Just to Survive
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In active development

Just to Survive

No safe roads. Every shot spends time.

Command modular soldiers in a sun-bleached wasteland. Fight turn-based firefights with physical ballistics, explore freely between contacts, trade at Waystation Nine, craft gear, wire generators, and drive rusted vehicles across a persistent open desert.

Steam page coming soon

Watch

Gameplay trailer.

From the game

Screenshots.

Ivory squad targeting raiders at Ashfall Depot
Turn-based combat at Dead Signal
Waystation Nine trading camp in the desert
Waystation Nine · trade, recruit, and take contracts
A lone survivor facing an automaton in the open desert
Survival · automatons and salvage in the open wastes
Rocket blast damaging several combatants
M-80 rocket collateral
A generated wasteland of cliffs, rocks, and bones
Procedural wasteland terrain
Just to Survive

Developer diary.

Read every entry
Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Gave Masoala distinct shops and a worn courtyard

Five storefronts, an open repair bay and paths around courtyard seating make the trading settlement easier to read.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Kept new site compounds on dry land

New entrances check their complete rotated footprint above sea level while preserving old saved coordinates.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Added distance-based combat retreat

A squad can disengage by moving beyond the active enemies' pursuit reach.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Matched the atmosphere to the rainforest

Rainforest lighting and ambient treatment replace the universal desert cast and dust.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Spread loading work across frames

Cooperative construction and earlier texture and shader preparation reduce individual loading blocks; larger freezes remain open.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Gave the Waystation distinct roofs and stock displays

Different roof structures, visible stock and a properly fitted gate sign distinguish the camp buildings.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Rebuilt the cave escarpment and layered geology

A recessed cave mouth opens into stratified walls, sediment floors and attached mineral formations.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Added persistent click distance and movement feedback

Clicked destinations show a ground marker, distance and time-unit requirements, with clear refusal reasons.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Rebuilt the industrial yard and pump rooms

Process vessels, pipework and an open pump hall continue into concrete rooms with generators and service equipment.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Refined the rifle-butt grip and support hand

The rifle follows the striking hand while the support hand releases during the close-combat action.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Rebuilt the mine yard and supported galleries

A headframe and workshop lead to layered rock galleries with timber braces, connected rails and an ore cart.

Development diary
Oct 7, 2026

Rebuilt the research campus and laboratory

Research wings, a guarded courtyard and furnished underground laboratories replace the earlier entrance mock-up.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Added fallen-wood gathering

Fallen timber becomes a gatherable field resource whose state survives saving and loading.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Spread vehicle preparation across frames

Vehicle construction and collision preparation share work across frames instead of repeating the same setup.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Added enemy return fire and persistent damage

Attacked enemies can retaliate, and their changed state survives the Explore save.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Added overturned-vehicle recovery

Pushing and a grounded recovery assist help an overturned Jeep get back onto its wheels.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Added roofs and porches to Masoala

Pitched roofs, covered porches and a water tower make the trading settlement more recognizable.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Tripled running endurance

Running drains stamina more slowly while keeping the same speed and recovery.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Added rifle-butt close combat

An equipped rifle can strike at close range without spending ammunition, then return to its ranged fire mode.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Added persistent underground sites and clickable passages

Four site types lead to saved underground floors, with one-click approach, stairs and a return to the surface.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Added a friendly Horror Zoo

Seven nonhostile Techno Horrors can be inspected together, with updated gunmetal surfaces.

Development diary
Oct 5, 2026

Improved item inspection and attachment handling

Right-click inspects equipped, backpack and held items; a horizontal tray holds two rifle attachments.

Development diary
Oct 4, 2026

Fixed invisible tree barriers and softened flashlight spill

Bounded tree clearance restores open paths, while wider flashlight beams illuminate the ground near the survivor.

Development diary
Oct 3, 2026

Added terrain-aware automaton footsteps

Mechanical contacts follow traveled distance and alternate feet, with distance-limited sound.

Development diary
Oct 4, 2026

Added rain, wind and night vehicle lighting

Rain and wind join bounded vehicle lights, lit tracks and reduced deep-night dust.

Development diary
Oct 4, 2026

Added AR-4 attachment slots and a mounted flashlight

Two rifle slots support saved attachments, carried weight and a default T-toggle muzzle light.

Development diary
Oct 4, 2026

Improved seated combat and vehicle exits

Hostile contact stops the vehicle, seated aiming has a penalty, and safe combat exits cost30TU.

