Top Wasteland Alternatives for Post-Apocalyptic RPG Enthusiasts
Interplay's Wasteland, a groundbreaking RPG that birthed the legendary Fallout series, captivated players with its unique blend of tactical combat, deep character progression, and compelling post-apocalyptic narrative. With inXile Entertainment planning a remaster of the original and the highly anticipated Wasteland 3 on the horizon, many fans are looking for similar experiences to fill the void or expand their post-apocalyptic gaming horizons. If you're a fan of the classic CRPG mechanics, survival challenges, and rich storytelling found in Wasteland, you'll be thrilled to discover these excellent Wasteland alternatives.
Best Wasteland Alternatives
Whether you're craving more turn-based tactical combat, sprawling open worlds, or desperate survival scenarios, there's a game out there that echoes the spirit of Wasteland. Dive into these top contenders that offer similar gameplay loops, atmospheric settings, and intricate decision-making.
Fallout
Fallout is perhaps the most obvious and direct descendant of Wasteland, sharing a foundational design philosophy. This RPG series is set in a post-nuclear war world, featuring extensive exploration, character development, and choice-driven narratives. Available on Windows, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, iPad, and through platforms like Bethesda Launcher, Steam, Playstation, and Xbox, Fallout offers a vast world to explore with compelling gaming features, making it an excellent alternative for those who loved Wasteland's core premise.
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead (L4D) is a cooperative first-person shooter set during an apocalyptic pandemic, offering a fast-paced, action-oriented take on survival. While different in genre from Wasteland's RPG roots, L4D provides intense multiplayer and single-player experiences against hordes of infected. It's available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Steam, and Xbox, featuring first-person shooter mechanics and robust multiplayer support, which might appeal to players who enjoyed the combat aspects of Wasteland but desire more direct action.
Metro Game Series
The Metro series offers a survival horror first-person shooter experience deeply rooted in a post-apocalyptic setting, much like Wasteland. Based on Dmitry Glukhovsky's novels, these games focus on exploration, resource management, and a gripping narrative within the desolate Moscow underground. Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, the Metro series delivers a strong single-player gaming experience focused on survival, providing a darker, more atmospheric alternative to Wasteland.
DayZ
DayZ plunges players into a brutal post-soviet country ravaged by an unknown virus, turning much of the population into frenzied infected. It's an open-world multiplayer survival game where fighting over resources is paramount. Available on Windows and Steam (also on Playstation), DayZ emphasizes PvP and multiplayer survival in an expansive open world with a strong focus on zombies, offering a grittier, more emergent storytelling experience compared to Wasteland's narrative-driven approach.
Dying Light
Dying Light is an open-world first-person action-adventure survival horror game where players navigate a city overrun by zombies, emphasizing parkour and intense combat. Available on Windows, Linux, and Steam, it features first-person shooter mechanics, an open world, and engaging shooting against zombie hordes. While not an RPG, its focus on survival in a dangerous, zombie-infested world provides a thrilling alternative for those who enjoyed the threat of the wasteland.
7 Days to Die
7 Days to Die is a unique blend of survival horror, tower defense, RPG, and first-person shooter. Set in a nuclear-devastated Earth where the remaining population is infected, players must scavenge, craft, and build to survive. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Steam, it offers a sandbox experience with a zombie mode, emphasizing survival and crafting, making it a compelling alternative for those who enjoyed Wasteland's resource management and combat against threats.
The Outer Worlds
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, many of whom worked on Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds is a single-player first-person sci-fi RPG that puts player choice at its core. While not post-apocalyptic in the same vein as Wasteland, its deep RPG mechanics, companion system, and branching narratives offer a similar sense of agency and world-building. Available on Windows, Playstation, and Xbox, it's a fantastic alternative for players who value the extensive role-playing and consequence-driven storytelling of Wasteland.
DeadZ
DeadZ is an open-world survival horror game emphasizing exploration and a vast open world filled with zombies. It's a freemium title available on Windows and Web, focusing on MMO elements, free-to-play access, and extensive open-world exploration. While it lacks the deep RPG mechanics of Wasteland, its open-world survival and zombie themes make it an interesting free-to-play alternative for those seeking a less structured post-apocalyptic experience.
Underrail
Underrail is an old-school turn-based isometric indie role-playing game that explicitly focuses on exploration and combat, making it a spiritual successor to classic CRPGs like Wasteland and Fallout. Set in a vast underground world, it offers deep character customization, challenging tactical combat, and a grim atmosphere. Available on Windows and Steam, Underrail is a commercial title featuring an isometric view, single-player gameplay, and strong survival elements, making it an excellent choice for purists of the genre.
Overland
Overland is a squad-based survival strategy game with procedurally generated levels, set in a post-apocalyptic North America. While its isometric view and turn-based combat might remind players of Wasteland, Overland leans more into strategic survival and tactical decision-making in bite-sized encounters. Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, it's a commercial game featuring an open world, single-player focus, and strong survival themes, offering a unique and challenging take on the post-apocalyptic genre.
The legacy of Wasteland lives on, not just in its direct sequels and remasters but in the numerous games that have drawn inspiration from its pioneering design. From the sprawling RPGs of the Fallout series to intense survival horrors and tactical strategy games, there's a wide array of choices for fans seeking a similar blend of challenge, narrative, and post-apocalyptic ambiance. Explore these Wasteland alternative titles to find the perfect fit for your next gaming adventure.