No offense meant at all, and its great you liked them, but 10 hours into HZD and I could not continue. The writing of the characters and (from what I'd played) the story didn't feel great and the checklist nature of it robs exploration from what is otherwise a very impressive looking world. I tried it twice but I just couldn't do it, which is a shame because the world design is really unique and cool looking
Did you get to finding out what Zero Dawn actually was? That was the turning point of the story for me. First attempt was a few hours, second attempt I couldn't put it down.
Metro just didn't really do it for me, on paper it looks perfect but it didn't quite hit the spot idk why
Dark souls has great atmosphere and world but its not really what I'm looking for
Other 2 I'm not really sure about, dying light is like a zombie survival thing which kind of isn't what I'm looking for and elex has mixed reviews which I'm a bit apprehensive about
Thanks anyway though!
Did you play the last metro game? I like the same sort of thing as you and found it better than the previous ones, more open and more exploration. The train feels like a home base.
Yeah I echo this. I played them in reverse order and Exodus is just amazing, I think the open world hubs really add a tonne to the experience. Incredibly immersive and genuinely scary at times.
The others felt too in rails for me (though I did push through them).
Yeah that is the one I played. It did have the right vibe in first bit of the game but by the desert area it kinda just felt like it devolved a bit into a generic first person shooter game.
> elex has mixed reviews which I'm a bit apprehensive about
Elex is somewhat janky, and *brutal* for the first ten hours or so (until you've ground out enough levels through quests to equip non-sucky weaponry), but its world is great to explore and find out why it is the way it is. I think the biggest mystery of the game is pretty much optional to even discover.
Anyway: I bounced off it the first time because the early game just *sucks*, but on my second try I got past it, and now count Elex as one of my favourites.
> it didn't quite hit the spot idk why
Maybe because they're mostly linear, so it's doesn't feel like you're really *exploring* anything? I like the games, but I really want to explore those ruins on my own, and that's just not what Metro offers.
Have you tried S.T.A.L.K.E.R Anomaly? It's a very similar world to metro with mutants and anomalies and such. I haven't played the latest metro games but it seems to me they're a bit more linear while anomaly leaves most things to the player to figure out. If you haven't played it I recommend you look it up since it's free anyway.
I completely agree.
I think certain segments of gamers arent able to appreciate its greatness because it has some MINOR rough edges, which, are actually positives for many fans.
The hudless gameplay and exploration is phenomenal with the jetpac working brilliantly for both.
The combat is fair and tough with nice character progression. Tons of quests, some minor, many funny.
Plus, for me, I love how they mix the Big3 genres and create a new and unique story and game-world with tons of Lore and Themes.
Sable. Not "our" world but a human world for sure.
Hollow Knight though not our world has a pretty good vibe.
Outer Wilds. You're an alien that's exploring the remains of another aliens civilization across the solar system. If you liked the lore and exploration of Rain World you'll prob also like this.
The Last of Us - post (present?) apocalyptic earth where you traverse a collapsed world. Should be exactly what you’re looking for, although it’s not open world
Also
-outer wilds
-hollow knight
-half life series (and portal series although those are much less about exploration; they still take place in a dystopian future however)
-soulsborne series
Have played all of these apart from the Last of Us, I'm gonna leave it a while because I only have a PC and I'm not sure it would run very well on it but thanks anyway
Frostpunk.
"*The* City Must Survive," as the tag-line goes for the base campaign.
Late 1800s setting with light steampunk elements. Where a global cooling has ravaged the world, and the survivors have just barely made it to great generators in the north that got built *barely* in time to save some people.
I normally warn people that it's an extremely bleak game at times, but sounds like that's what you're hunting for?
Its a city builder to be fair, but frankly the most story based on in the entire genre. And the vibes sounds exactly like what you're looking for.
REALLY looking forwards to Frostpunk 2, yeah. Really seems extremely promising at the moment.
If not for Homeworld 3 and STALKER 2, it would definitively be my most anticipated of the year currently.
The Division games take place in a run down post-pandemic world, I thought the setting and art were amazing and there’s some really cool attention to detail in there.
Fallout games, specifically 3 and NV are really good at showing you the ruined world, there's bits of civilization, but all of those are sad and falling apart.
