Icarus: the survival sim that finally delivered

For nearly two decades I searched for an ideal survival game, a quest that began with an early Minecraft beta in 2009 and a childhood love of roaming adventures. Many titles came close but missed a crucial balance between danger and safe exploration. Then I installed Icarus.

Set on an alien planet, Icarus drops you in as an advance solo party with nothing but a dropship and a choice of objectives: try to survive indefinitely or complete missions and return. The world contains hostile wildlife and cavern-dwelling worm things, yet outdoor exploration remains possible.

You gather basic materials, craft progressively complex gear, and benefit from a strikingly beautiful game world. The game launched in December 2021 from Dean “Day Z” Hall and now holds some 29,000 mostly positive Steam reviews while still peaking at over 12,000 simultaneous players daily more than four years after release.

icarus, survival sim, survival game, dean hall, day z, alien planet, dropship, steam reviews, simultaneous players, crafting