Development diary
Oct 4, 2026

Lowered direct-control camera framing

The selected soldier stays slightly below center while walking, rotating and zooming.

Development diary
Oct 4, 2026

Added a driving dashboard and Shift boost

Live vehicle gauges accompany temporary boost, its sound and increased fuel consumption.

Development diary
Oct 3, 2026

Reduced post-combat collision scanning

Roaming movement skips detailed resource polygons that lie outside the traveled segment.

Development diary
Oct 4, 2026

Added seven Techno Horror variants

Native night creatures add distinct bodies, attacks, leap and laser behavior, and persistent corpses.

Development diary
Oct 3, 2026

Strengthened terrain face contrast

Broad shading makes rendered slopes easier to read without changing walkability.

Development diary
Oct 3, 2026

Added a field performance report panel

A compact panel tracks frame gaps, streaming, save activity and recent expensive operations.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Brought roaming automatons into Expedition

Roaming enemies now use the island bounds instead of remaining restricted to fixed-map Survival.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Added Masoala traders and GPS contracts

Five trading counters and a persistent elimination contract give the island a settlement to return to.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Added persistent wildlife corpses and vehicle impacts

Moving vehicles can strike wildlife, and the grounded body and single meat drop remain through reload.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Let Jeeps cross tiny scatter and reduced streaming stalls

Small fibers and loose pebbles stay harvestable while Jeep contact setup and chunk retirement do less repeated work.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Reduced stalls when choosing blocked destinations

Destination checks now use nearby exact polygons, and the height cache avoids expensive eviction scans.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Matched walking slopes to the rendered terrain

Flat ground beside cliffs is walkable again, uphill movement slows gradually and steep faces share one cutoff.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Opened the island map while driving

M now opens and closes the large island map without making the player leave the Jeep.

Development diary
Oct 2, 2026

Added dark nights, field lights and Jeep headlights

Craftable torches and flashlights light the night, while the Jeep has its own switchable beams.

Development diary
Oct 1, 2026

Bounded island navigation searches to prevent stalls

Unreachable island destinations now stop searching promptly instead of flooding the streamed world.

Development diary
Oct 1, 2026

Added a persistent Explore slot and background saves

Explore keeps its own checkpoint for location and changed world state.

Development diary
Oct 1, 2026

Made wildlife and vehicles obey shared turns

Ctrl+Space enters manual turns, and the world waits while the player plans.

Development diary
Oct 1, 2026

Added a marked Zoo and connected native trees

The island has a labeled review grove for wildlife and plants, with newly authored connected foliage.

Development diary
Oct 1, 2026

Improved terrain dust and resource interactions

Ground-colored effects, live mesh picking and clearer feedback improve Explore interactions.

Development diary
Sep 30, 2026

Improved wildlife motion and terrain grounding

Tenrecs step, boas deform along the ground, and Explore shows the current biome beneath the map.

Development diary
Sep 30, 2026

Added roaming wildlife and hunting

Explore animals now move through the island, take weapon hits and provide edible meat.

Development diary
Sep 30, 2026

Made streamed resources harvestable and finite

Visible island plants can yield resources and stay depleted after harvesting.

Development diary
Sep 30, 2026

Added terrain-following footprints and surface reactions

Walking leaves footprints fitted to the terrain, with different reactions beneath the survivor.

Development diary
Sep 30, 2026

Added regional relief and native island plants

Explore’s island now combines smoothed elevation, regional landforms and twelve procedural plant species.

Development diary
Sep 29, 2026

Opened Madagascar exploration on the game engine

Explore brings a streamed Madagascar-inspired island into the existing isometric game.

Development diary
Sep 29, 2026

Added whole-island map travel

Explore’s map shows the island, named places and the survivor’s position, with right-click travel for testing.

Development diary
Sep 29, 2026

Added a Madagascar world with regional biomes

A separate World mode explores a heightmap-based Madagascar with dry regions, forests and highlands.

Combat update
Sep 28, 2026

Made reaction timing depend on agility

Movement can trigger an opposing unit's reaction, while agility determines who gets the first opportunity to fire.

Interface update
Sep 28, 2026

Put squad leadership on the portraits

A portrait menu, leader shortcuts and a compact information strip keep squad commands close to the action.

