39 Best Post Apocalyptic PC Games That Will Blow You Away

There are all sorts of “settings” within video games that allow the creators to truly have fun with it, and one of those is the post-apocalyptic worlds that they love to dream up. Because in those worlds, rules don’t mean as much, and thus fun can be had. We’re going to show you 35 of the “newer” versions of this that you should get on PC.

#39 Pacific Drive

Platform: PC PS5
Release Date: February 22, 2024

Steam | PlayStation

Most video games with a post-apocalyptic setting only feature one disaster to worry about. In Pacific Drive, you’ll be dealing with two. The first are the mighty “zone storms” ripping through the area you’re located in, and they are mighty vicious. In fact, they’re so vicious that if you get caught in one, you will die.

To escape them, you’ll have to roam through the Olympic Exclusive Zone with nothing but your car to get you through. The zone is full of “anomalies” that will push you to the test in other ways. Upgrade your car, seek out the truth, and once you survive the zone once, dive back in and try to survive it again!

#38 My Time at Sandrock

Platform: PC PS5 Xbox One XSX|S Switch
Release Date: November 02, 2023

Steam | PlayStation | Xbox | Nintendo

Not all post-apocalyptic games have to be depressing. We’ve certainly seen some games out there that use this as a backdrop to make the in-game world dire. However, My Time At Sandrock shows a modern post-apocalyptic world that is less depressing and more of a relaxing and casual experience. Much like My Time At Portia, this installment occurred hundreds of years after a massive calamity. In this title, players are taking the role of a builder who lands on a small oasis town located in the desert. However, this town is far from its former glory. As a result, players will have to spend time gathering resources, crafting items, building farmlands, interacting with the townsfolk, and rebuilding Sandrock into a safe haven town. 

#37 Remnant 2

Platform: PC PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: July 25, 2023

Steam | Playstation | Xbox

Typically, in games of a “save the universe” nature, you’re a proud warrior who must rise to vanquish evil. But in Remnant II, it’s a little more complicated than that. You are one of the last members of humanity, and it’s your job to go to other worlds and figure out a way to stop a reality-destroying threat. No pressure, right?

The good news is that you’ll have plenty of options on your side for taking down this foe and the other beasts you’ll come across.

Battle up close or afar. Choose to wield massively powerful weapons or use whatever you have to heal yourself and others.

In this apocalyptic landscape, every little bit counts.

#36 Dead Island 2

Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: April 21, 2023

Epicgames | Playstation | Xbox

Dead Island 2 was a game that most of us thought would stay in development hell. It took years to get the sequel for Dead Island finally, and multiple development studios were involved at some point. But fortunately, Dambuster Studios was able to bring this game out into the marketplace, and we’re able to rip through countless undead zombies. For those who might be unaware, Dead Island 2 takes place a few years after the original game’s events. Much like the first installment, players are presented with the opportunity to pick from various protagonists, each with unique attributes. From there, you’re dropped into the now-quarantined California state. A new zombie plague has struck, leaving the citizens to reach an extraction point within Los Angeles. You soon find yourself immune from the zombies; your blood could be the key to finding a cure. Now you’ll need to melee your way through countless different zombies in hopes of getting rescued. If you enjoy bashing through the undead, it’s worth pointing out the FLESH system Dambuster Studios implemented in this game. Here you’ll get a system that can replicate various blows showing off damage to the skin, muscle, and bone. Here’s hoping you’re not afraid of a little blood; by little, we mean a lot!

#35 Eastward

Eastward has you playing as two very different characters, John and Sam. This boy and girl are in a world where a deadly virus has left humanity fleeing to the underground in order to survive. But when you find one another, you’re honestly compelled to travel to the world above to see if there’s a chance of surviving it.

This game mixes exploration, puzzles, fighting, and a deep story to help make this world almost impossible to not check out. You can switch between the two characters to solve things differently, and you’ll meet an assortment of characters both menacing, strange, and funny as you travel.

What will you find in a world that is apparently on the bring? Go Eastward and find out!

#34 Half Life: Alyx

Oh, let me check something! …nope, still not Half-Life 3. Oh well, there’s still hope there…I think.

In point of fact, Half Life: Alyx is set in between the first two games of the series. You play as the resistance leader Alyx Vance, who is one of the few left to try and fight off the alien menace known as the Combine. In order to keep the fight going, you must find supplies, build incredible weapons, and trust your partners in the resistance to make every moment count.

And with this being a VR game you can try out, there’s a lot to potentially “feel” as you delve into this very unique adventure.

#33 The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners

We already showed you one Walking Dead Game, so how about another? The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners puts you in the ruins of New Orleans, where the dead and living are still very much in conflict with one another.

