5 Most Unique Post-Apocalyptic Video Games

The post-apocalyptic setting stands out in the gaming world and remains vibrant today. The defining characteristic of a post-apocalyptic game is, well, an apocalypse. The aftermath sets the premise for the story and can involve all sorts of chaos, such as a war (whether nuclear or another type), a zombie outbreak, a plague, or any major event that throws the natural order of things out the window. In the end, those who persevere and survive in a world undone can still discover incredible experiences. 

Over the years, numerous titles have been released across console and PC platforms. While some have not aged gracefully, a good number of gems still deserve praise. Here is a list of post-apocalyptic games from the 21st century with a variety of different themes. These games showcase the remnants of civilization and reflect morality, hope, and survival.

5) Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas was first introduced with the release of an upbeat trailer playing “Jingle, Jangle, Jingle,” highlighting retro-futuristic elements in the nuclear war-torn Mojave Desert. Despite being over a decade old, Fallout: New Vegas continues to be regarded as a fan favorite in the Fallout series. The game is set in a 1950s-inspired Mojave Wasteland with noir and Western vibes at every turn. Players get to experience this action role-playing game as a customizable courier, searching for the unknown assailant who attempted to kill them. Fallout: New Vegas is full of quests, nuclear-evolved creatures, and likable NPC characters within its open world of settlements, rundown ghost towns, abandoned structures, and even the Hoover Dam.

Keeping true to the Fallout series, New Vegas is known for its rich storylines where choices make a difference, and dark humor pops up as frequently as a bark scorpion. There are four major endings, with factors ranging from NPCs staying alive to siding with one of the four factions. All of this to say, you will get attached to characters, enjoy roaming the wasteland, and there is a ton of content for replayability.

4) Dead Island

For anyone who enjoys a little over-the-top action and quirky humor smack dab in the middle of a tropical zombie outbreak, this one is for you. Think Dead Rising, but instead of being stuck around a shopping mall, you have an entire island resort to run around and experience the contrast of horror and beachside landscape. Players get to choose between four survivors amid the chaos of the outbreak, with no clue as to what the origin of the virus is. Each of these survivors is equipped with distinctive traits and skills before they spend their time completing quests, weapon crafting, and stacking points into a skill tree. The zombie world itself feels like a B-movie horror within a vacation landscape, and there are a variety of zombies that players get to experience. 

Dead Island held mixed reviews when it was first released, with Dead Island 2 holding the same fire, although the sequel was up for a nomination for “Best Action Game” at The Game Awards 2023. Dead Island 2 does keep the same tone as its predecessor, exchanging the skill tree system for a deck-building system, amping up the combat and gore, and placing players in the heart of Los Angeles. 

Overall, reviews and experiences vary between players. However, at the root of it, the Dead Island games can be a ridiculously fun time with your friends. I mean, who can go wrong with comically brutal combat?

3) The Last of Us (2013) 

By this time, most people have heard about The Last of Us. Bringing a new spin on the monsters players encounter and requiring a box of tissues for the emotional journey from start to finish. Instead of groaning, flesh-eating zombies, The Last of Us introduces us to a fungal pandemic where the infected are now a tad more disturbing and unsettling, and communicate through clicking. In this world, we witness a world beyond the panic and in a state of ruin, natural overgrowth, and survival. It’s strikingly beautiful at times and horrifically scary at others. Players follow the story of Joel Miller in his first few hours of the outbreak, and then, after a 20-year time skip, we see him as a hardened survivor living in the post-outbreak. He is tasked to escort a teenage girl named Ellie across the devastated United States with the hope of finding a cure. 

The story continues with Ellie in The Last of Us II, where the darker themes are turned up a notch, highlighting more revenge, grief, and forgiveness. With the successful release of the base games and their Remastered editions, the games still hold up today, especially with the franchise going strong on HBO. The Last of Us redefines the zombie apocalypse atmosphere and will make you appreciate the quiet moments.

2) Max Max (2015)

From the movie screen to the gaming controller, the dystopian classic setting of Mad Max: Fury Road has come to life in a game with all its gripping action and destruction. The only real way to experience this is to give players a big, open world within the post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce. Trading out zombies and infected with crazed, violent war boys and gangs of marauders, Mad Max highlights the collapse of civilization with chaos, modified rides, and fury. To stay true to Fury Road, weapons come in various shapes and sizes, including shivs, thundersticks, flamethrowers, turbo boosts, and Max’s infamous shotgun.

As players control the titular Max, they can expect gritty melee combat, vehicle battles, and the expanse of an isolated desert. Mad Max brings out a realistic approach to survival with necessary actions like fueling your car, finding water, and eating to stay alive. Instead of “hope,” the game keeps a gritty tone of vengeance and a reminder of bleak humanity.

1) Stray (2022)

Stray puts players behind the perspective of a stray cat navigating a desolate city underground called the Walled City. Humanity has fallen after a deadly bacterial plague forces humans to isolate underground. Unlike most post-apocalyptic games where bombs, war, or horrific monsters take over, humans became extinct through their containment and overpopulation with the disease. The only creatures still around are animals and robots called Companions. 

Players control the stray cat through the underground cybercity, becoming acquainted with the sentient robots and encountering vicious mutated creatures on their journey to reunite with their family. Along the way, this heartwarming story of humanity’s extinction blooms. The mechanics are classic and easy to maneuver, and cat lovers will be delighted to see that much thought went into making this ginger tabby cat as animated as possible. Real cats were used as models, and the meows and purrs are real recordings. Nice touch, team!