Single-player games like Northern Lights
Below are 10 single-player Steam games similar to Northern Lights, ranked by player overlap. Every pick carries Steam's Single-player category, so multiplayer-only titles or always-online games don't sneak in. imho.run pulls the category data from Steam directly — Single-player here matches what the store labels.
Want the full alternatives list (paid + free + Steam Deck + cheaper picks)? See the parent games like Northern Lights page.
Ranked picks
- 1
Escape The Pacific
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Northern Lights.
Raw, real survival in the Pacific. Build a modular floating base. Master realistic sailing mechanics. Face challenging Pacific-like weather & seasons. Hunt, craft, build & navigate using Sun Dial, Sextant & Triangulation. Explore an endless island cluster-based world. Simulate real life scenarios!
- 2
The Long Dark
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Northern Lights.
THE LONG DARK is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies -- only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.
- 3
KeepUp Survival
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie with Northern Lights.
KeepUp Survival is an open base-building and exploration game set in a natural, abandoned world. Build, gather, survive, and unfold your own story on a mysterious island.
- 4
Subsistence
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Early Access with Northern Lights.
Subsistence is a sandbox, first person, solo or co-op, PvE open-world survival game. Struggle through changing seasons to build a base, develop technology and gear-up in the hostile environment. Defend yourself from wildlife, the elements and AI hunters (who also build bases in the world).
- 5
The Infected
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Northern Lights.
The Infected is a sandbox, first-person, open-world survival game. Build bases, craft, farm, hunt, and survive changing seasons. Choose whether to face the hybrid “Vambies” or turn them off for a pure survival experience.
- 6
Project Zomboid
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Northern Lights.
Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in MP: you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, massively customisable sandbox and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary. So how will you die? All it takes is a bite..
- 7
Life Not Supported
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Simulation and Early Access with Northern Lights.
You are the lone survivor orbiting a potential new home planet, tethered to what’s left of your ship. Gather nearby debris and assemble a make-shift vessel in an attempt to survive the harsh realities of space. Maybe you'll live long enough to uncover the truth behind the ship's malfunction...
- 8
Survival: Fountain of Youth
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Northern Lights.
Survival: Fountain of Youth is a challenging single-player open-world adventure game set on the Caribbean islands. Survive as a shipwrecked 16th-century explorer, craft tools and shelter, and uncover the secrets of both an ancient civilization and your own fate.
- 9
The Forest
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Northern Lights.
As the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest battling to stay alive against a society of cannibalistic mutants. Build, explore, survive in this terrifying first person survival horror simulator.
- 10
Green Hell
Single-player alternative to Northern Lights — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Northern Lights.
Plunge into the open-world survival simulation set in the extreme conditions of the uncharted Amazon jungle. Use real-life survival techniques to craft, hunt, fight, and gather resources, set a makeshift shelter, or raise a fortress. Survive alone or team up with your friends and challenge the jungle together.