This year, fans of a rip-roaring post-apocalyptic adventure have eaten well. From the irradiated wastelands of Fallout to the many planets of Helldivers 2, and from STALKER 2’s ‘The Zone’ to the fragmented remains of Earth in Stellar Blade, the concept of the end of the world has been explored in many theatres through 2024.
It was a year studded with one of the most morbid topics we can explore in video games – and yet, we never fail to be enthralled by the idea of society imploding. The average gamer yearns to survive in a world torn apart by nuclear fire or ravaged by a deadly virus. I covered that very topic earlier this year, as I too am a huge fan of a post-apocalyptic game.
Let’s take a look back at 2024 and walk through some of the most exciting games built to explore the end of the world.
Starting Strong
The apocalyptic vibes started early this year with the arrival of The Last of Us Part II Remastered, built exclusively for PlayStation 5 (but now coming to PC). This rendition of Naughty Dog’s iconic series was swallowed up by eagerly awaiting fans, hitting the nail on the head again and looking better than ever before.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered was released in January, and it stoked the franchise’s energy, which was waning a little in the cooldown period between the first and second seasons of the HBO series of the same name.
Shortly after, in February, millions of players joined a desperate fight to save humanity from a series of threats in Helldivers 2. It took just three months for the game to sell more than 10 million copies, with players fighting alongside their friends to run, gun, and blast through hordes of fearsome Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate enemies.
Pacific Drive, an award-winning survival game set in a surreal world, was released to a positive reception later in the month, Sons of the Forest left early access, and Balatro was released, ending the real world for many millions of gamers who promptly threw every minute of their spare time into the single-dev indie title.
Spring Through
In March, Horizon Forbidden West was released on PC, bringing one of the best post-apocalyptic games ever made to an entirely new audience. It was a masterfully delivered port that pleased PC fans worldwide, giving them a glimpse at the beauty and power of a fractured world now ruled by monstrous robotic creations.
Broken Roads dropped in April, giving retro Fallout fans something familiar to enjoy, and later in the month, Stellar Blade was released on PlayStation 5 by Shift Up, a South Korean developer.
Stellar Blade turned out to be one of the most successful games of the year, leaving a noticeable mark on the PlayStation community, both on account of the solid gameplay featured in the title and because of the controversies surrounding the protagonist – Eve.
In Stellar Blade, players explore a harsh and horrifying representation of Earth, set many years in the future. It has been overrun by beastly, mutated enemies called the Naytiba, and as Eve, players are tasked with saving mankind and taking down the leaders of these oppressors.
It was also in April that the Fallout TV show was released, which was such a roaring success that it caused the entire franchise to undergo a boom, and millions more players than ever before found their way into Fallout 76, the apocalyptic MMO.
May saw the arrival of XDefiant, which wasn’t a game set in the apocalypse, but it’s now barren and set to be eliminated from existence in just a few months, so it’s the end of the world for anyone who fell in love with it.
To The End of All Things
As the season changed to summer, millions of players switched on to The First Descendant, a free-to-play MMO with serious apocalyptic vibes and a slew of hero characters with unique abilities.
Zenless Zone Zero gave players a post-apocalyptic world from the future to explore, known as New Eridu. It was a little more colourful and lively than similarly-themed games, but it was a hit with fans of the HoYoverse everywhere.
Once Human came out in July, adding yet another post-apocalyptic survival game to the ever-increasing lineup, and later in the month, Fallout: London was finally released for Fallout 4, bringing fans of the franchise flocking to the game-sized mod on PC.
September played host to the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, Frostpunk 2, and Starfield: Shattered Space, all of which bore links to suffering, struggles, threats, and dying worlds.
Silent Hill 2 dropped in October, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead came days after, and the Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster landed on PC and PS5 at the end of the month. The next month was a boon for post-apocalyptic fans – November heralded the arrival of Metro Awakening on VR and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
STALKER 2 turned out to be one of the most divisive games of the year, offering players a somewhat fragmented experience in the irradiated, mutant-filled world of The Zone in Ukraine. It’s still being patched up as we speak, but I can safely admit it was one of the best post-apocalyptic games of the year.
What’s insane is that I haven’t managed to list every end-of-the-world-themed game to hit the market in 2024. It has been a monumental year for the genre and fans of the niche, and it’s only going to get better. After all, The Last of Us season two, Fallout’s second season, and countless more apocalyptic titles are on the horizon.
What are you most looking forward to? Let us know on the Insider Gaming forum.
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