Where do survival games go from here? Atmosfar's answer is a sci-fi road trip

Survival games are the ultimate chill hang out simulators. Everyone goes about their little tasks, shooting the breeze in voice chat, and only occasionally blowing up each other's houses for a bit. Why, then, are so many of them about starving in a zombie-infested rat hole or getting mauled by dinosaurs in the jungle? Atmosfar taps into the vibes I'm really looking for: a placid, sunlit road trip.

A lot of the standard survival craft staples are present—you'll build a base, scavenge for spare parts and fuel, and go exploring to find whatever aliens and upgrades await you in the untamed wilderness. The road trip vibes are thanks to the Cloud Cruiser, an airship that serves as a mobile base you can kit out with nuclear reactors and furniture.

There's also the wasps, smaller ships with narrower functionality that players pilot individually. Gun down fauna with the fighter wasp, spot flora with the scout wasp, and so on. Divvying up roles and getting to work is always the part I like best when trying a new survival game with friends, so I'm hopeful Atmosfar's focus on 1-4 player co-op will pay off.

In the trailer above, unveiled during today's PC Gaming Show 2025, Atmosfar showed off its various vessels in flight, as well as a lush, overgrown biome to make camp in. The trailer also names the game's publisher for the first time: Shueisha Games, which has mostly published anime-inspired deckbuilders and narrative games until now.

I can feel Atmosfar reaching for that sense of awe and wonderment I associate with the likes of No Man's Sky and Subnautica, and I'm eager to see if it can hit those notes while also cruising around the clouds in my very own party boat.

Atmosfar will release in early access sometime in 2026, and you can wishlist it now on Steam.

Check out every game, trailer, and announcement in the PC Gaming Show 2025