Survival games.

That's why I tend to pick survival games that have either an exploration focus or a story, some goal that they give you.

Example:
The Long Dark has both a story mode, challenges and a sandbox in several fixed maps where the goal IS to map them out along with survival elements.
Subnautica is more a story with some exploration along with a side of base-building but you do have to craft, eat, drink and there are enemies for survival.

Do survival city builders count? I love those too, like Frostpunk or This War of Mine.

I do like me some survival games. Minecraft, 7 Days to Die, Don't Starve, and so on. If you want one with a story, I highly recommend SubNautica.

I like good stories, thus adventures is one of my favorite genres, but not everything is about a story. The lack of story in survivals doesn't mean they don't have a point. The point is to figure a sufficient way or ways to survive. Crafting and evolving, learning and adjusting. Some games are having a gradually increasing difficulty and giving you some time to prepare. My favorite survival game (and one of my favorite games ever) is Don't Starve.

Not all games depend on them enforcing a story upon you. Some offer enough options for you to experience your own story.
Or the game has so many options and tools, it manages to create multiple stories in interaction with you. Like RimWorld.

I don't, so that would mean not *all of us ;)
I don't particularly like survival, strategy, or games that are heavily reliant on crafting and/or resource management.
I generally don't like open-world games either unless there's a clear focus with story missions to push the game along.
So, unlike others, I don't know what the charm is.

No idea. I don't play them. Though recently I feel like I'm about to be playing one irl.

Not all of us, yep. And you've given a good explanation of why some of us just don't.

Survival is my go-to genre. Rarely do I find one that I flat out don't enjoy. If you're looking for a story, I recommend the following:

The Long Dark - Gameplay by itself is excellent, but when combined with the narrative from Wintermute you will struggle to find a better story-driven survival experience.

The Forrest - Not as story-driven as TLD: Wintermute, but the tasks they give you keep you from spiraling into an endless grind.

Subnautica - Great gameplay with a narrative to keep you on track. I like to think of this one as a gateway to survival games in general.

State of Decay 1 & 2 -. Janky, but there isn't really anything else out there like them. Survival with light group management.

Because it's fun to punch trees to make tools and build houses!

For real though, it's progression. The carrot and the stick, build this sword to fight that boss who will in turn give you access to a better pickaxe with wich you can mine that ore that will let you make a bigger sword to fight a badder boss. It's like catnip for humans.

I suggest trying RimWorld. It's more of a story generator, than having a set story. Also it's best to play in commitment mode, and not save scumming like you'd do with most games.

My favorite : https://store.steampowered.com/app/504050/Planet_Nomads/

There is a story to follow with an ending but I like the freedom of building so much I never want it to end. 1114 hours so far.
It has issues like any other game does, but I absolutely love it. Check out the workshop to see all the neat stuff myself and
others have made :)

No, Im not a paid spokesperson, I just think it's well worth $20, even though it does go on sale for about $6 now and then.

Now that you mention it...I don't have a lot of survival games if any. I think it just too much of a hassle living another life without much reward. If its something like This War of Mine / The Long Dark that lets you experience something you could not in the real world, then I get the idea. But a lot are just cookie cutter (chop this, mine that, build this, your first weapon, etc, etc)... and then zombies, giants monsters...and more zombies.

i play conan exiles right now, there is a story, keep exploring!
you will find more stuff as you explore, thus is not worth it to make a base in the starting area
go to the big ass orange sand ruined city and explore a bit (you will need good armor and iron tools)