/10
• Metacritic Rating – N/A
• Developer -Majic Jungle
• Release Date – 2022
• Cost – 3/5

Sapiens isn’t popular, and I understand that. But it was just released in 2022, and I see its potential. With some work from developers to launch this game from Early Access, I see it going places.

In the game, you create a civilization with limited, though appreciated, freedom. The map is procedurally generated, so you have a unique land that isn’t identical to anyone else’s. After you start your base, you get tribe members that you have to keep happy and well. In a way, Sapiens is like a prehistoric Sims.

It needs a graphic update, more content, and better immersion. Though I don’t see it reaching Conan Exiles fame or quality, it is worth the buy. But I’d wait until it’s on sale as it is overpriced for what you get.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey – Incredible Evolution

• Steam Rating – 9/10
• Metacritic Rating – 6.5/10
• Developer – Panache Digital Games
• Release Date – 2019
• Cost – 4/5

This game takes place long before Conan, as you are literally evolving in it. But the concept is so captivating and done well that I couldn’t resist mentioning it. There’s something so sweet and genuine about Ancestors that you can’t understand until you play it.

The point of the game is to explore. You not only explore the lands but also eras spanning an eight-million-year period. You have to eat and drink tp survive, but you get to do so swinging from tree limbs with the dexterity of an ape.

No, you won’t sink hours and hours into it as you probably do Conan Exiles, but sometimes some humility and down-to-earth gameplay will do you some good. And yes, you will see the new Planet of the Apes movie differently.

Modded Skyrim – I Said What I Said

Vanilla Skyrim is so good, but it’s even better with mods. There’s literally a Conan Hyborian Age mod, but it doesn’t get updated. There are countless other mods that turn Skyrim into a survival game in any period that you choose.

So if it’s not the Conan age you want, then iNeed, campfire, and Frostfall are good places to start. But if you want to start simple, then Skyrim: Survival Mode for Skyrim Special Edition should do it.

Games to Look Forward to if You Like Conan Exiles

These games are not out at the time of writing, so I can’t confirm whether they’re worth it. However, I am looking forward to each of them and try to keep up with the updates.

• ARK 2 – I’ve mentioned how much I love ARK, and I’ve been stoked about this game since it was announced. While others are interested because of Vin Diesel, I’m interested because I’m in love with its predecessor.
• Wildmender – Wildmender is another chill 1-4 player survival game. The world is procedurally generated, the aesthetics are pleasing, and there is magic. I recommend keeping an eye on this gem.
• Smalland – I want this game to come out sooner rather than later. It looks like a much-improved Grounded, complete with bug armor and an immersion into the survival world of Arriety or the Borrowers.
• The Swordsmen X: Survival – I have no idea when this game is coming out, but it looks every bit as beautiful and creepy as I want it to be. It’s set in ancient China, making it a unique survival game already. I can’t wait to hear more.
• Dawnlands – This game needs work before it comes out, but if things go well, I think it will be amazing. It reminds me of a world between Valheim and Conan Exiles in a less-than-realistic setting.

FAQs

Play Conan or Switch Games

This is a tough decision. Playing a game that you can’t get enough of is hard to resist, but there’s usually a reason you begin to branch out. You can always go back to Conan Exiles, and if you’re not out much money, then that’s what I suggest.

I’ve never regretted giving a game a chance, but I wish I had played some games sooner. How to choose which game to switch to is difficult, so I like to find a group of friends that are interested and vote on it. After all, gaming is ten times more fun with friends.

Related read

• Conan Exiles Combat Guide
• Conan Exiles Gameplay Overview
• Conan Exiles Getting Started Guide
• Conan Exiles Consumables Guide