by Sharon Smith
There’s something particularly gripping about empty cities, silent wastelands, and the few people left still trying to make sense of it all. It’s why the Fallout series is loved by so many, but only a few post-apocalyptic games do a great job of capturing that same feeling of danger, mystery, and the small sparks of hope that keep survivors going.
These games put players in wild, ruined places like a nuclear war zone, where radiation has twisted both the land and its people. Then there are those games that focus on humanity’s greed and the chaos that follows when society finally crumbles. In every one of these post-apocalyptic games, players must fight to stay alive, gather supplies, and try to rebuild what they can.
Metro Exodus
A Desperate Search For Freedom Across A Ravaged Russia
Metro Exodus is what happens when a series known for tight, dark corridors finally steps into the sunlight and somehow preserves all the tension it became known for. This third entry in the Metro saga throws players into a journey across post-nuclear Russia. Instead of crawling through Moscow’s abandoned tunnels, players ride aboard the Aurora, a rumbling steam train packed with survivors and a lot of duct-taped gear.
Each stop on that train line is a new chapter, and every region feels different. One area might be crawling with mutants, while another is filled with desperate bandits or an eerie silence. The game does a good job of mixing slow, nerve-wracking stealth with bursts of brutal combat. Those who love post-apocalyptic horror games with a lot of shooting will have a great time playing Metro Exodus.
Wasteland 3
Lead A Ranger Squad Through The Frozen Remains Of Colorado
Wasteland 3 is one of the coldest, cruelest open-world apunkalyptic games. It’s part of the series that originally inspired Fallout, but here, instead of dusty deserts and sunburned ruins, players fight to survive in the icy chaos of post-nuclear Colorado. They command a team of Desert Rangers, lawmen trying to bring order to a land where “order” means whoever has the most bullets. After their base in Arizona is destroyed, they head north, answering a call for help from a man known only as “The Patriarch.” He promises to rebuild the Rangers’ strength, but there’s a catch: his family has gone rogue, and he wants them brought under control, dead or alive.
The writing in Wasteland 3 is razor-sharp, packed with dark jokes and tough moral choices that will remind players of Fallout: New Vegas. That connection makes sense given that Brian Fargo produced the original Wasteland and led Interplay, the studio that later created Fallout.
Mad Max
Build Crazy Vehicles And Battle Warlords Across A Desert
Mad Max isn’t a retelling of the movies, but a new story set in the same crazy universe. Players step into the boots of Max Rockatansky, a lone road warrior haunted by his past and hunted by every raider with a rusted car. For those who like Fallout’s sense of isolation but prefer roaring engines to radiation meters, Mad Max delivers. It’s dirty, fast, loud, and beautiful in its own way.
The world itself is exceedingly cool. It’s a vast, open desert filled with twisted wreckage, sun-bleached bones, and strongholds ruled by warlords. Players liberate territories, hunt convoys, and search for food, fuel, and water. Combat is pretty fast and explosive, as metal crashes, sand flies, and explosions paint the horizon.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Face Deadly Mutants In The Chornobyl Anomalous Zone
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyldrags players back into the cursed heart of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, and stays true to what made the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. legendary: freedom, danger, and unpredictability. Players wander through a radiation-soaked desert full of mutants, bandits, and eerie stuff that defies physics.
For Fallout players who crave danger, mystery, and a world that feels like it’s watching them back, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the real deal. It’s darker, meaner, and way less forgiving, but that’s exactly what makes surviving the Zone so much fun.
ATOM RPG
Explore A Soviet Wasteland After A Nuclear War
When ATOM RPG first appeared, no one expected much from a small indie team out of Eastern Europe. However, what they built quietly won the hearts of old-school RPG fans everywhere. It isn't flashy, it isn't fast, but it's the kind of slow-burn, text-heavy adventure that made many fall in love with Fallout 1 and 2.
Set in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union and the West destroyed each other in nuclear war, ATOM RPG puts players in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Russia. Civilization has collapsed into pockets of survivors, warlords, and strange cults. The player is an agent of ATOM, a secret organization trying to rebuild what’s left of the old world. From there, everything is up to the player: explore villages, loot bunkers, talk your way out of danger, or blow everything to pieces.
Read the full article on GameRant
This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
