Games With Environmental Messages Woven into Gameplay

Video games are now frequently used to explore complicated environmental problems in an engaging way. Developers are building environmental themes directly into how the games are played, encouraging players to think about how humans affect the natural world. These games, which often involve managing resources or restoring ecosystems, use immersive experiences to show how delicate our planet is. The following examples illustrate how games can combine storytelling and gameplay to promote environmental understanding.

‘Final Fantasy VII’ (1997)

‘Final Fantasy VII’, created by Square, tells the story of a group trying to stop a powerful and exploitative company. The Shinra Electric Power Company is draining the planet’s energy source, called Mako, to fuel its technology, which is harming the environment. As players progress, they witness the world falling apart due to industrialization and its devastating impact on nature. The game centers around preventing a complete environmental disaster caused by the company’s greed and overuse of resources, ultimately highlighting the need to protect our planet’s natural energy.

‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ (2017)

Developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony, this game takes place on Earth after a global catastrophe where nature has overtaken civilization. Players control Aloy as she uncovers the story of how humanity’s mistakes and runaway AI led to the end of most life on the planet. The game is set in a huge open world that explores the tension between advanced technology and the need to protect the natural world. Players must survive in a dangerous landscape filled with robotic creatures that have taken the place of extinct animals. Ultimately, the game warns us about the dangers of unchecked industrial growth.

‘Subnautica’ (2018)

Subnautica, created by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, is a survival game where you’re stranded on an alien ocean planet. You’ll need to gather resources and survive while seeing how the wreckage of your ship affects the planet’s plants and creatures. The game tells a story about protecting the environment and the responsibility that comes with taking resources from a new, untouched world. To succeed, you must learn to live alongside the ocean’s ecosystem, or risk upsetting its delicate balance and facing the consequences. Ultimately, Subnautica asks you to think about the impact you have on this alien world.

‘Eco’ (2018)

Eco is a unique simulation game where you build a civilization with a big challenge: prevent a meteor strike while also keeping the environment healthy. Everything you do – like cutting down trees or creating pollution – directly affects the world around you. You’ll need to create laws and carefully manage resources to avoid ecological disaster before the meteor hits. The game is a complex way to explore how the economy and the environment are connected, and how hard it is to make progress without harming nature.

‘Terra Nil’ (2023)

Terra Nil is a unique game where you rebuild nature instead of building a city. Developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital, it challenges you to use technology to clean up polluted lands, revive oceans, and bring wildlife back to areas damaged by industry. Once you’ve fully restored an environment, you even dismantle your own structures, leaving the land pristine. Unlike typical city-builders, Terra Nil focuses on ecological recovery and offers a calming experience focused on healing the planet.

‘Abzû’ (2016)

I absolutely loved playing ‘Abzû’ by Giant Squid and 505 Games! It’s an underwater adventure where you basically get to heal the ocean. You swim around, interact with all sorts of amazing sea creatures and these cool ancient machines, and bring life back to areas that have fallen apart. What really got to me was how the game showed how everything in the ocean is connected, and just how beautiful a healthy underwater world can be. It’s designed to make you feel connected to the sea, and honestly, bringing those ecosystems back to life was incredibly rewarding. It’s just a really peaceful and moving experience.

‘Endling: Extinction is Forever’ (2022)

In this survival game developed by Herobeat Studios and published by HandyGames, you play as the last mother fox trying to protect her cubs in a world ravaged by pollution, deforestation, and climate change. The game focuses on the everyday challenges animals face as their habitat shrinks and becomes more dangerous. It’s a powerful look at how environmental damage directly affects individual creatures, and forces players to consider the impact of human actions on the brink of extinction.

‘Beyond Blue’ (2020)

‘Beyond Blue’ is a game created by E-Line Media, drawing inspiration from the ‘Blue Planet II’ documentary. Players become deep-sea explorers and scientists, using advanced technology to study and monitor ocean life. The game emphasizes respectful, non-disruptive research and highlights how important it is to protect our oceans. As players investigate the ocean’s health, they discover the real dangers facing marine life today, making the game both entertaining and educational.

‘Flower’ (2009)

Flower, created by thatgamecompany and published by Sony, lets players use the wind to float flower petals across beautiful landscapes. The game shows the contrast between dull, industrial areas and the bright, natural world. As players help flowers bloom, they bring color and life back to lifeless places, both in nature and in cities. It’s a relaxing experience that highlights the strength of nature and the calming effect of restoring ecosystems, visually demonstrating how a healthy environment can transform a space.

‘Civilization VI: Gathering Storm’ (2019)

This expansion, created by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games, adds a realistic challenge to the strategy game: climate change. The game tracks carbon emissions from power plants, which cause sea levels to rise, ice caps to melt, and extreme weather to become more common. Players have to choose between relying on fossil fuels and switching to cleaner energy sources like wind and solar power. Every diplomatic and industrial decision has long-term environmental effects that players must carefully manage, mirroring the complexities of real-world climate policy.

