After years of waiting, Bethesda finally, finally announced Fallout 4, the next installment in the award-winning post-nuclear role playing game. Details are sparse, but looks like prospective vault dwellers will get to explore a post-war Boston; the announcement trailer giving us glimpses of famous monuments and settlements built on the ashes of the old world.
But unfortunately, there’s no release just yet, only the hopes it’ll arrive sometime later in 2015. So until then, here’s a list of some fantastic post-apocalyptic games to keep you occupied until we can get to once again explore the wastes of Fallout!
DayZ
A massive open-world zombie apocalypse game, DayZ puts you deep into the fictional country of Chernarus. Survival is your only goal as you scavenge for supplies, weapons, and medicine; all while avoiding the walking dead - and most importantly, other survivors. With a heavy focus on interaction between players, DayZ is an intense experience, where anyone you meet could be a potential ally willing to share their resources or an enemy, waiting to rob you of yours.
Wasteland
Set nearly a century after a brutal nuclear war devastated most of the globe, this 1980’s RPG ahas take control of a team of Desert Rangers, remnants of what was once the US military, and set out into a harsh landscape of bandits, creatures, and more. With a persistent world to explore and challenging gameplay, Wasteland is definitely a must play for any fan of the post-apocalyptic genre.
The Long Dark
Instead of nuclear war or zombies, this survival game takes a different twist on the end of the world by plunging it into a harsh, severe winter. As a pilot who has crashed deep into the snow-covered Canadian wilderness you’ll need to scavenge for food, tools and shelter while avoiding subzero temperatures and hungry wildlife. Each new game is randomly generated, meaning you’ll almost never have the same experience twice.
Tokyo Jungle
Probably the cutest post-apocalyptic game ever, Tokyo Jungle takes place in a deserted Tokyo where all humanity has mysteriously disappeared. The city is now home to tigers, deer, cats, dogs, chickens and dinosaurs (for some reason) all vying to stay alive or at least the top of the food chain. While the game can get awfully silly - you can dress up your animals with unlockable hats and costumes, after all - it’s still sure to tug on your heart strings every time you manage to keep your fierce but cuddly pomeranian alive another day.
The Last of Us
This action-adventure survival horror takes place in the aftermath of a devastating fungal plague that turns its hosts into cannibalistic monsters. As Joel, a smuggler who lives in one of the few remaining quarantine zones, you’ll have to have to use stealth and cunning to avoid hostile groups of humans and zombies alike while escorting a young girl named Ellie across a destroyed United States.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
While not a full-blown post-apocalyptic game, this game sure comes close. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. takes place in an alternate reality where a second meltdown at the infamous Chernobyl reactor has turned the surrounding area into a strange, otherworldly landscape with mutated wildlife and regions that defy the laws of physics. As an amnesiac explorer, you’ll need to fight and scavenge your way through The Zone to uncover your true identity. Featuring a non-linear story and an atmospheric open world, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a challenging adventure full of action, plot twists, and a few invisible murder monsters to round the whole thing out.
Metro 2033
A brutal first person shooter, Metro 2033 takes place two decades after a nuclear war forced hundreds to seek shelter in the depths of Moscow’s metro system. As Artyom, a survivor who spent most of their life in the dark tunnels, you’ll have to journey through the myriad of tunnels and stations and confront hostile humans, dangerous mutants, and the irradiated remnants of a dead city. Bring a camera!
Gears of War
This sci-fi military shooter isn’t exactly full-on apocalyptic, but sure as heck looks and feels like it! On the war-torn planet of Sera, this game follows Marcus Fenix and his team of soldiers as they strive to save what’s left of humanity from hostile subterranean species known as Locusts. You’ll shoot and your way through city ruins and legions of monstrous foes in a gritty action-packed adventurer. Oh, and your primary weapon has a chainsaw for a bayonet. That seems pretty apocalyptic to me!
Beneath a Steel Sky
This click and point adventure game takes place in an a dystopian post-apocalyptic future. As Robert Foster, a survivalist who grew up in the wastelands of the Australian Outback, you must uncover the secrets of Union City; a dense, overly populated metropolis full of paranoid citizens and a fascistic government. Renowned for his intense story and black humor, Beneath a Steel Sky is a perfect addition to any story-loving gamer’s library.
The Walking Dead
This adventure game is an absolute masterpiece in storytelling. Based off of the comic of the same name, The Walking Dead is an episodic drama centering on university professor Lee Everett and Clementine, the young girl you save during the early days of a zombie apocalypse. You’ll band together with other survivors in the hopes of getting through this hostile new world, and each decision and conversation you have with other characters in the game can carry serious weight - and affect what happens in later subsequent episodes. Choose wisely!
Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game
If you need a good post-apocalyptic game to keep you busy until Fallout 4, you can’t go wrong with the original! Set after (what else) a devastating nuclear war, you play as one of the residents of Vault 13, one of the many bunkers scattered across the US. An important part of your Vault’s life support system has failed, and it’s up to you to brave the elements of a world blasted by fire and inhabited by mutants, monsters, and more to save your home.