Top 21 Best Survival Game Manga Ever Created
It is in our genetic nature to strive for survival which could partially explain why we tend to be engrossed with the genre. Through emotionally intense scenes, deadly scenarios, and ingeniously crafted games, the limits of sanity and morality of participants are stretched beyond the imaginable. Characters' perception of self chatters as the question "How far am I willing to go to stay alive" is constantly asked, and what they once thought impossible to partake in - cheating, murder, manipulation, and torture - becomes part of their daily lives. The survival game mangas on this list explore unfamiliar territories of the psyche by borrowing elements from different dystopian, horror, or thriller genres and weaving them together into cerebral and captivating reading experiences.
If you’re looking for wilderness, horror, or zombie-based survival ‘games’ check out the apocalypse manga list instead:
+Top 23 Best Post Apocalyptic Manga Ever Created+
+Best Gambling Manga Ever Created+
1.LIAR GAME
One day, a mysterious package appears at the doorsteps of Nao Kanzaki's home. Opening it, she finds one hundred million yen and an invitation to participate in the ''Liar Game'': an enigmatic series of competitions that focuses on contestants' ability to manipulate and deceive their opponents. Each game's prize constitutes an enormous sum of money, but losing is synonymous with insurmountable debt. Being a sincere and naive individual, Nao enlists the help of Shinichi Akiyama, a former psychology student and famous con artist whose last job bankrupted an entire company. The odd pair sets forth to participate in the games that seem only to have one rule: physical violence is illegal, but mental 'violence' is more than welcomed. Liar Game is an introspection on the human condition, incorporating real-life situations into perfectly crafted game formats.
+Volume: 19
+Chapters: 203
+Published: 2005 to 2015
+Genres: Psychological - Drama
+Authors: Kaitani Shinobu [Art&tory]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Jump
2.Usogui
嘘喰い
The world of Usogui is one where gambling has transcended all of its known limits and is so entrenched in the way society works that some people go as far as to bet their own lives or that of the people they own as ante. To create a semblance of stability in the violence that often ensues, organizations of referees have risen to ensure that gambling participants respect the rules they set. The most powerful organization is known as ''Kakerou'' and has quickly overtaken the world. For them, as long as the rules are not directly broken, anything goes, including the incorporation of martial arts and torture into a game. The manga follows Baku Madarame, known as 'The Lie Eater,' an insane and psychotic madman who repeatedly puts his life on the line of his gambles and is determined to overtake Kakerou and become the head of its organization.
+Volumes: 49
+Chapters: 541
+Published: 2006 to 2017
+Genres: Psychological
+Authors: Sako, Toshio [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Jump
3.Imawa no Kuni no Alice
今際の国のアリス - Alice in Borderland
Alice in Borderland follows the story of 24-year-old Ryohei Arisu as he, along with his two best friends, suddenly gets transported to a parallel dimension known as "The Borderlands." In order to get out alive, they are forced to participate in a series of deadly games whose types (mental, physical, emotional, psychological) and difficulty levels are assigned by playing cards' numbers and symbols. As they progress, the games threaten to kill or mentally annihilate the unfortunate people that participate in them, and the mystery surrounding The Borderlands grows in complexity.
+Volumes: 18
+Chapters: 87
+Published: 2010 to 2016
+Genres: Psychological - Action - Horror - Supernatural
+Authors: Aso Haro [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Shounen Sunday Super
4.Psyren
-サイレン-
Psyren merges survival, isekai, and sci-fi themes to give you a manga packed with action and secrecy. After receiving a strange call and finding a mysterious card in a phone booth, high schooler Ageha Yoshina gets teleported to a desolate wasteland where he and others with a similar fate are tasked with fighting monsters but not provided with a reason as to why. As they level up, the characters begin to unveil the mystery surrounding their new world, which seems intricately linked to the fate of their old one.
+Volumes: 16
+Chapters: 145
+Published: 2007 to 2010
+Genres: Psychology - Action - Adventure - Romance - Sci-Fi - Supernatural
+Authors: Iwashiro Toshiaki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Shounen Jump (Weekly)
5.GANTZ
ガンツ - GANTSU
Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, a pair of childhood friends, are suddenly torn apart as they get hit by a subway train and die shortly after. Unfortunately for them, instead of reaching heaven or hell or simply ceasing to exist, their body parts materialize into the interior of a Tokyo apartment, fuse back together, and alas, they are alive again. This second chance at life comes with a price: along with a bunch of other people, they are forced to now embark on missions to kill strange aliens. Yes, you’ve read all of this correctly. No, I have nothing else to add.
