Between Sons of the Forest, Soulmask, the ongoing popularity of Rust, and dozens of other new contenders, it’s been a busy time for survival games. In 2013, when Bohemia launched the early version of DayZ, the whole genre felt fresh and original. Now, competition is tough and the field is packed – but the creator of the original zombie survival shooter, and the super realistic military sim Arma, is very much still in the fight. Five years after it first launched, Bohemia’s ambitious, brutal survival game Vigor is finally here on PC. This is the full version, and it’s available to play completely free.
I like the limitations in survival games – I like the sense that everything is hard earned. Videogames, traditionally, are bold fantasy spaces where you’re free to experiment, explore, and experience vicarious versions of things that are otherwise impossible. The survival genre offers a different kind of reward. It’s not about bulking up with stats, sewing together big combos, or executing audacious, fantastical frivolity. The joy comes from living with a small-scale gun battle, successfully patching a wound, or finding an untouched can of preserved apricots. Vigor understands that in survival games, the smallest moments matter most.
Set among the harsh Norwegian wilderness, the objective in Vigor is to find and retrieve as many essential supplies as possible, and safely return them to your custom-built shelter. More than 60 different weapons are on offer and you can play a variety of modes, including the fast-paced deathmatch and the slower, tenser, and more tactical ‘Elimination,’ where even the slightest misstep can spell instant doom. Get in, grab what you need, and get back out. Whether you go stealthily or savagely, Vigor feels like a cross between the survival genre and extraction shooters.
Originally released in 2019, Vigor recently expanded to PC via an early-access version, but now it’s here in full. You can play it for free and Bohemia has deployed a community-wide wipe so that everyone is starting from the same strength. To mark the PC launch, Bohemia has also released a new update which includes a major overhaul to all weapons, the introduction of a new pistol, and a totally new map called Eikevjen. If you want to try Vigor for yourself, it’s available right now, right here.
Otherwise, try some of the other best free PC games, or maybe get the best free Steam games instead.
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