Summary

• Video games excel at portraying post-apocalyptic settings, from gritty shooters to strategic city-builders.
• Diversity in apocalyptic games offers unique experiences, like playing as a cat or surviving a frozen world.
• The best apocalyptic games explore humanity's struggle for survival in harsh times, captivating players with immersive storytelling.

An apocalyptic setting is one of the most entertaining settings people can expose themselves to. Movies and TV shows have utilized this setting in nume⛄rous forms, but you can argue that video games are the best entertainment to have done t🦄his setting justice.

The sheer number of excellent video games that are situated in the post-apocalypse is quite immense. However, not all of them are your typical zombie apocalypse games. Some of them are very different, and the best tend to be about exploring humanity's struggle for survival in such harsh ti🎐mes. These are the best apocalyptic v🌳ideo games.

Updated May 22, 2024 by Umair Malik: The post-apocalyptic subgenre is huge, with new games constantly being released, and they have to be celebrated accordingly.

15 Stray

Most post-apocalyptic games follow a protagonist after a doomsday event while they navigate through the chaos of the apocalypse. Stray, however, does things differently by starting in a futuristic world, offering little t📖o no explanation of the past and no information on what hap♐pened to humans.

You play as a cat, and navigate the c𒊎ity, fi♌nding new and quirky characters during your travels. These are mostly robots,꧙ and the finer details of the game will distract you from asking pointless questions related to the disappearance ofဣ humans.

14 Geaಌrs Of War 3

Gears of War 3 is a Miℱcrosoft exclusive that will always be remembered as one of the most gritty and brutal shooters of its time. Part of its appeal was the extreme gore and violenc𝓀e that was always super fun to play with friends.

The posඣt-apocalyptic world of Gears of War introduces all sorts of concepts straight out of science fiction, and most of the game focuses on mindless shooting. But the story and the political intrigue of the Gears of War franchise is also incomparable ⛎to other games of this genre.

13 Rust

Rust is one of those games that you play like a full-time job, spending massive amounts of time grinding and progressing before you start having fun. There isn’t much of an explanation in Rust’s post-apocalyptic world, only that you spawn on an island with not🐻hing and slowly go from spears to guns to rockets while fighting other players on the server for resources.

The monuments in Rust offer very little information about the outside world, but there’s clearly been some nuclear disaster that has irradiated areas aro𒊎und the island you a🎀re on.

12 ꧃ The Legend Of Zelda: Brﷺeath Of The Wild

Perhaps the most muted post-apocalyptiꦺc setting on this list, Breath Of The Wild completely took over the gaming ❀world by storm when it launched, wowing both critics and fans with the sheer level of freedom it afforded to the player.

The story of the game takes place 100 years after Link and the𓃲 Champions unsuccessfully try to beat Ganon. The loss results in the entire world of Hyrule being plagued by the malicious presence of Ganon, with only a🌟 few sparse villages showcasing the only signs of civilization.

11 Telltale's The Walking Dead

There are very few games that are as captivating as Telltale Games' The Walking Dead. Even t๊hough 🌠it has fairly simple gameplay, the game managed to enrapture audiences with its story of eight-year-old Clementine's journey through the zombie apocalypse over the course of four episodic seasons.

Known as the game that put Telltale on the map, the series was critically acclaimed and ღis still widely celebrated even a decade after the release of its first season back in 2012.

10 🐬 Horizon: Zero Dawn ꦍ

The announcement of Horizon: Zero Dawn was met with widespread anticipation, with💦 ꧂most people wondering how the concept of robot dinosaurs could be integrated in a realistic manner — something that seemed way too wild to be done seamlessly at first glance.

Thankfully, 🔜Guerrilla Games managed to craft a masterful tale of robots in servitude that went rogue, lea💞ding to a worldwide apocalypse and the relapse of society back to the Dark Ages.

9 Frostpunk

Frostpunk is one of the more unique type of apocalypse games, being a strategy city-builder rather than an action-adventure like✱ most others. It doesn't feature any zombies or monsters, but instead, just an icy cold world that is growing colder and colder with little to no explanation.

Players must lead a caravan of survivors from London, England to fo💙rge a city that may stand the frigid cold the world is plunged into. The game does an incredible job with its worldbuilding and being a difficult strategy game that will give you a challenge.

8 🦄 Metro Exodus ꦐ

The Metro series is one of those shining gaming gems that definitely deserve more attention. Thankfully, the excellence of Metro Exodus has certainly compelled🔯 a larger proportion of people to take an extensive look at this title.

Featuring an open world that is equal parts beautiful and terrifying, Metro Exodus — and, for that matter, its prequels — is definitely a game that one should check out post-h𓄧aste.

7 ♉ ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 𒐪has been an iconic shooter since its arrival. Being seen as a purveyor of the 4-player-shoot em up style of game, some have come and gone attempting to replicate what Left 4 Dead 2 has achieved. But the game continues to be popular among players.

The game sees you as one of four immune survivors to a zombie virus, as y🏅ou go through a level shooting and slashing at any undead you see, including certain special infected that you'll have to work together to defeat. It's a great time-waster full of fun protagonists and bloody good action.

6 🦂 T꧙he Last Of Us

I🐷t would be nigh-impossible to talk about post-apocalyptic games without mentioning the absolute genius that is The Last Of Us. Naughty Dog outdid themselves with this title, releasing an emotionally charged tale driven by two of the best video game characters of all timeಞ.

The tense combat situations, beautiful graphics, and incredible story are just some o𓆉f the many reasons why♛ you should give this incredible game a go... that is, if you haven't already.