The most popular dystopia games
A dystopia is the lesser-known counterpart to utopia, representing an undesirable or nightmarish society. Dystopian societies often suffer from various negative aspects such as environmental degradation, oppressive governments, rampant despotism, extreme inequality, or social decay.
Cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic games serve as prime examples of dystopian themes. Cyberpunk worlds often depict high-tech, low-life futures where corporate control, surveillance, and societal breakdown are rampant. Post-apocalyptic games, on the other hand, explore the aftermath of catastrophic events, where humanity is struggling to survive in a ruined, lawless world. Both genres reflect dystopian fears about the future, technology, and society.
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Neuromancer
DOS1989 Interplay Productions
The Neuromancer video game, released in 1988 by Interplay Productions, is an adventure/role-playing game loosely based on William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer (1984). It combines elements of science fiction, hackin...
Robocop
DOS1989 Data East
Robocop is an abandoned beat 'em up / run and gun shooter game developed and released by Data East in 1989 for a number of platforms, including DOS. Robocop is a conversion from an arcade game released by Data East in 1988 an...
Fallout
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protecteddemo Interplay Productions
The first Fallout game was released in 1997 by Interplay Productions and is widely regarded as one of the most influential RPGs of its time. The game begins in the year 2161, over 80 years after the nuclear war, with the play...
Rise of the Dragon
DOS1990 Dynamix
Rise of the Dragon is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Dynamix in 1990. It was originally released for MS-DOS and later ported to other platforms such as the Amiga and Sega CD. The game is set in a cyber...
Autoduel
DOS1985 Origin Systems
What do you get when you mix Mad Max, Car Wars, and a fondness for vehicular homicide? You get Autoduel (1985, DOS), a top-down driving RPG where your car is your castle and your guns are your diplomatic policy. Part racing game, ...
Dreamweb
DOS1994freeware Creative reality
Dreamweb is a top-down point and click adventure set in a dark, cyberpunk city. You play as Ryan who has strange, violent, dreams. A top down perspective and the sheer number of items your character can pick up are just two of the...
Circuit's Edge
DOS1990 Westwood Studios
Circuit's Edge is a cyberpunk-themed role-playing game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Infocom. It was released in 1990 for MS-DOS. Set in a dystopian future, Circuit's Edge takes place in the fictional city of R...
Blade Runner
Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS1997protected Westwood Studios
One of the best licensed games of the '90s, Blade Runner (1997) puts you in the rain-soaked shoes of Ray McCoy, a detective tracking down replicants in a world where it's always night and nobody smiles. It’s not just point-a...
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
DOS1991 Syntetic Dimensions
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the many adaptations of the Terminator franchise. This one is based on the movie of the same name, but it's not as good as the movie, according to critics. Terminator 2 is an action game develo...
Beneath a Steel Sky
DOS1994freeware Revolution Software
Beneath a Steel Sky is a classic point-and-click adventure game released in 1994, developed by Revolution Software. Set in a dystopian, cyberpunk future, the game is renowned for its rich atmosphere and distinctive artwork. T...
Deathtrack
DOS1989 Dynamix
In 1989, Deathtrack tried to answer a question nobody asked: “What if NASCAR had machine guns?” The result is a futuristic racer where speed and firepower go hand in hand. You’ll blaze through tracks, blast rival...
Normality
DOS1996protecteddemo Gremlin Graphics / Gremlin Interactive
Normality is a first-person adventure video game developed by Gremlin Interactive and released in 1996. The game is set in a dystopian future where a totalitarian regime known as the One True Government (OTG) controls the city of ...
Fallout 2
Windows XP/98/951998protected Black Isle Studios
Space Crusade
DOS1992 Gremlin Graphics / Gremlin Interactive
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
Windows XP/98/952001protecteddemo Interplay Productions
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel is a tactical role-playing game published by Interplay Entertainment in 2001. Unlike its predecessors, which were traditional RPGs with turn-based combat, Fallout Tactics took a different appr...
The Terminator: Rampage
DOS1993 Bethesda Softworks
Manhunter: New York
DOS1988 Evryware
Quarantine
DOS1994 Imagexcel
Quarantine is a futuristic racing/driving game released by GameTek in 1994 for DOS. Quarantine is set in a dark dystopian futuristic city where the player drives around in a taxi cab, picking up passengers and killing everyone els...
I have no Mouth and I Must Scream
DOS1995protecteddemo The Dreamers Guild
Crusader: No Regret
DOS1996protecteddemo Origin Systems
In Crusader: No Regret, subtlety is left at the door. You’re a heavily armed operative on a mission to blast your way through enemy installations, leaving nothing but rubble in your wake. The action is fast, the explosions f...
Ranx: The Video Game
DOS1990 UBI Soft
Ranx is a 1990 action-adventure video game based on the Italian cyberpunk comic RanXerox, created by artist Tanino Liberatore. The game was developed by Ubisoft and released for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS platforms. The ...
Transarctica
DOS1993 Silmarils
Wasteland
DOS1988protected Interplay Productions
Narco Police
DOS1990 Iron Byte
Narco Police is a tactical action game developed by Dinamic Software and released in 1990. It was available on various platforms, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, and ZX Spectrum. The game is set in a dystopian near-future world...
William Shatner's TekWar
DOS1995 Capstone Software
Chaos Overlords
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1996protected Stick Man Games
Chaos Overlords is a cyberpunk-themed strategy game developed by Stick Man Games and published by New World Computing in 1996. Set in a dystopian future, the game focuses on controlling the underworld of a city dominated by corrup...
The Terminator: Future Shock
DOS1995 Bethesda Softworks
The Terminator: Future Shock is an abandoned science fiction first-person shooter game based on the popular Terminator movies franchise, set in a dystopian world where machines has taken over the Earth. The Terminator: Future Shoc...
Warp Rogue
Windows 10/11Linux2004freeware
A Mind Forever Voyaging
DOSMac OS1985 Infocom
If you ever wanted to play a video game that doubles as a philosophical think piece, A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985) is your ride. Released for DOS and Macintosh, this is one of Infocom’s most ambitious works - a text adventu...
Archimedean Dynasty
DOS1996protected Massive Development
In Archimedean Dynasty, humanity did the logical thing after wrecking the surface world: moved underwater and started shooting each other in submarines. It's part tactical sim, part gritty sci-fi novella, and entirely German in it...
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