Although survival games like Rust and The Long Dark commonly include extreme temperatures as one of the many things that can kill your character, there are plenty of games in other genres where the temperature is just as deadly. It might be the main mechanic of the game, or it could just be one of a plethora of threats - either way, you'll need to keep an eye on the thermometer at all times.

Related: Subnautica: Tips For Surviving Hot Temperatures

From city-builders to shooters, we've compiled a list of games where maintaining a livable temperature is essential.

9 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

legend of zelda link botw fire heat

While some of Link's previous adventures have forced him to contend with volcanic heat, Breath Of The Wild requires the Hero of Time to beware of heat stroke and hypothermia at all times. If Link finds himself in temperatures below freezing, he'll start to slowly take damage - even more so if the temperature is 14ºF or below.

Likewise, temperatures above 104ºF will cause Link to take heat damage, and his condition will deteriorate quicker at 122ºF or higher. Luckily, equipping the right armor set can protect you from the worst the elements have to offer.

8 Surviving Mars / Surviving The Aftermath

sm coldsnap

Despite having the word "Surviving" in their name, these twin city-builders focus more on creating a habitable settlement in harsh conditions than on journeying alone into the wild to craft goods. Surviving Mars tasks players with establishing a colony on the Red Planet; while temperatures there are naturally low, a cold snap can freeze critical water supplies leading to a crisis in short order.

In Surviving The Aftermath, blizzards and heat waves can quickly kill settlers without adequate shelter and can similarly affect the colony's water supply, either by freezing it or by requiring the population to drink more to stay healthy.

7 Amazing Cultivation Simulator

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A Rimworld-like game with truly absurd levels of complexity, Amazing Cultivation Simulator puts players in charge of a temple dedicated to training martial artists capable of defeating powerful demons.

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The layout of your temple matters a lot, as the rules of feng shui can cause strange results if the flow of chi through your buildings isn't well-maintained. An overabundance of Fire chi can raise the ambient temperature of a room to levels rivaling the sun, while an excess of Water chi can reduce temperatures as low as absolute zero. Even your most resilient trainees can't withstand those conditions... but neither can fighters from rival temples coming to cause trouble.

6 Battletech

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Between all the explosions and crunching metal, Battletech players need to ensure they don't push their mechs too far.

Related: The Best Mech Games

Every action causes a mech to build up heat, and if heat reaches critical levels it can damage the mech's components or even force a shutdown. Clever commanders can use this to their advantage, using energy weapons to damage and overheat enemy equipment at the same time.

5 Most Paradox Grand Strategy Games

crusader kings 3 winter attrition

From blockbusters like Crusader Kings 3 to more niche titles like Europa Universalis 4, Paradox's grand strategy games have become synonymous with intricate historical sandbox gameplay. Waging war is a big part of all these games, and being unprepared for the "fighting season" can lead to unnecessary losses.

Colder regions cause armies to lose soldiers to attrition at a faster rate, especially if they have the bad fortune to be there during winter. Send troops to the wrong place at the wrong time, and you'll learn the hard way why Napoleon never conquered Russia.

4 Cryostasis: Sleep Of Reason

cryostasis sleep of reason

This psychological horror game takes place onboard a ship at the North Pole. As you might expect from a game set in one of the least hospitable climates on Earth, your character needs to stay warm if they're going to survive. Body heat and health are one and the same - players heal by staying near a fire.

Related: The Scariest Monsters In Horror Games

Despite being in constant need of a heat source, the cold is the least of your problems once the horrifying mutants start showing up.

3 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

lost planet combat

Capcom's third-person shooter series Lost Planet is set on EDN-3, a world that makes Hoth look like a tropical resort. Although the world is currently in the middle of an ice age, human settlers decide to colonize it so that they can expand when the world eventually thaws.

Staying in the cold will cause your character's health to drop fast; luckily, the hostile insects that populate EDN-3 produce a significant amount of body heat, allowing you to warm up by harvesting their corpses.

2 Frostpunk

Endless Mode scenario frostpunk

Frostpunk is known for its punishing gameplay and painful moral decisions. In an alternate universe where Earth plunges into an ice age at the dawn of the twentieth century, players must develop a settlement around a monolithic coal furnace.

Keeping everyone warm, fed, and healthy is a dangerous balancing act, and settlers who get frostbite won't be able to do anything but take up infirmary beds. Of course, if you're the ruthlessly pragmatic sort you could always let those unfortunates find a different way to serve the community at mealtime...

1 Crysis

Crysis Nanosuit Promo Shot

While Crysis doesn't have an in-game temperature mechanic, it claims the top spot on this list as the only series that can cause the real-world laws of thermodynamics to end your run.

Notorious for its ultra-demanding graphics settings, running Crysis can overheat and destroy all but the most high-end gaming PCs if you're not careful. It's one thing to kill off a character with simulated temperatures - it's entirely another to create a game so thirsty for processing power that it can melt your machine.

Next: The Best Base-Building Games