24 Best Post-Apocalyptic Games of All Time

There’s always been something oddly enticing about the end of the world and what comes afterwards for a lot of people. By exploring the depths humanity will sink to when up against the wall, the genre has been successful on the big screen for years. However, there’s arguably just as big a market for the best post-apocalyptic games, those that allow you to live through the grime and the struggle of just surviving.

They’re in higher demand than ever with plenty of games showcased at gaming conventions revolving around the end of days. While those titles are a little ways off, we still have a huge range of the best post-apocalyptic games that you can immerse yourself in the squalor of right now. From twisted and destitute playgrounds to more human and introspective affairs, there’s no shortage of options for those who are more morbidly minded.

For the sake of variety (and also not having five Fallout games in one list), we’re limiting entries to just one post-apocalyptic game per franchise. We’re also excluding regional apocalypses as seen in The Division and going full fat end of days. Bear in mind that any of the games listed for PS4 and Xbox One will also work on PS5 and Xbox Series X | S respectively thanks to backwards compatibility.

 

The Best Post-Apocalyptic Games

24. ELEX

Developer: Piranha Bytes
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Players: Single-player

Nobody’s going to suggest that ELEX is the most polished post-apocalyptic video game you will ever play, neither is it the most casual. Full of the customary bugs from Piranha Bytes, it’s a game that threatens to pull you out of the experience but never enough to prevent you from appreciate its weird charm. It’s not really like any other ARPG on the market.

When the population of Magnalan is wiped out by a comet, the survivors claw their way through the dark days and create tribes, the most powerful of all being the Albs. They harness the power of the titular ELEX and with you playing as an outcast Alb, it’s up to you to decide who you pair up with next.

If you can get through ELEX’s testing first ten or so hours, you may find a lot to love.

From our ELEX review:

“Bizarre and brazen but totally sincere, ELEX is a rough diamond that offers everything a hardcore RPG fan could want in a very rough and ready package.”

 

23. Sheltered

Developer: Unicube
Publisher: Team17
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Players: Single-player

Fallout Shelter may be the first game that comes to mind when you see Sheltered in action, though Bethesda’s spin-off’s tone is far more irreverent and inconsequential. Sheltered, meanwhile, is grim and almost oppressive by comparison, constantly giving you and your family tests to survive in the post-apocalypse.

It’s also a far deeper game than Fallout Shelter, allowing you to scavenge in the wastes and take part in turn-based combat. You can make your own stories in Sheltered, so if that means you turn into an omnipotent patriarch, so be it.

Your family can be customised to be whatever and whoever you want them to be, but don’t get too attached: you never know when death will come in Sheltered.

 

22. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Players: Single-player

Poor Enslaved, it never really stood a chance. In a market dominated by varying shades of grey shooters, a post-apocalyptic game with no multiplayer and an usual aesthetic was never going to make it big, leading to a promising new IP being struck down before it even really began.

Written by Alex Garland of Ex Machina and 28 Days Later, Enslaved focuses on Monkey, portrayed by Andy Serkis, as he teams up with a girl who wants to get back to her village with a tonne of mechs standing in their way.

With a unique aesthetic and decent meshing of platforming, puzzles, and action, Ninja Theory and Bandai Namco would do well to try and port this to current-gen to give it the love it deserves.

 

21. Biomutant

Developer: Experiment 101
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Players: Single-player

A long in the making open world adventure from a pretty small team, Biomutant had its work cut out to match the high levels of expectation, expectation that it had no chance of really meeting.

Plagued by technical issues and some weird design choices (like the same voices for everyone in the game), Biomutant isn’t quite as good as it could be. Regardless, this “open-world, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG” has plenty of content to offer without being unwieldy and a setup that’s really unlike much else out there.

You will have to overlook some things, but the world of Biomutant is worth diving into. You feel that a sequel is where Experiment 101 will stop experimenting and nail the formula much better, though.

