Summary
An apocalypse, in its simplest definition, is a cataclysmic event that causes mass destruction and upends whatever natural or social order exists. As long as humanity has existed, it has been fascinated by such occurrences. Stories of the world being drowned in a flood persist from Sumeria to early Christianity. Norse mythology envisioned the Nine Realms falling apart at Ragnorak. Aztec mythology has four different apocalypses, with a fifth looming over the horizon. Humanity’s uncanny talent for envisioning its own downfall has given rise to the genre ofpost-apocalypticfiction. That is, stories set in a unique world born out of a major catastrophe. From H.G. Wells’The Time Machineto the popularFalloutseries, settings shaped by disaster continue to resonate with audiences.
The mechanism by which the apocalypse happens can vary widely: alien invasions, nuclear war, robot uprising, reanimated feral cadavers, global warming, asteroids, etc. The scale of the disaster can range anywhere from a single localized area to threatening the cosmos itself. But there are some common elements. Many post-apocalyptic stories explore themes of human nature, survival challenges posed by a changed environment, and efforts to rebuild some form of social order.Post-apocalyptic worlds have become quite popular in video games. Games likeHalf-Life,Fallout,Metro,Death Stranding, and theHorizonseries thrive on immersing the player into unfamiliar worlds ravaged by disaster. Fans of post-apocalyptic settings can expect to see more coming in the future.
Updated on June 29, 2025, by John Hitchcock: Post-apocalyptic survival games continue to perform well commercially, with the allure of trying to stay alive in a dangerous new world from the comfort of one’s home being a tantalizing prospect for many gamers. Since the previous update, two of the entries included (Frostpunk 2 and Stellar Blade) have been released, and the Forever Winter is very close to its release date. All three entries have been removed. Furthermore, several games have been announced. Subsequently, new entries have been added to the list.
Atomfallis a curious open-world adventure that seems to be heavily influenced by theFalloutgames with its open world, use of “factions” the player can align with, and retro sci-fi aesthetic. But simply calling it “British Fallout” is a bit of an oversimplification. It could also just as easily be called “BritishSTALKER.“The game is inspired by an actual event- the Windscale Disaster of 1957, the first major nuclear disaster and one that came dangerously close to the scale of the more infamous Chernobyl disaster.
Atomfalltakes place in an alternate timeline that sees the player exploring an exclusion zone in Northern England, with an emphasis on trying to survive with limited resources while also uncovering secrets about the world. The game also makes full use of its Northern England setting, complete with characters inspired by common sci-fi and English tropes.
16Chernobylite 2
Reality-Bending in the Exclusion Zone
Chernobylitewas a strange indie title that combined survival, role-playing, and team management in a surreal story about a survivor of the real-life Chernobyl disaster returning to the exclusion zone in search of his missing wife. Despite being restricted by limited resources during development, the game ended up working pretty well and gaining a decent fanbase, leaving open room for The Farm 51 to experiment with a sequel.
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zonebrings players back to Chernobyl, this time as a customizable stalker in a seamless open world. There is not much information about the plot yet, but the developers have said this one will be closer to their original vision for the firstChernobylite. They are obviously taking advantage of greater production values to do a lot more, including a bigger world with more characters and a more detailed story.
This ambitious dark fantasy game features a collapsing world trapped under a very unusual curse. Every year, a mysterious entity known as “the Paintress” paints a number on an obelisk. For some reason, everyone whose age corresponds to the number dies. The numbers progressively get lower each instance, presumably stopping people from reaching each age and eventually wiping out all humanity when it reaches 1.
Why this is happening is anyone’s guess, but the trailers emphasize the toll it has been taking on the world, leaving it in ruins. The plot involves an expedition sent to find and stop the Paintress, something nobody is sure can even be done. It is the latest in a long series of doomed missions that never returned, and even if it is possible it still requires its members to survive an uncharted continent full of danger.
