10 Best Apocalyptic Video Games That DON'T Involve Zombies
No zombies? No problem.
There are arguably few settings better suited to video games than that of the post-apocalypse. Unusual environments? Impactful relationships? Literally everything trying to kill you? These are some of the core building blocks of a good video game, and the end of the world has these and more in spades.
However, the video game industry is no less guilty than Hollywood of too often reusing the same, flesh-eating trope.
Zombies are pretty much the perfect video game enemy, and many series centered around them such as Resident Evil, The Last Of Us, and Dying Light have rightfully become not only core pillars of their genre, but of gaming as a medium.
Still - there’s only so many undead you can shoot your way through before they all start to look the same.
Thankfully, there are plenty of video games with new and innovative takes on the end of days that are also considered some of the best experiences the industry has to offer. So if you’re getting sick of the zombie hoards and craving something different, these games will more than whet the apocalyptic appetite.
10. Frostpunk
2018's Frostpunk differs from many post-apocalyptic games not just in world-ending scenario, but in the primary gameplay. A city-building survival game, the player becomes ‘The Captain’, an alternate history 19th century leader tasked with growing a group of survivors from a small settlement to a thriving city during a worldwide volcanic winter.
Alongside typical mechanics such as the gathering of supplies and building of structures, the game also allows the player to implement Laws within the society, forcing you to choose between human morality or survival.
It also features multiple scenarios, narrative threads and endings based on your choices, which emphasise the sense of emotional responsibility associated with both apocalypse and survival games, despite the comparatively hands-off relationship with the game world's inhabitants.
Various further DLC expansions have allowed Frostpunk to offer an even further variety of experiences, and it certainly stands out as one of the most unique post-apocalypse video games released. If you’re a fan of strategy games and building sims, this is definitely the take on the genre for you.