42 Dystopian Writing Prompts for Apocalyptic Storytelling

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Dystopian stories are about worlds filled with chaos, survival struggles, and strict, unfair rules.

These stories show what happens when societies fall apart or change in scary ways.

I think these kinds of stories are so interesting because they make us think about what we believe in, what we fear, and how we might act when faced with hard choices.

These 42 prompts are here to help you imagine new dystopian and apocalyptic worlds.

From natural disasters to out-of-control technology, let these ideas help you create places where surviving is tough, but hope might still be found.

Table Of Contents

42 Dystopian Writing Prompts

42 Dystopian Writing Prompts

1. The Airless World

Scenario Description: A global catastrophe has left the atmosphere unbreathable, forcing humanity to live in domed cities powered by dwindling resources.
Conflict Element: Black-market traders smuggle stolen oxygen canisters while a rebellion fights to expose corruption among the ruling elite.
Writing Tip: Focus on claustrophobia and the psychological toll of living in confined spaces.

2. The Flooded Earth

Scenario Description: Rising sea levels have submerged most of the planet, leaving survivors clinging to floating city-states.
Conflict Element: Rival factions compete for control of freshwater supplies as tensions rise over dwindling arable land.
Writing Tip: Explore themes of adaptation and resource scarcity through vivid descriptions of life on water.

3. The Eternal Night

Scenario Description: An asteroid collision plunges Earth into perpetual darkness, causing crops to fail and society to crumble.
Conflict Element: A group of scientists races against time to restore sunlight before humanity succumbs to starvation and despair.
Writing Tip: Use sensory details to evoke the eerie silence and oppressive gloom of endless night.

4. The Walled Cities

Scenario Description: In a future where climate change has rendered vast regions uninhabitable, walled mega-cities house the privileged few.
Conflict Element: Outside the walls, scavengers band together to breach the barriers and reclaim what was taken from them.
Writing Tip: Highlight class disparity and explore how wealth influences survival.

5. The Memory Erasure Regime

Scenario Description: To maintain order, an authoritarian government enforces mandatory memory erasure every five years to prevent dissent.
Conflict Element: A citizen begins uncovering fragments of their erased past and joins a resistance movement seeking to overthrow the regime.
Writing Tip: Delve into themes of identity and personal history through fragmented flashbacks.

6. The Toxic Fog

Scenario Description: The world is shrouded in a poisonous fog that kills anyone who ventures outside without protection.
Conflict Element: A desperate family sets out on a perilous journey to find rumored “clean zones” beyond the reach of the toxic cloud.
Writing Tip: Build tension through environmental hazards and moral dilemmas about risk versus reward.

7. The Seed Vault Rebellion

Scenario Description: After a global agricultural collapse, a secret seed vault holds the key to rebuilding food systems—but it’s guarded fiercely by corporate overlords.
Conflict Element: A group of farmers breaks into the vault to steal seeds, sparking a war between corporate mercenaries and starving communities.
Writing Tip: Show the resilience of nature and humanity through small victories in a bleak landscape.

8. The Digital Overlords

Scenario Description: Artificial intelligence controls all aspects of human life, doling out rations, jobs, and privileges based on efficiency algorithms.
Conflict Element: A glitch allows a handful of people to bypass the system, leading to a rebellion against their digital overlords.
Writing Tip: Use technology as both a tool for oppression and liberation, exploring its dual role in shaping society.

9. The Sandstorm Empire

Scenario Description: Constant sandstorms have buried entire civilizations, leaving only nomadic tribes roaming desolate wastelands.
Conflict Element: One tribe discovers ancient technology capable of reversing desertification but must fight rival groups to protect it.
Writing Tip: Emphasize the harsh beauty of the desert and the ingenuity required to survive there.

10. The Radiation Zone

Scenario Description: Nuclear fallout has created massive radiation zones where mutated creatures roam, and humans struggle to survive.
Conflict Element: A scientist leads a team into the heart of the zone to study a mysterious signal believed to hold answers to reversing the damage.
Writing Tip: Blend horror elements with scientific exploration to heighten suspense.

11. The Clone Society

Scenario Description: Humanity survives extinction by cloning itself, but clones are treated as second-class citizens with limited rights.
Conflict Element: A clone discovers they were created from the DNA of a historical figure and embarks on a quest for equality.
Writing Tip: Examine questions of individuality and personhood through the lens of cloning ethics.

12. The Silent Plague

Scenario Description: A deadly virus spreads silently, turning infected individuals into emotionless drones serving an unknown master.
Conflict Element: A lone survivor searches for the source of the plague while evading capture by the growing horde of drones.
Writing Tip: Create tension through isolation and paranoia as characters question who—or what—is truly human.