The good news is that you can survive here, the bad news is that this means you’ll have to make some really hard choices, and do some tough missions along the way to try and get through the dangers. The story is very much driven by you, and you can do all sorts of things to fight, change people’s lives, and overall survive in this world on the brink of madness.

So will you be a saint or a sinner? You’re about to find out.

#32 Back 4 Blood

Yeah…we usually wouldn’t talk about this game, but it honestly does fit the mold…so…we just deal with it.

Back 4 Blood is honestly made by part of the team who made Left 4 Dead, so you’d think that it would be good, and the storylines are kind of similar. You are facing a threat known as the Ridden, a parasitic race that is very much trying to wipe out all of humanity. You must team up with three others in order to delve into their realm and take them out so that humanity can survive.

So yeah, very similar to Left 4 Dead, but if we can be honest…it’s just not the same. But if you can find a way to get it for cheap? Sure, give it a shot.

#31 Remnant: From the Ashes

In Remnant: From the Ashes, an ancient evil has come to our world from another dimension, and the hordes of powerful monsters that came through the portal has left humanity with only the tiniest of numbers left.

Now, you are one of the survivors who are trying to figure out what these beings are, and how you can fight them off so you can retake the world!

You’ll need to travel to other realms yourself to get supplies, find clues on how to beat them, and fight all sorts of threats. You’ll need to work with others in order to survive, and even then, survival is anything but guaranteed.

So jump into this world, and see if you can save it!

#30 Dead Island

Dead Island has you play as someone who went on vacation on a tropical island, and then goes to sleep…only to wake up and realize that the island is now full of zombies!!!

Now, whether by yourself or with a co-op partner, you must fight through all sorts of zombies in order to get off the island. Experience island life like never before (even Animal Crossing New Horizons doesn’t have zombies! …we think…), and see if you can solve the mystery of what happened on the island and make sure you get off of it alive!

Or don’t, and become one of the horde, it’s your choice, it’s your vacation after all…

#29 Killing Floor 2

What’s that? You want a title that is basically just you and your friends killing a lot of zombie-style monsters without much other thought or plot? Then into Killing Floor 2! This game has you going into Europe as you team up with a group of civilians and mercenaries in order to fight the evil Zed.

You’ll be wiping out bad guys in droves with all sorts of weapons at your disposal. And each map will test you in various ways as you try and survive the never ceasing onslaughts that are put against you.

Be the ultimate killing machine and let the killing floor (see what we did there?) fill up with the blood and guts of your enemies!

#28 Project Zomboid

In regards to Project Zomboid, it’s a title that is continually growing, and that’s what keeps bringing players into the mix if we’re being honest here. Why? Because they know what works, what doesn’t, and their goal is to make a fun yet mostly realistic version of a zombie apocalypse.

In this context, you are a survivor in a world overrun with zombies, but the twist comes in that there are very realistic ways you have to both deal with the threat, and deal with your survival. You’ll have to loot houses, make defenses, outrun and outwit the horde of zombies coming for you and more.

You can play with friends, you can play by yourself, it doesn’t matter, this is a “real world” filled with all sorts of things you have to be mindful of if you want to live.

#27 DayZ

DayZ is a game that very much puts in you in a situation where you’re meant to fail. But whether you do or not is entirely up to you. We mean that because in this game, there are no save files, there are no backups of your data.

You are put in a world where threats both living and dead are all around you, and you have one goal: survive.

If you die? You have to start over from the very beginning, because much like in life itself…there are no second chances.

With a beautiful and large map, and the ability to play with up to 60 other players, each “runthrough” will be different, and your skills will be pushed to the absolute limit.

#26 7 Days to Die

7 Days to Die is hailed as one of the biggest games you can play, and that’s not an easy claim to make. But it clearly did something right if it was able to get over 14 million people to play it over the course of its life so far.

This world is overrun by the undead, and you are one of the survivors just trying to make it through. But whether you do or not will not depend necessarily on your combat skills, but your survival skills. You’ll need to get materials to survive, craft weapons, build shelters, and explore the world to see what all is out there.

There is so much to do in this game that it would honestly be hard to tell you all of it. So just jump in and see how well you do, or don’t do…

#25 Hunt Showdown

So, what happens when the world becomes overrun with monsters? You hunt them and make money off of it. Duh.

In Hunt Showdown, you’ll be one of many hunters out there who are trying to make it through this world and make a nice profit as you do. The monsters you face will be large, menacing, and powerful, but if you’re smart enough, and skilled enough, you’ll make it through.

