Everest: Survival Simulator

Everest: Survival Simulator puts you on a 1:1 recreation of Mount Everest built from satellite mapping data, with the mountain’s ridges, glaciers and slopes matching their real locations. Your goal is to reach the summit and return alive.

The expedition

You follow the classic South Col route from Base Camp through the Khumbu Icefall, the Western Cwm, the Lhotse Face and the South Col, then climb past the Hillary Step to the summit. Acclimatization matters: climbing too high too quickly can cause altitude sickness, so you rotate between camps to let your body adapt. At camp, you can pitch a tent, sleep, cook hot meals and melt snow for water.

On summit day, you leave high camp in the dark and follow your headlamp. You need to respect the turnaround time; sometimes turning back is the only way to survive.

Mountain hazards

You monitor oxygen, cold, fatigue and health, as problems can build quickly in the death zone. Food, fuel and oxygen bottles are limited, so you plan what to carry and check the forecast for storms, blizzards and whiteouts that can trap you high on the mountain. You cross crevasses and the Icefall on ladders and fixed ropes, while avalanches, rockfall and sudden incidents demand quick reactions.

Support on the climb

Pemba, a Sherpa voice guide, climbs with you, warns you of danger and talks you through camps, weather, oxygen and the summit push. You can also keep in contact with Base Camp by radio throughout the expedition. Your progress saves when you reach a camp, but the summit push must be completed in one go.

Mountain conditions

The game features a day and night cycle, headlamps, snowstorms and high-altitude light.