Combat update
Sep 26, 2026

Reworked squad portraits and combat feedback

Stacked squad cards, anatomical gauges and clearer action cues make the combat HUD easier to read.

Combat update
Sep 25, 2026

Added two-click combat movement and clearer controls

Preview a combat route before committing, or cancel it without spending time units.

Combat update
Sep 25, 2026

Added downed enemies after leg destruction

Destroying a leg now leaves an enemy downed, with slower crawling and less accurate fire.

Combat update
Sep 24, 2026

Expanded the combat sim to nine enemies

Three additional automatons now threaten the flanks and rear of the combat test map.

Combat update
Sep 23, 2026

Added automaton reactor blasts and conditional salvage

Damaged automatons now connect body-part combat, reactor explosions and the parts left to recover.

Interface update
Sep 21, 2026

Added context cursors and combat HUD housings

Movement, interaction, and placement now communicate through the cursor while combat and exploration receive distinct metal-framed controls.

Traversal update
Sep 21, 2026

Added jump, climb, and fall damage on combat ledges

Height is now tactical terrain: soldiers can climb or drop between levels, spend time units doing it, and injure their legs when a fall is too severe.

World update
Sep 20, 2026

Rebuilt the procedural wasteland terrain generator

The Survival map now rolls broader ridges, basins, ledges, debris fields, and admin-selectable terrain presets instead of repeating one flat desert.

World update
Sep 20, 2026

Added terrain height, ledges, and fitted rock collisions

The desert gained real elevation, visible escarpments, concealment, and obstacle shapes that follow the rocks instead of blocking oversized squares.

Combat update
Sep 19, 2026

Added hero voices and 21 classes of impact audio

Soldiers now call their actions while bullets, lasers, armor, stone, metal, and bodies answer with distinct impact sounds.

Controls update
Sep 18, 2026

Added configurable controls and direct party selection

Every major command can now be rebound and saved, while F1 through F12 select individual squad members for movement and looting.

Survival update
Sep 17, 2026

Added generators, wiring, and a day-night cycle

Placed machines can now form a small power network while the desert moves through daylight, dusk, darkness, and dawn.

World update
Sep 17, 2026

Expanded the desert and added roaming automatons

Survival grew into a 430 by 400 tile wasteland where enemy packs move through the world instead of waiting at fixed encounter points.

Crafting update
Sep 16, 2026

Added portable forges, storage crates, and vehicle frames

Harvested material can now become field infrastructure, including specialist forges, persistent storage, and the first craftable vehicle chassis.

Vehicle update
Sep 15, 2026

Added the drivable Rust Jackal

The first wasteland vehicle can be placed from inventory, driven across the desert, loaded with cargo, damaged, repaired, and recovered as a wreck.

Systems update
Sep 14, 2026

Added durable saves, quick items, and Alt-Drive movement

Survival progress now survives damaged save generations while a quick bar and direct movement mode make field work faster.

Mode update
Sep 13, 2026

Added Survival mode and robot wreck salvage

A lone survivor now enters a separate procedural desert, fights malfunctioning automatons, and strips their wrecks for usable components.

Crafting update
Sep 13, 2026

Added field crafting, gathering, and body-part medicine

Loose stone, wood, fiber, scrap, and robot parts now feed recipes for tools, workbenches, armor repair, and treatment of individual injuries.

Campaign update
Sep 13, 2026

Added the Waystation Nine campaign

A solo survivor can now trade, recruit companions, accept contracts, and return to a persistent desert outpost between operations.

Weapons update
Sep 12, 2026

Added lasers, rockets, and material impact effects

Energy beams and explosive rockets now damage bodies, armor, cover, and nearby units with effects matched to the material they strike.

Personnel update
Sep 11, 2026

Added trainable stats and character customization

Accuracy, Strength, Endurance, and Fortitude now grow through combat practice alongside selectable body types and forty hairstyles.

Exploration update
Sep 11, 2026

Added free exploration and the Soldier Codex

Outside combat, soldiers now move freely through the world while a live 3D codex manages armor, weapons, injuries, and backpack storage.

Combat update
Sep 11, 2026

Added turn-based combat and the Dead Signal mission

Four Ivory soldiers can now assault an occupied relay depot using time units, cover, body-part targeting, ballistics, and enemy turns.

Origin update
Sep 10, 2026

Built the first wasteland character roster

Nine low-poly soldiers, raiders, medics, scouts, and machine forms established the visual language for Survived before the first mission existed.