You”ve always been fascinated by post-apocalyptic America with its vaults, mutants and robots? Then check out these 13 games.
If you like to explore post-apocalyptic worlds in games, you have almost certainly already made the acquaintance of one or more Fallout games. But there is much more to discover in the genre. That”s why we”ve put together a selection of 10 particularly fascinating wastelands or even blooming landscapes, which we present to you here.
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Atom RPG
With Atom RPG and its successor Trudograd, fans of the Fallout series will feel right at home. For the model is unmistakable. Here, the world was destroyed by a nuclear war in 1986 and you explore the remains of the former Soviet Union. In the process, you discover a mysterious conspiracy.
Especially because of things like the very open quest design, which opens up new solutions depending on your own abilities, the turn-based battles and various skill checks, you might think that you are actually playing a Fallout 2.5. As a result, it naturally also offers a very high replay value.
Caves of Qud
Caves of Qud sends you into a particularly dark end time, which is underlined by the extremely atmospheric graphics and sound style. The world here is populated mainly by mutants and cybernetically modified humans. What led to the downfall of the highly developed civilisation, of which you only find ruins, is left to your own imagination. For there is a whole series of randomly generated books about the background history of the world.
It is in character customisation that the game stands out very positively. For the possibilities are virtually endless and allow for a myriad of play styles. A six-armed mutant? A mage who travels through space and time? A cybernetic soldier who wears the faces of his enemies as masks? Or rather a mysterious cultist who transfers his spirit into the bodies of his opponents? The role-playing game really comes to the fore here.
Cloud Gardens
You will experience an unusually peaceful but atmospheric post-apocalypse in Cloud Gardens. Here it”s your task to let dilapidated motorway bridges, train tracks or ruins become overgrown with various plants whose seeds you plant. You also decorate the scenes with broken cars, refrigerators, traffic signs and other assets.
If you need a break from the hectic fight for survival and just want to enjoy the silence and atmosphere of a lost world, then you should definitely give Cloud Gardens a try.
Death Trash
In Fallout, the developers like to incorporate Lovecraft-inspired quests and locations around even one of the Wasteland”s greatest mysteries. If you like these horror elements, then perhaps the role-playing game Death Trash is also something for you. The pixel-style wasteland is also home to eerie, gigantic monster creatures, but they seem to be peaceful. Much of the gameplay is reminiscent of old Fallout games, but the battles take place in real time.
Far Cry New Dawn
In its worst moments Far Cry New Dawn looks like a new coat of paint for Far Cry 5, but in its best moments it looks like what it should be: A fun shooter in a pretty post-apocalyptic world, but without the scope of its predecessors. Instead of cultists, there are bandits, and instead of wild boars and bears, there are mutated wild boars and bears.
Instead, we are equipped with new weapons such as the saw blade launcher and are allowed to expand our own fortress.
Far: Lone Sails
In contrast to the action-packed Far Cry, Far: Lone Sails once again focuses on the quiet and melancholic exploration of an abandoned world. There are no quests, dialogues or battles here, just us and our vehicle. We collect fuel to move on, set the sails or repair the engine of the unusual means of transport.
If you just want to enjoy the unique atmosphere and loneliness of a deserted world, accompanied by a subtle soundtrack, then give Far: Lone Sails a chance.
Industria
The indie shooter Industria suffers from one major weakness: it is simply far too short. The whole game can be played through in about four hours on a long evening. The short exploration of the ghost town in a parallel universe is really well-designed, even if the fights won”t knock your socks off.
In our review, we have to criticise the game for its scope, game design and abrupt ending, but if you just want to immerse yourself in an original and atmospheric world with a post-apocalyptic mood, then you should take a closer look at Industria.
Mad Max
If you”ve always wanted to get into one of the many vehicles standing around in Fallout and explore the wasteland on four wheels, then Mad Max could fulfil that dream for you. Here you are almost exclusively on the road in your vehicle and engage in spectacular chases and fights with crazy bandits.
However, if you don”t like sand because it is scratchy, rough and unpleasant, then you will probably feel less comfortable here. Because the game world of Mad Max hardly offers any variety and will not be able to motivate every player in the long run.
Metro
You can experience the other side of the nuclear post-apocalypse in the Metro series. Here, in the face of nuclear missiles, people retreated not to vaults but to the stations of the Moscow Metro. As Artyom, you face people, mutated monsters and other dangers of destroyed Moscow.
Similar to Stalker, the games captivate with their dark and eerie atmosphere. The latest part – Metro Exodus – is even better in terms of gameplay, story and characters and sends you on a journey through post-apocalyptic Russia.
Rage
In Rage, instead of nuclear war, a gigantic meteorite brings about the end of human civilisation. One hundred years later, we wake up in a kind of cryo-chamber and first have to find our way around the alien world. In the semi-open world, mutants and bandit clans typically await us, but also a government organisation that wants to get at us.
Rage is a great game for apocalypse fans, with a world that is still very pretty to look at in places. Especially the coherent design of the world and the fights against the mutants are really well done. However, you have to be prepared for a rather abrupt and not very satisfying end to the story, which is not outstanding anyway.
Stalker
Strictly speaking, the Stalker series is not really post-apocalyptic. After all, the destruction of civilisation here is limited to the area around Chernobyl, which was radioactively contaminated by the accident at the nuclear power plant in 1986. The consequences, however, feel very post-apocalyptic in the shooter: Abandoned towns and villages, radiation storms, hordes of mutated animals and trigger-happy bandits.
The Stalker games are characterised above all by their dense and oppressive atmosphere and are all still worthwhile for post-apocalypse fans today, despite their age. And in 2023, the next game in the series will be released.
Underrail
Underrail is another game that clearly takes its cue from the old Fallout parts. In the distant future, life on Earth became impossible and the remaining people here now live in the underground networks of the old world. But not in peace. For new factions are emerging here, vying with each other for supremacy.
Thanks to an extensive character editor, a wide variety of play styles open up. With your alter ego, you are then drawn into the struggle between the dominant enemy groups in this world. And the survival feeling comes into its own here thanks to a motivating scarcity of resources.
Wasteland 3
Wasteland 3 probably belongs on this list more than any other game, because after all, the first Wasteland is the predecessor of Fallout. The latest instalment in the series, on the other hand, holds up the values of the old Fallout games today. If you prefer to explore the wasteland in the iso-perspective, engage in turn-based combat and enjoy trying out different play styles, Wasteland is certainly something for you.
The world of Wasteland offers a lot to discover, an extensive main story and a lot of side quests. Especially the wacky characters and the mixture of gloomy post-apocalypse and a good pinch of humour should delight Fallout fans.
Which of the games in our list are among your favourites? Did you not know some of the titles or are you missing a particular game? Feel free to post your opinions and comments in the comments!