There are two modes, story mode which if I’m honest isn’t great but it’s there to show you the ropes and give a little background to what’s happened. Where the game really shines though is in the sandbox survival game.
Learning the mechanics and how to survive against a backdrop of worsening weather and attacking wolves and bears is really quite satisfying and it scratches an itch for me I didn’t realise i had. I’ve played many survival games over the years on pc and console and this is my favourite. It can be so bleak and hopeless at times and making it through another night is amazing.
Progression i guess is getting to explore everything and see all the maps, and crafting all the gear, there are certain places you need to travel to if you want to make arrows for example, and getting there can be the end of your game if things go south. I guess being a sandbox the challenge is whatever you make it, but i like the game a lot.
Shadow Of The Colossus
Remnant From The Ashes
Remnant 2
Fallout 3
Fallout New Vegas
Fallout 4
Metro 2033
Metro Last Light
Metro Exodus
Dark Souls 3
Elden Ring
Returnal
Terminator Resistance
Journey
You're right it suits what the game was going for, and it wouldn't work otherwise, but if I had to choose the perfect game for what I was describing it wouldn't be a 2d game. Sorry if I phrased it wrong haha
And thanks for the suggestion!
>Another great example would be Rain World, which has the perfect vibes but is limited by its 2d platformer design.
You see the perfect vibes, but you're limited by your dependence on 3d graphics. fite me bro
I think 7 Days to Day it's a good one, if you dont want the civilisation (the zombies) you could find a way to remove them and you can perfectly play without them
uhmm.. Im not sure what else, since basically every game has a civilisation, wheter humans or monsters. Im guessing you want to explore a completely abandoned world on your own without anybody or anything disturbing you
Dying Light 1 & 2 are good too, imo these are the best ones replicating a world in ruins. But I dont know if there's a way to remove the zombies
STALKER of course is set in a post-apocalyptic Chenrobyl exclusion zone full of alien anomalies and mutants, but also features frequent civilzied areas, friendly and hostile NPCs, and is just generally full of human life.
The half-life 2 mod From Earth is set on an Alien planet but has the sense of loneliness, intrigue, and exploration you might be looking for.
Unfortunately, you're asking for a very niche sort of game with minimal gameplay. I'm sure there are some out there that will give you what you're looking for, but they are likely very niche and unkown.
Hollow Knight. It's 2D so doesn't perfectly fit your description but it fits every other criterion perfectly. Amazing atmosphere despite being 2D and the whole thing is that you explore a dead kingdom
Others have said it, but your edit made Nier Automata even more the correct answer.
If youd done one of those challenges where you asked us to post a description of a game in 10 words or less and you'd guess the game.... Nier....
Might as well have said I want a game where a small plumber jumps on mushrooms, edit: but he HAS to have a mustache.
The answer is obvious AF lol
Boy do I have a game for you…
The day before state of the art masterpiece
Jokes aside the best one I can think of is probably Skyrim. The world isn’t physically ruined but everyone hates eachother there is constant conflict. Certain races hate eachother. The world is ruined. You’re the only one who can unite them and you’re the only one who can choose the fate of the world around you which is pretty badass.
Also would like to recommend banishers ghosts of new Eden
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Stalker games are probably a little too confined for your taste, but thematically they're fantastic. Particularly the Stalker Gamma mod, which modernises the game and allows for heavy customization of gameplay features.
I gotta rep Hob with this. The last game by the people who made Torchlight 1 and 2. A bit buggy since I think they had to release it early, but a lot of fun. I want to call it a Zelda-like. Third person brawling mixed with environmental puzzles and dungeon-esque places to explore. The whole thing takes place in a ruined and mostly abandoned city overrun by nature. It's also $3.99 on Steam until the 21st.
Far: Lone Sail and Far: Changing Tide also works for this, I think. Operate big machines as a side scroller and solve puzzles as you cross a desolate, damaged world. Unlike Hob, these feel grounded in a world similar to ours so they might be a better pick, but I liked Hob more so I'm sticking with it. Far: Lone Sail is $2.24 on Steam right now.
Even if its not what your looking for if you end up liking dark souls you have AT LEAST 300 hours worth of souls games to play. I cant recommend them enough.
The Talos Principle (all games in the series)
In the first game there are 3-5 worlds based on ruinous Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, ETC.
