8 Essential Sci-Fi Dystopias if You Liked The Last of Us

Waiting a whole week between episodes of The Last of Us is pure torture. Every Sunday at 9 PM ET, HBO delivers another masterpiece, only to leave us hanging until the next episode.

For those of us dealing with work, life, and our obsession with post-apocalyptic stories, movies are the perfect solution to fill that void between episodes. These are 8 sci-fis that won't mess up your routine that much and at the same time will provide you with deep storytelling and unique takes on apocalyptic scenarios.

Z for Zachariah (2015): Love Triangle in the Time of Apocalypse

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Z for Zachariah has 79% from critics and 44% from the audience.
• On IMDb, Z for Zachariah is rated 6.0/10.

Z for Zachariah follows a young woman (Margot Robbie ) who believes she is the sole survivor of a devastating nuclear disaster that has wiped out civilization. Her lonely existence is disrupted when two men enter her world, bringing both hope and trouble with them.

There are only 3 actors, which makes the post-apocalyptic setting even more daunting.

Available on: Plex and Fawesome for free.

The Rover (2014): Mad Max Meets Breaking Bad

• On Rotten Tomatoes, The Rover has 67% from critics and 52% from the audience.
• On IMDb, The Rover is rated 6.4/10.

The Rover is a revenge-fueled story through the Australian outback. Set a decade after global economic collapse, it follows a loner forced to team up with the brother of one of his car's thieves. It's brutal and explores human nature.

Available on Plex for free.

Vesper (2022): Visually Stunning Sci-Fi

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Vesper has 91% from critics and 59% from the audience.
• On IMDb, Vesper is rated 6.0/10.

The story follows 13-year-old Vesper, a young survivor, using her bio-hacking skills to navigate a world where Earth's ecosystem has collapsed.

What makes this perfect for Last of Us fans is its fresh take on survival horror, replacing infected with environmental challenges while maintaining that core story of youth finding strength in a broken world.

Available on Kanopy for free.

The Girl with All the Gifts (2016): The Last of Us' Spiritual Cousin

• On Rotten Tomatoes, The Girl with All the Gifts has 86% from critics and 67% from the audience.
• On IMDb, The Girl with All the Gifts is rated 6.6/10.

At the center of the movie is a very special young girl named Melanie, whose unique condition makes her the greatest threat to humanity (and perhaps its only hope). Sound familiar?

This is arguably the closest you'll get to The Last of Us vibes before The Last of Us series ever existed.

Available on: Kanopy, Plex and Fawesome for free.

These Final Hours (2013): Racing Against the End

• On Rotten Tomatoes, These Final Hours has 84% from critics and 65% from the audience.
• On IMDb, These Final Hours is rated 6.6/10.

On humanity's last day, our self-centered protagonist plans to party until the end, but life has other plans. He finds himself protecting a young girl searching for her father. The story is slow, but it’s worth it.

Available on: Hoopla and Plex for free.

Die Alone (2024): Memory Loss in the Zombie Apocalypse

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Die Alone has 80% from critics and 65% from the audience.
• On IMDb, Die Alone is rated 5.7/10.

This movie plays with your expectations. We follow an amnesiac survivor and a hardened survivalist during a zombie outbreak. The search for the protagonist's girlfriend drives the story, but nothing is quite what it seems.

The Last of Us fans will love how this film plays with perspective and moral ambiguity, making you question who the real monsters are.

Available on Hoopla for free.

War of the Worlds (2005): Steven Spielberg 's Underrated Masterpiece

• On Rotten Tomatoes, War of the Worlds has 76% from critics and 42% from the audience.
• On IMDb, War of the Worlds is rated 6.5/10.

Tom Cruise dealing with aliens while trying to protect his kids. For The Last of Us fans, the appeal lies in watching a parent go to extreme lengths to protect their children in a world that's suddenly turned hostile. The intensity of the action sequences is mind-blowing as well.

Available on: Hulu, Paramount Plus, Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Apple TV.

Children of Men (2006): Hope in a Hopeless World

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Children of Men has 92% from critics and 85% from the audience.
• On IMDb, Children of Men is rated 7.9/10.

Children of Men gives us a world where humanity faces extinction not through infection, but through infertility.

Set in 2027, this film follows a former activist who must protect humanity's last hope, a miraculously pregnant woman. The world-building here is absolutely incredible, truly a civilization slowly crumbling under the weight of its own mortality.

Available on: Microsoft Store, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Apple TV.