7 games about climate change and the natural world to play on Earth Day

From the crystalline blue of the ocean’s surface to the viridian forests of the wilderness, the vast beauty of the natural world can feel spellbindingly vibrant. Of course, nothing beats exploring such wonders in person, but you can still experience the joys of virtually traversing these settings in the games below, which offer glimpses into the ocean’s depths and the mesmerizing peaks of mountain ranges.

But with our world on the brink of climate upheaval, the vital role that environmental protection plays in conserving these habitats is even more crucial than ever. To commemorate Earth Day—and the importance of addressing today’s pressing environmental issues—here are seven games that ruminate on the beauty of nature as well as the dire consequences of environmental decay.
 

ABZÛ

Dive into an underwater haven that’s brimming with life and splendor in ABZÛ, a game about the majesty of marine life. Accompanied by a soaring orchestral soundtrack, you traverse the serene waters and underwater currents that course through the ocean’s depths. Much of the game is about flitting among the ecosystem of deep-sea fauna. Schools of clownfish will meander past as you swim downstream, alongside turtles and manta rays that will graciously let you cling to them for a leisurely ride. And if you would rather observe the fish from a distance, you can choose to meditate at certain rocks while the camera pans over the animals swirling hypnotizingly around the area. 

At the same time, a larger narrative can be discovered within its subterranean caverns. Hints of the spiritual and an extinct, underwater civilization can be found, which point to a calamity that may have befallen them. It’s a somber reminder about the biodiversity we risk losing in the era of persistent climate change.

Beyond Blue

Craving another undersea expedition? Inspired by the BBC’s Blue Planet II nature documentary, Beyond Blue is a more realistic, educational approach to deep-sea diving than ABZÛ's fantastical adventures. As a marine biologist named Mirai, you’re tasked with documenting marine life in the western Pacific Ocean while studying a family of whales. Equipped with several high-tech gadgets, you examine all sorts of aquatic creatures from bottlenose dolphins to giant squids. And if you wish to learn more about these creatures, the game also includes a series of mini-documentaries featuring interviews with real-life maritime scientists.

Rather than simply translating tombs of science textbooks into an interactive format, Beyond Blue deftly straddles the line between educational and entertainment, without the game feeling like you’re sitting through a marine biology class. Navigating its open seas can be awe-inspiring, an experience made all the more meaningful given that these environments are modeled after real-life aquatic biomes, like hydrothermal vents along ocean ridges. Swim down into the deeper recesses—there’s always more of the sea to unearth. 
 

A Short Hike

The premise behind A Short Hike is deceptively straightforward: trek toward the top of Hawk Peak to get some cellphone reception. But as with most hikes, there are plenty of sights to discover, from a clifftop forest overlooking a secluded seashore to rugged, mountainous terrain with trees so enormous that their canopies are enveloped by mist. And as a very small canary named Claire, you’re also blessed with a pair of wings to swoop down from the highest peaks as the wind whistles gently past your ears.

There’s a sense of serenity in traversing the verdant plains and snow-capped peaks of Hawk Peak Provincial Park. Yet the real charm of A Short Hike lies in meeting fellow hikers along the way, such as a mountaineer who has lost his camp permit or a rock-climbing team that is training to summit the park’s steepest mountain. Helping them with their conundrums is not only heartwarming, but also offers more ways to explore the game’s picturesque landscapes. It’s a win-win situation, truly.
 

Endling: Extinction is Forever

Amid a burning rainforest, a fox tears through the wilderness in search of shelter, even as other woodland creatures succumb to the blaze. In another scene, the fox has to avoid the scrutiny of poachers who are looking to capture her kits. These make up the catastrophic events of Endling: Extinction is Forever, in which you play as a fox looking to keep her small litter of cubs alive. Every day you’ll venture out from the safety of your cave to scavenge for food. Gather too little food before the day ends, however, and your kits may not survive the night. 

The post-apocalyptic landscapes of Endling are clearly inspired by the very real consequences of global warming, such as the megafires of Australia in 2019 to 2020 that incinerated more than 10 million hectares of vegetation. Endling depicts the horrors of climate change through these creatures, and even as your cubs learn to better navigate their surroundings, the environments will only get more unrelenting and ruthless—a heart-wrenching tale about survival at the end of the world.
 

Norco

The suburban despair behind Norco, a point-and-click adventure game set in a dystopian version of Norco, Louisiana, is deeply intoxicating. Both the fictional and real-life Norco exist within the shadow of a major oil refinery, a backdrop of distillation columns that belch out smog and fumes that leave a constant, foul odor in the air. 

That setting quickly sets the tone for the rest of the game, with the story being told from the perspective of Kay, a young woman who returns to her hometown. In the wake of her mother’s death, her brother has gone missing, and Kay sets out to uncover his whereabouts while unraveling the changes that rapid industrialization has wrought on her childhood home. Marked by the ever-present stench of pollution, Kay’s memories of her former home and exploits paint an evocative tale, irreversibly entangled with the impact of climate change.
 

Frostpunk

What will happen to civilization in the event of extreme climate cooling? Frostpunk has envisioned this scenario as a city builder set in a frozen world where steam-powered technology has been developed to survive in the frigid cold. Your role is to lead one of the last bastions of humanity against an ongoing storm as the temperature continues to plunge. But at the same time, it’s also a game fraught with tough choices; sometimes sticking to the moral high ground can be challenging, especially with the very survival of your followers at stake. Should you welcome the wounded into your encampment? Put children to work to gather more coal?

From managing already scarce resources to dealing with an increasingly discontented population, Frostpunk is about navigating the heavy issues that come with extreme climate change—a reality that may not seem particularly far-fetched today. 
 

Terra Nil

In a way, I like to think of Terra Nil as the anti-Frostpunk: an upheaval of the city builder genre that gently encourages its players to terraform its biosphere instead of surviving an ecological disaster. You’re not just managing hard-earned resources, but generating them in Terra Nil, all while building clean plots of soil and growing lush, grassy Fynbos. 

You’re not pursuing survival at all costs, but rather restoring the natural world and its biomes. You’re not only reviving a dying planet with man-made apparatuses, but also dismantling these machines at a later stage to minimize their impact on the environment. The result is a game that’s less of a city builder and more of a chill, atmospheric puzzle game—one that espouses long-term environmental protection and the maintenance of ecological balance.