+Volumes: 37
+Chapters: 383
+Published: 2000 to 2013
+Genres: Horror - Sci-Fi - Supernatural - Psychological
+Authors: Hiroya Oku [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Jump
6.Tobaku Hakairoku Kaiji
賭博破戒録カイジ
Jobless loiterer Kaiji Itou finds himself being tricked by an ex-co-worker and becomes responsible for paying back almost 4 million yen of debt. Shortly after, he mysteriously gets offered a place to participate in an illegal gambling tournament aboard a luxurious cruise ship. Kaiji eventually realizes the consequences of each gamble as lives are put at stake rather than money. This manga’s primary focus on deceit, mind games, and manipulation, as well as its exploration of themes of wealth and poverty, makes it the perfect read if you’re looking for a terrifying portrayal of the human survival instinct of a highly intelligent yet flawed character.
+Volumes: 13
+Chapters: 134
+Published: 2000 to 2004
+Genres: Drama - Psychology
+Authors: Fukumoto Nobuyuki [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Young Sunday (Weekly)
7.Battle Royale
バトル・ロワイアル
Battle Royal birthed the concept of the Hunger Games. In this alternate world, a class of high school students is chosen every year to participate in ''The Program'', a death game in a deserted area where they are forced to slaughter each other until the last one standing. If they choose to refrain from participating, the collar fitted on their necks will detonate. Battle Royal is not for the faint of heart, it probably contains more violence and gore than a lot of mangas out there, and you'll find body parts mostly residing outside of the bodies they belong to rather than inside of them. But there is more to this work than just gruesome murder and decapitations as it manages to envelop a variety of themes: faith, psychosis, deception, love, hatred, debilitating anxiety, and the feral-like instinct for survival.
+Volumes: 15
+Chapters: 119
+Published: 2000 to 2005
+Genres: Psychological - Action - Drama - Horror
+Creator: Takami Koushun [Story] Taguchi Masayuki [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Young Champion Magazine
8.Darwin’s Game
ダーウィンズゲーム
One day, High school student Kaname Sudou finds himself nonchalantly accepting an online invitation sent by a friend to play an app game called ‘Darwin’s game.’ Later, he realizes that this game is one of life and death where battles take place in which the players either win and move on to the next round to earn money or die. Each player has a special supernatural ability known as a ‘Sigil’ that they will need to use to eventually reach and attempt to beat the game master. Showcasing vast amounts of both greed and brutal violence, this manga takes place in very morally grey areas of the concept of right and wrong.
+Volumes: +25
+Chapters: +100
+Published: 2012 to Present
+Genres: Action - Mystery
+Authors: FLIPFLOPs [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Bessatsu Shounen Champion
9.One Outs
Centering around the game of Baseball, this manga might not seem like a survival game type at first hand, but it is one of the most ingenious works on this list. One Outs is the name given to a simplified version of Baseball, which consists of a duel between a batter and pitcher. The game does not depend on the physical abilities of its partakers. Instead, it heavily relies on playing mind games and deciphering your opponent's psychology to be able to read his next move and fake your own. The story follows Toua Tokuchi, an expert gambler who has an unbreakable record of 499 wins to 0 losses. One day, he meets Hiromichi Kojima, a professional batter who dreams of taking his home team - the weakest baseball team in all of Japan- to the championships. As he duels with Tokuchi, he becomes convinced that this master manipulator might hold the keys to his success.
+Volumes: 20
+Chapters: 175
+Published: 1998 to 2006
+Genres: Psychological - Sports
+Authors: Kaitani, Shinobu [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Business Jump
10.Mirai Nikki
未来日記 - Future Diary
Mirai Nikki centers around twelve people competing in a deadly survival contest whose winner will become the next God of Time and Space (yes, I know, a bit to take in, but bear with me). Each participant is given a ‘Future Diary,’ granting the player a unique and special ability that he can use to both kill and try not to get killed. Due to the extremes humans tend to reach when they strive for power, this manga is a continuous depiction of terrifying and life-threatening situations in which characters often let their inner monsters come out and their moral compass fail.