…or at least, you can…if other players in the game don’t hunt you down and kill you and your prey before you can seal the deal. Did I forget to mention that part? Oh well, happy hunting!

#24 Left 4 Dead 2

The original Left 4 Dead was a masterpiece in and of itself. But with Left 4 Dead 2, things get even grander. You’ll play as a new set of survivors in this maddening zombie world who have to work together to battle their way through a highly infected South in order to reach New Orleans for some semblance of safety.

In your way are multiple types of zombies that want to make sure you don’t go anywhere…and they have the ability to do that.

Load up with all sorts of weapons, and make sure that you work together to overcome, because some familiar faces and new enemies await you on your journey. Live together, or die alone, it’s your call in Left 4 Dead 2.

#23 This War of Mine

If you ever wanted to truly feel “the pain of war” without partaking in it, This War of Mine is the game you must play. In it, you’ll be not a soldier, or a leader, but a civilian. One of a few who are trying to survive in a city that’s literally surrounded by war.

Every single day is going to be a struggle for food, supplies, and tough choices. You’ll need to fix up your battered home so that no one can break in and harm you. You’ll need to get gear so you can make it to the next day, and when people come…you’ll need to decide whether to help them or turn them away.

Every choice is going to be difficult, as it can have ripple effects across the rest of the game. And when you die…you have to start over.

#22 Enslaved Odyssey to the West

In a world overrun by nature, and humanity’s numbers getting captured by slavers, two people in Trip and Monkey are going to be linked by not the greatest of circumstances. By that, we mean that Trip basically enslaves Monkey so that if he doesn’t help her…they both die. So nice.

You’ll play as the brutish man known as Monkey, using your power and ability to fight off those who are trying to capture you two, and of course, helping keep Trip alive.

Explore this complicated world and work through the equally complicated relationship between these two characters as they both strive for freedom from all that is out there. There is mystery, wonder, and a potential friendship out there waiting for you, will you head to the West?

#21 Dying Light

The original Dying Light put you in a world overrun by zombies, that much wasn’t exactly revolutionary. The difference though was that you were able to get around them and through them in ways that other games didn’t really try to touch upon. Such as how they would give you incredible parkour abilities to try and help you evade and get to certain higher ground elements so that you could live to fight another day.

Then, there is the fact that you’ll need to be very wise about your weapons, as well as your choices. Because in this game, how you complete certain missions will affect the overall game world. So see what you can do against the hordes, and see if you can survive this world.

#20 The Last Stand: Aftermath

What happens when death is a certainty no matter what you do? You move on, and make every moment count. That’s the basis of The Last Stand: Aftermath.

In this game, the world is overrun by zombies, and you…are actually one of them. You’re an infected who will die from the virus eventually, but you refuse to let it keep you down, so you go and travel from city to city, spot to spot, in order to find more supplies to keep yourself alive for as long as possible.

Then, whenever you do die, you get to take on the role of someone else with new stats based on how well you did in the previous playthrough.

How far will you get to take your life? Dive in and find out.

#19 Scarlet Nexus

Look, is it REALLY a post-apocalyptic world if it’s one based in anime? …no, I’m really asking here.

Scarlet Nexus puts you in a world (of anime) where humans have been transformed into monsters, and the only ones who can beat them are special humans with abilities (you know, like in anime?), and you get to play as two of them.

The dual story will have you doing fantastical battles as you weave through a story of a lost world, the powers within it, and all the strange darkness that lies within.

Will you be able to take down these monsters once and for all?

#18 Chernobylite

Set within the Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl, you are a man named Igor, who after 30 years is entering the zone to find out what happened to his finance.

Wait, it took him 30 years to go looking for her? Just saying…

Regardless, in the exclusion zone, nothing is as it seems, and a non-linear story awaits you as you try to find out what happened and fight off all of those who are in your way. But that won’t be easy as you have to make hard choices, see if you can trust those next to you, and face all sorts of horrors with your specially crafted weapons.

So jump in and see if you can survive the experience…

#17 Mad Max

Mad Max is a name known to many, and for good reason. His movies (three of the four anyway) are legendary in the film industry, and now, you’ll get to BE Max yourself in his own video game.

In a wasteland of a world, you have nothing but your instincts and your wheels to lead you from one place to another in order to find the “plains of silence” where you can finally rest your head and have peace. But peace isn’t going to be easy to come by as EVERYONE wants your head, your ride, and whatever else you have that’s valuable.

You’ll need to build the ultimate combat vehicle to face them, so get the resources to do just that, and drive like your life depends on it.

Because it pretty much does.

