On March 8, Ubisoft’s online open-world third-person shooter, Tom Clancy’s The Division, hits store shelves. After the outbreak of a deadly virus, New York City has fallen into chaos, with rogue factions overtaking the city. Players take the role of agents from the Strategic Homeland Division, who have been mobilized to reclaim the once-proud city from the brink of absolute destruction. Can’t wait for The Division to come out? Post-apocalyptic worlds are a popular backdrop to a wide variety of action, strategy, and role-playing video games. Check out some of these great titles post-apocalyptic games that will tide you over until its release!
Fallout 4 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
The current poster child of the post-apocalyptic genre, Fallout 4 is a first-person shooter with role-playing elements. After witnessing the outbreak of nuclear war, the player takes the role of the sole survivor of Vault 111 as they set out to find their missing infant son. The strengths of the Fallout series include it’s massive game world, a plethora of quest lines, and fine attention to environmental detail. Newly added in Fallout 4 is the ability to construct and maintain settlements, as well as a robust crafting system which allows for weapon and armor modification and customization.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter/survival horror game developed by GSC Game World, and released in 2007. The game takes place in an alternate reality where a second nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The catastrophe triggers eerie mutations and strange changes within the Zone, a vast area consisting of untouched wilderness interspersed with human settlements and heavily fortified military bases. The player takes on the role of a S.T.A.L.K.E.R, called the “Marked One”, as they attempt to eliminate another stalker named Strelok.
The game’s highlights include a focus on exploration, a vast wealth of items /artifacts, and a ton of character customization. If you find that you are a fan, be sure to check out the other games in the series, Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat.
Wasteland 2 (PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
The sequel to the 1988 post-apocalyptic classic, Wasteland2 is a turned-based role-playing game with tactical combat. The game takes place in an alternate history where a nuclear holocaust took place in 1998. After the cataclysm, an army of U.S. Army Engineers form a survivalist colony in the southwestern desert that aids survivors in the immediate area.
The game focuses on party-based combat, with a mix of player-created characters and non-player characters. Player characters are highly customizable, while non-player characters have their own personality, opinions, and motivations. An enhanced version of the game called Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut was also released late last year.
The Last Of Us & The Last of Us: Remastered (PlayStation3, PlayStation 4)
The 2013 post-apocalyptic action-adventure The Last of Us is widely considered to be one of the strongest examples of storytelling in modern games. The plot follows Joel and Ellie as they trek across a ruined America, desperately searching for the cure to a deadly fungus that has transformed humans into bloodthirsty zombie-like monsters.
The game features top-notch pacing and an excellent stealth/action combat system. Players can utilize powerful melee weapons or firearms to dispatch the monsters and human scavengers. The environmental style and focus on real-world decay have a lot of parallels with The Division’s New York City.
NEO Scavenger (PC, Mac)
Looking for something a little less action-packed? Look no further than NEO Scavenger, a 2014 turn-based role-playing game developed by Blue Bottle Games. NEO Scavenger is all about resource management. Players must find food, clothing, and shelter to stay alive as long as possible. Loot settlements to find precious items, but be wary of alerting nearby raiders.
The game’s focus on simulation and strategy forces the player to consider every action. It features rogue-like elements as well, such as permanent death, which further increase the tension with every move you make.
