The feature line is exact: Survival Mode is the same world, no story. You still tame, build, and deal with Jerry. You do not get the story prompts that lead to the 10 endings. Servers still hold up to 20 players, and the listing still says groups up to 8.
The two Survival badges
Still Breathing: a whole night in Survival with Jerry out there, and you are still here in the morning.
Night Shift: three nights in one game of Survival, with Jerry out hunting. Leaving and rejoining does not match that sentence. The three nights have to be the same session.
Sweet Dreams can be earned by sleeping in your own bed. The badge text does not say Survival only. Morning's collar ending is written as a story dawn, not as the Survival badge.
A night routine from published pieces
- If you own Ray's Kit, Survival spawn gives you an iron pickaxe, iron axe, iron sword, 8 bread, and 16 torches. Without it, those items are not handed to you by any published recipe.
- Close a shelter and place your bed before you explore the marsh or the far cave.
- Keep bones for Jerry. Left Hungry is letting him go hungry until he leaves. In Survival he is "out there" for Still Breathing and "hunting" for Night Shift.
- Eat. Hunger is real because Creative Mode's benefit is never getting hungry. Bread is the food the kit names.
- At dawn, repair the room and count the night. Stop counting at three only if you never left the session.
Passes that change Survival on purpose
Creative Mode, on G, makes Jerry leave you alone in Survival and removes hunger and damage. That will not teach you Still Breathing. God Pickaxe, God Axe, God Sword, and God Bow respawn with you in Survival and in the story, and only the owner can use them. Fullbright shows caves and dark nights without a torch. None of these are required.
Camp progress between sessions is not described. Plan each Survival join as a fresh shelter unless the game itself keeps the build.