#16 State of Decay 2

State of Decay 2 does try to shake things up in terms of truly surviving a zombie apocalypse. How so? Because you’re not just controlling one character, you’re controlling a whole community. And not just from the “overlord” position either.

Rather, you’ll pick a spot to try and make your home, then with your various members (each of whom have various skills) you’ll try and build it up.

Over time, you’ll need to choose a member to look for supplies, fight off zombies, or take on groups of other humans that try to take your resources. Your choices will decide who lives and who dies. So you’ll need to be ready to face the consequences of your actions.

#15 Surviving The Aftermath

When the world ends, there’s only one thing left to do, survive with what’s left. And that’s what Surviving The Aftermath is exactly.

The title puts you in the role of someone who is trying to build a colony that’ll not just help people survive, but not get destroyed by anything else that might be out there. You’ll have a wide array of buildings to construct your perfect colony, but not necessarily all the resources to make them happen. So be wise with what you get.

Then, you can venture out and see what’s out there. Bring new people to your colony to make it better, learn more about the world out there, and make the hardest of choices so that you all survive! …the aftermath! Get it?

#14 They Are Billions

In the distant future, a zombie catastrophe (as if you can describe it any other way) has left humanity down to its last thousands of members. It’s your job to try and fix that and help humanity survive…with billions of infected trying to get the last of the human race.

No pressure, no pressure at all.

They Are Billions gives you 48 different missions that’ll take over 60 hours to complete. You’ll have to take out the swarm of enemies, conquer lands and build new cities so that humanity can try to grow and survive, all the while not losing more to the swarms themselves.

Be smart, use various technologies to protect your people, and grow back humanity from the brink!

Or not, we’re just saying.

#13 The Division 2

This one is more pseudo-post-apocalyptic, but it’s close enough so we’ll count it.

In The Division 2, you’ll move from New York to Washington D.C. where a new host of threats are trying to take over the capital, and by extension, take over the country.

You are activated alongside your fellow Division members, and that will lead you on a quest to not just survive the warzone that is the capital, but try and push back the various enemy forces that are truly all around you. Whether you’ll be able to do that will depend on how well you work on your own or in a group.

Do what needs to be done so the US can stand, and not just stand divided.

#12 Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Set quite a few years after the original game, Dying Light 2 Stay Human puts a few twists on the gameplay of the original. But don’t worry, the game still has you doing parkour around the city. Why waste such a good mechanic?

In this game, you go to a city on a mission of a personal nature, but soon, you get wrapped up in the conflicts of multiple groups of people, and now it’s YOUR job to get things done to change the city for the better, or the worse, all so you can find who you’re looking for.

Also, you’ve been bitten by a zombie and have to make sure to stay human no matter what. Did we forget to mention that? We’re sure you’ll do fine…

#11 Days Gone

Set two years after a massive global pandemic (uh…no comments on the timing of that, ok?), you are in a world that is truly lost and just trying to get by. Which is shown via the protagonist of Days Gone in Deacon St. John.

You are a bounty hunter, which doesn’t sound too bad, until you realize that Deacon just…doesn’t really have a reason to live, and is desperately trying to find one in this world gone mad. With his bike at his beck and call, you’ll travel around doing jobs, meeting groups of people, fighting off both gangs and monsters, all the while just trying to get from day to day.

This game may not be for everyone, but it’s got a lot to offer to those who try it out.

#10 Rage 2

We’ve shown, and are going to show you, many games that take the post-apocalyptic angle of gameplay very seriously. Rage 2 is not one of those games. Because in this game, the world has gone to heck, and you’re trying to survive in it, and the people standing against you are rather colorful people whom don’t mind raising mayhem.

And it’s not just the factions you’ll have to worry about, you’ll have to endure monsters, vehicle combat, superpowered beings and a wide array of weapons that are just ludicrous at times.

But then again, that’s part of the appeal! So rage against the machine, and everyone else, and get in on the action!

#9 Frostpunk

We would’ve put the sequel on here, but it’s not out yet, so the original it is! And this original is very good for the record.

In this world, heat is at a premium, and you must build the last city on Earth with the goal of not just keeping all within it warm, but making sure they last throughout the everlasting cold. That may sound easy, but the choices you will have to make are hard. How far are you willing to go to expand the city and make sure it has “everything it needs”?

The game has been updating for years now, and each time, adding new modes and abilities, including an Endless Mode to really test your skills. So if you’re not afraid of the cold, you should try this title.

#8 Far Cry New Dawn

Yeah…remember Far Cry 5? That wasn’t a post-apocalyptic game, at all, until you got to the end where EVERYTHING blows up. Oops.

