There’s something haunting yet beautiful about a world in decline. Dying ecosystems, collapsing civilizations, and societies teetering on the edge of annihilation are more than just backdrops—they shape every choice, every danger, and every story. In these games, the worlds are as alive as their very few inhabitants. These are truly dying worlds, where survival is never guaranteed.
5. Subnautica
Beyond being one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played, it’s also one of the most pants-shittingly terrifying. There’s something about swimming through an endless ocean filled with alien sea life that produces a unique, full-body kind of dread.
Beyond its gorgeous scenery and terrifying aquatic predators, however, lies a more disturbing undertone. As the story unfolds, you begin to realize that what exists on this planet are merely the remnants of an ecosystem millions of years old—one that may be in just as much danger as you are.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica
4. Lisa the painful
LISA: The Painful takes place in a world so bleak that any hope for the continuation of humanity is all but lost. After an event known only as “The Great Flash,” all women in Olathe—and seemingly the entire world—vanish without a trace. What remains is a collapsed society of broken men, plagued by violence, addiction, and the knowledge that they may be the last generation of humans on the planet.
The widespread use of a drug called Joy only accelerates the wasteland’s degeneration. Brad’s journey through the ruins of Olathe is one of the most harrowing and unforgettable stories in gaming, and it’s one I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who hasn’t experienced it.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/335670/LISA_The_Painful
3. Pathologic 2
Pathologic 2 begins with your return home after a long absence, summoned by a letter from your father. He urgently needs your help, calling you back to the Steppes. The town is a harsh, unforgiving place—isolated from the rest of the world and reliant on distant trade for even the most basic resources.
In your absence, the townsfolk have grown wary, and you have unwittingly become an outsider in the only home you’ve ever known. Over the course of twelve days, you reunite with old friends, confront a mysterious illness, and perilously navigate a town on the brink of collapse. Each interaction with the townsfolk feels heavy with consequence, and every passing moment should be cherished, like the dwindling water filling your vials.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/505230/Pathologic_2
2. I have no mouth but i must scream
Initially a short story by Harlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is certainly the bleakest on this list. After a global-scale conflict, a sentient supercomputer called AM exterminates every human on the planet—all except five. These survivors have been biologically altered and are now unable to die. AM controls every aspect of their existence, keeping them alive indefinitely so they can be tortured over and over again.
Earth itself has become a mess of circuitry and steel, a playground for this evil intelligence to torment the last remaining humans forever. AM’s hatred for humanity is indescribable: humans created a supercomputer that is fully aware of what it is—and what it can never become. Death is the only escape from this hellscape, but AM isn’t about to lose its only source of entertainment. Horrific physical and psychological torment has awaited these poor souls every day for the last 109 years, with an eternity left to go.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/245390/I_Have_No_Mouth_and_I_Must_Scream
1. Kenshi
Kenshi takes place on a tidal-locked moon where the ruins of multiple ancient civilizations hint at not one, but several apocalyptic events. Abandoned factories, skeletal sentient machines, and relics of lost technology coexist with medieval-level societies, a testament to technological regression and repeated collapse. The land itself is scarred by past wars and natural disasters, while ancient war machines—long abandoned by their creators—still patrol and fire without purpose.
This isn’t just a post-apocalyptic adventure—it’s a post-post-apocalyptic nightmare. Slavery, murder, and brutality are part of daily life. What little society remains is corrupt and violent: the fanatical Holy Nation enslaves and executes non-human races, cannibals stalk the Fog Islands, and marauders roam unchecked. Nowhere is safe. You are not the hero in Kenshi—like everyone else, you can be enslaved, tortured, or devoured by anyone who can catch you. Survival is the only story, and even that is never guaranteed.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/233860/Kenshi
conclusion
Each of these games invites you into dying worlds on the brink of collapse—places where ecosystems fail, civilizations crumble, and hope is scarce. From the starved landscapes of Kenshi to the haunting oceans of Subnautica, these dying worlds test survival, morality, and the human spirit in ways few other games dare. They remind us that even in desolation, stories endure, and that exploring the ruins of these worlds can be as compelling, and as terrifying, as any adventure in a thriving land.