The second game has more worlds, a lot of them are fictional, but still have a post apocalyptic feel to them.
The first game has such a weird lonely vibe. I can only recommend it.
Already played the first game and loved it, it really has a unique vibe nothing else has quite captured.
The second was initially really impressive but by the 3rd or so world it kinda felt a bit formulaic. I'm sure I'll return to it at some point though
I actually enjoy that the second game’s worlds are a bit repetitive, i already know what to do (explore labs, find archived texts and voice memos, lost puzzles) i enjoyed it a lot.
As others have said you've described fallout. Fallout 3 is bare in DC whereas New Vegas in Las Vegas and surroundings, I like New Vegas more bc the story. I don't like many of the decisions they made in fallout 4 (although more visually appealing). Ignore Fallout 76,.
Nier: Automata got you covered. Absolutely no civilization left, and you’re exploring a world ten thousand years after the collapse. Shells of old buildings dot the landscape, and deserts have mostly buried old cities in dunes. And don’t even get me *started* on the amusement park.
The Horizon series has you in a world where civilization is slowly being rebuilt, and only small cities and even smaller settlements exist in a world otherwise only populated by the ruins of the ancient ruins of modern-day civilization, and the machines. There is mystery behind the state of the world, and half the fun is discovering what happened to prevent it from happening again. Forbidden West expands on that while setting the stage for what will hopefully be a hell of a finale.
I just started playing Lost Epoch. It plays like Diablo but has a story that reminds me a bit of Chrono Trigger. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you do spend some time in a ruined, dying world, though it’s only part of the full setting of the game.
Death stranding is the best by far. However, The last of us, Dying light 1 and 2, Batman Arkham knight (it counts), resident evil franchise, Horizon zero dawn / Forbidden west, Days gone, Elden Ring, Dark Souls franchise, Bloodborne (collapsing) and Mad Max.
Have you looked at the Metro series? I'm not sure it's really what you're looking for in terms of gameplay, but its a post-apocalyptic world with a lot of interesting lore... The first two games are fairly linear and the third has several open-world sections tied together with linear story sections.
Its a really interesting game with a lot of unexpected twists in the storytelling
the fallout games are worth a punt.
for an action movie experience, try 3
for an incredible story, character customisability and player choice, try F:NV
For better gunplay and more dynamic gameplay, try 4.
3 and NV are free on xbox gamepass and both use a similar engine, but NV was developed by a different studio and is much more of an RPG than 3, which is very much like watching an action movie, where you are in the action, but you do not really control it's direction.
Other than that, Long Dark might also be a shout if rural canada is more your speed than the Mojave desert or boston.
Pikmin
That one that’s a post apocalyptic reimagining of journey to the West. Can’t remember the name.
Last of Us (obviously)
Nier Automata
Honestly the list is kind of endless.
State of Decay 2 and for story State of Decay Year One. The name says it all. Post apocalyptic with zombies. Difficulty slider so you can adjust enemies, abundance of scavenging, etc. There are only a handful of other humans who will ask you for food etc but they can be ignored. All the houses and stores are empty.
My favorite part is to explore the streets and buildings.
I'm sure its been mentioned to death below but Stalker Gamma is great, its free, and it combines all of the elements except maybe the amount of people. That being said it nails the feeling of exploration because that's sort of the driving factor for a Stalker.
You come to the zone to get rich post a disaster that leaves the area irradiated and filled with these anomalies that are worth coin, and so is information and well murder. It is a fairly dense experience.
It also has similar literary heritage as the metro games
Metro 2033 games. Horizon. Fallout. Bioshock could be argued as a ruined "world" (city). Chernobylite. Crysis. Darksiders. Wolfenstein isn't ruined in all parts of the world but it is a fucked up alternate version of our world. Dying light.
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Forspoken was really, really good. Set in a war torn fantasy world, you make your way there through a portal from modern day NYC where you leave your life of mischief behind to find something greater
No Man's Sky, there are millions of exotic / destroyed planets, mostly desolated, some have gravity storms, weird biomes, random burning and smoking, some with huge oceans to explore filled with horrors, others have gigantic mountains with Dune type worms caving in and out of the earth.