Far Cry New Dawn takes place 17 years after that event occurs, and things are definitely not as they were before.

Not the least of which are the people who you must stop: The Highwaymen, them and their leaders, The Twins, are doing all they can to take all the remaining resources of Hope Country for themselves, and you must prevent that.

You’ll recruit a team, build up a homebase to resist attacks, and take the fight to the Highwaymen with unique weapons and creatures at your side. Will you survive the New Dawn?

#7 Death Stranding

Death Stranding may have a reputation as being the “most Hideo Kojima game ever”, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t fit the mold of this list, because it does.

And in fact, your goal within the game (more or less at least) is to try and COUNTER the post-apocalyptic setting you find yourself in. The world has very much been “disconnected” from one another, and you play as a man (named Sam Bridges, for real) who is trying to reconnect the cities of the world so that life can go back to the way it was.

Is it basically a package simulator? In a way, but the grandness and “Kojima-ness” of it will make up for that…maybe…

#6 The Long Dark

There are MANY out there who consider The Long Dark one of the best in the post-apocalyptic/survival genre, and for good reason.

Because in this game, humanity’s entire power grid has been taken out by a strange event. Now, you’re stuck in the frozen north, with nothing wilderness around you, and you must survive. There’s no handholding, no monsters for you to fear in the dark or the light. Just mother nature at its most brutal, and you must take care of ALL aspects of yourself in order to survive.

If you die? Your save data gets erased and you literally start back at the beginning.

If that’s not enough for you, there’s a 30-hour-plus story mode called WinterMute for you partake in as well.

#5 Wasteland 3

If you wish to know the game series that truly “kicked off things” for post-apocalyptic gaming genre, you need look no further than the Wasteland franchise. And after getting reborn, they made sure to not stop, and that’s why Wasteland 3 is so high on this list. Because it proves that the team didn’t forget what they learned, and how to grow it even more.

In this game, you’ll take a group of rangers who have been fighting to keep their home alive, and put them on a desperate mission to get aid…so long as you can take out another person’s children. It’s complicated.

Just as complicated is the fact that the game will change based on what you do, who you work with, how you handle missions, and so on. You’ll affect a whole state and its people. So, how far will you go to ensure you get what you need to help your own people survive? Enter the wasteland and find out.

#4 Metro Exodus

The Metro series has done well over its time to deliver a dark and grim experience in a world destroyed by war of the nuclear kind.

And in Metro Exodus, your chance to try and change things ‘for the better’ is finally here. Because you’ll play once again as Artyom, who after years of protecting the survivors in the tunnels of Moscow, must now lead them on the most dangerous journey ever: to find a new home.

You’ll lead a group of Spartan Rangers to start this off, and go all over Russia to try and find a new place to live your lives.

It won’t be easy, and there is more than wilderness out there waiting for you. So be careful, and survive…for not just your sake, but theirs.

#3 The Walking Dead Telltale Series

The Walking Dead comic book is one of the best comic book series ever made not because it had zombies in it, but because of the human characters and how they grew/evolved in this world gone monstrous.

Walking Dead The Telltale Series was the perfect adaptation of that in many ways. Because throughout much of the game, you play as the young Clementine, a young girl trapped in a world gone mad, and trying to survive not just the zombies, but the people who are trying to make her life even worse.

Your choices playout through the series, and so you’ll want to be careful with how it all goes. And whether you survive the game, and even if you want Clementine to survive, will often times be decided…in just seconds.

#2 Fallout 4

One could very easily argue that Fallout is THE post-apocalyptic series, especially with entries like 3 and New Vegas (we don’t talk about 76…). But given that we are talking about the “newer” entries to this genre, let’s talk about Fallout 4.

In this title, you are the last surviving member of the Vault 111 group, and with your dog at your side (who can’t die, and we’re grateful for that!), you’ll have to brave the wasteland of the world, rebuild your life, and survive what’s out there.

There’s a lot of freedom in this game, and that goes from what you do, how you interact with people, and even the weapons you build.

One could argue that Fallout 4 is the best in the line, and that’s all the reason you need to play it.

#1 Horizon Zero Dawn

Some of you may have forgotten that this game was on PC now, but it is, and you should absolutely get it (especially if the sequel comes to PC as well!)

In this world, you play as Aloy (who is more than she seems) who is trying to survive and become a truly wanted person by her tribe. But to do so, she must help save her world, and fight giant robotic beasts that roam it.

You will have to be quick and smart in order to overcome some of the obstacles here, but it’ll be worth it when you bring the beasts down, as well as observe the beautiful world that the game is set in.

So if you haven’t played Horizon Zero Dawn yet, do so now.