Paradox's latest grand strategy Afterworld wants you to survive the post-apocalypse, and it features its 'first original setting in a decade'

Paradox, the developer behind acclaimed grand strategy games such as Crusader Kings 3, Victoria 4, and Europa Universalis 5, has introduced a groundbreaking title in its Afterworld series. In its first original setting in over a decade, Afterworld plunges players into a post-apocalyptic North America, rife with hazardous terrain, ancient ruins, and the remnants of humanity's struggle to survive.

Players must navigate this hostile, procedurally generated landscape, gradually transforming a small group of survivors into a continent-spanning empire. Initial survival efforts involve scavenging for essential resources like food, water, and shelter. As the group evolves, players unlock new skills and rediscover lost technologies, all dynamically unlocked based on the discoveries made during exploration.

The game offers a rich narrative experience, commencing with players selecting from several origin stories for their group. These scenarios range from survivors emerging from a failed nuclear bunker to wayward zealots seeking their lost deity amidst the dustlands. Throughout their journey, players will learn new skills, establish supply lines, encounter rival groups, negotiate trades, and engage in combat when necessary.

Paradox has also hinted at strategic challenges and moral crises within the game, including decisions that echo through generations. Players will face choices such as resource rationing, the rise of new religions, and how to respond to mutated or augmented individuals. The game may even feature immortal leaders from before the Fall, each with their own vision for leadership, who are unlikely to step aside quietly.

As players forge alliances or wage brutal wars for control over the remaining territories, the game emphasizes that a second collapse is always just one bad decision away. Furthermore, Afterworld will support both co-op and competitive multiplayer modes upon its release on Steam, adding another layer of intrigue to this compelling post-apocalyptic strategy game.