There's something inherently terrifying about the concept of an apocalypse. It's the end of all things; the cessation of the human race, and in some cases, life itself, on a global scale. However, where video games are concerned, the post-apocalypse is one of the most tantalizing, exciting settings to explore, and in the last twenty years or so, players have relished the idea of journeying through the end of the world.
From the nuclear apocalypse to a devastating zombie outbreak, there's a diverse array of reasons as to why the world might have ended in gaming. For the most part, post-apocalyptic titles tend to be relatively creepy, with some of them bordering on the downright terrifying. It's a genre that does a fantastic job at setting a morbid, ominous tone from the get-go, and in some cases, post-apocalyptic games can quite simply chill a player to their core.
7 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl
Before Fallout 3 was released, there was S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a title that inspired many of the post-apocalyptic experiences that players know and love today. It was a chilling experience, giving players a wide, open area to explore that was littered with threats and anomalies that can kill a person in seconds. It's a survival game through and through, and players must manage their inventory, weight, hydration, and loadout as they go.
As a result of this level of immersion, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. succeeds at being a terrifying game. If a player is wounded, they'll need to race against time to save themselves, which is a feat in itself when exploring the harsh, post-apocalyptic world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., fighting to avoid human and mutant enemies around every corner.
6 Chernobylite
Chernobylite was released in 2021, developed by The Farm 51, the creative minds behind the first-person shooter, World War 3, and psychological thriller, Get Even. As a sci-fi survival game, Chernobylite was a title that stood out from the rest of The Farm 51's creations, boasting a gorgeous, open world that was equal parts beautiful to admire and terrifying to behold. In Chernobylite, players must explore the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, exploring a dark, mysterious story littered with twists.
Most of the fear aspect in Chernobylite comes from the environment, which is bleak, ruined, and for the most part, dark and foreboding. When a player enters a building, they've got no idea what awaits them inside, and it could be anything from a heart-stopping jumpscare to a genuine, mutated threat. It's a game that gets progressively terrifying as time goes on, and by the end of Chernobylite, players are fighting for their very lives.
5 Metro: Last Light
Metro: Last Light took everything that Metro 2033 had done so well and improved upon it tenfold. When it was released in 2013, it raised the bar for post-apocalyptic titles, boasting a chilling world, an intense, meaningful story, and superb, challenging combat. At the very heart of the Metro franchise is a sense of fear and anticipation, with many of the game's scenes being set in pitch-black subway tunnels.
As a game, Metro: Last Light boasts a minimal HUD and focuses on immersing the player in a creepy, mysterious world. There are various mutated creatures that pose an intense threat to those living within the post-apocalyptic metro environment, and sometimes, survival means staring a hulking creature in the eyes, so it doesn't attack.
4 Death Stranding
Death Stranding launched exclusively on PlayStation 4 in 2019, bringing a dramatic, complex storyline to players around the world. This mysterious title is the brainchild of the legendary Hideo Kojima, and it boasts the acting talents of some of the finest performers in the business, including Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen. In Death Stranding, players assume the role of what is essentially a post-apocalyptic delivery man, but there's so much more depth to this story.
It's a game that simply has to be experienced to be understood, as the base story itself is relatively confusing and ambitious. In the world that the player explores, they'll have to contend with time-traveling rain, invisible, demonic creatures, and human enemies that relentlessly chase the protagonist down, eager to steal his cargo. There are some incredibly unique features in this game, such as a baby secured to the player's chest that acts as an early warning system for the invisible creatures. When disturbed, the baby cries through the DualShock 4's built-in speaker, making for an insanely creepy experience.
3 Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 was released in 2021, six years after its predecessor, Dying Light. It took what the first game did so well and multiplied it, adding in a bigger, more diverse world, and plunging the Dying Light story into a full-blown, post-apocalyptic wasteland. It also introduced a more terrifying environment, drawing inspiration from the first title and focusing acutely on what made it really terrifying.
In Dying Light 2, darkness plays a huge part in the game's inner mechanics. When players are exploring the open world at night, they'll be sitting on the edge of their seats, barely able to see what's going on but knowing in their hearts that they're surrounded by danger. There are close-quarters environments, thick with powerful, infected creatures, absolutely littered with jumpscares, that players simply must explore.
2 The Last Of Us
The Last of Us was released in 2013, and it irrevocably changed the face of the post-apocalyptic genre. It would become one of the most awarded games in history, boasting a star-studded cast, a dramatic, superbly-written story, and a deeply realistic, terrifying world that was both exciting and unnerving. In The Last of Us, a violent parasitic infection known as Cordyceps has swept the world, wiping out most of the population and turning many of those that remain into crazed, near-undead creatures.
At its very foundation, The Last of Us is something of a survival title, giving players limited resources to assist them on their journey. It's built around a world that is inherently threatening, and in some cases, the best course of action is to painstakingly creep through an entire section of the game, heart pounding, trying desperately to avoid making a sound. It's one of the scariest post-apocalyptic games without a doubt, but it's also a beautiful and haunting experience.
1 Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an iconic staple in the post-apocalyptic stakes, often considered by some critics to be the defining game of the genre. It was released way back in 2008 and served as Bethesda Game Studios' entry to the Fallout franchise, and it was arguably the scariest Fallout title fans have ever experienced. It was the first Fallout title to be playable in first- and third-person, immersing the player like never before and putting them face to face with the terrors of the apocalypse.
In the horror-strewn world of the DC Wasteland, players were introduced to 3D renderings of terrifying, mutated creatures. They were forced to explore a world devastated by the nuclear apocalypse, with a threat looming around every corner. There were dark subway tunnels, densely packed with rasping ghouls, and abandoned buildings occupied by bloodthirsty raiders just waiting for the opportunity to take chunks out of an unsuspecting explorer.