Most players know that the most addictive and time-killing games have open worlds, stranded characters, and multiple dynamics they can develop over time. But what happens when developers add an intricate world-building setting in a post-apocalyptic future after a cataclysm? The result is Games Like Stalker, titles that perfectly combine the abovementioned aspects, realistic mechanics, resource management, role-playing elements, and more. The paragraphs below delve into thrilling titles similar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R., perfect for the most demanding gamers and expert shooters.

• Release Date: March 20, 2007

• Developer: GSC Game World

• Publishers: GSC World Publishing | THQ | Deep Silver | bitComposer Games

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X|S

• Metascore: 82

Among all the post-apocalyptic future survival sagas in the video game industry, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series stands out due to its imagery, personality, plot, and mechanics. This saga is a first-person shooter horror game that immerses you in an alternate present where a second Chernobyl disaster has occurred. This event has transformed a Ukrainian region into a realm filled with monsters, anomalies, mutants, and various dangers.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga perfectly mixes a non-linear story, and RPG elements in a post-apocalyptic world where surviving is all that matters. The Zone where the game takes place is full of artifacts, weapons, and resources you must gather to make it out alive.

The 2007 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is the title that started the survival horror franchise and a game I particularly recommend to enter the saga. This first game condenses the gameplay's pillars and the best mechanics that lasted throughout the subsequent installments.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl GOG CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

All the games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. we discuss below and similar titles like Far Cry, Dead Space, and Fallen Earth are available on RoyalCDKeys. All these come in the form of reliable and cheap CD Keys you can quickly download and play in seconds!

• Release Date: February 15, 2019

• Developer: 4A Games

• Publisher: Deep Silver

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

• Metascore: 82

Like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, Metro: Exodus is a first-person shooter with survival horror elements and many similar gameplay mechanics. Indeed, both games share a similar plot, such as the post-apocalyptic wasteland devastated by a nuclear war. 

Exodus is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2013 Metro: Last Light. As such, Exodus expands many of its predecessor’s mechanics by bringing better exploration and combat features.

This first person horror game offers more freedom than its predecessors and is closer to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. since it presents several miniature open-world environments. Besides, in Exodus, you must also face mutated creatures and hostile humans while exploring the surroundings for resources that can help you complete your objectives. 

A point in favor of this title of the Metro series is its wide range of weapons, which gives you almost endless possibilities when fighting and increases your combat skills. Moreover, Exodus pays special attention to the plot, providing a more involved experience that touches your heart from the first moments in the Moscow Metro to the vast and harsh Russian wilderness.   

Metro: Exodus is a must-have player choice that every player who will enjoy post-apocalyptic events will love instantaneously. 

Key Features:

• An incredible journey that adds new locations to the Metro franchise.

• A hostile world with miniature open maps where you need to survive.

• Great immersion experience, multiple weapons, dozens of mutants, and deadly combat.

Metro: Exodus Gold Edition Global Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: July 27, 2017

• Developer: Battlestate Games

• Publisher: Battlestate Games

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows

• Metascore: N/A

Escape from Tarkov is another game based on the Soviet context. This time, it takes place in the fictional region of Norvinsk, the heart of a war between two factions. You step in the shoes of a member of one side and carry out special missions and raids to complete particular objectives.

The gameplay behind EFT is very simple since its name directly indicates the main objective in every map: complete the mission and escape from Tarkov. In this sense, maps have extracting points – generally located on the other side of the map – that you must reach by defeating enemies, getting loot, and applying strategies.

One thing I appreciate about Tarkov is that you can play solo or team up with a group of fellow survivors, be they friends or acquaintances. Together, you can venture into the obscure corners of multiple maps, gathering resources and working toward extraction points. Purchasing or trading loot with traders and scavenger raids are also great features that expand mechanics and interactions with other team members and enemies.

Escape from Tarkov is everything you can expect from a fast-paced game in a warlike atmosphere and war-torn environment inspired by Russia. Besides, its high replayability and every-time-new gameplay experience confer it a well-deserved place on this list.

Key Features:

• Several maps of different sizes from where to escape and complete your mission. 

• Loot, trade, and perks increase the chance of surviving amidst the chaos. 

• Become a lone wolf or fight with other players and ensure survival in this savage world as long as possible.

Escape from Tarkov Global Official Website CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: January 24, 2017

• Developer: Capcom

• Publisher: Capcom

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Stadia. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

• Metascore: 86

Resident Evil is a major sci-fi horror survival saga that always surprises us. With more than twenty games to its credit and many controversies due to its different approaches to gameplay, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard stands out over direct predecessors – especially Resident Evil 5 and 6 – since it returns to the survival horror in its purest version.

