5 Eco-Friendly Video Games to Help You Better Understand the Climate Crisis

With the ever-escalating state of the current climate crisis, there is rarely a wrong avenue to better understand how severe these environmental issues are and the lasting impact they have — this also means that sometimes the best way to put it into perspective for some people is through a video game.

Video games have long been an avenue of storytelling, resulting in some of the most heart-wrenching tales. There are also a variety of games out there that use gameplay to bring awareness to environmental issues.

Here are five video games with clear eco-friendly messages that are available on a variety of platforms.

Endling - Extinction is Forever will really put the extinction crisis into perspective for so many players. In this upcoming title, you play as Earth's last mother fox. Your goal is to traverse the industrialized lands with your three fox cubs, teaching them how to survive in a world bent on destroying their habitat while treacherously navigating your way to a safer location. Every move you make has to be planned carefully, because one wrong choice could result in the loss of one of your pups.

Endling - Extinction is Forever will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC sometime in 2022.

Get back in touch with nature and explore different flora and fauna across different habitats in Little Mouse's Encyclopedia. You'll come across more than 160 different species of plants and animals in this game, learning more about them and the wonders of nature. Not only is this one of the coziest games on the market right now, but it's also great for younger gamers with curious minds.

Little Mouse's Encyclopedia is available for the Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac.

Puzzle platformer Plasticity takes place in a world overrun with single-use plastics. You'll play as Noa, a young girl who has decided she needs to save the world from the plastic that is overtaking it. It's up to you to make the choices that will stop your planet from being overrun by the un-biodegradable litter. Throughout the game, you'll make choices that will affect whether or not you manage to save your world from a state of disrepair.

Plasticity is currently free to play exclusively for PC and includes about 20 to 40 minutes of gameplay, allowing you to play through it multiple times.

We know that we need bees to survive on this planet – but what obstacles do bees have to face in their lives, especially thanks to us humans? Bee Simulator lets you quite literally live out the life of a bee, collecting pollen and doing what you can to save your queen and your hive from destruction.

Bee Simulator is currently available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

The ocean is a vast and sometimes terrifying space, but as our planet continues to deteriorate, we're negatively affecting the wildlife that live within the waters. Beyond Blue is a single-player title that gives players a close-up look at the creatures living under the sea, letting you build an encyclopedia of the animals you meet along the way. This game even features footage and insights from the award-winning documentary Blue Planet II.

Beyond Blue is available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Apple Arcade.