Much like film and literature, video game settings run the gamut from the mundane to the downright terrifying. Dystopias often portray societies that have fallen into irreparable decay, the result of either internal or external factors. Regardless of the cause, fear is the one unmistakable feature that unites every dystopian society.
Frightening may not be a strong enough word to describe these video game dystopias, however. Each one is profoundly miserable and appalling in its own way. Even worse, escaping and/or dismantling them isn't always possible. Many video games utilize dystopias as their settings, but these examples are certainly some of the worst a player can witness.
10 The One Earth Regime – Injustice: Gods Among Us
DC Comics enjoys exploring alternative "what if" scenarios in their video games and publications. It's not uncommon that many of these alternate realities are horrific in some manner. One popular example of a DC dystopia is Superman's One Earth Regime in Injustice: Gods Among Us.
In this world, after the death of Lois Lane, Superman forgoes his benevolent persona to establish a ruthless dictatorship. Resistance is brutally crushed by the fallen Kryptonian and his allies, with the entire world falling under his sway. Only Batman and the heroes loyal to him stand any chance of stopping the once-beloved Superman.
9 The World Of Neverending War – Metal Gear Solid 4
The in-universe history of the Metal Gear Solid franchise differs from our own in many ways. There's no clearer example of how far society has degenerated than in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, where the world's economy has transformed warfare into its most profitable business.
Soldiers are injected with nanomachines to make them better fighters as well as more willing participants in the execution of their duties. Secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes are the Patriots, a shadowy cabal whose substantial influence has granted them near-complete control over the world.
8 Wellington Wells – We Happy Few
Wellington Wells as depicted in We Happy Few is a deceptively miserable place to live. The game takes place in an alternate timeline in which Germany was able to successfully invade Great Britain during World War II. The residents of Wellington Wells subsequently took part in an unspeakable act that hopelessly traumatized them.
To cope with their grief, the citizens of Wellington Wells took to using an addictive narcotic called "Joy," which represses unhappy emotions. The result is a society that's blithely unaware of its horrific surroundings and enforces the consumption of Joy with tyrannical vigor.
7 The Nation – Orwell: Keeping An Eye On You
The literary works of George Orwell have become synonymous with dystopias. Works such as Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm have served as the inspiration behind many other creative pieces, including video games. The aptly titled Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You is one such example.
The game takes place within an authoritarian country known as The Nation, where invasive surveillance is a fact of life. It's the job of the protagonist to investigate the personal lives of various suspects using a frighteningly effective data-collection program called "Orwell." The game succeeds in making players feel a bit uncomfortable by giving them extraordinary powers in which to spy on their fellow citizens.
6 The Combine Occupation – Half-Life 2
Does it get much worse than an alien invasion? In the critically acclaimed Half-Life 2, an expansionist alien empire known as the Combine has conquered Earth with brutal efficiency. By the time Gordon Freeman awakens from his stasis, a puppet government rules Earth on behalf of the Combine.
The Combine's occupation is characterized by an effective police state, where not even the slightest resistance is tolerated. This network of terror is aided by humans who have been forcibly transformed into willing slaves through the use of alien technology. It's undoubtedly a bleak picture, to be sure.
5 Columbia – Bioshock Infinite
Columbia from Bioshock Infinite is yet another example of outward appearances being deceiving. On the surface, Columbia doesn't appear to be a dystopia at all, but a utopia. Citizens live in apparent bliss amongst the beauty of the clouds.
As players quickly discover, however, Columbia isn't a paradise for everybody. The city's ruling party, the Founders, violently enforces racial, ethnic, and religious segregation policies that disenfranchise large portions of the population. It's a nightmare world where the "have nots" live in almost crushing misery.
4 The Tyranny Of "AM" – I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream
Humans, of course, are capable of committing appalling acts of cruelty. However, in dystopian fiction, machines sometimes displace humans as the authors for unspeakable acts of suffering. That idea is made very clear in the 1995 video game I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, based upon the short story of the same name by Harlan Ellison.
In this futuristic setting, a highly intelligent supercomputer known as the Allied Mastercomputer, or "AM," has wiped out Earth's population except for five individuals. With artificially extended lifespans, AM subjects these five people to neverending physical and psychological torture. Not exactly a favorable position to find oneself in, is it?
3 The Totalitarian State – Beholder 1 & 2
The Beholder series takes place within an unnamed totalitarian dictatorship that invokes elements of the Stalin era. Most citizens live in squalor and are regularly forced to perform endless displays of obedience to prove their loyalty to the state. Failure to do so results in a swift execution.
The unique art style of the Beholder games speaks volumes about its setting. Characters consist of silhouettes, their facial features obscured by black shadows. It's an appropriate choice of aesthetics, reinforcing the idea that individuality doesn't matter in this society.
2 The Wasteland – The Fallout Series
The entire world finds itself in a sad state of affairs in the Fallout franchise. In this universe, nuclear annihilation became a reality. While humanity wasn't completely wiped out, its remnants struggle to eke out an existence amongst the tattered remains of civilization.
The various governments and societies that rose to replace the old order are frequently more terrifying than anything else that had existed previously. Living beneath the shadow of organizations such as the Enclave or Caesar's Legion isn't a desirable prospect for those they deem unworthy.
1 The Third Reich – Wolfenstein: The New Order
It's hard to think of a much bleaker society than one where Nazi Germany emerged triumphant after the Second World War. That nightmarish reality is brought to terrifying life in Wolfenstein: The New Order. Even one as fearsome as BJ Blazkowicz faces nearly insurmountable odds in this environment.
Any student of history is aware of the full range of horrors that would have been unleashed upon the world in the event of a Nazi victory. As such, the universe depicted in the current Wolfenstein series takes the cake for the most horrifying video game dystopia to date.