In GRIMWORKS, the Roblox asymmetrical survival horror game created by puliltz and Grimworks Enterprise, survivors are human night guards tasked with enduring a lethal shift against a player-controlled Attraction. Matches pit a team of eight survivors against a single killer, requiring players to coordinate repairs, manage light sources, and utilize structural defenses to stay alive from 12:00 AM until 6:00 AM.
Unlike conventional asymmetrical titles where survivors can battle or stun killers with combat weapons, survival in GRIMWORKS relies strictly on evasion, timing mechanical doors, using vent systems, and configuring customized perks.
Survivor HUD and the Two-Down Health System
Gameplay for survivors is locked entirely in first-person view. Developers confirmed that third-person perspective was omitted intentionally to preserve claustrophobia and ensure that map darkness remains an active threat.
The survivor heads-up display (HUD) tracks several critical metrics:
- Match Clock: Positioned at the top center, tracking shift progress from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM.
- Teammate Status Icons: Displays each of your seven allies alongside numerical trackers for their remaining health.
- Flashlight Battery: A power meter indicating current charge level.
- Health and Stamina Meters: Positioned near the player avatar icon to manage sprinting and damage tolerance.
- Perk and Item Slots: Dedicated slots for equipped build perks and held inventory items.
Attractions deal heavy damage, capable of collapsing a survivor in just two to three hits. GRIMWORKS operates on a strict two-chance survival rule:
| State | Mechanical Effect | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy | 100% maximum health; full movement speed and stamina generation. | Normal interaction speed. |
| Downed | Triggered when HP hits zero. The player collapses and a countdown timer begins. | Downed players are visible to allies through walls. If the timer reaches zero, the survivor dies permanently. |
| Revived | Rescued by an ally completing a revive animation. | Max health is permanently capped at 50% for the rest of the round. |
| Eliminated | Occurs if a revived player is knocked down a second time. | Screen cuts to static with a "DEAD" prompt; player transitions to the spectator camera. |
Environmental Defenses and Resource Mechanics
Survivors have no combat abilities to defeat the killer directly. Instead, they must rely on map navigation, obstacle vaulting, and facility infrastructure to create distance.
Flashlights and Charging Devices
Complete darkness envelops the pizzeria maps. The flashlight is mandatory for navigating corridors, locating repair items, and spotting hidden traps set by Attractions. Because flashlight batteries drain over time, players must locate dedicated charging devices placed across the map. Interacting with a charging station locks the survivor in place until charging finishes, creating high vulnerability if an Attraction approaches.
Mechanical Security Doors
Certain rooms feature powered security doors that survivors can slam shut to block an Attraction during a chase.
- Doors hold shut for approximately 3 seconds before automatically opening.
- After use, security doors enter a lengthy cooldown (roughly 30 seconds) before they can be triggered again.
- Doors depend entirely on the building's electrical grid and do not function during power blackouts.
Vents and Obstacle Vaulting
Survivors can vault over physical obstacles such as dining tables at the expense of stamina. For tight evasions, survivors can crawl into wall vents to cross into adjacent rooms. However, camping inside vents is impossible due to an active oxygen meter that drains while inside. If a player remains in a duct when the oxygen bar empties, they will suffocate and die.
Power Blackouts and Generator Tasks
Midway through a match, the pizzeria undergoes a scripted blackout. When power fails, two critical events occur:
- The 12 AM – 6 AM shift clock completely freezes.
- Ambient lights shut off entirely, and mechanical security doors become unusable.
To restart the clock and restore power, survivors must complete multi-stage generator objectives. Tasks vary between maps. On the FNAF 1-themed location, repairing the generator requires three distinct steps:
- Locate the generator unit within the facility.
- Search the map for randomly spawned fuel cans and complete a pouring minigame at the unit.
- Locate power transmission cables and wire them into the generator.
Because survival time is paused until the generator runs, hiding indefinitely during a blackout guarantees defeat. Teams must split up to secure components while avoiding the killer.
Survivor Perks and Loadout Strategy
GRIMWORKS does not feature locked character classes. Instead, every survivor customizes their playstyle using an open perk system where players select up to two perks per round.
Perks are designed around tactical trade-offs rather than pure upgrades:
- Healing Boost Trade-off: Increases revive and healing speeds by 20%, but temporarily penalizes survivor movement speed for 10 seconds following the action.
- Mobility Trade-off: Grants increased base running speed while increasing stamina consumption or reducing maximum stamina capacity.
Healing Items
Field supplies, such as First Aid Kits, can be found or equipped to treat injured teammates. To preserve game balance, first aid supplies can only restore a survivor's health up to a maximum cap of 50%, preventing players from resetting back to full health after being downed.
Last Survivor Standing (LMS) Incentives
To discourage players from hiding in corners while their team completes objectives, the game monitors match contributions. If an active survivor becomes the last player alive after consistently repairing objectives, reviving fallen teammates, or using medical kits, the Last Survivor Standing system rewards them with a substantial health restore. Players who spend the match hiding without helping the team receive no health bonus when their allies perish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can survivors switch to a third-person camera in GRIMWORKS?
No. Survivor gameplay is locked to first-person view to enforce limited visibility and emphasize dark corridor horror. Spectating players switch to external security cameras after death.
How many survivors play in a standard GRIMWORKS match?
A full server lobby features nine players: eight survivors and one Attraction.
Do generators advance the night clock like in other asymmetrical games?
No. In GRIMWORKS, generator repairs do not skip or speed up normal match time. Generators only serve to restore power when the building suffers a blackout, unfreezing the shift clock and reactivating security doors.
Can survivors fight back against Attractions?
Survivors cannot stun, damage, or attack killers directly. Survival relies entirely on breaking line-of-sight, closing mechanical doors, utilizing vents, and outlasting the clock until 6:00 AM.