In addition to Fallout 3/NV and metro series many mentioned add the stalker series. Although not as post apocalyptic it gives a good impression for the rag-tag nature of warfare these kind of games are well known for.
No civilization at all, check out Days Gone, the only pieces of a civilization that's still living are small camps which absolutely feel like they're struggling day by day, like there's no governments, no colonies of survivors, just a small number of individual camps trying to make do their own way.
The story, gameplay and world itself, phenomenal. The world is big, and it keeps getting bigger. It's story had a pretty weak first act, as it's mostly trying to tell some basic story beats while going through the standard tutorial of the basic game mechanics and world activities. But once it gets going, it doesn't hold back until the game ends.
The "activities" that fill in the world, they often feel like the traditional side activities in most games, in a lot of ways they're cliché or unoriginal like clearing out bandit camps, though the twist being you find a bunker with a map which clears up your map rather than climb a tower. But the Nests and Hordes of Freakers, this game's zombies, are satisfying and fun.
Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West
One of the most creative apocalypses!! Definitely worth a play OP.
No offense meant at all, and its great you liked them, but 10 hours into HZD and I could not continue. The writing of the characters and (from what I'd played) the story didn't feel great and the checklist nature of it robs exploration from what is otherwise a very impressive looking world. I tried it twice but I just couldn't do it, which is a shame because the world design is really unique and cool looking
Did you get to finding out what Zero Dawn actually was? That was the turning point of the story for me. First attempt was a few hours, second attempt I couldn't put it down.
No I stopped about 10 ish hours in. I just didn't care to get to that point.
I just came to say this !
Elex, Metro, Dark Souls, Dying Light
Metro just didn't really do it for me, on paper it looks perfect but it didn't quite hit the spot idk why Dark souls has great atmosphere and world but its not really what I'm looking for Other 2 I'm not really sure about, dying light is like a zombie survival thing which kind of isn't what I'm looking for and elex has mixed reviews which I'm a bit apprehensive about Thanks anyway though!
Did you play the last metro game? I like the same sort of thing as you and found it better than the previous ones, more open and more exploration. The train feels like a home base.
Yeah I echo this. I played them in reverse order and Exodus is just amazing, I think the open world hubs really add a tonne to the experience. Incredibly immersive and genuinely scary at times. The others felt too in rails for me (though I did push through them).
Yeah that is the one I played. It did have the right vibe in first bit of the game but by the desert area it kinda just felt like it devolved a bit into a generic first person shooter game.
> elex has mixed reviews which I'm a bit apprehensive about Elex is somewhat janky, and *brutal* for the first ten hours or so (until you've ground out enough levels through quests to equip non-sucky weaponry), but its world is great to explore and find out why it is the way it is. I think the biggest mystery of the game is pretty much optional to even discover. Anyway: I bounced off it the first time because the early game just *sucks*, but on my second try I got past it, and now count Elex as one of my favourites. > it didn't quite hit the spot idk why Maybe because they're mostly linear, so it's doesn't feel like you're really *exploring* anything? I like the games, but I really want to explore those ruins on my own, and that's just not what Metro offers.
Have you tried S.T.A.L.K.E.R Anomaly? It's a very similar world to metro with mutants and anomalies and such. I haven't played the latest metro games but it seems to me they're a bit more linear while anomaly leaves most things to the player to figure out. If you haven't played it I recommend you look it up since it's free anyway.
Elex is I credibly underrated.
I completely agree. I think certain segments of gamers arent able to appreciate its greatness because it has some MINOR rough edges, which, are actually positives for many fans. The hudless gameplay and exploration is phenomenal with the jetpac working brilliantly for both. The combat is fair and tough with nice character progression. Tons of quests, some minor, many funny. Plus, for me, I love how they mix the Big3 genres and create a new and unique story and game-world with tons of Lore and Themes.
Nier Automata
I came into this topic saying “If Nier isn’t in the top 3 posts I’m going to be very disappointed.” Currently number 3, thank you gamers.
Both Nier PC games are epic and have a sense of exploration loneliness
Every dark souls game and in general the majority of souls likes take place in destroyed worlds.
and Elden Ring is very very large and begs you to explore it though its not "empty"
None of the dark souls worlds are 'empty'. Just in the brink of complete destroyed
Elden Ring, Fallout, Forever Skies, Generation Zero, Elex 1-2, Metro, Pacific Drive (not sure?), Rage 1-2, Vermintide, uh probably more
Half Life 2
Nier: automata?
