The post-apocalyptic setting adds a certain uniqueness to a game. It is one of the few genres that excel in all forms of media, whether it be books, films, or video games.
In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the 5 best Post-Apocalyptic games with the most immersive world and settings to play in 2023.
1. Fallout New Vegas
FNV takes place in the Mojave Wasteland, clearly, and the desolate design of this setting establishes a highly authentic apocalyptic atmosphere. I find the vanilla graphics to be timeless because of this, but mods can certainly modernize them. The region is a joy to explore too, as there are countless locations with pieces of environmental storytelling, quests, and loot within them. There's also an optional hardcore mode, which makes these barren wastes just that much harder to survive.
Almost every side-quest in New Vegas is spectacular. They were crafted with the utmost attention to detail, as they all have several ways to progress through them; and sincerely thoughtful writing applied to them. Each storyline has a distinct and often original motif, which makes them all a pleasure to play and experience.
In FNV there is a plethora of dialogue, choices, consequences, and other roleplaying mechanics to be found. These systems all work together in perfect harmony, which puts real weight behind your actions. This could even mean small actions, such as how you talk to a companion changing their character arc. Speaking of talking, the dialogue system is especially of note, as this is where most decisions are made, and where you express the personality of your character.
2. Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus is the third installment of the acclaimed series, inspired by the books of Dmitry Glukhovsky, and set after the events of Metro last Light. Once again impersonating Artyom, players will soon leave the cryptic tunnels of the Moscow Metro to journey on through the entirety of Russia, ending up in a variety of places ranging from deserts to lush forests - accompanied by Colonel Miller and his elite Spartan team. What initially begins as a daring escape soon turns out to be a journey for survival, as unexpected turns of events one after another come crashing down on the squad.
Starting with the good points, the strongest feature of Exodus as it was with the prequels, is the atmosphere and world-building, which deliver an uncompromisingly realistic take on the nuclear post-apocalypse. This time it's not confined to the cramped Metro tunnels, but shows in full the entirety of Russia's wastelands, and does so flawlessly. Fighting any kind of enemy on the higher difficulties is a tense and unforgiving affair, where all but the weakest attacks mean certain death for both yourself and most enemies.
This realism is complemented by accurate gunplay and good variety of murder tools to use. Exploring the wastelands is not only spectacular but also worthwhile, as every map contains a bounty of secondary locations often hiding unique upgrades for Artyom's suit and weapon mods. They will make your life easier once acquired. The narrative and characters stay true to the excellent book series and do not disappoint in the slightest.
3. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
In the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., the Chernobyl disaster spiraled outward to create the Zone, a harsh land ruled by mutated creatures, spatial anomalies, and mercenaries seeking to capitalize on the chaos. You play one such S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sans memories, sent back into the Zone to kill a mysterious figure close to the epicenter of it all. Along the way you'll forge alliances with other wanderers, discover threats far worse than mutated wildlife, and maybe come face to face with the source of the disaster itself. I wouldn't bank on that last one without some serious effort, though.
Instead of discreet levels, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is made up of maps that connect to form one contiguous world. Starting near the border of the Zone, you'll journey through radioactive swamps, underground bunkers, ghost towns, and more as you complete jobs for the other inhabitants. Sometimes that'll mean finding a stash of bizarre artifacts, and other times it'll mean gunning down a band of killers in their hideout. There's plenty to do in the Zone even without a specific mission, as you can loot corpses, hunt hidden stashes, and locate artifacts by navigating the treacherous anomalies that can crush, shock, or maim you with little warning.
All of this is accomplished from a first-person perspective, but don't expect the run-and-gun action of... anything, really. The combat in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is very much its own thing, a perpetually harrowing affair of dancing around cover, emptying magazines to only land one shot, and pumping dozens of bullets into charging beasts. Weapons in the Zone are inaccurate, difficult to use, and seemingly do no damage until you land a headshot that kills in an instant. I imagine it's more like real-world firefights than anyone would admit, but that doesn't necessarily make it fun to be eaten alive by wild dogs who dodged or shrugged off a dozen rounds.
4. Wasteland 2
Wasteland 2 truly is a fantastic game, but you won’t see that until you’ve spent roughly 10-20 hours on this sprawling RPG.
The game suffers from an archaic user interface and the first half of the game isn’t very notable, I’d recommend having one character invest in the Outdoorsman skill, because random encounters can easily take off another 20 minutes of your time without really providing much of interest, plus you will likely find yourself walking away from your screen quite a few times as you wait for your characters to move all the way back on a map. It’s a slow, slow game.
Yet, Wasteland 2 has so much to offer. The second half of the game is an immediate improvement in quest and map design and features interesting factions and story choices. The second half opens up a lot more, giving you less directed main quests and giving you a good amount of freedom to solve your way through side quests at your own pace.
The roleplaying aspect of Wasteland 2 is great. Designing your specialized characters and seeing how they make their way through a story with real consequences offers a good deal of replay value. If you are patient and give Wasteland 2 the time it needs to show its potential, it will be a tremendously enjoyable experience. Time definitely worth investing in.
5. Dying Light
Dying Light is a superb open-world game (a mix of survival, first-person action and RPG) where the citizens of Harran (a fictional place in Turkey) are becoming infected with a rabies-related virus. Your task (as protagonist Kyle Crane) is to locate research regarding a cure on behalf of the Global Relief Effort. You join a garrisoned band of survivors in Harran and take on the role of one of their 'runners' (people who carry out the dangerous work of gathering supplies and carrying out other requests on behalf of survivors) as a guise while you try to infiltrate and locate a wanted man and some vital data.
The game's large, open-world environments are incredible - set in the slums of Harran and (later) Old Town - both locations offering a different style of parkour. Your movement will be a mix of running, jumping, using a grappling hook or sliding down cables. Oh, and the odd swim! The parkour is fluid, easy and not over-fantasized (it is not beyond imagining that a fit and strong man could perform the moves the game offers). The campaign itself is of good length and enjoyable, and there is a wealth of optional side missions and challenges to complete.
The game is divided into two scenarios: day and night. By day, the infected and 'virals' roam the streets aimlessly (often in huge numbers) but don't present too much of a danger provided you keep to rooftops and higher areas. At night though, everything becomes much more sinister! Not only are the infected out in greater number, but a darker, almost indestructible breed of the infected comes out for the hunt. They're stronger than you, faster than you, and would like dinner with you (you as the main course). There is no other recourse but to stay indoors and sleep until daybreak or dare to go out and use stealth and speed as best you can.
>>> Read more: List Of All Souls Games On PC And Console, Ranked
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