 

20. State of Decay

Developer: Undead Labs
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Players: Single-player & Multiplayer

One of the better ways to live out eking out a living in a zombie apocalypse (try saying that when drunk), State of Decay tasks you with not only surviving but also to allow those around you to prosper as well.

With multiple characters to play as in your community, it’s a constant source of despair when your favourite survivor permanently dies, so much so that you may never want to take them out again.

While the second game is more expansive and arguably rewarding, it’s also a tad on the unpolished side. The first State of Decay still has its issues, though it’s not difficult to look past that when you’re moving from house to house and scrounging all the supplies you can find before mowing down zombies in your car as you make your escape.

 

19. Rage

Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda
Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Players: Single-player

The epitome of a Jack of all trades post-apocalyptic game. RAGE had many interesting ideas when it was released, though it never managed to excel in just one. Still, with the amount of things to see, do, and kill over many hours of gameplay, you could be forgiven for forgetting the storyline, which is, well, it’s there, that’s for sure.

Whether you’re raiding raiders with your fancy boomerang of death, racing your bucket of bolts around, or just taking up a harmless addiction to gambling, RAGE is an interesting look into life after the end of everything. With id Software being the behind of wheel, RAGE gets a pass for some of its missteps just for its gunplay alone.

See also: the second game, which is fun but just as flawed.

 

18. The Last Stand: Aftermath

Developer: Con Artist Games
Publisher: Armor Games Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X & S, Xbox One
Players: Single-player

Without a doubt the smallest game on this list, The Last Stand: Aftermath is a top-down roguelite with zombies that quite honestly doesn’t look like much to begin with. Give Aftermath more than a few hours of your time, though, and you will soon discover why it’s likely to go down as a bit of a cult classic.

The world has been lost with pockets of civilization barely managing to get by, even when they send the soon-to-be zombies out to do their bidding before they turn. You’re one of those unfortunate survivors, with the infection coursing through your veins also having a big effect on gameplay.

The longer you play, the more bizarre mutations you take on, the more effective you are at finding some salvation for those more fortunate than you. The fact that you’re always a ticking time bomb makes The Last Stand feel suitably intense, even you’re on your fiftieth survivor.

A low-budget gem that deserves more attention.

 

17. Mad Max

Developer: Avalanche Studios
Publisher: WB Games
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Players: Single-player

Critically polarising at launch, Mad Max has gone on to become something of a cult classic in recent years. An amalgamation of games like Assassin’s Creed and the Arkham series, Mad Max’s main hook comes from taking your puny vehicle and eventually turning it into the scourge of the wastes. It’s slow going, but worth sticking with.

The driving is excellent, though the combat does feel like a poor imitation of Rocksteady. Still, with an interesting approach to gathering water and fuel, Mad Max is a game that constantly keep you on your toes and also regularly on the verge of wanting to punch Chumbucket square in his irritating face.

Mad Max is available for a pittance these days, so be sure to check out Mad Max and lose yourself in its dunes if you haven’t yet.

 

16. RAD

Developer: Double Fine
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Players: Single-player

Here’s a bit of a change for this list: RAD is a post-post-apocalyptic game that sees you playing as basically a teenage clone who is tasked with eradicating the mutated wastes, one baseball swipe at a time. This is Double Fine we’re talking about, so expect some lunacy.

A rogue-lite with oodles of personality and charm, you are able to mutate to give yourself special powers. Want to be a unicorn and poop down eggs on top of unsuspecting beasties? Be our guest. While the RNG can offer some frustration and the difficulty may spike somewhat unfairly, give RAD your patience and you will rewarded with an irreverent joy.

From our RAD review:

“RAD is a madcap rogue-lite from the twisted minds over at Double Fine that more than lives up to its name.”

 

15. Nuclear Throne

Developer: Vlambeer
Publisher: Vlambeer
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Switch, Vita
Players: Single-player

One of the progenitors of the massive surge in rock hard roguelikes over the last ten years that’s influence can be keenly felt in darlings such as Enter the Gungeon. Different to most post-apocalyptic games, you don’t take the role of a grizzled survivor who does bad things, rather a mutant who needs to make a lot of damage.