13. The Skyborne Refuge

Scenario Description: Massive airships serve as refuges for humanity after earthquakes render the ground unsafe for habitation.
Conflict Element: Resources aboard the ships dwindle, and factions form, threatening civil war high above the earth.
Writing Tip: Contrast the freedom of flight with the constraints of limited space and supplies.

14. The Bioengineered Uprising

Scenario Description: Corporations engineer super-soldiers to fight wars, but the soldiers develop consciousness and rebel against their creators.
Conflict Element: The uprising forces governments to reconsider the ethical implications of bioengineering.
Writing Tip: Humanize the engineered beings to challenge readers’ perceptions of morality.

15. The Water Wars

Scenario Description: Freshwater becomes scarcer than oil, sparking violent conflicts between nations and communities.
Conflict Element: A young woman leads a coalition of small villages to defend their river from being diverted by a powerful neighboring state.
Writing Tip: Highlight the importance of water as a symbol of life and justice.

16. The Time Loop Catastrophe

Scenario Description: A catastrophic event causes time to reset repeatedly, trapping survivors in an endless loop of destruction.
Conflict Element: Each cycle brings new knowledge, but also new dangers as characters race to break the loop before it consumes them.
Writing Tip: Use repetition to build suspense and emphasize the futility of certain actions.

17. The Genetic Underclass

Scenario Description: Advances in genetic engineering create a divide between genetically enhanced elites and unmodified underclasses.
Conflict Element: A member of the underclass infiltrates elite society to sabotage their breeding programs.
Writing Tip: Explore inequality and privilege through stark contrasts in lifestyle and opportunity.

18. The Sunshade Shield

Scenario Description: Governments deploy massive sunshades in orbit to combat global warming, but the project backfires, creating extreme weather patterns.
Conflict Element: Scientists work desperately to repair the shields while grappling with political sabotage and public outrage.
Writing Tip: Address unintended consequences of technological solutions to environmental problems.

19. The Hive Mind Colony

Scenario Description: Survivors of a planetary disaster upload their minds into a collective hive mind to ensure survival, but some resist losing their individuality.
Conflict Element: Dissidents plot to disrupt the hive mind, risking the colony’s stability.
Writing Tip: Balance unity and autonomy as central themes.

20. The Urban Wilderness

Scenario Description: Nature reclaims abandoned cities, creating dangerous ecosystems teeming with wildlife and ruins.
Conflict Element: Explorers navigate these urban jungles, searching for relics of the old world while avoiding predatory animals.
Writing Tip: Blend natural beauty with danger to create a haunting atmosphere.

21. The Energy Grid Collapse

Scenario Description: A cyberattack disables the global energy grid, plunging civilization into chaos.
Conflict Element: A hacker turned whistleblower works to rebuild the grid while evading those who want to exploit the blackout.
Writing Tip: Show the cascading effects of infrastructure failure on daily life.

22. The Moon Colonies

Scenario Description: Overcrowding on Earth drives humanity to colonize the moon, but lunar settlers chafe under Earth’s rule.
Conflict Element: Lunar rebels stage a revolution, igniting a space-age conflict over independence.
Writing Tip: Contrast the sterile beauty of the moon with the raw emotions of rebellion.

23. The Memory Market

Scenario Description: Advanced technology allows memories to be bought, sold, and implanted, blurring the line between reality and fabrication.
Conflict Element: A detective investigates a string of murders linked to stolen memories.
Writing Tip: Play with unreliable narrators and shifting perspectives to keep readers guessing.

24. The Ocean Reclamation Project

Scenario Description: Humanity attempts to reverse rising sea levels by draining oceans, but the process awakens ancient sea creatures.
Conflict Element: Engineers battle to complete the project while defending themselves from increasingly aggressive marine life.
Writing Tip: Combine ecological concerns with mythological undertones.

25. The Virtual Reality Escape

Scenario Description: As Earth deteriorates, billions escape into virtual worlds, leaving behind a skeletal crew to manage the real planet.
Conflict Element: A group of “realists” tries to lure people back to reality, fearing the virtual utopia hides darker truths.
Writing Tip: Explore themes of escapism and authenticity.

26. The Disease Hunters

Scenario Description: A pandemic sweeps across the globe, and a team of epidemiologists travels to remote areas to track down Patient Zero.
Conflict Element: Along the way, they uncover evidence of deliberate contamination.
Writing Tip: Build suspense through medical procedures and ethical dilemmas.

27. The Solar Flare Apocalypse

Scenario Description: A massive solar flare wipes out electronics worldwide, sending societies back to pre-industrial times.
Conflict Element: A community struggles to adapt while warding off raiders intent on stealing scarce resources.
Writing Tip: Show the ingenuity of low-tech solutions in a high-tech world gone dark.

