Post-apocalyptic videogames, the ultimate escape. How wonderful to venture to a strange land, so different from our own, and see what the world may look like an entire week from now. Well, today the PlayStation clan secluded themselves behind their barricades with The Last Of Us Part 2, leaving the PC tribe to suffer in the harsh elements of reality alone. But never fear, wanderer. Here are some similar games to play if you want to leave your austere existence behind, and indulge in a grim struggle instead. Pull up a plastic bucket, break open a tin of Pedigree Chum, here are the 8 bleakest post-apocalypses in PC gaming. A post-apocalyst.

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When the historians of the future cast their cyber-eyes over the deluge of stupidity we encrusted upon the primitive internet, they will see that our fables, our moral storytelling, was mostly conducted with flashing colours and double-jumps. Yes, videogames have adopted the moralistic finger-wagging of fairytales and Victorian novels, for better or for worse. They have taught us a lot about ourselves and our place in the world. Here are 13 of the “best” moral lessons from PC games. Yes, you may take notes.

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The former creative director of DayZ‘s standalone version has joined RocketWerkz, the studio of DayZ creator Dean Hall, to work on a new survival game. Brian Hicks split from Bohemia Interactive and DayZ in 2018, and now he’s with Dean “Rocket” Hall, who bailed on Bohemia and DayZ in 2014. All Hall says to describe RocketWerkz’s technically-unannounced survival game is that it is “massive”. Hang on, you know what else is massive? Jungle. That can only be a huge hint at a tropical setting.

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I love a spin-off. Angel? Great stuff! Count Duckula? The Better Call Saul of cartoons. Kourtney and Khlo Take Miami? Take me, I m yours! I could go on and on cutting-and-pasting from this Wikipedia page, but I ll get to the point. Games also have spin-offs. Often they ll be forgotten about. Sometimes they re even disowned. On a few occasions, they ll take on a life of their own and exist apart from the game that spawned them, never calling, never visiting, only sending a multipack Christmas card. Below are a few stories of surprising spin-offs. The 2D Half-Life 2, the Fortnite that failed, the single-player Counter-Strike that no-one asked for, and more.

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It has been over five years since DayZ was released. In all that time, Chernarus has been the only home the survivors have known. (Officially at least, there are already unofficial map mods like Deer Isle). The lumpy land of Chernarus is a place the players know well, perhaps a little too well for a survival game that works best when it s unpredictable. To keep things chaotic, Bohemia have just announced new DLC for the game. The upcoming Livonia is 163km , with plenty of forests to frolic in. And bears.

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DayZ, arguably the game that started the explosion of battle royale shooters, is becoming one itself. Or at least adding one as an optional mode. To Bohemia Interactive’s credit, Survivor GameZ doesn’t sound like the standard ‘closing circle of death’. Instead, it’s more inspired by the original Battle Royale film and novel, with players constrained to looting, shooting and evading zombies in a series of safe areas. Matches end in a rush for a final objective with the power to wipe other players off the map. The first public alpha test begins soon, DayZ owners can sign up for it here.

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I spot the man seconds before my flare fizzles out. It s dark – so dark that even though he s just a few feet away, I can only tell he s there from the condensation of his breath. My own breathing stops, thoughts racing behind a moment pregnant with possibility, a crossroads where anything could happen. Hey , he says. Would you like my beans? .

DayZ doesn’t get more exciting than that.

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Six years in the works (counting its time as an Arma 2 mod) and Bohemia Interactive’s zombie survival sandbox DayZ has left early access, flinging open its doors for a free launch weekend. Snag it here on Steam before December 17th and you too can enjoy hiking through the rain across the sprawling, bleak land of Chernarus. Maybe you’ll even find weaponry and shelter before zombies or other humans do you in. Having not played it since its early days as a mod (I feel very old, suddenly), I went for a jaunt around Chernarus last night. Thoughts and a launch trailer below.

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Not-being-eaten-by-zombies simulator DayZ has had a huge impact on gaming over its six years of development, arguably inspiring the all-consuming tide of battle royale shooters. Not bad considering that it’s still not out yet. The end is very nearly in sight, though – Bohemia Interactive say it’s leaving early access next Thursday, December 13th, after a whirlwind run of beta testing. It recently added base-building, upgraded animal AI and integrated mod support, and began a major round of bug-hunting. Below, a near-final trailer, giving us a peek at its eastern European apocalypse.

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It might have been the spark that lit the battle royale inferno that consumed the industry, but zombie survival sandbox DayZ has been largely forgotten, languishing in early access. The end is finally within sight for the former Arma 2 mod, as its first beta build has officially rolled out today, a major release with the aim of preparing the game for a final launch by the end of 2018. The new beta release brings significant engine changes, base building, a map overhaul and more. Check out the patch notes here and the accompanying dev log video below

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