Naughty Dog and Sony Computer Entertainment collaborated on the creation of the hit 2013 action-adventure game titled The Last of Us. In this game, players take mostly the role of Joel, a smuggler entrusted with accompanying Ellie (whom players also take control of), a teenage girl, across a post-apocalyptic America. To protect themselves from hostile people and cannibalistic monsters plagued by a parasitic fungus, players employ firearms, homemade weapons, and the ability to sneak about.
With its story premise and overall gameplay, Metacritic, a review aggregator, reported that The Last of Us achieved “universal acclaim” based on 98 reviews. It achieved the fifth-best PlayStation 3 rating on the said website. The plot and narrative, aesthetic and aural design, received high marks from reviewers. It has also been ranked among the best video games ever developed and is regarded as one of the most important seventh-generation titles.
The Last of Us Part 1, which is a remake, made its way to the PlayStation 5 on September 2, 2022, and will hit the PC on March 28, 2023, as part of Sony’s exclusive game expansion. With that said, if you are one of the fans who cannot wait for the game to come out on PC, or looking for a game that resembles the epic game. Then check out our list of games similar to The Last of Us below.
1. A Plague Tale: Innocence
A Plague Tale: Innocence and The Last of Us have comparable plot beats, and you can immediately tell the two games were influenced by one another. It follows Amicia and Hugo, a brother-and-sister team, as they fight for their lives in a historical environment while fending off legions of horrifying, plague-infected rats.
Hugo is a naturally innocent young man who depends on you to thrive in this chaotic environment. It features a compelling storyline that keeps you engaged throughout and is chock-full of smart rat-based challenges. The stifling setting effectively contributes to the characters’ sense of helplessness in the face of the epidemic tide, which creates a gloomy and ominous mood.
2. State of Decay
The State of Decay series, in contrast to typical zombie apocalypse video games, focuses on a group of survivors rather than a single protagonist. Every character has a role to perform and assigning tasks is one of the things that makes the game fun. Keeping everybody alive and satisfied by enlisting allies who can counteract any vulnerabilities that currently exist is the main goal.
In the State of Decay, these ties develop naturally rather than through a tightly wound story that exists in The Last of Us. Gamers never know what they will come across, so when an exceptionally useful character/s becomes ill, how far will they go to save them? Will the neighborhood thrive without them or fall apart, and can they possibly be saved? Such emergent storytelling is the specialty of the State of Decay survival horror game.
3. Horizon: Forbidden West
In Horizon: Forbidden West, the gameplay loop is maintained while the mechanics, plot, and gameplay are all improved. If you like story-driven games with cinematic action, you should play this one. You take on the role of hunter Aloy from the Nora clan in the post-apocalyptic West. Robots that resemble old, gigantic creatures in both behavior and appearance are the major opponents.
You have to switch between your various equipment, weapons, and ammunition swiftly to hunt them. Hunting is essential for survival since you need resources to make ammo, and these resources are obtained from your adversaries. The plot also includes an investigation into the creatures’ ancestry. You travel the world while performing freestyle maneuvers, rides or mounts, gliders, swimming, hiking, and other activities.
4. Tomb Raider
Ellie may very well have swiftly ascended the ladder as one of the most recognizable female protagonists in gaming history. However, one female character tops them all. Of course, that is Lara Croft, renowned tomb raider and adventurer. If you loved how The Last of Us put a strong and independent hero like Ellie at the forefront of its plot, you will also appreciate the Tomb Raider remake.
In this semi-open survival action adventure, you take on the role of Lara Croft. The character advancement, crafting, aesthetics, and gameplay in this game are reminiscent of Naughty Dog’s work. Croft’s principal focus, though, is to loot tombs for treasure.
5. Days Gone
The third-person action-adventure game Days Gone is set in an open-world post-apocalyptic environment. The game is set two years after a virus that killed nearly all of civilization and converted millions of people into “Freakers,” mindless, rapidly evolving zombie-like monsters. The player assumes control of Deacon St. John, a former outlaw-turned-bounty hunter. A nighttime Freaker species known as a swarmer hides out in its nest during the day, but at night, it will frequently gather, swarm, and roam around in search of food and water.
Players can freely explore the world on foot or by motorcycle. The bike uses up fuel, and if it is severely damaged, it becomes inoperable. So, the bike must be constantly refueled at filling stations and campsites, and it must be repaired with salvaged materials. Deacon also needs to build relationships with colony camps and accumulate “camp credits” through accomplishing assignments, bounties, and selling food. Despite its average reception, Days Gone is slowly gaining popularity since its PC debut.
6. Metro 2033
Metro 2033 is a video game in which you play as a first-person shooter. Much of it takes place in the Moscow Metro’s tunnels. There are also some scenes set on the city’s ruins on the surface of the city. Cut scenes that highlight significant storyline points are displayed throughout the single-player campaign’s linear narrative.
In the game, players can use many types of firearms to dispatch mutant and human enemies. Moreover, they can use both conventional weaponry like shotguns, assault rifles, and revolvers as well as novel ones like pneumatic crossbows. Similar to The Last of Us, the game focuses on survival and features a gloomy and hopeless narrative.
7. Resident Evil: Village
On this fresh first-person survival horror, you carry on Ethan Winter’s narrative. You are compelled to search through a run-down village for your infant daughter. The objective in Resident Evil: Village is to complete each region and defeat each of its bosses to obtain the last key. Its linear areas, mazes, unsettling puzzles, difficult opponents, and more, require a lot of retracing. Although ammo is in short supply, you can use treasures to enhance your guns, vitality, blocking, pace, as well as other crucial attributes.
Through a vendor known as the Duke, players can purchase equipment, upgrades, weapons, and other goods. In the Settlement, the players can go animal hunting and have the Duke prepare their catch for food. The player can benefit from eating side dishes in several ways; one example is reducing the damage they incur when blocking. In the Settlement, one can also find treasures and collectibles that can be exchanged for money with the Duke.
Try Each of These Games Similar to The Last of Us
So, there you have it—the 7 best games like The Last of Us. With the creation of a TV series based on this popular survival horror game, it is indeed a good note to consider that this genre provides an immersive and entertaining experience. Do take note that the list above is based on our own bias. So, if you think we missed some, kindly share your thoughts and suggestions in the comment section below.
Image Source/s: Steam
