The post-apocalypse is one of the most used settings in video games, especially in RPGs, as well as survival and horror games. However, more often than not, the conflict of these settings revolves around zombies.
Although some post-apocalypse games use zombies effectively, and can often be good fun, for players looking for the themes of the post-apocalypse without the presence of undead, there are plenty of great games to enjoy.
10 Under The Sand REDUX
Under The Sand REDUX is a road-trip game similar to games like The Long Drive with an endlessly generated road for players to drive down and explore the ruins and wreckages of diners and vehicles alike in the game's post-apocalyptic desert setting.
Under The Sand REDUX doesn't have any enemies, and is purely about driving and tinkering with cars, keeping track of various survival meters and the car's fuel gauge. Overall, Under The Sand is a subtle, atmospheric game for players who want to sit back and relax for a little while.
9 The Wandering Village
This city-building management game has players overseeing a village on the back of a strange creature that wanders around the various biomes of a post-apocalyptic setting ravaged by toxic plants. The gameplay focuses on classic city-building mechanics, but also tasks players with managing their relationship with the creature, "Onbu".
Most of the challenges in The Wandering Village are environmental, with the key to survival being to optimize the limited space given to players on the back of Onbu. The game's art style is both distinct and visually striking, and although its setting is post-apocalyptic, it still features an array of fantastic colors.
8 Frostpunk
This game takes place in the last city on Earth after the world freezes over. In Frostpunk, a city-building society simulation game, the biggest threat to players is the cold.
Frostpunk focuses on society management and tasks players with making questionable moral choices in the name of optimization and efficient resource management or making sacrifices to keep the people together. Frostpunk also tasks players with establishing laws and deciding how they want to lead, making Frostpunk a game packed with important and meaningful choices.
7 NEO Scavenger
NEO Scavenger may look simple with its minimal graphics, but this post-apocalyptic rogue-like RPG is both challenging and complex. While NEO Scavenger does feature cannibal enemies in the form of "Melonheads", they're not quite zombies, and they're just one of many enemies to encounter in the game.
Survival in NEO Scavenger is heavily based on good resource management and planning. Players will need to fight off foes, plot their course across the hexagonal map, and manage their limited inventory space efficiently to succeed.
6 Horizon Zero Dawn
This action RPG has players exploring the overgrown landscapes of an Earth overrun by intelligent and animalistic machines, tactically hunting them down in action-packed combat.
The game's open world is both beautifully realized and varied in its environments, and the animal-like robots are a creative and visually striking alternative to zombies. Although Horizon Zero Dawn's setting is distinct and memorable, its gameplay isn't dissimilar to other AAA open-world action RPG titles, so it's unlikely to win over players looking for a less generic game loop.
5 Death Stranding
Although Death Stranding does feature some horrific creatures, they are far from zombies, and the game is far removed from the standard AAA open-world games designed around combat.
Death Stranding tasks players with delivering packages by foot (and sometimes with the help of vehicles), traveling across a desolate but quietly beautiful post-apocalypse America to deliver life-saving supplies. The gameplay is repetitive, but can almost be therapeutic at times, making Death Stranding a great game for fans of quiet, meditative experiences. Furthermore, Death Stranding's gameplay is tied together nicely with an engaging narrative and strong performances.
4 Rain World
This challenging, atmospheric 2D survival platformer almost feels like an immersive sim with its deeply emergent gameplay, and tasks players with reuniting with their lost family.
Rain World's gameplay focuses on avoiding the game's many predators while trying to hunt down food to survive, all while making sure to find shelter before the torrential - and deadly - rain comes pouring down. The game also features a distinct aesthetic and fluid animations that help to sell the reality of the game's post-apocalyptic world.
3 Metro Exodus
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This third entry to the Metro series is set over a series of non-linear levels in the wilderness of post-apocalyptic Russia and takes place in the year 2036 after a devastating nuclear war. Metro Exodus is heavily story-based and takes place over the course of an entire year, seeing the game's protagonist flee the tunnels of the Metro on a grand adventure.
Like other games in the series, Metro Exodus doesn't feature zombies, but it does feature a variety of horribly mutated creatures to fight. Overall, Metro Exodus features tactical FPS gameplay, a crafting system, and light stealth elements combined with a strong narrative and immersive environments in a unique post-apocalyptic world.
2 Wasteland 3
This turn-based RPG has players controlling a squad of Rangers in a post-apocalyptic and frozen-over Colorado, following a narrative packed with moral choices and featuring a dynamic, reactive game world.
Instead of zombies, Wasteland 3's enemies are predominantly human, though the game does feature a handful of varied factions. However, Wasteland 3 also features a variety of animals, mutants, and robot enemies to battle in tactical turn-based combat with up to six Rangers under player control. The game also features multiple endings and online co-op, encouraging multiple playthroughs.
1 Fallout: New Vegas
The Fallout franchise has long featured some of the most iconic post-apocalyptic settings in video games, but Fallout: New Vegas is arguably the most well-crafted open world of them all, featuring countless iconic, memorable locations populated with unique NPCs.
The game's immersive world is packed with visual storytelling, and traveling across it is dangerous, despite the lack of zombies. Although Fallout: New Vegas features a plethora of enemies both human, animal, and horribly mutated, it has a distinct lack of the undead. In fact, the closest things players will find to a zombie are the often-aggressive, at-times agreeable Ghouls.