Stranded

Although Stranded lacks a traditional campaign mode, its primary "Random Island" mode is framed by a narrative in which the player is stranded on a deserted island. Gameplay centers on survival and resource management, requiring the player to satisfy basic needs such as hunger, thirst, and sleep while enduring a dynamic day-night cycle. Sleeping without adequate shelter results in injury, consuming uncooked food provides limited nourishment, and hostile wildlife poses a constant threat.

To survive, players must gather natural resources, including branches, stones and vines to craft tools, weapons and shelters. The construction system follows a progression in which completing basic structures unlocks increasingly advanced buildings and crafting options. The ultimate objective is to construct a raft and escape the island, allowing the player to return home.

Stranded was released in mid-2003 by Peter Schauß, founder of Unreal Software. Its design and gameplay were influenced by Schiffbruch, a relatively obscure German freeware survival game that similarly centers on surviving after becoming stranded on a remote island.

Stranded achieved critical attention following its release, and by November 2003 had been featured in four German gaming magazines as well as the Rhein-Zeitung newspaper. Development concluded with the release of Version 1.3, after which Peter Schauß made the game's source code publicly available. However, because no software license accompanied the source code, copyright remained with Schauß.