An aggressively difficult game, Nuclear Throne is likely to send you nuclear after the first fifty or so cheap deaths. After that, though, when you get a good run going and gain access to bigger and badder weaponry, you will practically keep asking to be punished over and over again.

 

14. Resistance 3

Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: SIE
Platform(s): PS3
Players: Single-player & Multiplayer

Here’s an underrated blast from the past. The Resistance franchise may have never been the Halo or Gears beater that Sony were hoping for, but it had enough of its own unique ideas to make it worthwhile. You can couple a good story with its interesting mechanics with the finale of Resistance 2 bringing plenty of shocks.

However, if it’s a true post-apocalypse you want, it’s Resistance 3 you have to play. Humanity is on its knees with the chimera ravaging Earth in an alternative history. You play as Joseph Capelli as he takes the fight to the invaders and to put an end to the conflict once and for all.

With some mind-blowing setpieces and a truly moribund atmosphere, Resistance 3 is an FPS game that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Now, if only Sony had an opportunity for an FPS game set in an open world for their PS5 line-up, maybe we could get Resistance 4.

 

13. Dying Light 2

Developer: Techland
Publisher: Techland
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X & S, Xbox One
Players: Single-player & Multiplayer

Was Dying Light 2 worth the wait through all the development hell? Did it really live up to the hype? That really depends on how much you were expecting from it, but there’s definitely some undead fun to be had here for those who can look past a few wrinkles.

Set a few years after the Harran virus has totally decimated the planet, you play as Aiden Caldwell as they make their way to The City as you search for your missing sister. It’s not long before you contract the virus and have to start making some tough choices if you’re going to get out of The City alive.

While Dying Light 2 may not have revitalised the open world genre in the same way that Elden Ring did, sometimes all you really need is a parachute, a dropkick, and hordes of zombies to have a really fun time.

 

12. Death Stranding

Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: SIE
Platform(s): PC, PS4
Players: Single-player

Kojima’s first game post-Konami isn’t for everyone, hence why we’ve put it somewhere in the middle of this list. While others hail it as a masterpiece, others may find its plodding tempo and eccentricities a little difficult to fall in love with.

Death Stranding is certainly a polarising game, but what’s even more certain is that it offers the most original take on the post-apocalypse we’ve seen in year. You play as Sam, who’s been tasked with rebuilding America one delivery at a time.

Death Stranding really comes to life when you use helpful items left behind by other players and then leave your own, a solid reminder that we are all in this together.

 

11. Frostpunk

Developer: 11 bit studios
Publisher: 11 bit studios
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Players: Single-player

When a global catastrophe sends the world into a neverending winter, you must guide one of the last remaining vestiges of humanity to warmth. This entails building a town around a gigantic generator and also trying your best to keep your people happy, despite the fact that they should just be grateful to be alive. Seriously, they do love a good whinge in Frostpunk.

Primarily a management sim, Frostpunk constantly makes you answer its toughest questions. Do you take a hardline approach to laws and enact a dictatorship or do you try to be more liberal and optimistic? Both choices will alienate someone in your camp, so it’s up to you to make them see the light.

It’s a constant balancing act in Frostpunk and one that you will probably lose sleep over, which is what the best post-apocalyptic games should do.

From our Frostpunk review:

“While not without some faults and limitations, Frostpunk is an often harrowing parable on society that makes you the monster without you even realising it.”

 

10. Days Gone

Developer: SIE Bend
Publisher: SIE
Platform(s): PC, PS4
Players: Single-player

Some of you are likely spitting your Monster out at the screen with the realisation that Days Gone is placed higher on our list than Death Stranding. That’s down to how much more easily accessible Days Gone is than Kojima’s solemn sojourn, as well as the fact that Days Gone is just a damn solid game in its own right.