+Volumes: 12
+Chapters: 59
+Published: 2006 to 2010
+Genres: Psychological - Action - Supernatural - Suspense
+Authors: Esuno Sakae [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other works: Shounen Ace
11.Kamisama no Iutoori 2
神さまの言うとおり弐 - As the Gods Will: The Second Series
Fans of Squid Game will find many similarities in the atmosphere and theme of this manga. The story follows High school student Yasuto Akashi as he tries to survive a series of competitions based on traditional Japanese playground games, with the last survivors, promised to be rewarded with the 'power of the gods.' Fans of mercilessness are sure to enjoy this one as death is in most cases inevitable, and those who survive are the oddities. Death also does not discriminate: taking hold of both lovable and despised characters. You will find yourself liking a character and thinking: 'surely, the author will not kill him', only to see his head dangling from a monkey bar as the rest of his body is still swinging. Don't get attached to anyone.
+Volumes: 21
+Chapters: 186
+Published: 2013 to 2016
+Genres: Action - Horror - Supernatural
+Authors: Kaneshiro Muneyuki [Story] Fujimura Akeji [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Shounen Magazine (Weekly)
12.Aoharu X Kikanjuu
青春×機関銃 - Aoharu x Machine Gun
Aoharu X Kikanjuu is a lighthearted survival game manga where the emphasis is given to the fact that it is indeed only a game, and no one actually dies or goes insane. The story begins when high school student Hotaru Tachibana -a girl who is often confused as a boy- goes after her neighbor, Masamune Matsuoka, thinking that he assaulted one of her friends. Masamune decides to settle her accusation by competing with her in his favorite survival game: an imaginary war tournament that uses fake guns, like paintball but more hardcore. When she loses, Hotaru also ends up owing him a large debt. To pay it back, he forces her to join his male-only team, 'Toy Gun Gun,' which is preparing to enter a famous tournament where Japan's best survival game team will be determined.
+Volumes: 18
+Chapters: 84
+Published: 2012 to 2019
+Genres: Sports - Psychological
+Authors: NAOE [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other work: GFantasy
13.Btooom!
If you're looking for a formulaic survival game manga that won't leave you scratching your head in awe and psychoanalyzing the right and wrongdoings of complex characters, then "Btooom!" is for you. It's not deep, there is barely any character growth, and it's not original in any way, but it is highly entertaining if you like crazy action-packed fights and survival games. The manga follows Ryouta Sakamoto, a player ranking 10th globally, in the popular bomb-throwing game Btoom! One day, he awakens on a remote exotic island with around 30 other individuals, and as he explores the rest of the site and some people try to kill him, he soon realizes that he seems to have been thrown into a real-life version of his explosives game.
+Volumes: 27
+Chapters: 125
+Published: 2009 to 2018
+Genres: Psychological - Action - Drama - Sci-Fi
+Authors: Asano Inio [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic Spirits
14.Tomodachi Game
トモダチゲーム - Friend game
Despite enduring many financial hardships throughout his life, Yuuichi Katagiri has maintained a happy outlook thanks to his close group of friends. As a school trip nears by, Yuuichi manages to save up enough money to join, but the sum mysteriously disappears. A few days later, he wakes up in a mysterious room with his friends where the mascot of an obscure and malicious canceled children's show appears in front of them. He informs the group that one of its members has gathered them to settle a substantial debt and that they'll only be able to pay back the debt if they accept to play and manage to win a series of meticulously crafted games. Each game will slowly descend its players into irrationality and paranoia, and there's a lot of foreshadowing in this manga, so keep an eye open for clues.
+Volumes: +20
+Chapters: +95
+Published: 2013 to Present
+Genres: Psychological
+Authors: Yamaguchi Mikoto [Story] Satou Yuuki [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Bessatsu Shounen Magazine
15.Kakegurui
賭ケグルイ - Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler
Kakegurui takes place at the prestigious Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school that prides itself on preparing students for positions in the affluent world. With most students coming from extremely rich backgrounds, a bizarre eccentricity has risen: gambling, during recess, and in-between class times, where both money and people are accepted as commodities through ranks. The games vary from typical card games such as poker to more insane ones like Russian roulette. Character’s reasons for gambling also fluctuate, some being literally money-obsessed and others sadistically enjoying the thrill of the unknown. Kakegurui explores a diverse array of psychology and gambling addiction profiles, and its colorful characters and insane scenarios are sure to leave you wanting more.
+Volumes: +15
+Chapters: +85
+Published: 2014 to Present
+Genres: Psychological - Drama - Mystery
+Authors: Kawamoto Homura [Story] Naomura Tooru [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Gangan Joker
16.Deadman Wonderland
デッドマン・ワンダーランド
Ganta Igarashi is a seemingly completely normal middle school boy who gets convicted of murder after 29 of his classmates are found dead. His life quickly unfolds into a nightmare as he gets sentenced to ‘Deadman Wonderland,’ a prison that doubles as a theme park for the rich and wealthy. Thrown into a world of brutality, Ganta must participate in the fights that occur at the prison while trying to clear his name from this heinous crime he did not commit.
