Surviving Jamestown

Jamestown: Survive the Settlement (1607–1610) is a historically grounded survival simulation that challenges students to keep England’s first permanent North American colony alive through its most dangerous years. Instead of treating Jamestown as a quick prelude to later success, this game forces students to confront why survival was so difficult and why most early settlers did not make it.

Students take on the role of colonial leadership, making monthly policy decisions that affect food supply, water safety, morale, health, security, and population. After each decision, students enter an arcade-style foraging run where they must physically gather plants, collect clean water, and hunt animals while avoiding predators. What they collect directly feeds back into the colony’s survival stats.



Every system is interconnected. Poor water choices increase sickness. Low morale reduces food efficiency. Hunger, disease, fear, and weak defenses quickly spiral into death and desertion. Random historical events such as mosquito outbreaks, contaminated water, storms, leadership conflicts, and supply failures force students to make tradeoffs with no perfect answers.

You will receive a doc with a game guide, teacher's guide, student worksheet, and online link to the game for sharing with students. If you are a teacher and are worried about the game being blocked by your school's server, contact us; there are two easy ways to make the game available besides the direct link.

One license per educator.