2020-04-07T16:36:21 02:00

The 10 best (post)-apocalypse games 2020

In this guide all about games set in the (post)-apocalypse, you'll learn:

Which titles are the best of the genre
On which platforms the games are available
Which enemies you will have to fight
What kind of atmosphere they create

The world is at a standstill. Time to take a look at the best games set in a (post)-apocalypse. Which titles portray the decline of humanity in a particularly realistic way? And which games show us how to deal with a crisis of epic proportions?

Death Stranding

Platforms: PC (June 2, 2020), PlayStation 4
Genre: Open World, Third-Person, Action-Adventure
Enemies: Bandits, phobias, ghosts (?)
Mood: Cautiously optimistic

If Death Stranding () teaches us one thing, it's this: rebuilding a ruined society is hard work. As package delivery man Sam Porter Bridges, you're tasked not only with delivering pizza and other items all over the United States, but also with reuniting the people of the country.

Death Stranding can really feel like hard work. This is likely to put off some players. For much of the game's time, Sam wanders the countryside, trying to overcome obstacles and avoid highwaymen and the spirits of the dead. Ideal for people who like it quieter and like to soak up the atmosphere and story of a game.

In times of a virus epidemic, the game is more topical than ever. It shows an insecure and fragmented society that only gradually dares to step out of isolation to work together on rebuilding.

Our guides to Death Stranding:

The Last of Us

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Genre: Linear, Third-Person, Action-Adventure
Enemies: Sc avengers, Infected
Mood: Everyone is out for themselves

Perhaps one of the best examples of cinematic storytelling in video games. The Last of Us is about Joel, a man who will do anything to satisfy his own ego. His companion Ellie, a teenager, is lucky that Joel's sees her as his own daughter. Because everyone else gets their heads bashed in, infected or not.

For gamers who like zombies and Uncharted, The Last of Us is a dream come true. But beware: the title is more of a shooter than a horror game.

This is our guide to The Last of Us:

The Last of Us: How to survive the epic

Telltale's The Walking Dead

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
Genre: Linear, Third-Person, Adventure
Enemies: Humans, Zombies
Mood: Life for posterity

You'll also be traveling in tandem in The Walking Dead (). However, the main characters here are less selfish and work hard to create a stable life for those who come after them. Although there are always setbacks, people always find a way.

The point-and-click adventure from Telltale was a surprise hit in 2012. While the gameplay is a little bumpy from time to time, the storytelling still feels fresh. There are now four seasons and two spin-offs.

Days Gone

Platforms: PlayStation 4
Genre: open world, third-person, shooter
Enemies: Bandits, fanatics, freakers
Mood: Brutal and bloody

On your bike and armed to the teeth, you'll keep order in the apocalypse in Days Gone (). Days Gone looked brilliant with its huge zombie hordes when it was first shown by Sony.

At release, the game couldn't live up to all expectations, but through various patches it has since become an absolutely solid open-world shooter. Especially the beautiful environment with its lush forests populated by humans and infected stands out.

These are our guides to Days Gone:

State of Decay 2

Platforms: PC, Xbox One
Genre: open-world, third-person, action-adventure
Enemies: Zombies, Humans
Mood: Together against death

State of Decay 2 also has an open world and a bit more crafting and looting to offer. The story takes a back seat, because the main goal is to survive in the zombie apocalypse. For this purpose, camps can be founded and managed. You can switch back and forth between the inhabitants and thus always choose the most suitable person for the respective job.

These are our guides to State of Decay 2:

Fallout 4

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre: Open world, First-person, Role-playing game
Enemies: Scavengers, monsters, ghouls
Mood: Funny and ironic

Fallout 4 also focuses on crafting and looting in an open game world. However, Bethesda's game offers deeper role-playing elements than the other games on this list. The developers have also tweaked the shooting sequences, which play much better than in the predecessor.

The Fallout series traditionally doesn't take the apocalyptic setting that seriously. The player encounters many quirky characters in the course of his adventures in a parodied America.

These are our guides to Fallout 4:

Nier: Automata

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4
Genre: Semi-Open-World, Third-Person, Action-Adventure
Opponents: Robots
Mood: After humanity, paradise

Like many Japanese games, Nier: Automata is not a true open-world game, but consists of several open areas. Platinum Games has created an interesting mix of hack&play and role-playing. This is also true for the atmosphere, which brings together a dark story with idiosyncratic characters and an environment where cold concrete buildings are reclaimed by nature. We witness what a world without humans could look like.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Summer 2020)
Genre: Open World, Third-Person, Action-Adventure
Enemies: dinosaur robots, cultists
Atmosphere: Jurassic Cyberworld

Robots have also taken over a large part of the world in Horizon Zero Dawn - only here they are steel dinosaurs. Humans, on the other hand, find themselves thrown back into tribal culture after a global catastrophe and worship remnants of the old society like idols.

Horizon also combines several genres: here, too, there is a lot of crafting, looping and leveling up. It's also coming to PC - but not until summer 2020.

These are our guides to Horizon Zero Dawn:

Frostpunk

Platforms: PC
Genre: Real-time and building strategy
Enemies: Cold, Hunger
Atmosphere: Frosty-apocalyptic

There are no enemies in Frostpunk in the true sense of the word. It's nature that gets to people. Thus, the building strategy game has one of the most realistic scenarios of all the representatives listed here. Confined in a crater, people try to keep a generator going, which is their only source of heat to protect them from the invading frost.

As the leader of this shaky social construct, it's your job to give the inhabitants tasks, distribute resources and make difficult decisions. Will the children be allowed to go play to please their parents, or will they have to shovel coal in minus 20 degree weather to have enough resources for the next storm?

These are our guides to Frostpunk:

Metro Exodus

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia
Genre: Linear, First-Person, Shooter
Enemies: monsters, humans, mutants
Mood: Gloomy and hopeful

Fittingly, a game that ends the story of a series. Metro is the perfect example of a post-apocalyptic world where every day is a battle. And yet, there are characters who will do anything for their fellow man. In Metro Exodus, protagonist Artjom travels through Russia on a train, fighting mutants in open areas. His story gives hope for reconstruction after the atomic bombs have fallen.