Derided unfairly by many at release, Days Gone has a lot of rough edges that are especially pronounced early on, but if you stick with it, you will grow to love the irresponsibly named Deacon St. John, as well as the hair-raising spectacle of taking on hordes of Freakers and all of the interesting ideas that Days Gone brings to the table.

It’s been supported admirably well by Bend since release, so give Days Gone a chance if you haven’t yet.

From our Days Gone review:

Sure, it’s clunky at points, has enough rough edges to cut someone, and is perhaps too slow in getting to the good stuff, but give Days Gone and Deacon a chance and they will win you over.

 

9. Stray

Developer: SIE Bend
Publisher: SIE
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4
Players: Single-player

Stray really is unlike every other post-apocalyptic game on this list in the sense that it doesn’t seem to be too morbid about civilization as we know it collapsing. To be fair, it’s hard to care about much when you’re a ginger cat.

Playing like an adventure game of old paired with modern quirky humour and a whole bunch of fur, Stray sees you playing as an unnamed cat who finds themselves in a strange city populated by a bunch of robots. What happened to all the humans? That will become clear as you pounce your way through Stray’s gorgeous streets and dingy sewers.

Stray became something of a sensation in 2022, and for good reason: in an era when so many are so obsessed with games that seemingly never end, here’s a superbly satisfying linear adventure that will leave you purring.

 

8. The Long Dark

Developer: Hinterland Studio
Publisher: Hinterland Studio
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Players: Single-player

When a geomagnetic disasters crashes your plane in the Canadian wilderness, you must scrape by one day at a time and just try to survive. A quieter post-apocalyptic game compared to many of its peers, The Long Dark is designed to be an introspective and patient experience, one that rewards those who take the time to get lost within it.

With limited supplies to be found out in the tundra, coming across any kind of resources is like a birthday present in The Long Dark. You’ll celebrate finding a small candy bar like you’ve just won the lottery as it gives you more time to breathe in the gorgeous world. The Long Dark is a PS4 survival game that’s relatively low on action, though encounters with bears and wolves are always heart-pumping affairs.

If you like rabbits, though, you should probably avoid this one.

From our The Long Dark review:

“Despite a couple of bug bears and a needlessly drawn-out story mode, The Long Dark sets a fine example for other survival games to follow. It will pull you in and have you worrying about the correct balance of condensed milk and beef jerky in your inventory without you even realising.”

 

7. Wasteland 2

Developer: inXile Entertainment
Publisher: inXile Entertainment
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Players: Single-player

Anyone who’s been left jaded by the action route the Fallout franchise since Bethesda took over need look no further than Wasteland 2. Developed by the producer behind the original Fallout game, Wasteland 2 takes the post-apocalypse back to its CRPG roots to great effect.

Just like its cousin, your decisions in Wasteland 2 can lead to long-term consequences, meaning that guilt trips are almost certainly on the way. With an impressive depth of customisation to dive into, Wasteland 2 is the perfect way to craft the post-apocalypse you see fit, faults and all.

Featuring dozens upon dozens of hours of gameplay, the second entry in the series is probably the best of the series, though its third game is equally silly and brilliant.

 

6. Metro: Last Light

Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Stadia
Players: Single-player

The Metro series of post-apocalyptic games have always been a cult favourite FPS. While the first game, 2033, was based on the Dmitry Glukhovsky novel, Last Light deviates away to craft its own story. You again play as Artyom, who is part of an underground network of survivors following a nuclear apocalypse. You’ll come across your fair share of enemies, some human, some not so much, and some completely unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Minimalist in its nature, Last Light doesn’t overload the player with information or hold their hand at all. It’s a difficult FPS featuring different ways to approach situations, as well as the ability to customise your weapons and change the ending depending on your actions in the game.

A sequel, Metro Exodus, released in 2019 to acclaim and with the Redux version of Last Light often being bundled with 2033 at a cheap price, you have no excuses not to check this brilliant series out.

 

5. Telltale’s The Walking Dead

Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Switch
Players: Single-player

If we’re talking about a particular season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, its first season has to be the premier, though its fourth is not that far behind in terms of pushing the gameplay forward. When the franchise started, it allowed players greater freedom in exploration and the all-important difficult decisions having genuine weight because of the connection to the characters.