‘Okami’ (2006)

Developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom, ‘Okami’ is a beautiful game inspired by Japanese folklore. Players take on the role of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, who appears as a white wolf, and use a special brush to heal a land that’s been cursed. The game focuses on cleansing corrupted areas and bringing life back to the world around you, emphasizing how important a healthy environment is for both the spirit and the land itself. It’s a visually stunning experience that celebrates the beauty and sacredness of nature.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ (1991)

Created by Sonic Team and released by Sega, this beloved game features a speedy hedgehog battling the evil Dr. Robotnik. Robotnik wants to transform animals into robots to power his factories. Players work to rescue the animals and dismantle his polluting machines, bringing life back to the game’s vibrant worlds. This central story was one of the first to show the struggle between nature and harmful industrial growth in video games, and the gameplay emphasizes the importance of protecting living things from technology’s negative effects.

‘Alba: A Wildlife Adventure’ (2020)

‘Alba: A Wildlife Adventure’ is a game created by ustwo games where players take on the role of a young girl working to save the wildlife and natural environment of her Mediterranean island. You’ll clean up pollution, fix broken structures, and document the local animals to rally the community to protect a natural reserve. The game shows how even small efforts can make a big difference for the environment, emphasizing the value of biodiversity and protecting natural spaces from being built over. It’s a positive message about what communities can achieve when they work together to conserve nature.

‘Frostpunk’ (2018)

Frostpunk, created by 11 bit studios, is a challenging survival game where you build and manage a city powered by steam. Set during a worldwide volcanic winter, the game forces players to make tough decisions to keep their citizens alive in the freezing cold. It examines what happens when resources become scarce and how far people will go to survive a climate disaster, highlighting just how much we rely on a healthy environment. Successfully keeping the city running depends on carefully managing limited supplies.

‘Stardew Valley’ (2016)

Stardew Valley, created by ConcernedApe and published by Chucklefish, is a farming game where you inherit your grandfather’s old farm and try to bring it back to life. The game challenges you to build a sustainable farm and community while opposing the growth of a large corporation. It encourages players to farm organically, work together with neighbors, and rebuild local spaces instead of letting businesses take over. Stardew Valley highlights the importance of living in harmony with nature and understanding the seasons, all through the enjoyable experience of virtual farming.

‘Factorio’ (2020)

Factorio, created by Wube Software, is a game where you build and run huge, automated factories on another planet. The more you produce, the more pollution you create, which makes the alien creatures hostile and leads to attacks. This means growing your factory also creates bigger problems, forcing you to find ways to defend yourself or switch to cleaner energy. It’s a thought-provoking game that shows the environmental impact of large-scale production.

‘Cities: Skylines – Green Cities’ (2017)

This expansion, created by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive, lets players build cities focused on sustainability. You can add electric vehicles, organic stores, and plants that turn waste into energy. The goal is to lower a city’s carbon footprint and improve citizen health by adding parks and green areas. It shows both the difficulties and rewards of planning a large, eco-friendly city, and challenges players to reimagine the relationship between cities and the natural world.

‘Firewatch’ (2016)

Campo Santo created ‘Firewatch’, a story-focused game published by Panic, set in the stunning Wyoming wilderness. Players become a fire lookout, watching for smoke and preventing fires caused by people. The game beautifully captures the solitude and natural beauty of protected areas, while also reminding us how important it is to care for them. Gameplay centers around careful observation and protecting a fragile environment that’s prone to wildfires, fostering a feeling of responsibility for our public lands.

‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ (2017)

‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’, created by Nintendo, features a world where nature feels like a character itself. Players journey through a landscape where the remnants of old cities are being overtaken by the wilderness, and understanding nature is key to survival. The game uses things like weather, temperature, and animal behavior to make the environment feel real and immersive. It beautifully showcases the wonders of the natural world, while also hinting at the potential consequences of unchecked technology. Essentially, being aware of your surroundings and the environment helps you succeed in the game.

‘Outer Wilds’ (2019)

I absolutely love ‘Outer Wilds’! It’s this incredible exploration game made by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. You’re basically stuck in a solar system where the sun is about to explode, and you have to figure out the mysteries of a lost alien race before everything goes boom. What really got to me was how it makes you think about the universe – how everything is always changing and eventually fades away, but there’s a strange beauty in that. It really makes you appreciate nature and how delicate life is, and it encourages you to be curious about how things work. It’s not just about escaping the supernova, it’s about understanding the cycle of everything.

Please share which of these games made you think most about our planet in the comments.

2026-01-23 19:47