Survive the Nights 1.0 Review - A Zombie Apocalypse That Forgot to Finish Booting Up
If this is what a "1.0 release" looks like in 2026, we are all doomed.
I have a soft spot for janky survival games. There is something charming about spawning in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a flashlight and a dream, scraping by until you have a fortress of solitude. Survive the Nights has been cooking in Early Access for years, promising a hardcore experience where preparation is everything. Now that it has officially hit version 1.0, I dove in expecting a polished, tense survival horror. Instead, I found a game that feels like it’s being held together by duct tape and prayers.
The Core Loop is Actually Good (When It Works)
The concept here is solid. You spend the day preparing because the night is going to kill you.
Unlike DayZ where you just run until you get sniped, or 7 Days to Die where you become a construction worker, Survive the Nights focuses on fortification. You find an existing house, you board up the windows, you trap the doors, and you pray the generator doesn't run out of gas. When this works, it feels fantastic. There is a genuine tension as the sun goes down. You can hear the zombies getting more aggressive outside while you crouch in the kitchen, cooking beans on a camping stove.
Fortification Over Construction
I really appreciate that I don't have to build a house from scratch. The ability to take over a mobile home or a suburban house and literally nail planks over the windows is immersive. It makes sense. You aren't an architect; you are a survivor. This mechanic is the game's strongest selling point. Dragging a fridge in front of a door to block a horde feels desperate and real.
The "1.0" Lie
However, we need to talk about the state of this game. Calling this a full release is bold.
I ran into bugs that would be embarrassing in an Alpha build, let alone a finished product. I found ammo boxes labeled "Item Name." I saw cars do barrel rolls because they hit a pebble. I had zombies spawn directly behind me in a room I just cleared. This isn't just "indie jank." This is a lack of polish that makes it hard to take the survival elements seriously. How am I supposed to be immersed in a gritty apocalypse when my RV decides to fly into the stratosphere?
Empty World, Empty Promises
The map is huge. Too huge.
You can drive for ten minutes and see nothing but copy-pasted trees and the occasional zombie standing menacingly in a field. The Points of Interest (POIs) are fine, but the loot distribution is wonky. I would raid a police station and find nothing, then find military gear in a random house. It makes exploration feel unrewarding after the first few hours.
The Desync Disaster
If you play this solo, it's boring. If you play with friends, it's a desync nightmare. I had chests that showed items to me but were empty for my teammates. We had zombies that I was shooting but my friend couldn't see. It turns a tense survival game into a comedy of errors. We laughed a lot, but we were laughing at the game, not with it.
The Verdict
Survive the Nights has the bones of a great game. The mental health system, the calorie counting, and the fortification mechanics are all excellent ideas. But ideas don't make a stable game. It feels like the developers reached a deadline and just slapped the "1.0" sticker on an Alpha build.
If you can grab this on sale for $4 and you have three friends who have a high tolerance for bugs, you will have a fun weekend. You will laugh when your car explodes for no reason. But as a serious survival contender? It’s not there yet.
Score: 5.5/10 A fun $4 disaster, but a terrible full-price game
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way.