Lee Everett is not just one of the best protagonists in a post-apocalyptic game, he’s one of the best overall. A man with inner turmoil and a conscience, Lee’s job is to keep a young girl by the name of Clementine safe as they make their way to any sign of hope they can in a walker-infested America.

While it may be light on gameplay for some, the choices you make in The Walking Dead, and the game as a whole, will stick with you for a long time.

 

4. Gears of War 3

Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Players: Single-player & Multiplayer

Gears of War 3 didn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel for the Gears franchise, though it never arguably needed to. The blueprint of the first two games (including the unusual but somehow excellent reloading mechanic) was followed for the third instalment but with some refinements to make the action and chainsawing feel more fluid than ever.

Following the events of the second game, Gears of War 3 pits you once again as Marcus Fenix: the manliest man in all of gaming. Humanity is on the brink of extinction after civilisation had effectively been wiped out by the Locust, so it’s up to you to take the fight to them one last time.

Considering the amount of testosterone in Gears of War 3, it’s a surprisingly grim and emotional ride that’s the pillar of the Xbox brand for good reason.

 

3. Horizon Zero Dawn

Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: SIE
Platform(s): PC, PS4
Players: Single-player

Compared to the rest of the best post-apocalyptic games on this list, Horizon Zero Dawn is positively vibrant. Bursting with colour and life, you play as Aloy in a world where humans are put back in their place on the food chain. Robot animals roam the lands and it’s clear something terrible happened to Earth, evidenced by the remnants of a long gone and advanced civilisation.

An open-world game with a huge emphasis on exploration, Horizon Zero Dawn offers players the chance to tame robots or hunt them down however they see fit. There’s a fantastic storyline to unravel the deeper into Horizon you travel, though you couldn’t be blamed if you just decide to relax atop a Tallneck for a while and gaze upon the beautiful, erm, horizon.

If you want more of the same but with even more sumptuous visuals, be sure to check out Forbidden West.

From our Horizon Zero Dawn review:

“Horizon Zero Dawn boasts a stunningly realized vision of the post-post-apocalypse, accompanied by a fascinating and chilling mystery surrounding the fall of civilization and surprisingly deep and strategic combat which combine to create one of the best new IPs in years.”

 

2. The Last of Us

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: SIE
Platform(s): PS4, PS3
Players: Single-player & Multiplayer

If you want a post-apocalyptic game that doesn’t shy away from showing humanity in its ugliest form, The Last of Us is the game for you. When a parasitic infection turns most of the world into zombie-like creatures, the final remnants of civilisation spend their morbid days without much hope for the future. That is, of course, until Ellie comes along.

You play as Joel, a man hardened by grief, as you protect Ellie during a trek across America to deliver her to a movement. The gameplay revels in the filth of the apocalypse, giving you things like bricks to dispatch your enemies — there’s no magic ammo cache in The Last of Us.

An emotional and consistently engaging time, The Last of Us is storytelling and character building in gaming at its very best. Its sequel may have been a little too polarising, however.

 

1. Fallout: New Vegas

Developer: Obsidian
Publisher: Bethesda
Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Players: Single-player

Often hailed as the best modern Fallout game, New Vegas embraces the first-person ARPG style that Bethesda brought to the series for Fallout 3 while also being sure to maintain the Obsidian sense of building a world begging to be explored and characters worth caring out. Play Fallout 4 and New Vegas side-by-side and you will notice some disappointing “streamlining” in the former.

When you’re left for dead out in the Vegas desert, you must seek revenge — or, failing that, go and complete the 45000 sidequests and distractions that New Vegas has to offer, which include lending a helping hand to an Elvis impersonator or just frittering all of your money away at the casino.

Fallout fans have been begging Bethesda to convince Obsidian to return for another game, and it’s really not hard to see why when even bashing the heads in of your millionth cazador.

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