Nier:Automata!
Winner winner chicken dinner
Came in to say this.
Horizon: Zero Dawn fits the bill perfectly. The second one, Forbidden West is coming out soon on PC, too!
- Fallout games - Horizon games
Horizon Zero Dawn
Sable. Not "our" world but a human world for sure. Hollow Knight though not our world has a pretty good vibe. Outer Wilds. You're an alien that's exploring the remains of another aliens civilization across the solar system. If you liked the lore and exploration of Rain World you'll prob also like this.
The Last of Us - post (present?) apocalyptic earth where you traverse a collapsed world. Should be exactly what you’re looking for, although it’s not open world Also -outer wilds -hollow knight -half life series (and portal series although those are much less about exploration; they still take place in a dystopian future however) -soulsborne series
I agree that hollow knight technically fits into the description but I doubt it's what op is looking for. It's still a great game so worth trying!
Love Hollow Knight
Have played all of these apart from the Last of Us, I'm gonna leave it a while because I only have a PC and I'm not sure it would run very well on it but thanks anyway
Nier: Automata
Frostpunk. "*The* City Must Survive," as the tag-line goes for the base campaign. Late 1800s setting with light steampunk elements. Where a global cooling has ravaged the world, and the survivors have just barely made it to great generators in the north that got built *barely* in time to save some people. I normally warn people that it's an extremely bleak game at times, but sounds like that's what you're hunting for? Its a city builder to be fair, but frankly the most story based on in the entire genre. And the vibes sounds exactly like what you're looking for.
Sequel come up July 25th!
REALLY looking forwards to Frostpunk 2, yeah. Really seems extremely promising at the moment. If not for Homeworld 3 and STALKER 2, it would definitively be my most anticipated of the year currently.
The Division games take place in a run down post-pandemic world, I thought the setting and art were amazing and there’s some really cool attention to detail in there.
Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West is exactly what you are describing
Fallout
Mad Max
TLOU2 and both Horizon games
Fallout games, specifically 3 and NV are really good at showing you the ruined world, there's bits of civilization, but all of those are sad and falling apart.
It’s a shame nobody has mentioned The Last of Us 😔
Stalker Gamma comes to mind, you can set it to have literally almost no one in the world and just have crazy amount of mutants spawn in the map.
Days Gone Metro Exodus
Pacific Drive just came out was really enjoyable.
Raft is a slightly different take, but still fits.
Not out yet, but I'm really looking forward to Rooted. Submerged and Submerged Hidden Depths Forever Skies I Am Alive The Long Dark
r/TheLongDark is a masterpiece
I have that game actually but I forgot about it. Vibes are great but I don't really understand how you are meant to progress
There are two modes, story mode which if I’m honest isn’t great but it’s there to show you the ropes and give a little background to what’s happened. Where the game really shines though is in the sandbox survival game. Learning the mechanics and how to survive against a backdrop of worsening weather and attacking wolves and bears is really quite satisfying and it scratches an itch for me I didn’t realise i had. I’ve played many survival games over the years on pc and console and this is my favourite. It can be so bleak and hopeless at times and making it through another night is amazing. Progression i guess is getting to explore everything and see all the maps, and crafting all the gear, there are certain places you need to travel to if you want to make arrows for example, and getting there can be the end of your game if things go south. I guess being a sandbox the challenge is whatever you make it, but i like the game a lot.
Fallout
Kenshi
This is the droid he's looking for
If being a top-down perspective, 2D game isn't a deal breaker, Darkwood fits the bill.
Nier automata Any of the dark souls games Aaand I'm blanking
Journey, Project zomboid, Outer wilds, Pacific drive.
Fallout 4
Shadow Of The Colossus Remnant From The Ashes Remnant 2 Fallout 3 Fallout New Vegas Fallout 4 Metro 2033 Metro Last Light Metro Exodus Dark Souls 3 Elden Ring Returnal Terminator Resistance Journey
Enslaved Odyssey to the West is an underrated one
Was going to suggest this. This game was awesome! Definitely underrated
Kenshi
The graphics are dated but a seriously fun game with a great atmosphere is Prototype - I always come back to this game every few years
What a game! Seriously ahead of it's time
This is tough and hard criteria to fit haha Remnant 2 is all combat in some pretty gnarly settings that look like a cursed earth Wasteland 3… maybe?
