Best Games With Radioactive Settings

Survival and exploration are common gameplay mechanics in games. Many of them focus on a specific scenario, such as a tropical island or a city as the basis for the game map and the mechanics of the game. One of the most commonly used settings, especially open-world survival titles, is a desolate wasteland.

Some games are set in a wasteland caused by a viral outbreak or a zombie apocalypse, but a more common setting is some form of nuclear wasteland following a global nuclear exchange or a nuclear disaster of some sort. And of course, a nuclear wasteland comes with a very specific hazard in the form of deadly radiation.

1 Far Cry New Dawn

The Collapse Has Done A Number On Montana

Set in post-apocalyptic Montana, following a catastrophic nuclear event known as The Collapse, Far Cry New Dawn is a spin-off game from Far Cry 5. It follows the same great open-world design ethos as Far Cry 5, and the same combat mechanics. However, the environment in Far Cry New Dawn is highly irradiated, and oddly colorful considering this.

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Considering the game is set in a world that has suffered a nuclear disaster, the landscape is strangely vibrant, which is likely due to sped-up growth and mutation due to radiation. The player has to learn to survive in this brutal landscape, fighting mutated creatures and other survivors.

2 RAGE

FPS In A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland

Radiation is a serious hazard for the player in RAGE. Set in an open-world game map following an asteroid collision with Earth, this first-person shooter mixes frantic ground combat with vehicle combat, very reminiscent of the Mad Max movies.

Players need to scavenge for the basic resources that they need to survive while protecting themselves from enemies. These enemies come in the form of human bandits and mutant creatures. There is also hidden technology the player must discover to progress in the game. The unique map design and fast-paced action combine to produce a pretty unique experience.

3 Chernobylite

Survival Horror In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Chernobylite takes place in a fantasized recreation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The art design and the environment are visually stunning, being moody, scary in places, and always disturbing. Many hazards exist, the most dangerous of which, aside from the enemies, is the residual radiation left over from the meltdown of Reactor 4 some years before.

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Survival is a tough struggle in this horror game, as the player explores the Exclusion Zone to uncover information about their missing wife. The plot is scary and has some very surprising twists. Overall, this is a great horror survival game that deserves a larger fan following than it has.

4 Mad Max

Play As The Iconic Road Warrior In The Wasteland

In Mad Max, players take on the role of the road warrior himself, Max, who is on a quest for vengeance against Scabrous Scrotus, the villain who left him for dead. Max’s ultimate goal is to seek retribution, as he hunts down his target in a radioactive wasteland.

Vehicle combat is a large part of this game. Indeed, one of the main challenges of the game is first constructing and then upgrading the Magnum Opus, a vehicle based on the iconic high-speed pursuit vehicle that Max drove in the first two movies. The combat is fun, both on foot and in Max’s car, and the large open-world map is well-crafted.

5 Metro Exodus

Radioactive Russia Is As Dangerous As It Sounds

Metro Exodus continues the story from the previous two games, with the player taking on the role of Artyom, as he tries to help a group of survivors make an epic journey across Russia. Moscow is a radioactive wasteland, and much of the rest of the country as well. Survival is complex in this game, including ensuring that gas masks have enough filters to keep the radioactive dust out.

The game has a compelling, if somewhat dark, and depressing plot, taking place in a wasteland filled with hazards. The attention to detail is evident everywhere, with the map design and environment providing a perfect atmospheric backdrop to the game.

6 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl

Become An Illegal Scavenger In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Shadow of Chernobyl is one of the most unique and highly regarded FPS games of modern times. There is a good reason for this, as the game is highly polished in every way. From the great combat mechanics to the atmospheric map full of radiation hazards and mutant creatures.

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The game manages to portray the devastation and despair that is the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, and the desolation of the Exclusion Zone that is still in effect and could well be for the next 20,000 years.

7 Fallout 4

It’s Called Fallout For A Reason…

Most people would have already guessed that Fallout 4 would be included here, although any game in the franchise would work just as well. The classic roleplaying game by Bethesda was released back in 2015 and still has a very active player community at the time of writing.

The open-world map portrays a radioactive wilderness long after the bombs have dropped when survivors have begun to rebuild society. Players will encounter a wide array of dangerous irradiated enemies like ghouls, centaurs, and more. The gameplay combines combat, crafting, questing, and establishing settlements into a game that can be played in many different ways. The addition of DLC and hundreds of community-developed mods extend the base gameplay as well.

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