Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Instead of finally growing bored of its formula, I find myself just imagining yet more things developer Funday Games could add in new updates to come. This release makes the game feel complete and ready for a broader audience, after over a year of public development. But at the same time, it feels like it could be only the beginning.

Deep Rock Galactic Survivor is easily one of the best game in the bullet heaven genre, thanks to an impressive amount of content, to the quality of its presentation, and to the fact that blowing up bugs never stops being fun. A bit of a shame that there's no coop, though.

Ever since I first played Vampire Survivors three years ago, I've been bitten by the survivors-like/auto shooter/reverse shmup/whatever-the-hell...

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is exactly what it sets out to be: a survivor-like packed with the flavour of Deep Rock Galactic. It’s simple to pick up, endlessly replayable, and bursting with dwarven charm. If you’re a longtime fan, this is a brilliant single-player companion to the co-op original. If you’re new, it’s still an accessible entry point into the universe, though don’t be surprised if it makes you want to try the full four-player chaos too.

A fine addition to a young genre, Survivor adds smart twists, most notably its level-based structure; however, unlike the mainline Deep Rock Galactic, it's single-player only.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is a standout experience in the bullet-hell auto-shooter roguelite genre. It stands toe-to-toe with some of the best experiences out there, such as Vampire Survivors, Brotato, Army of Ruin, and more. Since the game landed on Xbox Game Pass, I have poured close to 30 hours in so far, and I can still see so much replayability and longevity here. The fact that I’ve wanted to install the game on all of my devices to get my fix just speaks to me about how much of a great game this is. If you’re on a budget and want a game that will give you potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay, then for the price of £19.99, it is so worth it. Alternatively, if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription, get it downloaded immediately; it’s an addictive masterpiece.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is the most genuine threat to Vampire Survivor's rule yet.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is an exercise in excess, giving loads of challenges to complete with inventive twists on the bullet heaven formula.

For fans of DRG, it is more than fan service: this is a thoughtful pivot into a different genre while holding onto what made DRG beloved.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is more than just another Vampire Survivors clone—it’s a faithful spin on the co-op classic that carries over its humor, class personality, and suffocating cave atmosphere. The lack of camaraderie stings, and the grind and balance issues get rough in the endgame, but the core loop of digging, shooting, and upgrading never stops being fun. For fans of either genre, it’s an easy recommendation.