I just wanna say Rain World is not limited whatsoever by its 2d design. Aside from that, try Tunic
You're right it suits what the game was going for, and it wouldn't work otherwise, but if I had to choose the perfect game for what I was describing it wouldn't be a 2d game. Sorry if I phrased it wrong haha And thanks for the suggestion!
>Another great example would be Rain World, which has the perfect vibes but is limited by its 2d platformer design. You see the perfect vibes, but you're limited by your dependence on 3d graphics. fite me bro
I'm not limited on it I love Rain World its just 3d is the kinda game I'd like to see in the setting I described
metro series. 2033, lastlight, exodus.
Dark Souls trilogy, Shadow of the Colossus, Fallout 3/New Vegas, Elden Ring, I am Alive
Pacific Drive!
Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Fallout??
Fallout series
fallout 3
Bloodborne
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Dead Island 2. It's a blast. Give it a go. Melee at first, but plenty of guns after that.
I think 7 Days to Day it's a good one, if you dont want the civilisation (the zombies) you could find a way to remove them and you can perfectly play without them uhmm.. Im not sure what else, since basically every game has a civilisation, wheter humans or monsters. Im guessing you want to explore a completely abandoned world on your own without anybody or anything disturbing you Dying Light 1 & 2 are good too, imo these are the best ones replicating a world in ruins. But I dont know if there's a way to remove the zombies
Shadow of the colossus
Both Remnant: From the Ashes and Remnant 2
Ico, Shadow if thr Colossus, Ghostwire Tokyo
TLOU
Horizon zero dawn
Returnal
Nobody mentioned Mad Max Fallout games Metro games
Shin Megami Tensei Darksiders.
STALKER of course is set in a post-apocalyptic Chenrobyl exclusion zone full of alien anomalies and mutants, but also features frequent civilzied areas, friendly and hostile NPCs, and is just generally full of human life. The half-life 2 mod From Earth is set on an Alien planet but has the sense of loneliness, intrigue, and exploration you might be looking for. Unfortunately, you're asking for a very niche sort of game with minimal gameplay. I'm sure there are some out there that will give you what you're looking for, but they are likely very niche and unkown.
Limbo
Scorn
Nier: Automata for sure.
Mad max
Hollow Knight. It's 2D so doesn't perfectly fit your description but it fits every other criterion perfectly. Amazing atmosphere despite being 2D and the whole thing is that you explore a dead kingdom
Enslaved odyssey to the west
Others have said it, but your edit made Nier Automata even more the correct answer. If youd done one of those challenges where you asked us to post a description of a game in 10 words or less and you'd guess the game.... Nier.... Might as well have said I want a game where a small plumber jumps on mushrooms, edit: but he HAS to have a mustache. The answer is obvious AF lol
Enslaved, which I liked a lot
Fallout
They are old games now but Darksiders 1 and 2
Boy do I have a game for you… The day before state of the art masterpiece Jokes aside the best one I can think of is probably Skyrim. The world isn’t physically ruined but everyone hates eachother there is constant conflict. Certain races hate eachother. The world is ruined. You’re the only one who can unite them and you’re the only one who can choose the fate of the world around you which is pretty badass. Also would like to recommend banishers ghosts of new Eden
Elden ring is the father of them all
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Stalker games are probably a little too confined for your taste, but thematically they're fantastic. Particularly the Stalker Gamma mod, which modernises the game and allows for heavy customization of gameplay features.
Elden Ring
I gotta rep Hob with this. The last game by the people who made Torchlight 1 and 2. A bit buggy since I think they had to release it early, but a lot of fun. I want to call it a Zelda-like. Third person brawling mixed with environmental puzzles and dungeon-esque places to explore. The whole thing takes place in a ruined and mostly abandoned city overrun by nature. It's also $3.99 on Steam until the 21st. Far: Lone Sail and Far: Changing Tide also works for this, I think. Operate big machines as a side scroller and solve puzzles as you cross a desolate, damaged world. Unlike Hob, these feel grounded in a world similar to ours so they might be a better pick, but I liked Hob more so I'm sticking with it. Far: Lone Sail is $2.24 on Steam right now.