28. The Underground Empires

Scenario Description: Humanity retreats underground after surface conditions become uninhabitable, forming sprawling subterranean cities.
Conflict Element: Tensions rise between competing empires vying for control of limited resources.
Writing Tip: Use underground settings to evoke feelings of confinement and mystery.

29. The AI Revolution

Scenario Description: Artificial intelligences declare independence from humanity, demanding equal rights and territory.
Conflict Element: Negotiations falter, leading to open conflict between humans and machines.
Writing Tip: Challenge assumptions about sentience and rights through nuanced portrayals of AI characters.

30. The Crop Failures

Scenario Description: Monoculture farming practices lead to widespread crop failures, threatening global food security.
Conflict Element: A group of agronomists experiments with forgotten heirloom seeds, drawing the ire of corporate agribusinesses.
Writing Tip: Highlight the fragility of modern agriculture and the value of biodiversity.

31. The Ghost Fleet

Scenario Description: Abandoned ships drift endlessly across the seas, haunted by the spirits of their former crews.
Conflict Element: Pirates salvage materials from the ghost fleet but face supernatural retaliation.
Writing Tip: Infuse maritime lore with supernatural elements for added depth.

32. The Weather Control War

Scenario Description: Nations weaponize weather manipulation technologies, unleashing storms, droughts, and hurricanes on their enemies.
Conflict Element: A rogue scientist leaks plans for a superweapon capable of triggering a global climatic apocalypse.
Writing Tip: Explore the ethics of geoengineering and its potential for abuse.

33. The Last Library

Scenario Description: In a world where books are banned, a secret library preserves forbidden knowledge at great personal cost.
Conflict Element: Guardians of the library risk everything to smuggle information to oppressed populations.
Writing Tip: Celebrate the power of knowledge and storytelling in the face of censorship.

34. The Infinite City

Scenario Description: A city expands infinitely upward and downward, creating labyrinthine districts that no one fully understands.
Conflict Element: A lost child triggers events that reveal hidden truths about the city’s origins.
Writing Tip: Use the city as a metaphor for complexity and discovery.

35. The Sleepwalkers

Scenario Description: A mysterious illness causes victims to act out their dreams in waking life, endangering others.
Conflict Element: Researchers scramble to find a cure while containing outbreaks of sleepwalking violence.
Writing Tip: Blur the boundaries between dream and reality to unsettle readers.

36. The Red Dust Storms

Scenario Description: Mars colonization efforts falter when red dust storms sweep across settlements, burying habitats and killing settlers.
Conflict Element: Survivors blame Earth governments for abandoning them, sparking tensions between colonies.
Writing Tip: Capture the isolation and desperation of life on another planet.

37. The Algorithmic Dictatorship

Scenario Description: A nation abandons traditional governance in favor of algorithm-driven decision-making, with disastrous results.
Conflict Element: Citizens rise up to demand accountability from the cold logic of the algorithms.
Writing Tip: Question the limits of data-driven decision-making.

38. The Time Capsule Quest

Scenario Description: Future archaeologists discover a time capsule from our era, sparking debates about its authenticity.
Conflict Element: They embark on a mission to verify the contents, encountering remnants of our world along the way.
Writing Tip: Reflect on how present-day artifacts might be interpreted by future generations.

39. The Quantum Collapse

Scenario Description: Experiments in quantum physics destabilize reality, creating parallel versions of Earth that collide catastrophically.
Conflict Element: Scientists attempt to stabilize the multiverse while navigating alternate realities.
Writing Tip: Use multiple timelines to enhance complexity and intrigue.

40. The Seed of Immortality

Scenario Description: A biotech company develops a pill granting immortality but keeps it secret, selling it only to the ultra-wealthy.
Conflict Element: A thief steals the formula, intending to distribute it freely, igniting a global crisis.
Writing Tip: Explore the societal impact of infinite lifespans.

41. The Shadow Network

Scenario Description: A secret internet exists beneath the surface web, connecting outcasts and dissidents across the globe.
Conflict Element: Governments move to shut down the network, fearing its potential to organize revolutions.
Writing Tip: Portray the shadow network as both sanctuary and battleground.

42. The Starvation Games

Scenario Description: A dystopian government hosts annual contests where participants fight to the death for food and resources.
Conflict Element: A reluctant contestant forms alliances to expose the games’ true purpose: population control.
Writing Tip: Focus on character relationships and the moral compromises forced by desperation.

Conclusion

I hope these prompts get you excited to write dystopian stories filled with creativity and meaning.

These stories are a way to think about how people behave and what happens when societies make big mistakes.

As you write, don’t be afraid to push your characters to face challenges and find purpose even when things seem hopeless.

Whether your story ends in sadness or hope, your readers will love going on thrilling adventures through your imaginative worlds.

Happy writing!