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Plague Inc: Evolved

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux • 2016

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Quick resume

Plague Inc: Evolved is a unique mix of high strategy and terrifyingly realistic simulation. Your pathogen has just infected 'Patient Zero' - now you must bring about the end of human history by evolving a deadly, global Plague whilst adapting against everything humanity can do to defend itself.

Global score

94/100

Genres

Casual, Indie, Simulator, Strategy, Real Time Strategy (RTS), Tactical

Similar games

    Pros

    • High replayability with many scenarios and disease types
    • Strategic and challenging gameplay
    • Community content and scenario editor
    • Multiplayer cooperative and competitive modes
    • Educational and thought-provoking

    Cons

    • Some repetitiveness in gameplay
    • Price considered high by some
    • Randomness can frustrate players
    • Limited emotional social interaction
    • Some language and translation issues

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Fellowship, Domination, Status. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Sensation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

      "Players have freedom to choose disease type, mutation paths, and strategies to infect and kill humanity."

    • Competence
      3

      "Requires strategic thinking and planning to balance infectivity, lethality, and cure development; some randomness involved."

    • Competition
      2

      "Includes multiplayer modes with player vs player and cooperative play, encouraging comparison and competition."

    • Continuation
      4

      "High replayability with many scenarios, disease types, and community content encourages habitual play."

    • Cooperation
      3

      "Cooperative multiplayer mode allows players to work together to infect and destroy humanity."

    • Creativity
      4

      "Players can create custom diseases and scenarios via Steam Workshop and in-game editors."

    • Domination
      1

      "Some competitive multiplayer elements involve dominance, but generally interactions are balanced."

    • Escapism
      3

      "Players use the game as a cathartic escape and distraction from real-world pandemic stress."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and curiosity, not obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      4

      "Encourages trying new strategies, mutations, and scenarios to find effective ways to win."

    • Exploration
      2

      "Exploring different countries and scenarios, but within a fixed world map environment."

    • Expression
      3

      "Allows naming diseases and customizing scenarios, enabling player self-expression."

    • Fantasy
      2

      "Includes fictional diseases like zombies and vampires, blending realistic and fantasy elements."

    • Fellowship
      2

      "Community sharing via workshop and multiplayer fosters a sense of belonging."

    • Growth
      3

      "Players learn disease mechanics, geography, and strategy through gameplay and experimentation."

    • Health
      -5

      "Game is sedentary with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention and strategic decision-making during gameplay."

    • Intimacy
      -4

      "Social interactions are limited to multiplayer modes with minimal emotional sharing."

    • Leadership
      1

      "Some leadership in multiplayer cooperative modes, but mostly shared decision-making."

    • Progression
      4

      "Players accumulate DNA points to upgrade and evolve their disease, unlocking new abilities."

    • Relaxation
      1

      "Game can be tense especially at higher difficulties, but also offers moments of flow."

    • Sensation
      1

      "Visuals and sounds are good but not highly stimulating; focus is on strategy."

    • Status
      1

      "Leaderboards and achievements provide some recognition but not a major focus."

    • Story
      1

      "Contains some narrative elements and scenarios but gameplay is mostly context-free."

    • Strategy
      5

      "Core gameplay revolves around strategic planning, resource management, and problem solving."

    • Thrill
      3

      "Higher difficulties and multiplayer modes provide suspense and tension."

    • Value
      3

      "Players perceive good value due to replayability, frequent updates, and community content."

    • Violence
      5

      "Central theme is destruction of humanity through disease, involving death and chaos."

    • Survival
      4

      "Players must avoid failure by managing disease spread and countering cure development."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026