22 Best Post Apocalyptic Xbox Series X/S Games

There are a lot of games that have a great atmosphere. Some of the best apocalyptic games stand out by just having that vibe about them. Somewhat unsettling and creepy but also immersive and cool. There are a lot of games to choose from, but we decided to make the search a little easier for you. So without further ado here are the best post apocalyptic games available now on Xbox Series X and S.

#22 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. 

#21 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.

#20 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!

#19 The Last Stand: Aftermath

In The Last Stand: Aftermath you will need to stay on your toes and survive the zombie apocalypses that has broken out on the streets. You aren’t a superhuman, but inside, you are infected yourself and will eventually die as well either from the undead or the virus inside your body. But, whenever that happens, you will pick up the game as a new survivor. See how long you can make it!

#18 Remnant: From the Ashes

In this world, it has been thrown into chaos by an ancient evil from another dimension. Humanity is struggling to stay alive however they possess the technology to open portals to other realms and alternate realities. You must travel through these portals and uncover the mystery of where all this evil came from, scavenge for resources to stay alive, and fight back to rebuild all of mankind.

#17 Elex 2

In this sequel vintage open-world role-playing game several year after Jax defeated the Hybride, a new threat arrives, unleashing the dangerous powers of dark Elex and endangering all life on the planet. In order to defend the peace on his land and the safety of his own family, Jax has to go on a mission to convince the factions to unite against the invaders and find his own son, Dex, who got separated from him.

#16 Scarlet Nexus

Scarlet Nexus is a fairly new game from the jRPG action genre. It was developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. You get to control the character that has the ability of psychokinesis. The whole story takes place in the New Himuka which is a futuristic city where new technology rules. In the future scientists discovered a new way of allowing humans to use psycho powers. Earth got swarmed with mysterious mutants what crave for human brains. You get to choose one of two characters, Yuito Sumeragi or Kasane Randall. Both of them can use psychokinesis. If you want to get the most about the story you will need to finish the game twice with both characters each. It is a typical action game from third-person perspective with a clever use of that aforementioned powers.

#15 Chernobylite

Chernobylite is a first-person shooter with focus on survival horror. The game was developed by The Farm 51 and published by All in! Games. The game is set near the nuclear plant in Chernobyl. You play as a scientist in search for your missing wife. Chernobylite involves a lot of science fictions with monsters, various portals to different dimensions and more. The whole presentation is very good from graphics to audio design. The game also introduces some mechanics of maintaining a base, sending people on missions and customizing your hideout.

#14 Mad Max

Mad Max has to be one of the most underrated games of all time. Even though, the reviews were positive not many people played the game. It was a sandbox action game from 2015 developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. The game is presented in third person and relies heavily on exploration. The whole world is empty but in Mad Max it is a good thing. You feel that awesome atmosphere of abandonment, the deserted lands with some psycho bandit camps scattered all around. Driving from one side of the map to another is an adventure. In addition, there is that awesome car our protagonist has that can be upgraded, and you can just ride through enemies with ease.

#13 State of Decay 2

State of Decay 2 is a very specific game for a very specific audience. It is not perfect, it’s clunky, but it has its charm. For me, it was a game that convinced me to purchase the Xbox console in the first place. The game offers something no other game can give you. The main purpose of the title is to manage a camp of survivors and send them on missions or go on missions yourself. You need to care about the resources, happiness and health of all survivors. All of that is done in your typical third person open world action game. State of Decay 2’s charm is in the stories that the world tells. You can go on a resource hunt and stumble upon a survivor, help them, get betrayed, get distracted etc. The world is very immersive, and I cannot wait for the third game in the franchise. The game was developed by Undead Labs and published by Xbox Game Studios / Microsoft Studios.

#12 The Division 2

The Division 2 is a sequel to the first title in the franchise The Division. The game expanded upon most of the mechanics from the previous game and became a very good looter shooter. The focus here is on the multiplayer and cooperation. The Division 2 takes place in Washington where chaos broke loose. As an agent from The Division you need to take care of that. The game takes place in a gorgeous post-apocalyptic setting of overgrown city. Nature burst through the concrete and cares are a thing of the past. The game was developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The world is the highlight here. You can find some characteristic places to Washington like The White House or The Capitol. Players are also able to create their own character from the ground up, and you will level up while playing getting stronger and stronger. In the end it is a looter shooter, so you will need to grind for some of the best gear in the game.

#11 Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood is a thrilling first-person shooter from the same creators as Left 4 Dead. In this game you are at the center of a war against the Ridden. Fight your way through a dynamic, perilous world in a 4-player co-op story where you must work together to survive the many challenges coming your way.

#10 The Long Dark

The Long Dark is one of the best survival games available today. Developed and published by Hinterland it is a snowy and hard game. The gameplay is presented in first-person perspective. You get to play as a pilot William Mackenzie. There was a huge storm that resulted in a total shutdown of any electronic devices. Your goal is to survive in a cold world without any help from the civilized technological advancements. In The Long Dark you need to take care of your food, water and also temperature. Make sure to find warm clothes, light a fire and take care of your body because you might just find yourself freezing to death. In addition to a typical sandbox survival mode there is a whole story about our protagonist and Astrid Greenwood divided into chapters.

