What if the Soviet Union had won the Cold War? Or the Nazis, World War II? What if monsters appeared in the trench of World War I?
Alternative history is a subgenre of science fiction (or speculative fiction) that creates parallel realities in which historical events take different directions from what we know.
The following are 10 games that explore this genre in their narratives and gameplay!
10 alternative history games that reinvent the past
Bioshock Trilogy
One of the greatest exponents in alternative history in games, “Bioshock” (2007), “Bioshock 2” (2010) and “Bioshock Infinite” (2013) dive into parallel universes influenced by extreme ideologies.
The first two games feature the underwater city of rapture, an objectivist experiment that brutally fails. Already “Infinite” takes place in Columbia, a theocratic flying city that broke with the US.
- BIOSHOCK (2007): Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, macos and iOS;
- Bioshock 2 (2010): Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and MacOS;
- BIOSHOCK INFINITE (2013): Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MacOS and Linux;
- BIOSHOCK: The Collection (2016): Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, MacOS and Nintendo Switch.
The Order: 1886
Third -person action and adventure game, exclusive to PlayStation 4, with a strong narrative focus. The story takes place in an alternative London that mixes the Victorian era with steampunk elements, using steam powered gadgets.
The player takes on the role of Sir Galahad, one of the Round Table Knights, in charge of protecting the British Empire from human enemies and werewolf -like supernatural creatures.
The gameplay is linear and based on firearms with firearms. Arsenal includes rifles, pistols, grenades, beasts and other advanced technology weapons.
Assassin’s Creed (series)
Although flirting more with historical reconstruction than with direct alternative history, the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise introduces fictitious elements as a millennial war between killers and Templars, with a hidden impact on the main events of humanity.
Always putting players in the midst of conspiracies and revelations that change our vision of the past. The series has visited periods such as the Crusades, Renaissance, French Revolution and Ancient Egypt.
- Assassin’s Creed (2007): Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3;
- Assassin’s Creed II (2009): Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, MacOS X and Nintendo Switch;
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010): Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, MacOS X and Nintendo Switch;
- Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011): Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch;
- Assassin’s Creed III (2012): Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch and Stadia.
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013): Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch and Stadia;
- Assassin’s Creed Rogue (2014): Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Stadia;
- Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014): Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Stadia;
- Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015): Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Stadia;
- Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017): Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Stadia;
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018): Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Stadia;
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020): Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia and Amazon Luna;
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023): Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Amazon Luna and iOS;
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2025): Windows, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Amazon Luna and Macos.
Prey (2017)
In this SCI-Fi of Arkane Studios, the Soviet Union discovers an alien form of life in the 1960s and, with US support, develops the Talos I I. Alternative history creates a context in which space race generates amazing technological advances, far beyond what we know today.
The game is first person and mixes exploration, action, suspense and terror just right. A good choice for game fans like half-life and doom.
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Microsoft Windows.
Freedom Fighters
What if the Soviet Union had invaded the United States? Freedom Fighters (2003) starts from this premise and places the player in a New York occupied by communist forces. In the skin of a resistance leader, the player runs an urban guerrilla amid an intense narrative of alternative history.
The game is a third person shooter with squad control mechanics. By capturing bases or destroying enemy supplies, the player accumulates charisma points, which allow you to recruit up to 12 allies. These companions can receive simple orders such as “follow”, “attack” and “defend”.
Although less famous than other titles of the time, the game has won cult status and maintains a dedicated fan base.
- Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows and Xbox.
We Happy Few
First person game that mixes RPG, Survival and RogueLike. Set in a 1960s England, in a dystopia where a totalitarian regime forces the population to use a drug that keeps them happy and obedient.
The player controls one of three characters trying to escape the city of Wellington Wells, on the edge of collapse due to the excessive use of this drug.
A great option for those who like movies like “Brazil”, Terry Gilliam, and Stanley Kubrick’s “Orange Mecânica” and George Orwell’s book “1984”.
- Platforms: Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Xbox Series X and Series S and Mac Os.
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Stalker (series)
“Stalker” is a series of first -person Survival Horror games developed by Ukrainian GSC Game World for PC. Set in an alternative reality around the Chernobyl exclusion zone, after a second nuclear explosion that caused mutations, foreign phenomena and dangerous anomalies.
Inspired by the book “Picnic on the Road” and the movie “Stalker”, the series shows a world full of mutant creatures, environmental dangers and conflicts between different groups within the area.
- Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl It was originally released for PC (Windows) only;
- Stalker: Clear Sky It is available for PC (Windows) and was also released for modern consoles: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S;
- Stalker: Call of Pripyat Follow the same line of Clear Sky: PC (Windows), PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S;
- Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl It is available for PC (Windows) and Xbox Series X/S.
Damnation
Another little known game, “Damnation” proposes an alternative version of the US after a prolonged civil war that led the country to the collapse.
With steampunk aesthetics, vertical platforms and third -person combat, the game offers a dystopian backdrop where military mega -depression controls vast regions.
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Atomic Heart
In this Russian FPS with retrofuturistic look, the Soviet Union becomes a leader in robotics and biotechnology after World War II. However, a catastrophic failure in a scientific installation triggers a revolt of robots and mutant creatures, plunging the site into chaos.
The player takes on the role of Major P-3, an agent with amnesia sent to contain the crisis. Accompanied by Char-Elas Artificial Intelligence, he faces deadly enemies while discovers conspiracies involving mental control, memories manipulation, and the true plans behind Soviet technology.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, GeForce Now and Microsoft Windows.
Iron Harvest
Set in an alternative Europe after World War I, “Iron Harvest” is inspired by the artistic universe of Jakub Różalski, also known for the “Scythe” board game. In this dieselpunk scenario, steam robots fight alongside soldiers and tanks amid political and social conflicts.
The game is an RTS (real -time strategy) and combines in its narrative tactical combat. The player runs units of strands, infantry and heroes in both single-player and online multiplayer campaigns.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X and Series S.