Hideo Kojima’sDeath Strandingtells the story of a postal worker rebuilding America after a very strange apocalypse. The game quickly gained a reputation for its David Lynch-esque weirdness. Now Kojima’s back with a sequel thathas a good chance of out-weirdingits predecessor.
The main story once again features Sam Bridges taking on the role of courier while trying to connect human survivors of the Death Stranding, only this time moving outside of America. There is also something about a woman encased in tar, a stop-motion puppet, the uncertain fate of Lou (who may or may not be dead), and a guy who looks like George Miller. This looks like it will be a pretty crazy ride.
Gears of Warcenters on an ongoing war between humans and the underground locust hoard, though as the games progressed it slowly became clear the bigger theme was humanity’s destructive nature dooming it to an apocalypse of its own making. Throughout the games, the endless fighting pushes both sides so hard that just survivingfeels like a victory.
But the latest installment is actually a prequel that explores the beginning of the apocalypse. Emergence Day, or E-Day, was the day the Locusts first emerged and began their war against humanity. We get to see a younger Marcus and Dom in the immediate aftermath as humanity struggles to survive long enough to understand the systematic destruction that is happening around them.
This ambitious sci-fi shooter fromBioshockcreator Ken Levine takes place onMayflower, a multi-generational spaceship that fled a disaster on Earth, only it didn’t go as planned. Ironically, the one hope for saving humanity is Judas, who also had a hand in causing theMayflower’s current predicament.
To have any chance, she needs to navigate the run-down ship, survive against its robots (who once provided services but are now running amok), and work with the “big three”- a trio of AIs with conflicting goals whom Judas can help or hinder. Ken Levine describes the game’s structure as “narrative LEGO,” which places heavy emphasis on player decisions and allows other character characters to react.
After the success ofHorizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden West, it made sense that another game would happen sooner or later. What fans did not expect was to see a whole game centered around recreating its post-apocalyptic world in LEGO form. As strange a decision as it was, the trailers indicated a game that effectively mixes familiar iconography from the games with LEGO’s creative sense of humor. This makesLEGO Horizon Adventuresa bit more unusual since it offers a more comedic take on the post-apocalyptic world. Aloy still gets to hunt machines, but she also gets to build wacky villages and host dance parties.
10Industria 2
A Cold Alternate Berlin
Industriawas a short, but memorable game about a woman named Nora who is accidentally teleported into an alternate version of Cold War-era Berlin that has become overrun with automatons. While the game leaves a lot to speculation, it is hinted that her romantic partner (who was also teleported into this world) arrived earlier in the timeline and built a technologically advanced civilization that has since collapsed with destructive consequences.
The game proved popular enough that Bleakmill announced a sequel,Industria 2, which seems to build on the strange world of the first game. In this one, Nora finds herself caught up in the politics of the world and ends up having to deal with the AI that’s controlling everything.
9Metro 4
Return to Post-Apocalyptic Russia
4A Games has been busy with the latest installment of their popular series about post-nuclear Russia. While it is unclear exactly where the fourth game will go,Exodusmade a distinct jump from the previous games by leaving the Moscow Subway tunnels to explore the surrounding area. It stands to reason that the next game would want to build on that, maybe even do something crazy like going full open world.
Whatever they do, if the previous games are anything to go on, it will likely be structured as some sort of journey experienced by its protagonist that explores the dualistic nature of humanity. There is also a good chance of encountering some new environments that have been affected by the nuclear war.
Metro Exodusmarked a departure from the series by moving out of the titular metro to explore other parts of post-nuclear Russia. However, for those fans ofMetro 2033andLast Lightwho want to spend more time exploring the strange subway world, they can with the upcoming VR titleMetro Awakening.
This new title offers an original story about a doctor named Serdar searching the metro for his wife, who also happens to be sick and in desperate need of medication. As in previous games, Serdar will have to navigate various dangers in the subway, including radiation, mutants, and other survivors with their own agendas. Serdar has a few different ways he can address these problems, but lacks the military expertise of Artyom so his ability to engage with enemies is a lot more limited, especially with scarce resources.