It's true; RE 7 Biohazard is not a shooter indeed, and it’s not set in a post-apocalyptic future, but still, it entails many of the survival mechanics – such as the management of resources – and the ambiance that characterizes video games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 

I got goosebumps the first time I played Resident Evil 7, as I had not experienced that sensation since the classic Resident Evil 2. Hence, RE7 is a great incentive for gamers seeking similar contact with survival games. RE7 also offers an open-world map divided into zones depicted by the Baker family’s abandoned rural state, which makes the game feel non-linear and helps you enjoy it even more. 

The first-point perspective also contributes to the general sensation of despair and loneliness, and even though many gamers might not love this point-of-view, in the long term, it helps them to immerse even more in the action. This happened to me, a player reluctant to play first-person titles. Now, I consider Resident Evil 7: Biohazard an epic adventure that all fans of the franchise and survival games should play right now!

Key Features:

• Photorealistic style and unprecedented level of immersion to take the thrilling horror at the highest level.

• Experience the terror from a first-person perspective, in the shoes of an innocent civilian, Ethan Winters. 

• Multiple puzzles you need to solve to advance and unique zombies to face.  

Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: October 19, 2010

• Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Bethesda Game Studios

• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

• Metascore: 84

Many fans of the Fallout franchise consider Fallout New Vegas the best installment of the series. They highlight the post-apocalyptic environment, the general sense of mystery, and the mechanics that significantly improved the gameplay of its predecessors.

Like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., New Vegas presents an open world in a vast region of the real world. The Atomic Age technology devastated the landscape, almost leading to humankind's extermination. In this setting, your goal is to stay alive alongside other survivors in the unforgiving conditions of the Mojave Desert, a place that resembles the depths of hell in its appearance and feel.

New Vegas features multiple RPG elements, such as a leveling-up system, main and side quests, and free exploration of the territory. But don’t forget you’re in a dangerous land controlled by hostile factions that fight each other. Then, you must prepare, arm yourself to the teeth, and face your fate in wreaking havoc on landscapes.

New Vegas is one of my favorite games of all time and one that raised a generation of players who specialized in surviving. A game that is madness with endearing characters, many interesting details, and thousands of things to do.

Key Features:

• Explore the expanses of desert wastelands and discover many points of interest.

• Hostile factions, great characters, and crucial relationships to develop.

• A reputation system and a Companion Wheel to streamline companions.

Fallout New Vegas Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: August 23, 2016

• Developer: Eidos-Montreal

• Publisher: Square Enix

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, macOS

• Metascore: 84

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is also set in an alternate future in 2029, with normal and advanced humans fighting each other for the supremacy of the Earth.

Its dystopian plot, first-person point of view, and role-playing elements link it directly to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. However, Mankind Divided bulges out due to its stealth mechanics and impressive visuals, making you feel like you are in a cyberpunk world or a scenario extracted from a movie like Blade Runner.

Although Mankind Divided is more “modern” than S.T.A.L.K.E.R., the sensation of playing in a world destined for destruction is similar. Besides, Mankind Divided’s world has more life than its counterparty, meaning better-developed characters with a deeper characterization and storyline.  Also, interactions with NPCs, exchanging, and trading are crucial to improving your situation and good preparation for the next challenge.

If you played its direct predecessor, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, let me tell you that Mankind Divided looks ten thousand times better. It’s an improved version of all the previous franchise installments, with better usage of augmented vision, hacking, mini-map, topography, etc. 

Key Features:

• A futuristic world where mechanically augmented humans want to gain their space in civilization.

• Multiple perks and augmentations that improve your abilities. 

• Stealth, puzzle-solving, hacking, role-playing, and other mechanics that expand the experience.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Deluxe Edition Global Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: May 14, 2019

• Developer: Avalanche Studios | id Software

• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Google Stadia 

• Metascore: 73

Rage 2 shares multiple features with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided since Rage 2 follows a post-apocalyptic story set in a similar futuristic open world. Rage 2 world is full of dangerous mutants and bandits since the cataclysm provoked by the hit of an asteroid doomed most of humanity.

While freely exploring Rage 2’s open world, players control the main character, the ranger Walker, developing his skills and providing him with the necessary firearms and tools to fight against enemies. 

Rage 2 experience is also similar to other games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, where hermetic ambiances, lights, darkness, and mysterious structures abound in all the corners of the map. 

The combat encounter is satisfactory, accurate, and characterized by fast-paced dynamics, such as moving around,  throwing bombs, or even using dynamic boosts to push enemies away. All these elements convert Rage 2 into a funny and up-to-the-mark experience you should embark on immediately.

Key Features:

• Travel across the map as you wish, paying attention to anything that sparks your interest.

• Unleash all your power and abilities thanks to a series of deadly weapons you can develop.

• Face violent factions and hostile hordes to control the vast territory.

Rage 2 Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

We hope you've enjoyed this short article, ranger! Check out the games described above with RoyalCDKeys, as we bring you CD keys to all of those at unbeatable prices! Embark on your next adventure in a world ravaged by destruction, where glimpsing a clear sky is rare. The games listed here offer the best options for your gaming experience.