Rust

Rust is one of the cruelest games on Steam, and that's what makes it so compelling.

Rust is an aggressively competitive survival game that thrives on conflict and trash talk. Other games are better at the individual components, like DayZ for the tense player interactions, Fortnite for the battle royale mode, or Subnautica for the survival gameplay, but Rust blends lesser versions of all three together in a way that works. For competitive players who want a mix of survival and crafting, Rust is the best there is; for everyone else, there are plenty of other games.

The two half-clothed hunters circle me. One of them has already pegged me in the chest with an arrow, and they’re both taunting me as I try to duck out of sight, nude and armed only with a club that was once someone’s femur. The first hunter charges but misses with his spear. I slam the club into his face, killing him. I hear the pluck of the bow snap and turn just in time to get another arrow in my belly. He’s prepping another arrow when I slam the bone down on him over and over again. Soon he’s on the ground, wounded, begging me not to kill him. I smash his skull in with a rock and take his...