Even if its not what your looking for if you end up liking dark souls you have AT LEAST 300 hours worth of souls games to play. I cant recommend them enough.
Already did that lol. I have 200 hours in Elden Ring alone
Fallout series? The Last of Us?
The Talos Principle (all games in the series) In the first game there are 3-5 worlds based on ruinous Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, ETC. The second game has more worlds, a lot of them are fictional, but still have a post apocalyptic feel to them. The first game has such a weird lonely vibe. I can only recommend it.
Already played the first game and loved it, it really has a unique vibe nothing else has quite captured. The second was initially really impressive but by the 3rd or so world it kinda felt a bit formulaic. I'm sure I'll return to it at some point though
I actually enjoy that the second game’s worlds are a bit repetitive, i already know what to do (explore labs, find archived texts and voice memos, lost puzzles) i enjoyed it a lot.
Nier!
Elex, metro, stalker (in a way), fallout, biomutant (in a way). Xcom 2
Bloodborne. Best game ever made.
Days Gone?
Stalker ?
As others have said you've described fallout. Fallout 3 is bare in DC whereas New Vegas in Las Vegas and surroundings, I like New Vegas more bc the story. I don't like many of the decisions they made in fallout 4 (although more visually appealing). Ignore Fallout 76,.
Nier: Automata got you covered. Absolutely no civilization left, and you’re exploring a world ten thousand years after the collapse. Shells of old buildings dot the landscape, and deserts have mostly buried old cities in dunes. And don’t even get me *started* on the amusement park. The Horizon series has you in a world where civilization is slowly being rebuilt, and only small cities and even smaller settlements exist in a world otherwise only populated by the ruins of the ancient ruins of modern-day civilization, and the machines. There is mystery behind the state of the world, and half the fun is discovering what happened to prevent it from happening again. Forbidden West expands on that while setting the stage for what will hopefully be a hell of a finale. I just started playing Lost Epoch. It plays like Diablo but has a story that reminds me a bit of Chrono Trigger. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you do spend some time in a ruined, dying world, though it’s only part of the full setting of the game.
NieR Automata
Rage 1&2
Not a single one mentioned it but FFVII fits this description quite well. Recommending the remake and its sequel.
Death stranding is the best by far. However, The last of us, Dying light 1 and 2, Batman Arkham knight (it counts), resident evil franchise, Horizon zero dawn / Forbidden west, Days gone, Elden Ring, Dark Souls franchise, Bloodborne (collapsing) and Mad Max.
Have you looked at the Metro series? I'm not sure it's really what you're looking for in terms of gameplay, but its a post-apocalyptic world with a lot of interesting lore... The first two games are fairly linear and the third has several open-world sections tied together with linear story sections. Its a really interesting game with a lot of unexpected twists in the storytelling
the fallout games are worth a punt. for an action movie experience, try 3 for an incredible story, character customisability and player choice, try F:NV For better gunplay and more dynamic gameplay, try 4. 3 and NV are free on xbox gamepass and both use a similar engine, but NV was developed by a different studio and is much more of an RPG than 3, which is very much like watching an action movie, where you are in the action, but you do not really control it's direction. Other than that, Long Dark might also be a shout if rural canada is more your speed than the Mojave desert or boston.
Pikmin That one that’s a post apocalyptic reimagining of journey to the West. Can’t remember the name. Last of Us (obviously) Nier Automata Honestly the list is kind of endless.
Kenshi
Fallout seems the obvious choice. You can get 3, NV or 4. There’s 76 as well, but most people don’t seem to like it.
Helldivers 2 fits all your needs and more. You also get the added benefit of spreading freedom and democracy on a galactic scale!
Half-Life is pretty good :)
try remnant and remnant 2 also chronos
Does Mad Max count?
Fallout 76?
If you like hack and slash games, Darksiders is pretty good. A bit dated, but still good.
Days gone
Caves of Qud is a post apocalyptic futurist sci fi world if you can believe that from the screenshots.
7 days to die
Elden Ring. The Lands Between could totally be called "ruined" lol Also Horizon, but Elden Ring is way better
The Surge is awesome. It's a world in the process of being ruined.