+Volumes: 13
+Chapters: 58
+Published: 2007 to 2013
+Genres: Action - Adventure - Drama - Sci-Fi - Supernatural
+Authors: Kondou Kazuma [Story&Art] Kataoka, Jinsei [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Shounen Ace
17.Bus Gamer: The Pilot Edition
Strangers Nobuto Nakajo, Toki Mishiba, and Kazuo Saitou are each hired by a mysterious organization to play the 'Biz Game,' a straightforward tournament whose rules are much like those of capture the flag where the objective is to steal the other team's flag and take it to their own base. There's a twist: the flag is replaced by classified company and governmental secrets, and colossal sums of money are involved. Tempted by the cash and the thrill, the three form a team and win, game after game. But, as they start to notice a string of mysterious death reports on the news, they realize that some of the victims belong to opposing teams they've beaten. Bus Game is an action-packed thriller full of humor, violence, and intense corporate espionage.
+Volumes: 1
+Chapters: 11
+Published: 1999 to 2001
+Genres: Action - Drama - Mystery
+Authors: Minekura Kazuya [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Stencil
18.Doubt
After a night out with his friends, Yuu Aikawa awakens in an abandoned psychiatric hospital with a cellphone as his only possession. Inspecting the property, he eventually finds the same people he spent the night with, but as they attempt to recall what happened to them, their reunion is interrupted by a message on Yuu's phone: ''Rabbit Doubt, Start.'' This popular game designates a 'wolf' hidden amongst a group of people who consequently becomes 'rabbits'; the rabbits must identify their prey before they all succumb to death. At first, the group thinks this is some kind of sick joke, but when the first death is discovered, their dynamic of trust and stability gets thrown away and replaced by sheer fear and a terrorized instinct of survival.
+Volumes: 4
+Chapters: 21
+Published: 2007 to 2009
+Genres: Psychological - Mystery - Suspense
+Authors: Tonogai, Yoshiki [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other work: Shounen Gangan
19.Tenkuu Shinpan
天空侵犯 - High-Rise Invasion
16-year-old Yuri Honjou wakes up amidst a sea of high-rise abandoned buildings and masks assailants committing murders. Trying to flee, she comes across more masked murderers whose goal is not to kill but instead to push people to end their own lives. Later on, she also discovers that the mask, rather than serving as some kind of sadistic Halloween decoration, is actually embedded with a technology that seems to control its wearer into fulfilling any type of command ordered through them. In this unclear game of pushing people to their deaths, the only clarity is the objective: survival.
+Volumes: 21
+Chapters: 258
+Published: 2013 to 2019
+Genres: Action - Horror - Mystery
+Authors: Miura Tsuina [Story] Oba Takahiro [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Manga Box
20.Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei The Animation
食糧人類 - Danganronpa: The Animation
Danganronpa occurs at Hope's Peak Academy, an elite high school whose students are renowned for becoming future pioneers. Naegi Makoto and his classmates get accepted into the school, but their happiness is short-lived as the principal - a robotic bear known as Monokuma - informs them that they must partake in a task to be allowed to continue with their lives and future: one of them must murder one of his peers without getting caught by anyone. If the killer is caught, he will be killed himself, and the remaining players will have to attempt the scheme again.
+Volumes: 4
+Chapters: 17
+Published: 2013 to 2014
+Genres: Psychological - Action - Horror - Mystery
+Authors: Tsukimi Takashi [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Shounen Ace
21.Real Account
リアルアカウント
Real Account is the name of a popular social media app that is a mix of Instagram, Facebook, and delivery services. As the platform gained immense popularity, it became essential in the daily lives of its users. High school student Ataru Kashigawa has around 1800 followers and, like many of his classmates, is addicted to the app. However, after suddenly being transported to the virtual world of Real Account, his harmless addiction becomes the object of shocking death games. The concept is simple: compete in a series of social media challenges based on popular trends and metrics measurements and win or rank well - the alternative is synonymous with death. One general rule is established: if you fail, both you and your followers die, and if you have 0 followers, you die.
+Volumes: 24
+Chapters: 194
+Published: 2014 to 2019
+Genres: Drama - Sci-Fi - Psychological
+Authors: Okushou [Story] Watanabe Shizumu [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Bessatsu Shounen Magazine