#9 Fallout 4

Fallout 4 needs no introduction. It is another installment in a very popular post-apocalyptic franchise. It was developed and published by Bethesda Softworks. An awesome first-person perspective RPG with emphasis on exploration. All the wastelands you will stumble upon hide some kind of mystery. The whole map was destroyed by the nuclear explosion, and you are one of the survivors from a Vault. This time you go on an adventure to find your missing child. You can create your character and play either as a father or a mother to the child. Fallout 4 introduces an amazing dog as your companion early on in the game. The game also adds a mechanic to create a camp and take care of it. You can build walls, buildings and more. If you spend enough time in the game’s world you will not want to stop playing, it is that immersive.

#8 Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus is the latest and best installment in the Metro franchise. A great sequel to the two previous games. It stopped being a linear game and became somewhat a half-open game. You traverse through a linear story with some side quests on the way, but Metro Exodus is divided into several small open-worlds. The game was developed by 4A Games and published by Deep Silver. It is set in a world created by Dmitrij Glukhovsky in a series of books by the same title. The story starts in the year 2035 a couple of months after Metro: Last Light. You try to learn if anyone survived outside of Moscow and you are finally able to leave the Metro and see the world above ground. You will find yourself travelling through Russia on the Aurora train in a search for radiation-free zone.

#7 Wasteland 2

Wasteland 2 is a post-apocalyptic cRPG which finally came after 27 years after the first game. (26 years for PC release, but 27 for Xbox). Developed and published by inXile enteratinment. The game takes place 15 years after the events of the first game. You control Desert Rangers forces. One of the last living armies of The United States after the nuclear war wiped out most of the humankind from the face of planet earth. The highlight here is the character progression system. You decide how you play and all your choices matter. Both in story and character progression. Who you are will impact the world and story around you.

#6 Frostpunk

Frostpunk is a game developed and published by a polish studio 11 bit studios. It is the only strategy game on the list, but its like nothing else. A weird but great combination of RTS and city builder with survival elements. The developers even called it a Society Survival game. The action takes place in an alternative version of XIX century, where Earth is overrun by the ice age. The only survivors need to find shelter and build society from the ground up near to the heat generator. You need to survive the cold and frost. The world is your biggest enemy here.

#5 Rage 2

Rage 2 is an over the top continuation of the first Rage game. The atmosphere is completely different. The game aims at crazy and goofy stuff with abnormal gameplay, enemies and world. More colorful presentation with the focus on color pink. However it sounds. Developed by Avalanche Studios and id Software, and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was decent, but the world is very interesting. Something between Mad Max and Far Cry New Dawn. The definite highlight here is the shooting. No other game has that feeling of action. It is like you would play a more casual and easier open-world Doom game and its great. A pure and simple fun in a post-apocalyptic setting.

#4 Far Cry New Dawn

Far Cry is a famous series with abstract scenarios but in possible settings. For the first time in the franchise the game goes in an opposite direction. Far Cry New Dawn takes place after the events of Far Cry 5 and the setting is post-apocalyptic. Montana looks different, and you can see the result of the events of Far Cry 5. Our main goal is to face the outlaws known as Highweymen. They are lead by two twisted twins. Far Cry New Dawn is set 17 years after the nuclear attack. After that the super bloom came, which meant that nature took over once more. The gameplay is your typical Far Cry stuff with shooting, taking outposts. The new thing is level systems. Gear and enemies have designated levels so you will need a gear of a higher level to fight tougher enemies. The game was developed and published by Ubisoft.

#3 The Walking Dead Telltale Series

Telltale’s The Walking Dead is a famous game series based on the comics The Walking Dead. These games are more like interactive adventures. The gameplay is minimal with only some movement actions. It relies heavily on QTEs (Quick Time Events) and your own choices. They can occur in conversations or in action moments. The whole game is linear, but your choices matter and the outcome is based on your actions. Almost every character in the series is well written, and even though some games are better than others the whole series is worth experiencing at least once. Clementine is the main person of interest in almost every game. Even though, you play as her only in second and fourth games, she is the centerpiece of the whole story in these games. Her journey is touching and if you played through The Walking Dead Season 1, you will want to learn what happened to her after. The games were developed and published by Telltale Games.

#2 Dying Light 2

The first Dying Light was and still is a great game. It was supported for years to come and introduced one of the best parkour systems in video game history. The second game takes all of that a step further and even though Dying Light 2 does not have the best story, it compensates for that in the gameplay and world. The game was developed and published by Techland. The game combines an awesome and gruesome combat with the speed and flow of parkour traversal through the city’s rooftops. You have your typical zombie games and there is Dying Light. The second game is set twenty years after the events from the first Dying Light. It takes place in the year of 2034. You have a brand-new story about Aiden Caldwell and his journey to discover his past and find his long-lost sister. The action takes place in the city of Villedor. It is divided into two sections, the first lets you jump around roofs, keeping the pace and drop-kicking zombies to the ground. The second half allows you to fly around on a para glider and perform weird stunts ending on you jumping onto zombie’s heads.

#1 Wasteland 3

Wasteland 3 is another installment in the famous series of post-apocalyptic isometric classic RPGs. Developed and published by inXile entertainment. In Wasteland 3 you will leave the deserts of Arizona and go to the frozen state of Colorado. You become a member of Team November, you become a Ranger. On one mission most of your squad ends up dead and all the survivors try to build something in a foreign place. The ending depends on your choices and there are plenty of them in the Wasteland 3. The game really emphasizes the role playing aspect of an RPG. You can do whatever you think of, and it probably works. Be a hero, be a villain, steal, be honest, the choice is yours to make.