In gaming, few experiences hit as hard as those where you are not just the hero of a story but the final remnant of something fading away - a species, a way of life, or a legacy. These games cast you as “the last of your kind,” and it’s isolated, profound, and irrevocable.
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PostsWhether you’re fighting for survival, completing a task that only you can accomplish, or representing the last remnant of a species, these titles place a unique weight on your shoulders. They blend loneliness with a uniqueness that transforms into strength, and most importantly, hope.
This list contains spoilers for Stray, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last Of Us.
8 Red Dead Redemption 2
The End Of An Era
Red Dead Redemption 2
5.0/5 Released October 26, 2018 Developer(s) Rockstar Games Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia Powered by Expand CollapseOkay, on the surface, Red Dead Redemption 2 might not appear to fit in this list… but think about it. Red Dead Redemption 2 subtly explores the theme of extinction, not of a species, but of a way of life. Arthur Morgan and Van Der Linde's gang represent the last gasps of the outlaw era.
We are at the end of the Wild West and the beginning of the industrialized and civilized world. Arthur’s own reflections, the gang’s fading way of life, and the relentless march of progress all paint a picture of a dying breed. They’re the last of their kind in a very different yet poignant sense.
7 Subnautica
Cast Away, But In An Alien World
Subnautica
9.0/10 Released January 23, 2018 Developer(s) Unknown Worlds Entertainment Publisher(s) Gearbox Publishing Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand CollapseAfter a crash landing with your ship, the Aurora, you find yourself stranded alone on an alien ocean world, left to survive in a stunning but hostile ecosystem. Here, you are the last, or so it seems, representing humanity, trying to discover what happened and how to return to your people.
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PostsEvery day spent crafting, surviving, and diving deeper is a struggle and a reminder of what it means to be the last, even if just temporarily, on an alien planet.
6 Axiom Verge
The Only Human In Another Reality
Axiom Verge
Released March 31, 2015 Developer(s) Thomas Happ Games Publisher(s) Thomas Happ Games Platform(s) PC, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, Nintendo Wii U, Xbox One Powered by Expand CollapseIn Axiom Verge, you play as Trace, a scientist who, after a failed experiment, wakes up in a surreal, alien world called Sudra. With only fragmented memories and no clear way home, Trace is surrounded by strange machines and hostile landscapes, exploring a reality where he might be the only human around.
He uncovers the secrets of Sudra, delving into the mysteries of his arrival while trying to survive in a world where his kind is anything but welcome.
5 Ico
From Curse To Strength
Ico
Released September 24, 2001 Developer(s) JapanStudio, Team Ico Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment Platform(s) PS2 Powered by Expand CollapseIco is a timeless classic that tells the story of a young boy with horns, a mark of his cursed race, condemned by his village as a bearer of misfortune. Fearing him, they decide to sacrifice him and the rest of his kind.
Ico is the only one able to escape from the castle, and during his flight, he meets Yorda, a mysterious girl. Their bond becomes crucial to their survival, and Ico, as the last of his kind, symbolizes the fight against a fate he never chose.
4 Horizon Zero Dawn
A Species Between Past And Future
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
3.5/5 10.0/10 Released October 31, 2024 Developer(s) Guerrilla Games, Nixxes Publisher(s) Sony Interactive Entertainment Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5 Powered by Expand CollapseIn Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy isn’t technically the last human, but she is humanity’s last genetic link to the Old Ones. Created by Gaia as a genetic replica of the scientist Elizabeth Sobeck, she alone can access ancient technology and is humanity’s only hope against HADES, an AI that threatens to annihilate the remnants of civilization.
As Aloy uncovers the secrets of her origins and the world’s collapse, she becomes a bridge between past and future, fighting to preserve humanity’s legacy and ensure its survival.
3 Spiritfarer
The Last Guide For Souls
Spiritfarer
3.5/5 7.5/10 Released August 18, 2020 Developer(s) Thunder Lotus Games, Kowloon Nights, Canada Media Fund Publisher(s) Thunder Lotus Games Platform(s) Xbox One, Stadia, PC, PS4, Switch Powered by Expand CollapseSpiritfarer gives us Stella, the last Spiritfarer tasked with ferrying souls to the afterlife. Her job isn’t merely to guide souls but to comfort them: cooking, listening, and hugging, things only she can offer.
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PostsIt’s a bittersweet job, kind of like Charon with a heart (anyone who doesn’t shed at least one tear in this game while playing is probably lying). Stella’s task feels both “ancient” and personal, making her the “last of her kind” in a spiritual sense, guiding the lost to the end when no one else can.
2 The Last Of Us Part 1
The Last of Us Part I
9.0/10 Released September 2, 2022 Developer(s) Naughty Dog Publisher(s) Sony Interactive Entertainment Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5 Powered by Expand CollapseThe name says it all: The Last Of Us revolves around the struggle for survival in a world ravaged by the Cordyceps infection, and Ellie might just be humanity’s last hope. She’s the only one immune to the virus, a rare, unique trait that could mean a cure. But the weight of this “gift” isn’t hers to bear alone.
The little girl is constantly pulled by others, from the Fireflies, who see her as the key to saving humankind, to Joel, who takes that choice away from her. Ellie is left to grapple with a fate she never chose as she wrestles with the agony of being the last hope - and the last of her “kind” - for a world that no longer feels worth saving after all she’s been through.
1 Stray
Two Unique Beings Together
Stray
5.0/5 10.0/10 Released July 19, 2022 Developer(s) BlueTwelve Studio Publisher(s) Annapurna Interactive Platform(s) PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S Powered by Expand CollapseStray places you in a dystopian city as a stray cat, an unusual sight in a place where humans have vanished, leaving only robots behind. You’re accompanied by B-12, a small robot with fragmented memories and a longing to uncover the fate of his owner, the scientist who programmed him.
As you explore, you learn that B-12 is the scientist who digitized his mind as a last resort to survive, making him the final trace of humanity in this world. Together, the two of you - unlikely remnants of two different worlds - join forces, representing a last hope for the city’s future.
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