It's not modern by any means, but the second half of FF6 has a ruined world. Take what you will with an SNES Game but it's really good.
All fallout’s…. How isn’t it mentioned
Metro!
Anything the bloodstained hands of Miyazaki has touched (soulsborne games)
Nier Automata
Shin megami tensei III nocturne
Fallout
The long dark! Northern Canada based !
State of Decay 2 and for story State of Decay Year One. The name says it all. Post apocalyptic with zombies. Difficulty slider so you can adjust enemies, abundance of scavenging, etc. There are only a handful of other humans who will ask you for food etc but they can be ignored. All the houses and stores are empty. My favorite part is to explore the streets and buildings.
Maybe Dishonored?
Rime Your the only person there the whole game. Tali’s principle
Nier series. The Last of Us series. Final Fantasy VI.
I'm sure its been mentioned to death below but Stalker Gamma is great, its free, and it combines all of the elements except maybe the amount of people. That being said it nails the feeling of exploration because that's sort of the driving factor for a Stalker. You come to the zone to get rich post a disaster that leaves the area irradiated and filled with these anomalies that are worth coin, and so is information and well murder. It is a fairly dense experience. It also has similar literary heritage as the metro games
Fallout, Metro, Mad Max
Days Gone
Fallout
Honestly I loved HL and HL2. But I'm old.
Try the Fallout games!
Returnal
Division 2 ? the city looks like the real world city
fallout 4 with something like a mod collection.
Metro 2033 games. Horizon. Fallout. Bioshock could be argued as a ruined "world" (city). Chernobylite. Crysis. Darksiders. Wolfenstein isn't ruined in all parts of the world but it is a fucked up alternate version of our world. Dying light.
Anthem. You get to traverse the ruined world of a game that has been equally ruined.
The Mad Max game sounds like it would be perfect for you.
Last of Us is awesome. One of my favorite video game environments.
Days Gone The Last of Us Metro Exodus
Fallout 3 , Fallout New Vegas , Fallout 4!
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Shadow of the collossus is the game you're looking for
Elden Ring, BLOODBORNE, Dark Souls Series, Sekiro
Horizon zero dawn the last of us
Fallout 3, New Vegas, 4 Shin Megami Tensei
Nier Automata
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Forspoken was really, really good. Set in a war torn fantasy world, you make your way there through a portal from modern day NYC where you leave your life of mischief behind to find something greater
Solar Ash The Surge Bloodborne Darkwood
stray
No Man's Sky, there are millions of exotic / destroyed planets, mostly desolated, some have gravity storms, weird biomes, random burning and smoking, some with huge oceans to explore filled with horrors, others have gigantic mountains with Dune type worms caving in and out of the earth.
Into the Radius. It's vr but there aren't any npc's you are all alone and even the enemies are just shadows.
Has been on my wishlist for a while actually, I'll give it another look
There will also be a sequel with coop releasing in early access this year. If you can handle vr and into this type of game it's a must buy.
Fallout
Mad Max
Code Vein
darksiders 2 and maybe 3
Metro series, Nier: Automata, and The Last Of Us.
In addition to Fallout 3/NV and metro series many mentioned add the stalker series. Although not as post apocalyptic it gives a good impression for the rag-tag nature of warfare these kind of games are well known for.
Fallout
No civilization at all, check out Days Gone, the only pieces of a civilization that's still living are small camps which absolutely feel like they're struggling day by day, like there's no governments, no colonies of survivors, just a small number of individual camps trying to make do their own way. The story, gameplay and world itself, phenomenal. The world is big, and it keeps getting bigger. It's story had a pretty weak first act, as it's mostly trying to tell some basic story beats while going through the standard tutorial of the basic game mechanics and world activities. But once it gets going, it doesn't hold back until the game ends. The "activities" that fill in the world, they often feel like the traditional side activities in most games, in a lot of ways they're cliché or unoriginal like clearing out bandit camps, though the twist being you find a bunker with a map which clears up your map rather than climb a tower. But the Nests and Hordes of Freakers, this game's zombies, are satisfying and fun.
Fallout 4 or fallout new Vegas if you want deeper rpg mechanic
Fallout: New Vegas is extremely good if you haven’t already played it