Permafrost Guides: Survival Tips & Co-op Basics

Permafrost is a story-driven survival sandbox set after the world froze over. You explore ruins and wilderness for what is left, scavenge and craft to keep going, and — the part that actually decides whether you survive — link shelters into a network that lets you travel further without freezing on the way home.

The cold is the enemy

Weapons and loot get the attention, but the reason runs end is exposure: low temperatures, frost and storms punish distance from safety. Progress therefore comes from repair and expansion — unlocking facilities, fixing what the old world left behind, and pushing your safe line outward one shelter at a time.

Shelter networks, not a fortress

A single fortified base cannot cover a large frozen map; you need shelter within a survivable walk of wherever you are working. Plan the network the way you would plan a road trip: each hop must be reachable before the weather turns, and each stop should make the next hop possible.

Your dog is infrastructure

The companion is a working tool as much as a character — scouting ahead and carrying loads, which means the routes you can attempt widen as soon as you learn to use it. Pair it with your scavenging loop from the start rather than treating it as an optional extra.

Co-op in one minute

Up to four players on the same world. Cold does not care how many of you there are, so split roles: one player stabilising the shelter you are building toward, one hauling, one scouting. Sharing a supply depot beats everyone running their own stash.

Start here

The starter route covers the first hours: warmth, a first shelter link, and a scavenging run that returns with more than it cost.